Ash turned around to see May and Max standing behind him. He was confused.
"How did you..."
"Enter the competition. Well I had eight badges and so I thought I'd give it a try."
Ash was still confused. "I thought you entered contests."
May let out a sigh. "I did. When I was in Johto with Drew, it was fun at first but then he kept going on about all these things that he would do to make his pokemon preetier, how to make them more graceful. Then I thought that I just didn't care anymore. It was all hassle and so I decided that I would follow you, Ash and go into gym battling."
"That's cool, why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, I though Max had..."
"I thought you'd want to." Max interrupted.
"Shut up!" She yelled at her little brother then turned back to Ash. "So then, when I found out he hadn't I thought it might be a fun surprise."
"It was definitly a surprise."
"So, are we going to have round one now just in case one of us doesn't get through. Or a we gonna wait untill it happens for real?" May was as confident as Ash.
"Lets's wait. I want to beat you where everyone can watch."
May gave a quick nod and with a smirk answered "Likewise."
So they all went back to the Pokemon centre. Serena was wondering how someone could just wake up one morning and think that they wanted to change things so radically. She was the sort of person who when she wanted to do something she would see it through, no matter what.
Ash and Serena were lying on their bed next to each other when she turned to him and asked. "What are you thinking about?" Ash was visably deep in thought.
"May." He admitted. Serena rolled her eyes. Ash didn't notice and went on to elaborate. "It's just that, don't ever tell her this, but I was always disappointed in her."
"Why?"
"Well she was the daughter of a gym leader. When I found out I thought that it would be great, I'd have someone to travel with that loved battling as much as I do. But she only wanted to do contests."
"So you never battled her?"
"We battled but it was never in a competetive, non-contest battle."
"So I and then rest of the crowd will be witnessing a special first?"
"I guess so." Ash was looking forward to it.
"Don't forget that both of you have to get through the first round." Serena said not wanting him to get too ahead of himself.
"Don't worry." As he told her he kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly.
Despite having a nap earlier in the day Serena was tired. "I think I'm going to go to bed." She told him.
Ash gave a quick nod and she went to get changed. When she came back out Ash was standing by the door and said. "Good night."
"Thank you, don't be too long."
"You're woorying again." He warned her, then he went downstairs. He walked out to the courtyard. He found May sitting on the floor staring up at the stars in the night sky.
"Didn't know you were into astonamy." Ash said sarcastically.
"A lot's changed since we separated." May said not averting her gaze from the sky.
"You make it sound like we were in a relationship."
This did get May's attention. She looked at him as he sat down beside her. "Did you ever think about that."
"I'd be lying if I said I'd never considered it." Ash admitted. He didn't bring up the fact that these feelings had only arisen after he had left Hoenn. "Did you?"
"Of course, I wanted to tell you. But I thought that it would be weird, especially with Max travelling with us." May turned her attention back to the sky, Ash followed suit and stared at the darkness and the small dots of light that made it appealing.
"Why didn't you come with me to Sinnoh?" He asked now looking back at her.
"Because I didn't know what to do." Ash was confused. "I had a problem. Do I tell you, or not, and I decided that I couldn't ever travel with you again untill my feelings went away."
"What feelings?"
May let out a sigh, Ash could be stupid some times. "My feelings for you."
"You had feelings for me?"
May decided she would answer with an action rather than words. She lent in closer and slowly pressed her lips to Ash's. Ash didn't resist, in fact he kissed her back. Kissing May was different, not any better or worse than kissing Serena, just different. SERENA! Ash broke away suddenly.
"Is something wrong?" May asked.
"Yes. Something is very wrong. I'm kissing you and I'm engaged to Serena who's carrying my baby. But I'm kissing you."
"Why can't you do both?"
"Both?"
"Why can't you kiss me and be engaged to Serena?"
"Why? Because it's wrong."
May lent over to Ash and whispered into his ear. "But it feels so good."
"No! No it doesn't." Ash then got up and walked upstairs to the bedroom. He walked into the bedroom as silently as possible and crept into the bathroom. He then sat down in the darkness, in his haste he had forgotten to turn on the light and the switch was outside the room. He went over what had happend in his mind. When he reached the part where May kissed him. He thought about her lips pressed against his. He felt guilty, partly because May had kissed him but mainly because he like it. May's lips were softer than Serena's. NO. Ash was with Serena and it didn't matter about how soft May's lips were. He then walked out of the bathroom and undressed so that he was in his boxers. He got into bed. Serena started to stir and she wrapped he arms around him. Ash couldn't bring himself to hug her back. He felt too guilty.
The next morning Ash woke up and all he could think about was the kiss he had had with May. Why had she done that, Ash had thought that May had never been interested in him. Why do people change? Why can't everything just be simple? Ash hated that May had messed everything up. All he wanted was to be with Serena and their baby. While thinking of his fiancee he notices that she was not in bed with found her in the bathroom, once again experiency the downsides to being pregnant.
"How long have you been up?" He asked her.
"About fifteen minutes." Serena had woken up feeling nausious but not sickly. So she had tried her best to not disturbe Ash.
"You can wake me up." He insisted.
"I know, but I want you to rest. You have a very busy schedule." It was true. This was the last day before the competition started.
"I feel like most couples would be having this conversation in reverse."
"What do you meen by that?" She asked confused.
"Just that I think that most men would be telling their pregnant fiances to get some rest."
Serena got up and looked Ash in the eyes. "Would you prefer if we were more normal?" She asked.
"No. Who wants to be normal?"
"Everyone."
"Then everyone's stupid. Normal is boring, everyone wants to just blend in. Everyone wants to be somebody else. Why? Because they don't want to be singled out. Well I want to be singled out. I want to be singled out as the greatest pokemon trainer ever. And I want to be singled out as having the best wife in the world." Ash noticed a smirk that had crept onto Serena's face. "What?" He asked.
"Nothing." She told him. But the reason that she was smiling was because Ash had a point. Normal was boring. Normal was predictable. One of the things that she loved about Ash was that he was unpredictable, he made decisions on a whim and that made life exciting.
"You feel up to breakfast?" Ash asked.
"I could manage a little." She said.
Ash nodded then went downstairs to find breakfast. He saw May standing near the exit. She walked over to him.
"Before you say anything. I'm not talking about it."
"Talking about what?" May said feigning ignorance.
"Good." Ash tried to gather up some food for himslef and Serena. However May continued to shadow him.
"So have you told her?" She asked.
Ash let out a sigh. He gestured for May to follow him outside where they could talk in private.
"So have you?" She asked again.
"Let me explain this to you. You will not talk to me about what happened last night. You will not talk to Serena about this. No-one will learn of what happeded last night." Ash spoke in a very authoritative tone, he wanted to make sure May got the message.
"No."
"No?"
"No. Let me explain this to you. In the likely event that you and I meet in the second qualifying round. You will lose. If you don't Serena will learn very quickly of what happened last night."
"You wouldn't."
"I would. How's this. 'I'm so sorry Serena. I told Ash that he had a commitment to you, but he just wouldn't listen. He seduced me and we kissed'"
Ash was speechless. He looked at the girl standing infront of him. A person he had once thought of as a friend. He had never thought that she would be capable of doing something like this. "When?"
"When what?"
"When did you become a heartless bitch."
"Now now. No need for obscenities."
"Did you only kiss me so that you could use it against me?"
"Well...yes."
"You're a monster." Ash walked away back into the pokemon centre. From behind him he heard May shout.
"So is that a yes?"
Ash ignored her and went back to the room. He found Serena sitting on a chair with a notpad and pen.
"Where's breakfast?" Serena asked
"Oh?" Ash realised that he had forgotten about the food. "Serena there's something I have to tell you." Ash knew that if he told Serena what happened it would seem better.
"What is it?" Serena put the pad of paper on the bed.
Ash walked over to her and as he did he glanced at the paper. It was split straight down the middle. Each side had a list of about six words. On the right they were under the word BOY and on the other they were under the word GIRL. Ash thought about the future that they would share. He then decided that he wouldn't tell her. Besides May was bluffing, she couldn't have become such a monster. Or could she? Ash could not be sure, she was different. Somehing about her was meaner. So he decided seeing as he could not be 100% sure that May wouldn't tell Serena so he had to. He held out his hands and Serena placed her hands in them. He looked her in her eyes. He saw the innocence in her eyes. He took a deep breath and forced out the words. "May kissed me last night."
Serena immeaditaley slid her hands out of Ash's and let them hang at her sides. After a few moments of silence she asked. "Why?"
"She wanted to use it as blackmail."
Serena didn't understand at all, so she asked. "What?"
Ash then told her about May's plan. When he was finished Serena walked silently out of the room. Ash tried to protest and ask questions. Serena was in a trance, there was only one thing on her mind. She found what she was looking for in the courtyard by the centre. May was training her pokemon. Serena tapped May on the shoulder. When she turned around, Serena curled her right hand into a fist and thrust it as hard as she could into May's plotting, devious face. May stumbled backwards, blood started to drip from May's nose. Her Blaziken stomped toward Serena in an effort to protect its trainer. But was paralysed by a giant bolt of lightning that was caused by Ash's partner.
While this was going on around her Serena took a step toward May and told her. "Stay away from me and my fiance and if you ever try to do something like this again. I will do a hell of a lot more than jam my fist in your face." With that she led Ash back into the pokemon centre. She was walking into their room when Ash spun her round so she was looking at him.
"That was amazing." Ash told her.
Serena could feel the heat start to build in her cheeks, she was embarresed slightly that she had behaved in such a violent way. It was very unlike her. "Thank you." She simply said.
"I didn't know you had it in you."
"I didn't either. I just wanted to teach her a lesson."
"What? Don't mess with pregnant women?" Ash said jokingly.
"No. I wanted to teach her that you don't use someone's feelings against them. Especially love, because that is the most powerful feeling of all, mess with that and you don't know what will happen."
Ash looked at her while she said this."Do you know that you just became even more attractive than you already were." This made Serena blush again. "So do you forgive me?"
It took Serena a second to figure out what he was talking about. "No."
"No?" Ash's heart sank.
Seeing the look on Ash's face, Serena held Ash's face in her hands. She forced him to look at her. "Ash, I don't forgive you because there's nothing to forgive. You were manipulated by someone who wanted to use it against you."
Ash didn't say anything all he did was hug Serena. He held her, that was all he did. Serena hugged him back.
"I love you."
"I love you too." After they had both declared their love for each other they stood in the centre of their room, silent. They only noise was the gently sound of them both breathing. This was interrupted by several knocks at the door. Ash walked over and opened it. He saw Red standing there.
"Tell me exactly what happend!" Red walked in and sat down on the bed.
"Wait, what?" Ash was confused.
"Tell me what happened with May."
"Why?" Serena didn't understand why Red needed to know about a private matter.
"Because she wants have you both thrown out."
Ash couldn't believe what his father was saying. "What?"
"May wants you thrown out of the competition and both of you banned from entering the grounds."
"How can she do that?"
"She says that both of you have been initiating violence which means that the league can kick you out."
Ash slammed his fist into the wall. "This is all my fault. I never should have let her kiss me."
"Wait, what?"
Ash then had to explain to Red all about May's plan and what she had done to try to win.
"I'll handle this." Red told them.
"What are you going to do?" Ash asked concerned.
As Red opened the door he turned back and told them. "Don't worry about that." Then he left.
Serena turned to Ash and had to ask. "What do you think he's going to do?"
Ash then gave the truthful answer. "I have no idea."
"Well whatever Red does she has it coming."
"I want to stop talking about May." Ash then lent down and picked up the pad of paper with the baby names on it. At some point since Ash told her about what happened it had fallen onto the floor. "Let's see what we have here." Ash speed read the list of names.
"I was just writing down some thoughts."
"Which is your favourite?" Serena sat down next to Ash and pointed to the fourth name on the list of boys names. "Joshua? Very nice. For a girl?" Serena then pointed to the seventh name on the girl list. "Victoria?"
"You don't approve?"
Ash ignored the question. "Victoria, Vicky? Vicky Ketchum? Well, I guess I could get used to it."
"You could?"
"Yeah." They were interrupted by another knock at the door. Ash opened the door expecting to find Red but instead Max was standing there. "What do you want?"
"Ash, I had no idea what my sister was planning. If I had I would have stopped her."
"Really?"
"Yeah what May did was monstrous. I had no idea that she was capable of something so horrible." As and Serena said nothing. Max just looked at the floor and said. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry." He then walked back down the corridor.
Ash turned to look at Serena who asked. "Do you believe him?"
"I do."
"Why?"
"Because this isn't like May. She's changed."
"Okay. So what will you do if you battle her?"
"If I even do battle her."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's just that Red might not be able to help me. Then I'll be thrown out of the competition." Ash then sat on the bed and held his heads in his hands.
Serena then sat down next to him, she then took one of his hands and placed it in hers. She then waited for Ash to look at him. She had learnt that you couldn't rush Ash when he got sad, it only made him worse. When he finally looked at her she told him. "Ash it doesn't matter what might or might not happen. We will do this together. Okay?"
Ash gave a small nod to show he agreed.
Then they heard Nurse Joy's voice over the Pokemon Centre's loudspeaker. "Could Ash Ketchum and Serena Yvonne please come to my desk." She then repeated the announcement twice.
The two of them walked hand in hand down to the desk. They found two men in white shirts, black ties and black trousers standing next to Nurse Joy, when they approached Nurse Joy pointed to them and said smething to the men. Ash and Serena walked hesitantly toward the trio.
"Mr. Ketchum, Miss Yvonne?" The man on the right asked, he was slightly taller than his colleague, he was paler too.
"Yes that's us. What do you want?" Ash asked.
"We've been asked to escort you off the grounds." The man on the left told them.
Ash let his head drop and muttered under his breath. "Ah, shit!"
