"So how did you two meet Max?" 10 year old Dawn Kingston glanced at her two, older male companion. Brock and Ash had large grins plastered on their faces at the mention of their old companion.
"Well,: Ash crossed his arms behind his head, the image filling his mind. "It started at when I went ot the Petalburg gym..."
FLASHBACK
Ash smiled as he finished the dinner at the Maple Residence.
"I'm so jealous of you Ash," eight year old Max cried as he stared down at his plate. "You get to go out and see Pokemon while I'm stuck here. All on my own."
Caroline Maple patted her son's hand, glancing out the window.
"Don't worry Max," Norman sympathized. "You'll be ten in two years and then you can start your own journey!"
Max crossed his arms. "I'll be nine in a couple of weeks! Plus a year is way too long! And May waited even longer than that to start hers."
"And only with bribing," Caroline supplied. Caroline glanced at her dinner guest. "She wanted to see the world—without a pokemon."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Ash cut in as a thousand questions ran through his head. Most of them centered around the Maple's daughter, May.
"Yes," Norman said before his wife could answer. "Extremely."
"And May is a 'Daddy's Girl'," Max whispered to Ash. "So there was no way Dad was letting her leave. He was even reluctant to let her go with a pokemon."
"Was not!" Norman snapped, but at the look his wife supplied, the man slouched his shoulders. "Okay, okay. Yes, I was a little reluctant."
Caroline nodded as the table laughed.
"Well Max," Ash glanced at his forever-companion and the elder Maples. "If it's okay with your parents, you could always come with me."
Max jumped to his feet, his hands slamming on the wooden table. "Really?!"
"Sure," Ash smiled.
"Oh Ash," Caroline smiled at the boy. "That's incredibly nice, but are you sure?"
"Yeah," Ash nodded. "He could study while I go to gym battles and he could see how other gyms run-letting him gain experience before the others."
"Well," Norman glanced at the elder boy before turning his gaze to his son. "Do you think you could handle Max?"
"Trust me when I say this," Ash looked at the two concerned parents. "I can handle whatever Max throws at me, plus," he glanced at the boy in question. "It'll be nice to have another traveling companion."
"Pika pika!" the yellow mouse cried out in annoyance.
"You're great too, Pikachu," Ash said, waving his hands at his verbal mistake. "But it might be better—for the both of us—if I have some human interaction as well?"
Pikachu nodded vigorously at that, causing more laughter to fill the air.
"Well, if you are really up to and Max wants to-" Norman was cut off as Max yelled with delight.
"Thank you!" the young boy fled to his bedroom as the parents laughed again.
"Thanks Ash," Caroline nodded at the dark haired boy. "You really made his day."
"Perhaps you'll see May while you're out there," Norman added. "If you do can you tell her to call us, but don't make it sound like a chore alright? I don't want my baby girl thinking we don't trust her...Cause we do!" Norman added the last bit in a rush, causing his wife to snicker.
"How long has she been out?" Ash questioned.
"About three weeks," Caroline said while Norman answered, "Twenty four days and thirteen hours."
Ash laughed as he watched Caroline smack her husband in the chest.
"Will you stop it with the precious count?"
"Not till she gets home," Norman replied, crossing his arms. "Not till my baby girl gets home and is safe in my house."
Asg laughed again as Max rushed down the stairs, a yellow backpack on his small back.
"Ready!"
END OF FLASHBACK
"Wow," Dawn looked at Ash. "You just took him in?"
"Yeah," Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Brock joined a day later and Max is a pretty easy-going kid, once you get used to him."
Dawn laughed. "How long did you travel with him?"
"A year and a half, about," Ash informed. "He left about a week before we met, actually."
"Really?" Dawn cocked her head. "That's convenient."
"Well the kid was nearly ten," Brock added.
"But he left in a hurry," Ash voiced. "We were at a Pokecenter about a week out from his home, heading back to drop him off for a bit, ya know?"
Dawn nodded.
"And he got this strange call," Brock said. "It was in the middle of the night, I mean Nurse Joy came rushing in. Said something about his father having important news. After the call he literally picked up his bag, waved a small goodbye before running off towards his house in the middle of the night. Wouldn't take no for an answer. He got us so worried."
Ash nodded. "Yeah, we got a call though, a few days after, telling us he was fine."
"He looked upset though," Brock told Dawn. "Something was really bothering him."
"I wonder what it was," Dawn said, then shrugged her shoulders. "Suppose you can ask him when we get to the Maple Residence in...how long?"
"We are almost there," Brock informed.
"Good," Ash smiled as Pikachu nodded in agreement. "I'm starved!"
Caroline Maple stared the window of her home, her eyes locked with the strange building located in her green backyard as her mind wandered to the girl inside. A sigh escaped the woman's lips as she imagined what was going on behind the red door. Her eyes traveled upwards, imaging the empty bedroom above and its nicely made bed. A bed that had barely been used. Caroline could picture the closet full of clothes that told lies about the owner.
The woman did not know what happened to the inhabitant of the room above that had changed her so drastically.
A doorbell rang, causing Caroline to snap about of her sorrowful thoughts.
"I got it!" ten year old Max set down the last napkin in a rush before hurrying to the door. "It's gotta be Ash and Brock, plus the blue-haired girl!"
"Dawn!" Caroline supplied, laughing slightly at her son's antics. "I haven't even seen the girl and I can remember her name."
"Whatever mom!" Max called back as his hand wrapped around the cool metal of the golden knob. The boy pulled the door open and smiled up at the two men he considered his older brothers: Ash Ketchum and Brock Jackson.
"Hey Max!" Ash waved at the stun boy.
"Pika pi chu!"
Max wrapped his arms around both Ash and Brock.
"HI!"
The two older boys and Pikachu laughed as the third companion pressed her Piplup to her chest, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy with glasses.
Eh, was the only word that came to mind for the bluenette.
"I'm so glad you guys are here!" Max released the two guys. "Mom is getting food ready."
"Max," Ash rolled his eyes at the young boy's enthusiasm. "This is Dawn Kingston, she's joining us on our journey."
Max turned his eyes to Dawn, eyeing her up and down. "Hmm..."
Dawn winced under his gaze, her body tensing as he looked her over.
"Nice choice in Pokemon," the boy finally spoke after minutes of thinking. "I would have chosen Piplup too if I had your starters. But, I have a Treecko as my own starter." The boy puffed his chest as the two older ones laughed again, recounting all the times the younger boy had stated he would have a Treecko.
"I see," Dawn added, unsure of what to say.
"MAX!" Norman's voice called out.
"YES!?" Max turned his body, looking towards the kitchen as his friends slipped inside.
"Go get your sister for dinner?"
Max groaned, his shoulders slouching. "Do I have to?"
"Yes!"
Max groaned again, walking towards the backyard. "I'm taking she is in her cave?"
"Max!" Caroline's voice was brisk in the warm air of the household. "Do not call it that."
"What?" Max shot back. "It's not like she cares."
"I care," Caroline snapped, her temper flaring causing both Brock and Ash to share uneasy looks. What had gotten into the sweet Mrs. Caroline Maple?
Caroline turned to her guests, a smile gracing her lips once more. "How about you three make yourself at home at the dining table? Dinner is ready."
Max grumbled as he made his trek out to the building that lay in his backyard.
"Stupid...dumb...I'm ten years old and she still...stupid sister." Max felt a pang at the insult towards his sister.
I love her to death but she is such a bigger pain now.
Max stomped into the building, the smell of bleach and lemon filling the air. A constant slapping sound filled the air as Max spotted his sister. Decked out in a bright pink sports bra and matching shorts, May Maple was slamming punches and kicks into the hanging bag.
Standing at 5'4'', the 17 year old girl had her black hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she pushed every ounce of fear into her hits.
Stronger. Fast. Smarter. Better. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Better. The matra's was the girl's own personal soundtrack as she pushed away her demons.
"May," Max called out. "May it's time for dinner."
"I'm. Not. Going." May growled out. "Sorry."
"We have guests," Max sighed. "And Mom is already stressed out enough."
May stopped mid-swing, a sigh escaping her lips.
"Max, I really don't think-"
"I know." Max looked at his sister, an apologetic smile on his lips. "But it'd make Mom really happy since you barely make the other two meals."
Or eat them.
May straightened, her body tight. "Fine." She walked past her brother, eyes dead ahead. "I'll go."
Max sighed. Whatever had happened had taken his sister and left this demon instead.
Ash leaned back, his arms spread out as he recited a story to Norman and Caroline at the table as they waited for the two younger Maples to arrive. "And that's when I said-"
"What is that doing here?!" the voice was shrill as heads whipped to the cry. Dressed in a sports bra and shorts was the girl from earlier.
She's May?!
A girl was pressed into the doorway, body shaking. She had a finger pointed at Pikachu.
"May!" Norman stood up, hands spread out wide. "May it's okay."
"We agree...we agree that...that...no." May shook her head back and forth. "We said...no."
"Pika?" Pikachu hopped onto the table, head tilted to the side. "Pika chu?"
May shrieked, her body moving farther away. Max plowed in, eyes wide as he noticed his shaking sister.
"May?"
"No more please," tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she pressed her hands against her head. "No. No! No!"
Caroline rushed over, hands outstretched. "I'm so sorry honey. I completely forgot. They aren't going to cause you harm."
"They?" May's eyes wandered to Dawn's Piplup, who was tight in Dawn's grasp.
"No! No! No!" May kept repeating the word as her body sunk to the ground. "Nononononono." Caroline caught her daughter in her arms and pressed her tight into her chest.
"May. Come back to me now. Come back please?"
"No!" May kicked out, her body shaking. "No. Please no."
"Max will you take Ash, Dawn, Brock to your room?" Norman looked panicked as he glanced at the kids. "I'm so sorry."
Max rushed over and grabbed Ash by the wrist. "Come on." Max's face was blank as he yanked the three guests out of the room.
"What is wrong with her?" Dawn asked as they stepped into the hall. Max didn't respond as he lead the group up the stairs.
"What was that Max?" Brock asked as they climbed up the stairs, the cries of May still as loud and clear as they were in the dining room.
"My sister can't be around Pokemon anymore," Max said as they got to the top of the landing. "They terrify her."
"Why?" Ash asked as Max walked into his room. "Why do they all terrify her?"
"Pika!"
"Yeah, how can she be scared of all Pokemon? What can do that to a person?" Dawn said.
"Piplup!"
"I don't know," Max replied.
"How do you not know?" Brock walked over to Max. "Was she...was it a fear she's had since birth?"
"No." Max shook his head. "She was...it's a long story." Max sat down on his bed. "My parents are better at explaining it anyway. When she calms down I'm sure they'll tell you."