Chapter 7: Memories

With May and Ash only four years old, they wore kimonos while playing in the park. Their parents watched from a distance while talking to each other. "May, look what I got," Ash said with his hands clamped over each other.

"What did you get? Is it pretty?" she asked, looking intensely at his hands.

He opened his hands to reveal a small frog. May shirked and fell back as Ash couldn't help but laugh. "You are a big meanie, Ash!" she screamed back.

"I couldn't help it, but you should have seen the look on your face, it was priceless," Ash replied while laughing.

Then later, after playing a game of Hide-n-Seek around the jungle gym, the two rested their backs against the slide. "Well, Ash; you're it," she said, but not getting an answered. "Ash?" she asked, but when she looked over she saw that Ash was fast asleep.

"No!" she cried out, gently shaking him, "this is the last day before I move, you can't take a nap."

But no matter how much she shook him, he stayed fast asleep. "May," he whispered in his sleep, causing her to blush.

She looked around; no one else was in sight besides their parents who were distracted by their discussion. She rested on her knees and leaned in close to look at his sleeping face. Her face kept growing a stronger shade of red the closer she went, placing her hands on the ground to keep herself up. I never notice, how cute he looks in his sleep, she thought, looking at his lips she swallowed hard, continuing to move closer, closing her eyes and moving out her lips.

Ash let out a big yawn and rubbed his eyes. "That was a good nap," he said, but noticed May standing in front of him with her back facing him, hiding how red her face was. "May, are you alright?"

She nodded, unable to reply back in words from how loud she could hear her heart throbbing.

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Ash asked, standing up and brushing himself off.

She managed to get rid of the red look on her face and turned around. "Hide-n-Seek!" she cheered.

"Again?" he asked.

"Hide-n-Seek, Hide-n-Seek! she continued to cheered.

"Alright, let's play," Ash replied.

"Yay! You're it!"

"May, wake up," Misty said, shaking May in her bed.

May slowly woke up. "Misty?" she asked, looking at the clock to see it's three, "we have two hours before we have to wake up."

"You were talking in your sleep," she replied, causing May to instantly wake up with her face turning red. "I-I was? W-What did I say?"

"I couldn't really understand but it sounded like Hide-n-Seek. But you were loud enough to wake a Snorlax. What were you dreaming about?"

"Some memories of when Ash and I played together came back to me in a dream."

"I see," Misty replied with a yawn, "but keep it a little quieter; we are going to need ever minute of sleep we have left."

She walked back to her bed as May felt her redden cheeks. I can't believe I forgot that Ash was my first, she thought, gently resting two fingers on her lips and swallowing hard, kiss.

During breakfast and the morning run, May seemed to be a bit distant from Ash. In the training room, Ash and Misty were using the shooting range, Misty hitting the middle dead on while Ash was having some problems.

From the corner of her eye she could see Ash's gun shaking while he held it, turning her gun on safety she walked over to him to see his marksmanship was really poor. "Do you need any help?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm doing fine," Ash lied, shooting and missing the target.

Misty shook her head. "You're a bad liar," she replied, pressing her chest up to his back and resting her hands on his around the gun. "Now, keep the gun steady and aim through the lines."

Ash couldn't help but turn red, feeling her chest rub up against his back and her soft hands on his. He nodded, firing the gun and hitting the side of the middle. He was shocked. "That's the closest I've ever gotten it."

She smirked. "It never hurts to ask for help when you need it."

"Yeah, it does, but I would have got it sooner or later," he boosted smugly.

"Yeah right," Misty replied, releasing him, "would that have been in twenty or thirty years?"

"No way!" Ash snapped back. "I bet I can get better than you in a week!"

"Oh really, I'll bet you your first paycheck that you won't," Misty wagered.

"I bet your first paycheck I will," he replied, shaking on it.

But both were unaware of a familiar girl that was watching the two from a distance, giggling to herself at the sight.

The five walked down the halls while they bumped into Miss. Joy. "Hi, Miss. Joy," Max said as she nervously smiled back.

"Oh hi, glad to see you five," she replied.

"Hold on!" Brock announced, getting a close up look at the nervous Joy, "this isn't Miss. Joy!"

The other four looked shocked, along with Miss. Joy. "What are you talking about, Brock," May asked.

"She isn't Miss. Joy or any of the Joy's, this is an imposter!" Brock accused.

Miss. Joy giggled, and her voice changed to a younger tone. "Wow, and I thought I had my act down perfectly, but it looks to me that I still need work."

The other four were shocked. "Then who are you?" Ash asked.

She used one hand and ripped off her disguise, revealing a thirteen year old green-hair teenage girl wearing a Team Rocket uniform. "Duplica is the name and disguises are my game. I was just trying out my latest disguise but he could see right through it."

"But why were you wearing a disguise?" Max asked.

"Well I want to one day entertain people in plays, and what better place to learn different personalities then to become a member of Team Rocket?" she asked with a smile, "but now playtime is over and I have to get going. See you later!"

She ran off with Misty realizing. "We better hurry to the Dispatch Bay or we'll be late."

They arrive to see a portion of other Beta Agents standing around, the group walked up. "What are we waiting for?" Brock asked.

"Our Division's Captain, she is always late," one of the guys replied.

"Beta's Captain is a she?" Brock asked with heart shaped eyes.

"All right, troops. Are you ready?" a loud female voice boomed from the catwalk above the Bay and everyone turned their heads upward to see her, but Ash and Misty were completely shocked. "Melody?" Ash asked.

She jumped on a crane and pushed a button for the rope to lower her to the floor. 'Now I thank you for coming today even though this mission is only required for new agents and the Captain. But what we are going to do today is to get the new agents experienced to the area outside the barrier that protects our city. We will be traveling to an area that is nearly devoid of Poke'mon, but we will be taking fire, wind, and ice type rifles since plant types are usually seen in that area. This is an overnight trip so let's get out there."

The group saluted and started to walk over to the transport vehicles, but Ash walked over to Melody and his friends followed. "Melody, you never told me you were a Team Rocket Agent, not to mention Captain of the Beta Unit."

She smiled. "Well, you never asked."

"Ash, who is this?" May asked.

"This is, Melody. We met yesterday at the Shopping District," Ash replied.

But then Melody looked at him with a childish sad look on her face. "Is that all you think yesterday was about. I saw it more as a date."

The group was shocked but Brock just slapped him on the back. "Not bad, buddy."

May had her hand over her heart, remembering her dream. "But here, Ash. You are to address me as Captain," Melody instructed in a serious tone, causing the others to salute."

"Yes, Captain," they replied.

Then Duplica walked up to Melody, saluting with one hand and giving her a folder with the other. "Captain, here is the information you requested."

Melody saluted back. "Thank you, second in command; look over of the rest of the Division while I'm gone."

"No problem," she answered, running out of the Dispatch Bay.

Then Melody looked back at the five. "What are you waiting for? Get into the Dispatch vehicle."

They nodded, running off to one of the tank-like vehicles while she followed.

To Be Continued

Things are about to get interesting, so much jealousy, betrayal, hate and sadness to come. Read and Review.