Chapter 47
The sun was in full force as yet another scorching day befell Petalburg City. The temperature was 90 degrees while the humidity made it feel like over 100. The air was hot and sticky, making it quite unpleasant to be outside. Many people wore as little clothing as possible as they hurried to their destination under the scorching sun. Privately owned shops closed up early just so the owners could get home and relax after being drenched all day, and even the wild Pokemon of the town gathered in Petalburg Square where they could cool off in the large and majestic Magikarp fountain. Trainers gathered to watch the Pokemon cool themselves off in the water, but they didn't try to capture them, they knew the Pokemon were just as exhausted as they were, and weren't in the mood for battles.
It was definitely one of the hottest days of the year, one in which many travelers stayed indoors and relaxed under the enjoyment of air conditioning and indoor swimming pools. Nobody was outside in this desert heat unless they had to be, nobody would stand in the blistering and humid weather for no reason, nobody could stand the discomfort, well, nobody with a head on their shoulders at any rate.
Of course, that didn't stop Ash Ketchum. The uncomfortable weather was merely an afterthought to the young man, who stood confidently in the sea of grass on the west side of the Petalburg Gym. He stood alone, however, as Pikachu was much more content to remain indoors than to join its trainer under the sun. It had a thick yellow coat of fur, one in which absorbed the heat far too quickly for the little Pokemon to tolerate being outside for longer than a short duration. While Ash did stand in the heat, he wasn't crazy, either. He wore only his black t-shirt and sweatpants, the rest of his apparel such as his gloves, sweatshirt, and even his new hat with the Pikachu silhouette remained inside the Gym. He could tolerate the heat with less clothes, but something was bothering the young trainer.
He looked up at the bright blue sky as the clouds drifted above him, and then at the sea of grass which was wading in the wind. He watched a flock of Pidgey slowly rise up from the streets of Petalburg and then into the air, spreading their wings and soaring across the horizon. As the bird Pokemon disappeared in the distance, Ash knew why he felt troubled.
He was cooped up in the Petalburg Gym for too long.
He sighed as the sweat dripped down his forehead, but he didn't mind, he missed the open air and the sense of adventure for far too long. He felt far more content to spend a couple of hours outside, even in the heat, than to remain indoors constantly like the others. The boy was restless, understandably, as he remained with May and her family at the Petalburg Gym for longer than he expected.
Three months had passed since the day when Ross' lifeless body was carried out in a body bag by the police. The entire investigation was carried out without any problems, and the case was closed on Caroline's kidnapping. Norman and his wife were able to tell a convincing story about Ross' death, and the police never suspected that they were being told a lie. While the jury was told that Caroline killed Ross in self defense, the real story was that she impaled the man out of her own hatred and frustration with vengeance in mind. Caroline's mutilated body and scars were hard evidence enough that she was tortured and abused while she was kidnapped, and the courts closed the case without any further concerns.
Since the case was wrapped up, May decided to stay in Petalburg with her family over the last three months to make sure her family was able to pull back together. Even though her parents insisted that they were fine and that she didn't have to put her coordinator career on the backburner any longer, May refused to leave the Gym until she was absolutely certain that everything was ok. While she was a little overdramatic as well as a little paranoid, Norman and Caroline knew that May meant well, and they knew that whole ordeal with Ross did in fact leave a permanent mental scar in May's stability. Her mother even made a full recovery, and her wounds healed over the three months time, but May refused to leave for the time being. The feeling of the loss of her mother when she was missing overwhelmed her completely, and now that she had returned, she didn't want to have that horrible feeling inside her ever again. She had to make sure her mother recovered, she had to make sure she was there by her side. And sure enough, May watched her mother day in and day out, as she recovered from her injuries and made the transition back to the parent she knew and loved.
Since May remained at the Gym over the last three months, Ash and Max had to as well. Max didn't mind of course because they were his parents too, and he was overjoyed to see his family together again. Norman even started taking challengers at the Petalburg Gym again, and Max gladly took over Kenny's position as the referee for the Gym matches every once in a while. The boy even confessed to his father that he wanted to take over the Gym when he was older, and Norman promised his son that as long as he could prove himself to be a worthy trainer in the future, he would gladly hand over the Gym to him once he retired. Max was pleased that his father finally recognized his dream and his passion for wanting to follow in his footsteps.
Ash loved May, Max and her family more than anything, yet at the same time, he felt more and more restless at the Gym everyday. He spent three months at the Gym out of respect to May whom he loved dearly, but the young man was clearly getting the urge to start traveling again.
Ash was a trainer, and one of his passions was to travel and compete against strong opponents all over the world. He wanted to see new and exciting Pokemon, something he felt like he was missing out on by staying at the Gym. He was conflicted because he knew that May and Max needed this time with their family after all that's happened, but he was really getting eager to continue his journey and his dream as well. What bothered him was he couldn't talk to May about it, he was afraid it would insult her if he told her he was going to travel again and not stay here with her family. He knew she would take it hard, because her father considered him to be almost as important to his family as his own children. May was his girlfriend, and she expected him to remain by her side, like he promised her he would all those months ago. He didn't want to possibly upset May or her family by saying he wanted to leave, no, he couldn't do that at all. Not only did he fear that the family might have some negative view of him if he said otherwise, but he also was afraid of what May might think of him if he hit the road while she was recovering from such an emotional ordeal.
And thus, being the strong-willed boy who cared for others like he was, Ash remained at the Petalburg Gym for those three months with May and her family. He never said a word to May that he felt out of place staying in one house and not continuing his journey for so long, and gladly did chores around the Gym to help the family with anything they needed. He remained silent, for that was the only thing he could do.
While the trainer and competitive side of Ash really wanted to stretch his legs after three months at the Gym, the compassionate side of him won out, and he was rewarded for it. Norman and Caroline appreciated him far more than they ever did in the past, which was astonishing, since the parents already held him to such high esteem for taking their children under his wing and exposing them to a world of adventure and Pokemon in the first place. Ash called some of his own Pokemon from Oak's lab just to let Max practice with them, and his bond with the young boy grew stronger than ever as he taught him how to use a wide variety of his own Pokemon in battle. It was, after all, getting close to Max's tenth birthday, and soon he would be eligible to receive his first official Pokemon and go on a journey of his own.
Last but not least, there was May, who while spent a good majority of time with her parents, rewarded Ash for his patience handsomely each and every day. As the days passed, she grew madly in love with him. What started as an innocent crush for a good friend gradually developed into real love, and she considered herself lucky to have a man like Ash by her side. They would spend hours each night sitting on the porch of Gym just talking and sharing intimate moments with one another. They gradually grew more intimate with one another, so much so that the awkward kisses they shared in the past were but a distant memory. They were no longer afraid of getting close to one another, and May would rest her hands confidently on his shoulders as she moved in for a kiss. They were soft, gentle kisses that one would expect from the young couple, yet the power behind them meant so, so much.
As the days passed, Ash didn't know what to do. May was becoming nearly everything to him, even rivaling Pikachu in terms of affection. The thought of telling her that he wanted to pursue his career as a Pokemon Master almost seemed insane at this point in time. It was odd, because May rarely expressed any desire to get back on the road and into the Contest circuit again, which shook his confidence. If she was putting her own passion to the side, the dream she had of becoming a Top coordinator that she loved so much, how would she take it if her boyfriend told her he couldn't stay with her at the Gym any longer? The notion almost seemed equivalent of a breakup, even though that comparison was equally silly. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't leave her. And he knew she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He continued to hold his tongue, never mentioning that he wanted to go, and wondered how much longer May would stay stationary at the Gym with her family. It could be for a long time yet, for she was a stubborn girl, and would not leave her parents until she wanted to. It was a big dilemma.
Presently, Ash was standing in the sun, trying to clear his mind. Sweat continued to drip down his face and his clothes stuck to his skin like glue in the bitter heat, but he continued to withstand it. He may have still been standing on Petalburg Gym property, but at least standing there in the sea of grass made him remember how much the passion to travel and compete burned inside of him.
He rubbed his brow with his elbow and sighed, even the hottest day of the year was more alluring than sitting in the Gym all day. He knew one thing was for sure, he snickered, he sure as hell was never going to become a Gym leader himself someday. Staying in one place and waiting for challengers to come to you was far too much a stagnant feeling to him. He sometimes pondered how Misty felt after all these years of being stuck in the Cerulean Gym, but she seemed like the type of girl who enjoyed it, and if that was the case, he wondered if she was going to stay there for the rest of her life. It was a hard life for him to imagine, but others such as May's parents and Misty enjoyed the Gym life, and even Max wanted the lifestyle as well. Needless to say, he was glad the girl he was enamored with loved to travel as much as he did, or at least, she used to.
"Hey, Ash!" a voice called from behind, "You're looking really hot today, you know that?"
He turned around absentmindedly and saw May smiling as she walked out of the Gym. She was wearing her favorite outfit, the same red top, white skirt, and blue shorts with her cute bandana tied in a knot around her brunette hair. She walked next to him and smiled cheerfully.
Ash was still lightheaded, as many other thoughts were still swimming in his head, but he smiled back and accepted her affection.
"Eh, what did you say?" he asked unsurely.
"I said you look hot today," May said cheerfully, "I mean really hot, and not because of your looks, but because your clothes are sticking to your skin and you're sweating like a pig!"
"Huh?" he questioned as he looked down at himself, not fully aware of how much he was drenched from his own sweat.
"Yeah, that kind of hot, as in you look like you're melting out here," she said, pointing to his clothes.
"They weren't kidding when they called this the hottest day of the year," Ash said, "It doesn't bother me that much, really."
"Yeah…but, you really do look like you're going to melt out here, melt into mush even!" she exclaimed, "And we can't have you melting into mush, especially since I love ya so much!"
She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips, and then held his hand as she led him back inside the Gym.
"C'mon, Dad has the air conditioner on full blast, you look like you really should cool off," she suggested, "Besides, if you're going to do any melting, it's going to be for me, don't you think?"
"That's a funny way of looking at things," Ash said, "Is your Mom going anywhere today?"
They entered the Gym, but instead of May letting go of him, she continued to lead him by the hand inside.
"I don't know, but I promised her that I'd go out with her to pick up some stuff for tonight's barbeque, Mom is going to teach me how to cook tonight!" she squealed, "Aside from making those Pokeblocks for Munchlax, I've never really cooked before. I probably won't get it right away, but after a couple of nights, I should get the hang of it."
With the way she's talking, it sounds like she plans to spend at least another week here, he sighed, Is she even still interested in traveling and Contests?
May opened the bathroom door and led him inside, and instructed him to sit on a stool next to the shower doors. She reached into the bathtub and turned on the showerhead and then nodded with her head for him to get inside.
"You were standing outside for too long, you should cool off in a nice cold shower," May said, "Go on, get in."
"You brought me in here so I could take a shower?" he asked.
"Sure, didn't I say you looked like you were going to melt? I don't want you to collapse on me due to dehydration, and besides that, your underarms need some cleaning too," she said, waving her hand across her nose.
"You can't be serious…"
"Trust me, Ash, you stink," she said with a smile, "Even you're not immune to bad hygiene, standing out there in the heat will do that to you."
Ash wasn't in the mood to take a shower but he knew she wasn't going to let him leave this room until he cleaned himself up. He reluctantly peeled his sticky shirt off his body and handed it to her.
"I'll make sure Mom washes your clothes too, don't worry. That way you'll come out all squeaky clean and your clothes won't stink anymore either. It's win-win!" she said, "I'll be doing some other chores for Mom and Dad in the meantime while you take your shower, 'k?"
He scratched his chest uneasily as he sat down on the stool in his sticky sweatpants rather than stepping inside the bathtub. Although it would be uneasy to ask her and he almost feared the answer, he figured that now would be a good time to tell her that he really wanted to start traveling again. She still seemed way too wrapped up with deeds around the house, and he didn't know if he could manage staying at the Gym for another month or even a week.
"May, can I ask you something important?" he asked, staring her squarely in the eye.
She knew by the way he looked at her and by the tone of his voice that he was going to ask something important, so she placed his shirt aside and walked up to him politely and waited for him to speak.
He took a deep breath and tried to ask her as calmly as possible. "There's been something on my mind for a long time now, and I just need to ask, how much longer do you plan to stay with your parents here at the Gym?"
She looked at him oddly, as if the question appeared to not make sense at first.
"Um," she hesitated, "I promised myself to stay here and spend some time with my family now that things are getting back to normal, and I want to stay for a long time. I miss Mom and Dad, and I'm sure Max does too, and now that we're together again, I want to be with them just like old times, before I left on my Pokemon journey."
"But we've already been here for three months. Isn't that long enough?"
"Wuh? What…exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, slightly peeved, "I know we've been here for a few months already, but I just want to stay a little longer. Why are you asking me this, anyway?"
He sighed and looked down at the tiles on the floor. He looked back at up at her puzzled expression and began to reason with her.
"What about your Contests, May? Don't you want to start competing in them again? The Contest circuit has begun already, and if you don't start entering them soon, you're going to fall behind your rivals!" he exclaimed.
She put her hand on her chin and leaned against the bathroom wall unsurely. "I…I know. It really has been a long time since I entered a Contest, and I'm sure Drew and Harley are already winning ribbons in the Johto region, but…my family is important to me, Ash. After what my mother went through and everything that's happened, I don't want to abandon them! I just want to make sure my family is fine and recovers from this whole ordeal, and as much as putting my Contests on the backburner hurts me, I know I just gotta do it."
"So you really are going to stay here a long time then," he said disappointingly.
May shook her head and looked at him strangely. "As much as I love Contests and as much as I don't want to fall behind Drew and Harley, I place my family over them. It's really no different than the time I was willing to give up entering in the Hoenn Grand Festival to find my brother on that island with the Donphan. I love my dream, it's my passion, but my family means everything to me."
"I…I know. It's just that…"
"I nearly lost my mother, Ash," May said emotionally, her voice cracking. A small tear formed in the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away quickly with her pinky. "It…it was a terrible feeling. It was so incredibly depressing when my Mom was gone, I didn't even know what to do. The thought of losing her forever was so overwhelming that it was hard to even walk, eat or think. I…I never realized how much I loved her until I almost lost her."
She started to cry as she leaned against the wall, covering her face with her hands. Ash was annoyed with himself, this conversation was not supposed to make her cry. He felt guilty for pushing her to tears that he got up and walked over to her.
"May, I'm sorry, I meant to say something else," he pleaded, bringing her into his arms.
She leaned against his bare chest and hugged him securely, sniffing in his arms. "What…what was this conversation even about then?" she asked, "What was the point of all this?"
He rubbed her back while he held her, and spoke in a softer and more sympathetic tone of voice.
"Please don't take this the wrong way, May, but I have to say this," Ash said, "I…want to start traveling again, and leave the Gym."
Her eyes widened.
"I know how much your family means to you, and they mean a lot to me too, but it has been three months, and even your mother said that she's fine now. One thing that I really want to do is to continue my training and find a new region to explore. I…I just find it hard to spend so much time in one place. It's bothered me a good part of this month, but I kept it all inside and never said anything about it. But I really want to continue my journey and capture new Pokemon and have Gym battles and everything, and I can't do that by staying here at the Petalburg Gym."
"So…so what are you saying?" she asked sheepishly.
He hesitated as she picked her head off his shoulder and stared at him. Her eyes were watery and there was insecurity in her face, so he rubbed her shoulders to try to soothe her and calm her down.
"I'm going to start traveling again, with or without you," he said plainly.
"B-ut…"
"I'm not going to force you to come along with me, because I don't want to tear you away from your family. I understand how important it is to be with your Mom after what's happened, and if that's the case, so be it. I don't want you to be forced to choose between staying here or coming along with me, because I don't want to put you in that position, but I'm going to start traveling again by tomorrow morning."
"But you ARE putting me in that position!" May argued, "You just told me that you're going to start traveling again, and if that's the case, I won't be able to see you anymore!"
"May…this isn't supposed to be something to get mad about! I just feel too cooped up in the Gym after all this time," he said.
"I…I realize that. I know how you are about your quest. It doesn't surprise me that you want to finally start challenging Gyms in another region again, but what you're doing to me isn't fair."
"How's it not fair? You just said you understood!"
"Yes, I DO understand! We're both passionate about what we want to do, and I want to stay here with my family for a little while longer and you want to leave and start traveling! I can understand where you're coming from, Ash, but it's going to make me feel guilty whether I say one thing or another. You're making me choose between you or my family," she said.
"No I'm not!" Ash argued. He stepped away from her and picked up his black T-shirt that was resting on the hamper. He pulled the shirt back over his chest and tried to maintain a cool head. "I don't want you to choose, that's the thing."
"Well you're not doing a very good job at that," she said, walking to the door. She turned around and looked solemnly at her boyfriend. "Dammit, Ash, I love you, and I don't want to see you go. I thought we made a promise to one another that we would always be together, and you wouldn't leave my side and vice versa? If you start traveling and I stay here, it could be months before we even see each other again!"
"That doesn't have to be, we can keep in touch via the video phone and stuff," Ash said.
"But that's not the same as being with you in person! How am I supposed to kiss you and express how much I love you if you're thousand of miles away? How are we supposed to help each other with our problems and pull through if we're so many miles apart?"
Ash frowned. "This is why I didn't want to talk to you about this. I knew it wouldn't turn out well."
There was a minute of silence in the room as Ash and May tried to regain their composure. They exchanged glances again, unsure of what to say to one another. She stared at the bathroom walls and he stared at the floor, it was awkward to even make eye contact. She wanted him to stay with her, but at the same time knew he would be happier traveling and battling with Pokemon. Would what is best for her also be what is best for him?
After moments of anxiety and tension, she finally mustered up the courage to talk to him. She took both his hands and rubbed his palms.
"Are…are you still going to leave tomorrow?" she asked, meekly.
"I…" he hesitated, "I…think so."
She frowned and struggled to remain optimistic.
"Ok," she said softly.
"May..."
"…there's no stopping you when you have your heart set on something, is there?" she asked.
"We'll keep in touch, definitely, I'm not going to forget about you," he promised her.
She wrapped her hands tightly around his hands and sighed.
"I'll tell my parents what you want to do. If everything goes well, I'll…catch up to you…when you go. Ok?"
"O-Ok…we'll see each other soon then," Ash said, finally smiling, "We won't be apart for that long if you only stay here for another month or so."
"Good, I'm glad we could work this out," she said, "If this is our last day together for the next couple of weeks…let's spend the most of our time together, ok?"
Her cheerful demeanor returned as she calmed down. She pulled his face toward hers and received his affection as their mouths intertwined, softly, quietly, and passionately. They held one another close as they confirmed how much they cared for one another, undisturbed in the quiet and private bathroom walls, as the faint sounds of splashing water from the showerhead behind them filled the room with a pleasant and relaxing sound. It was their moment, and they were going to make the most of it.
~*~*~*~*
Ash rubbed the towel thoroughly through his wet hair as he tried to get the excess water out. He had just finished putting on his spare change of clothes after drying himself off from the shower, and discarded his previous clothes inside his bag. His new clothes were the same typical sweatpants and t-shirt, but they suited him well. He sat on the bed in the bedroom and stretched out his arms, relieved that he listened to May's advice to take a shower and freshen himself up.
May was standing in her bedroom as well, drying her hair with the hairdryer while staring in the mirror which was above her dresser. She used her comb to straighten out the curls in her hair and made sure she gave herself the same locks of hair over her ears that she preferred. Her body was still soaking wet, having just gotten out of the shower, and stood with a loosely wrapped white towel covering her skin as she dried her hair.
Pikachu nudged open the bedroom door and jumped into Ash's arms quickly, allowing the trainer to cuddle him. The little electric Pokemon was busy playing in the greenhouse with all of May's Pokemon during the day. Ash rubbed the rodent behind the ears where he knew the Pokemon liked it the most, and Pikachu cooed with delight. After he put his cap back on and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, he decided to go downstairs and tell Max that he would be leaving by the end of the day. Before he left the room however, he walked over to May and placed his hand on her shoulder while she dried her hair.
"You're still ok with this, right?" he asked.
She looked back at him and smiled. "Sure, after thinking things through during the shower, I think we could probably use a little alone time from each other for a while. It was a pleasant experience, Ash, I'm glad we spent that moment together before you left."
"I'm glad too, I promise not to miss ya, too much," he joked.
"Heehee, go on, go tell my brother what's going on, he'll probably want to know," she said, giggling.
"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.
"Eh, nothing, Pikachu," Ash said quickly. "I'll tell Max I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, I…guess I'll see you at the barbecue tonight then, right?"
"Chu," Pikachu scoffed.
"Yep," she said, "Now get going, my towel feels like it's about to fall off and Pikachu is in the room!"
Ash rolled his eyes and scurried out of the room and downstairs where he could tell Max and the rest of May's family the news. While Max was somewhat upset that Ash was going to travel and May wasn't going to go with him, he understood perfectly that his sister wanted to remain with Mom and Dad. The boy contemplated asking Ash himself whether he could tag along, but he decided to stay with his family at the Gym and learn more from watching his father's battles. The entire family at Petalburg was reunited after a series of unfortunate events, and he felt the same desire as his sister to stay nearby his mother.
As Ash just finished explaining to Caroline that he was going to leave the next morning, Norman called him over to the videophone in the other room and said it was for him. Ash curiously answered the call and wondered who it could possibly be, but Norman told him it was someone he knew.
"Hi, son!" Delia greeted jovially.
"Mom?" Ash said, surprised, "I didn't expect you to call again so soon."
Ash had spent the last couple of months calling his mother in Pallet periodically to ask her how she was. The talk he had with Brock before he went back to Pewter was about cherishing the family he had back home, and Ash made sure to let his mother know how he was doing much more frequently than he ever did before. He was pretty surprised that she called him back again so soon, he had just talked to her only yesterday.
"You're still at May and Max's home, I see? How's the weather over at Petalburg?" she asked.
"It's really hot, Mom. That's why we have to stay indoors almost the whole day, you could roast alive out here. You're lucky you're in Kanto, it's really cool over there, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yep, over here in Pallet its only 75 degrees, it's the perfect weather to spend all day outside and water the garden. Mimie has been helping me out with that too!" she said.
"Aw, you're lucky," Ash mused.
"Anyway, the reason I've called you is that Professor Oak has some exciting news!" Delia exclaimed.
"Professor Oak? Really? Should I go call him?" Ash asked.
"No need to, Ash," Professor Oak said, appearing on the video screen beside his mother. "I can tell you from here."
Professor Oak is at my house again? Wow, I really wonder how much time he spends there, Ash thought.
Professor Oak was an elderly man in his sixties who Ash got his first Pokemon, Pikachu, from back in Pallet Town. He had short gray hair and a pleasant smile. He wore a long lab coat with a red short sleeve shirt underneath, and long tan pants. While he wasn't as zany as Professor Latrommi, Oak had a good sense of humor and was into Pokemon poetry. He remained a good friend and a grandfather figure to Ash over the years.
"Ash, do you want to hear the surprise?" Oak asked.
"Surprise? Um, sure!" Ash said.
"You might want to call May over to the phone too, she'll want to hear this as well," Oak said.
"May too?" Ash asked, confused, "Um, she just got out of the shower, she was busy drying her hair and isn't even fully dressed yet."
"If there's a surprise for my sister, I can tell her!" Max said, walking next to Ash.
"Ah, Max, you might be interested as well. You're turning 10 in a few months, correct?" Oak asked.
"Yep, and then I'll finally be able to start my own Pokemon journey! I can't wait!" Max squealed.
"Ok then, then this should please you," Oak said, "Ta-da!"
He picked up a large egg, lime in color, and pushed it in front of the video screen so Ash and Max could see.
"That's a Pokemon egg!" Max said astutely.
"Sure is, do you like it, Ash?" Delia asked.
"It has a really nice color, Mom, I think it looks neat! But why are you guys showing me this?" Ash asked.
"Heehee, do you want to tell them, Professor?" Delia giggled.
"Alrighty then," Oak smirked, "Ash, this Pokemon egg is the offspring of your Bulbasaur!"
"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed.
"That's so cool!" Max shouted.
He turned to Ash who looked a bit puzzled.
"Um, Ash? You do know offspring means the child of your Bulbasaur, right? That's what "mating" does," Max said in a mocking manner.
"What?" Ash said again. He turned to Max disoriented. "Ugh, not you, Max, I know what that means!"
"Just checkin'," Max said slyly, raising his glasses.
"And not only is this the offspring of your Bulbasaur, but it is the offspring of May's Bulbasaur as well!" Oak declared, "Ash, your and May's Bulbasaur mated! They had an egg together!"
Ash was speechless. He didn't know what to say.
"Oh, son, I'm so happy for you!" Delia squealed, "Who knew your Pokemon and May's would grow so close together? It's really heartwarming."
"Pikachu, pika, pika?" Pikachu asked its trainer.
Ash was still shocked, he didn't say anything but stare at the screen.
"I was a bit surprised myself, so to speak," Oak said, "My goodness, I was surprised. I came back to the lab and there was an egg! I didn't know how it got there, but you do want it, yes?"
"Ooh, a baby Bulbasaur is going to hatch from that egg," Max said happily, "Ash you just gotta let them transfer it over here! I can't wait to see that Pokemon hatch!"
"I…" Ash said.
"Don't forget, Ash, the Pokemon take after their trainers," Delia said, "The close bond your Bulbasaur felt must have been a reflection of the closeness between you and May. I wonder if your two Bulbasaur mating is a sign of things to come for you and May?"
"MOM!" Ash screamed.
Norman laughed and walked away from the monitor. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Ms. Ketchum," Norman chuckled, "My daughter isn't ready for that for a number of years yet, and I certainly wouldn't let it happen under my roof, no matter how much those two love one another."
"Oh, you're keeping those two on their toes, Norman? I hope you're keeping a watchful eye on my little Ash," Delia said.
"With the gentleman your son is, I don't think you have to worry," Norman said, "They're good kids, they certainly are."
Ash's face was getting redder as he stood by the monitor. Even Pikachu had to hide its face in embarrassment.
"You see, dear?" Delia told her son, "May's father is very astute. He'll make the perfect father-in-law for you in the future."
"MOM! STOP!" Ash screamed, his face almost exploding in embarrassment.
"Oh boy, even I didn't like the sound of that," Max said, scratching his head.
Norman laughed and went upstairs to tell his daughter the news about the Bulbasaur. Oak told the boys that he could transfer the egg right to the Pokemon Center in Petalburg, where they could then pick it up and bring it to the house.
"Ok, son, I have to get back to my gardening now. I think Mimie is accidentally trampling the flowers as he waters them, he always has trouble with that. Buh-bye!" Delia said as she ran off the screen.
Oak even knew his mother went a little too over the top with her last couple of lines. He shook his head and held the green egg at the screen.
"I'll transfer over the two Bulbasaur as well. Surely the parents will want to be around when their infant hatches, and you can raise the child Bulbasaur at Petalburg if you wish," Oak said, "As a suggestion, Max, how would you like to raise the infant Bulbasaur as your starter Pokemon when you turn 10 in a few months?"
"Huh? Really?" Max said, flabbergasted, "But, doesn't the baby Bulbasaur belong to either Ash or my sister?"
"Well, it's only a suggestion, and of course, it'll happen only if it's ok with you, Ash," Oak said, "That's why I was happy Max was present, I was wondering if he would want to take care of an infant Bulbasaur, and since he's about to come of age to be a trainer, it would be perfect for him to start with."
"Awesome!" Max squealed, "Whaddya say, Ash? Can I keep it? Can I? Can I?"
He heard a loud thump to his left. Max looked over to his left, and Ash was no longer standing there! Pikachu hastily jumped over to Max's shoulder.
"Huh? What happened to Ash?" Oak asked.
"He…he fainted!" Max exclaimed.
"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu sighed.
Ash's body lie on the floor as Max and Pikachu looked over at him, astonished.
"Oh my, maybe this was all a little too much to take in at once," Oak said, "Nevertheless, I'm sure he'll come to by the time the Pokemon arrive at the Pokemon Center."
"Yeah, hopefully anyway," Max said, sarcastically. He put his hands on his hips and was annoyed that Ash fainted before he got confirmation that he could keep the baby Bulbasaur when it hatches.
"In any case, I think Ash's travel plans just got delayed a bit," Max giggled.
May was still blow-drying her hair in her bedroom when her father knocked on the door. He raised his voice and yelled his daughter's name so she could hear him over the hairdryer.
"Coming!" she said.
May opened the door just a crack, while her other arm pressed the loose towel against her body. She wasn't wearing anything, but when her father calls her, she wouldn't hesitate to answer.
"Still fixing your hair?" Norman asked, chortling.
"Yeah, Dad, sure am!" May said, "What's the matter?"
"Professor Oak just called and told us that he would be transferring over a Pokemon egg from his lab," he said.
She pulled open the door a tad more as she struggled to keep the towel on her wet body without it slipping off. Max walked up the steps to the second floor while Norman told her about the egg.
"What's so special about it?" she asked.
"Take it easy now, don't let this overwhelm you," Norman said, "But the egg is from your Bulbasaur. Your Bulbasaur and Ash's Bulbasaur mated at Oaks lab and they produced an egg together!"
"WHAT!?" May exclaimed.
"Can't you try to be original for once?" Max asked, snootily.
"I…don't believe it!" May gasped, feeling lightheaded.
"The egg should be arriving at the Pokemon Center along with the two Bulbasaur, you'll get to see them then. It's amusing how your Bulbasaur started a little family of their own together, I'm sure you'll be proud of them," Norman said.
There was a loud thump as a body fell backwards on the floor.
"May!" Norman exclaimed.
Max looked over in the doorway and saw his half-naked sister lying unconscious on the floor.
"Good grief," Max said, shaking his head, "I guess she really can't be original for once. What a copycat."
Max nonchalantly put his hands in his pants pockets and whistled as he walked down the hall, leaving his father standing there wondering what to do about his fainted teenage daughter lying half-naked on her bedroom floor.
"I'm really starting to think I have a dysfunctional family," Norman noted.
~*~*~*~*
"I still can't believe it!" May gasped, "I knew the two Bulbasaur were friendly together but I never thought they'd fall in love and have a baby together!"
"It really is something," Kenny said, "I'm glad for you, you can really be happy for your Pokemon now that it's a mother."
"Gee, I didn't think of that. My Bulbasaur is a Mom?" May pondered, "That's going to take some getting used to."
"When Ash, Max and your Dad get back with the Pokeballs and the egg from the Pokemon Center, I wonder how long it'll take for it to hatch. Oak said he was incubating it for a few weeks already," Kenny said, as he sat down on the armchair in the living room.
"Heehee, maybe I should go talk to Mom about this, she knows a lot about raising kids," May squealed.
She ran down the hall joyously, giggling all the way. Now that the shock of her Pokemon mating had worn off, she was much more excited to see the infant Bulbasaur hatch and watch the family interact together. Ash had his Bulbasaur for a long time, and May caught hers in the Hoenn region. She left her Bulbasaur with Ash's before she decided to travel through Kanto with him, and was surprised that they grew so close after all the time they spent at Oaks together.
She spotted her mother in her bedroom and ran up to her joyously. When May approached the bedroom, Caroline quickly stuffed what she was looking at into her drawer and quickly tried to put on a smile and look at her daughter.
"Mom! You heard, right? My Bulbasaur had a little baby! Well, it's not a baby yet, but its going to hatch into one!" she said excitedly.
"Yes, I've heard the news, it sounds very exciting," Caroline said, lacking enthusiasm in her voice.
"We agreed to let Max keep the baby Bulbasaur when it hatches, that way it can be part of the family as well. It'll seem really odd for Ash to own the father, me to own the mother, and my brother to own the baby, but ah well, who cares. I'm just so excited to finally see it!" she squealed.
Caroline rubbed her hand across her daughter's face and nodded, quickly picking up the tissues that were scattered along the bed and she tossed them in the wastebasket. May quickly noticed that something was amiss.
"Uh, Mom?" May asked, "You don't seem to be that…excited."
"I am, it's certainly interesting. It's just that…"
"You've…you've been crying," May said, concerned.
"Hm?"
"Is that why there were so many tissues lying around the bed and you rubbed your wet face?" she asked, "Mom, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I told you not to worry about me, remember?" Caroline said.
"But…you seem…kinda depressed," she said. She suddenly became very emotional. "MOM! Please don't tell me something bad happened again!"
"No, not at all!" Caroline said quickly, walking up to her daughter and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Stop jumping to conclusions, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the past…and it…it still upsets me."
"It still upsets me too, but then I listened to you about moving on and putting it behind us. Are you sure you're ok?" May asked frantically.
"Yes, dear, I really wish you wouldn't get so emotional because of me letting a few tears run by my cheek," the mother said, "C'mon, let's wait in the living room for Ash and the others to return home. I'm eager to see this family of Bulbasaur."
"O…okay," May said, "It just kinda scared me a bit to see you sad again. I was actually contemplating about leaving the Gym to go catch up to Ash when he starts traveling again, but I don't want to leave you if you're sad."
"Your father is here with me, don't forget that, it's not like I'm all alone. And honestly, I've told you that you don't have to put your quest on hold any longer for my sake, it has been three months."
The mother and daughter walked out of the bedroom and started heading toward the living room.
"I know, maybe I'm just a bit paranoid," May joked, "Ash and I promised to meet up with each other too if he decides to leave tomorrow, but that was before we found out about our Bulbasaur, so now I don't know if he's going to leave or not."
"Ash spent all this extra time with us here at the Gym just to make you happy, I'm sure," Caroline said, "He has been looking restless, I've noticed it myself for a while but I never said anything. I don't blame the boy, he is a Pokemon trainer after all, and traveling is what trainers need to do to accomplish their goals, yourself included, May."
"I'll start traveling again too, I promise," May said, "I hope I'm able to get enough ribbons before the Grand Festival deadline though, I'm starting a little late this year."
"You'll do fine, and I'm sure Ash will be happy to have you with him when you're on the road again. It really shows how much he loves you to stay here with us for so long even though he wanted to travel again. He's a wonderful boyfriend," Caroline said.
May blushed and twiddled her thumbs. "He is, makes me wonder if we went a little over the top in the bathroom together when we thought this was our last day with one another for a while," she said sheepishly.
"You and Ash did what in the bathroom together?" Caroline asked.
May jumped cautiously as a huge tint of red stretched across her face. "Um, nothing! Forget that!" May said skittishly, "We just did a little kissing, that's all, I swear!"
Caroline pondered if that was all there was to it. At any rate, she was happy to finally shift the subject off herself and her tears, and onto the more cheerful aspect of the Bulbasaur and May's relationship with Ash. While she told her daughter not to worry about her, Caroline did indeed suspect some depressing news about herself.
It would only be a few more months before that news would become apparent for them all, and it would change their family forever.