Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
First, scheduling. I need to start by saying that, as much as I would like to continue providing twice-weekly updates, I will soon be simply unable to for a number of reasons – primarily the fact that I'm off to university in just over three weeks' time, and that Mists of Pandaria comes out three days after that.
Therefore, I'm going to cease providing regular Sunday updates and will return to what I originally intended; consistent updates on Thursdays, helping to build up a buffer as I write chapters in between. I'm sorry that I have to do this, but I otherwise I'll simply be overwhelmed by the need to update.
Second; reviews. Thanks again, Nauran, for yours; much appreciated, as always. Hopefully this chapter will keep the surprises coming.
To the first and second guest reviews; thanks, and it's good to see that you enjoyed it.
To the last guest review; thank you, I really do appreciate your comments. I hope I can continue to impress you with the rest of the story.
"May?" Ash gaped down at a friend he had not seen for nearly two years, and had certainly not expected to see in such circumstances as these. The brunette coordinator was sitting in the cell and was clearly extremely uncomfortable with her surroundings. The bench across the back wall barely jutted out from it enough to be actually sat upon, and even with just Ash, May and Pikachu the enclosed space was extremely cramped.
"Ash?" She raised her head and looked up weakly at him. She squinted in an attempt to focus on what him, and did seem to be having trouble seeing even what was directly in front of her.
There was no actual source of illumination inside the cell, as Ash had been able to tell from the outside. May had to have been in complete darkness before their arrival, and she was clearly having trouble adjusting even to the slight glow that Pikachu was generating.
How long has she been in here like this?
How did she even get here?
"How the-"
"Ash…" She spoke again, this time with far more hopefulness in her eyes as she was finally able to take in the sight of the would-be Pokémon master and the Mouse Pokémon. "I can't believe it… You came to rescue me! I knew you would, I just knew it!"
"Pika?"
"Uh…" If he hadn't been quite so shocked at her very presence he would have been overjoyed at the realisation that she had been expecting him, above all others, to come rescue her. Instinctual honesty ended up prevailing over boastfulness, though. "Well, we, uh… We weren't really, um…"
May's face darkened considerably, fashioning into a particular expression that Ash hadn't seen in so long, but one that he instantly remembered to regret creating, even if he was still, at some level, simply happy to see the one who wore it again. Even in these dire, strange circumstances.
It was a spectacular fusion of inner annoyance and outer rage. People who didn't know May quite as well as Ash did would have thought that the world was ending from the way she was glaring crossly at him, an expectation that only would have been furthered by the subsequent harshness of her tone.
"What, you didn't come here to rescue me? Well, why not? That's just rude, Ash!"
He could tell that she was only overreacting on the out loud; he saw through her bluster. Only because he knew her so well, though.
"We didn't, uh, even know you were missing… How on earth did you even get down here, anyway? How long have you been here?"
"Friend of yours, Ash?" Cynthia interrupted before the coordinator could reply. She had joined them in the tiny space, having wondered what was taking Ash so long, but making now it very cramped in the cell.
"Yeah, I travelled with her for a while in Hoenn and Kanto…"
So few words… So inadequate to properly express two very good years…
"How she get here?" Cynthia seemed as unfazed as ever by the unusual turn of events.
"She was about to tell me. May?" He looked back at his friend, only to gasp upon realising that she was slumped back against the cell wall, arms loose, head resting on her shoulder, and, by the look of it, completely out cold. "May?!" He cried, taking a step closer. "What's wrong?"
Cynthia bent down and calmly examined the sprawled-out brunette.
"Has she fainted? Is she hurt?" Ash blurted out.
"She's fine." Cynthia replied, straightening up. "In fact, looks like she just… fell asleep, actually."
"Asleep?" Ash blinked, and then smacked his head in frustration. "May! Hey, May, wake up!"
He shook her by the shoulder once, and that seemed to do the trick, because she immediately started awake again.
"Uh-wh-what?" May shook her head and stared at him.
"May, you're not hurt, are you?"
She shook her head, yawning.
"Oh, right, sorry… No, they haven't hurt me or anything like that. I guess I'm a bit tired, I haven't really slept properly since I got in here, and they haven't given me anything to eat, either, so I've got no energy… I keep waking up all the time, too. Honestly, I'd probably be freaking out more if I wasn't just so exhausted…"
Well, that explained how calmly May had seemed to have been accepting her situation so far. Ash had found it reasonably unusual that she hadn't been pounding on the walls
"How long have you been here?" How long have these people kept you here without giving you any food?
She was wearing the same clothes as when he had last seen her; orange, sleeveless top, with a green and white bandana and black shorts and gloves. The bandana remained securely on her head, and her hair seemed a little unkempt from her time in the cell; however long it had been.
"What's the date?" She asked. Ash told her, worried even more by the fact that she didn't seem to be able to tell how much time had passed since her confinement. She suppressed a yawn. "Oh, only a day then. I guess it's okay that you weren't looking for me, then… But why are you even back in Hoenn in the first place? I thought that you were in Unova, that was the last I heard… And who's this?" She eyed Cynthia curiously, who put up a hand in greeting.
"I'm Cynthia, champion of Sinnoh. Nice to meet you."
"Never mind the rest now." Ash put those issues aside for later, relieved that May's captivity had only been – and would be – short-lived. He desperately wanted to ask how she had ended up being locked up in the prison located in an underground tunnel in the first place, but decided to postpone such questions until May was in a better state to answer them.
More importantly, they had to get out of this place first.
A matter which was immediately complicated by the addition of another source of light into the cell.
Right above their heads.
And it wasn't just a normal light bulb.
It blinked in and out with an eerie red light, rapidly drawing their attention as it alternated between lengthening their shadows with its slight luminosity and plunging them back into the gloom that was only broken by Pikachu's constant – but weakening – artificial illumination.
"That doesn't look good." Ash noted.
"Not at all." Cynthia agreed.
"Is that…?"
"An alarm? Probably."
"Great. Just great."
"We need to go, right now. Who knows how many there are?"
"May, how many guards have you seen or heard since- May?!" Ash sighed as he realised that his friend had dozed off once more. "C'mon, May!" He shook her again, and she snapped awake, confused.
"Oops, sorry…"
"Don't worry. We need you to stay awake just for a little while, 'kay?" He squeezed her shoulder again, but in comfort this time, not to wake her.
"Okay…" She looked at him, seeming to draw some strength from his touch, for when she nodded this time he saw the return of a certain determination in her eyes.
"Can you stand?" He asked, and she glared at him petulantly.
"I'm not hurt, Ash, I told you." She growled, making to stand up. "I can walk, don't worry about- Aargh!"
Apparently she couldn't back up those words with action, however, because she quickly crumpled to the floor in the process of dismissing his concerns, earning more cries of fearfulness from Ash and his starter.
"Oh… Kay…" She whispered breathlessly as he helped her to her feet and pulled an arm around his shoulder, supporting her weight. "Guess I can't walk at the moment. Just don't make this kind of thing a habit, all right?"
"No promises." He smirked.
"All right, let's get going." Cynthia huffed impatiently, and made to walk out of the cell. "We've been in here too long already, if we're not careful, we'll get caught as we're- woah!" She had barely passed through the door back out into the tunnel when she reversed course, jumping backwards to avoid an oncoming stream of exhaled fire from both the left, right and directly in front of the exit. Her hurried momentum pushed Ash and May into the back wall of the cell, narrowly missing Pikachu in the process, and earned angry yelps of pain from the two trainers. "Sorry, didn't see that coming."
They were, quite effectively, boxed in.
"Good work, Skuntank! Do that again if they try anything!" They heard a rough, clearly male voice call out, followed by a similar smatter of threats of violence and taunts against them from a series of other voices, some male, some female.
"They're not even demanding a surrender…" May mumbled.
"Looks like the bad guys are back." Ash noted. "Bet we can take them though."
"'Kachu!" From his sudden switch to a combat stance, Pikachu evidently agreed, and even seemed to relish the possibility of a good work-out to eliminate his excess energy for the first time in nearly a week.
"Don't be too sure of that." Cynthia warned, trying to angle her positioning relative to the door in such a way as to peek out of the trap while still being out of the field of fire of their assembled enemies. "I caught a glimpse of at least ten plus people when I nearly got myself killed a second ago; quite a few and it sounded like there could have been more speaking in that din just then."
"But our Pokémon-"
"We can't let them out in here, Ash, there's no room." Cynthia pointed out. "And if we throw the Poké balls out there, who knows what will happen? They could be hurt really bad before they have even the slightest chance of reacting…"
"We can't just do nothing!" May cried.
"Well, what do you suggest?"
"We could- no, wait, that'd never work. Pikachu can't spit acid or fire…"
Pikachu glanced at her, confused by the prospect of him ever being able to perform such feats.
"I-" Ash began, then suddenly realised something that they had missed earlier. "Wait a sec, May, where're your Pokémon?"
He had expected her to panic at their absence, assuming that her captors had removed them from her person, but she shook her head.
"They're fine. I left them at home when I went out shopping… Just before I got captured by those goons."
That was partly a relief, if nothing else… But also a bit annoying. Glaceon would have just about fit into what space they could muster, and helpfully could have destroyed the prison walls to give them a little more room to manoeuvre… and give them a little more towards the factor of surprise in the coming fight.
"Don't you have any Pokémon on you that could be helpful in this situation?" May pressed him in return, causing him to pause for a moment to think.
Bulbasaur? Hmm...
Tauros? Too big.
Staraptor? The same…
Boldore? A very tight squeeze…
Totodile? He won't be able to break down the walls…
"Nope." He answered aloud. "Cynthia?"
She considered for a moment before answering.
"Spiritomb might fit, but it'll be bouncing around so much that we're going to get very hurt in the process." She concluded. "The others won't, I'm afraid."
"Well, if it's the only chance we've got…" The weight on his shoulder suddenly became heavier, and he looked to his right to find that May was asleep again, snoring quietly as she was beginning to fall into him. "Oww, May, you must really be tired…"
"We certainly don't have much time; they definitely won't let us stay in here forever." Cynthia said, and her words quickly proved prophetic.
The first voice from before called out again, and the content of his pronouncement chilled them to the bone.
"They've had long enough to come out on their own! Enough waiting around!" A pause, and then… "Skuntank, smoke 'em out! Use Smokescreen right into that cell!"
They heard the large, stocky Pokémon shuffle its way across the tunnel floor towards the meagre sanctuary that they currently inhabited. They heard the snickers of their unknown foes, who seemed to be debating just how their quarry would react to the torment that they would soon experience.
Cynthia nervously produced Spiritomb's Poké ball and held it carefully in one hand, preparing to throw it just before the Skuntank had a chance to complete its vile work and catch it by surprise. It was a risk, but it was the only thing that they could do now.
May would be of no assistance whatsoever; perhaps even a hindrance in her current condition, given Ash's complete reluctance to leave her side. He would have a chance to unleash his Pokémon if Spiritomb could create an opening, but that was a pretty big "if"… And who knew what else their foes might have to bring to bear against that?
But this course of action was all that they could do.
The shuffling stopped. Cynthia tensed, and was about to yell out instructions as she hefted the ball, preparing to toss it out of the door.
What happened next was unexpected for almost everyone involved – indeed, nearly as surprising as discovering May in the dingy cell had been for Ash barely ten minutes before.
A shouted command, entirely unlike all the others that had preceded it that day. A deafening, thunderous roar.
An explosion of light and sound.
Ash, Cynthia and Pikachu shielded their eyes from the glare that briefly penetrated even the depths of the cell, before receding again. May was forced awake by the ear-shattering cacophony, and joined them, dazed, in protecting her vision.
"What-"
"the-"
"Pika?"
"Huh?"
And then the screaming started.
Their foes weren't running in pain, mind. They were running in fear.
More light, albeit not as stunning as the first had been, lit up the tunnel and, to a lesser extent, the cell along with it. This time, the surprise factor slightly diminished, they were able to recognise the colour of the light as assuredly being in the blue area of the spectrum.
More explosive sound joined in with a symphony continued by the panicked cries of their dark-garbed foes, as well as a strange electrical crackling. It occurred to Ash that he had always seen such things before, ever so often – whenever Pikachu brought its electrical attacks to bear, in fact – but never on such a large scale.
A large shape appeared in front of the entrance to the cell, and the brilliance briefly became so great that Ash and Cynthia turned away again, lest they risk being struck blind by the terrifying light – though in reality they had nothing of the sort to fear. The shape passed, and the radiance diminished.
Another roar. Sounds of fleeing footsteps joined the oral announcements of terror, and something else…
Laughter?
Ash and Cynthia exchanged bewildered glances, and the prospective Pokémon master had no answer for Pikachu's inquisitive gaze.
May had fallen asleep again, and leaned on Ash more than ever.
The voice that had just been laughing was now shouting, and they were able to make it out as distinctly feminine, but it was nowhere near as harsh as the tones that had been bandied about by the goons that had entrapped the trio and Pikachu mere minutes before. The substance of what was actually being said was lost over the persistent crackle.
A final roar seemingly answered the previous pronouncement, and there was a sudden rush of air, as if whatever it was had just taken off and departed down the tunnel.
Silence finally rang throughout the area, a clear contrast to the cacophony that had come before it.
"What… What just happened?" Ash looked to Cynthia for answers, but she shook her head and raised a hand for quiet.
One set of footsteps could now clearly be heard making their way across the tunnel towards them.
"I think…" Cynthia muttered as she motioned for Ash and Pikachu to follow, the former still holding on to May. "I think we've just been rescued."
They cautiously made their way out of the door, Ash carefully turning sideways to allow May to pass through. The coordinator was still in the land of dreams.
The sight before them simultaneously amazed them and chilled them far more than they had been in the last, tense moments that they had been trapped in the cell.
The entire section of the tunnel that the cell had been situated at had been wrecked.
Devastated.
Dismantled.
It looked almost like an accident, that a train or something had crashed near the area and sent chunks of metal and stone flying scattered across the impact zone.
But there was no train. And a train crash wouldn't explain the bent, melted, rails and deep gouges in the floor and surrounding walls.
Deep gouges that, on closer inspection, appeared to be claw marks.
There were also a few boxes, crates of supplies and the like, that had been tossed around by whatever had rampaged through the place. It seemed that their foes had erected makeshift barricades upon laying siege to the cell, not at all anticipating that a threat might emerge from the tunnel itself…
Whatever had caused all the damage was nowhere to be seen, and nor were their mysterious assailants, who appeared to have fled up the tunnel in the direction that Ash, Cynthia and Pikachu had arrived from. No sign had been left of their presence, not one injured person, Pokémon or even a piece of damaged clothing had been left behind.
Their enemy had clearly been careful even in retreat, hasty as said action might have been.
Several of the overhead lights had been ripped from the ceiling, and others had clearly been caught in the rampage; only a few still worked, causing the area to be even gloomier than before. Pikachu, too was unable to continue generating illumination for the group, and ceased immediately after exiting the cell, plonking itself down next to Ash as he and Cynthia stood and surveyed the carnage.
"Howdy."
Well, there was one person still left with them in the tunnel.
That person was apparently their rescuer.
They stared at the figure for nearly twenty seconds, simply unable to think of anything to say as they took in the sight of the girl now standing in front of them. She wore a jacket over a white t-shirt that defied the inky darkness of the tunnel, accompanying a pair of denim shorts about the same length as May's – albeit of a different material. Judging by the way that the light treated it the same, her hair was also a similar shade of brown to May's, but worn in a very different style; curly in places, but also very pronounced. Crowning her head was a hat that seemed remarkably similar to Ash's.
"Well?" The girl demanded angrily, placing her hands on her hips. "No "thank you"? No gratitude? Nothing at all? Damn…" She sighed, shaking her head. "This hero business really isn't all it's cracked up to be…"
"We- you- I-" Ash stammered, unable to form a proper sentence, still completely bewildered.
"We, uh, well… Thank you." Cynthia recovered first, though her eyes returned to their surroundings rather than rest on the now-grinning girl. "You have our sincere gratitude; we were in a pretty bad situation there. What's your name?"
"Hilda. Let's talk later and get out of here now."
Well, at least she can focus on the important issues.
"Might be a little difficult to get out, though." Ash finally found his composure and gestured to May. "She probably won't be waking up any time soon."
Hilda shrugged.
"No worries, sunshine. I'll have Zee fly her out if necessary."
Sunshine?
"Fly out where? And who's Zee?"
"Fine, I'll have Zee make a hole in the ceiling first. And Zee's my Pokémon."
"Oh."
"Was that the same Pokémon that did all this damage? Alone?" Cynthia asked cautiously.
"Yep." Hilda was now smirking. The Sinnoh champion wolf-whistled, impressed despite herself.
"That's some Pokémon." Ash commended.
"Uh huh. Just gotta wait until Zee gets back, then we'll get out of here, and I'm sure you can get your friend to the hospital-"
"She's not hurt, just tired."
"-Or whatever. Pokémon centre, then. Closest is probably in Nimbasa City, I guess, given where I entered the tunnel-"
"Wait, what?"
The newcomer blinked.
"I said that the closest centre is probably in Nimbasa City." Ash and Cynthia stared blankly at her once again. "What?"
"But Nimbasa City's in Unova!" Ash growled, assuming that they were being made the butt of some joke.
"Yes, duh. That's where we are now, of course." Hilda snapped back.
"We're in Hoenn." Cynthia informed her.
"Can't be." Hilda dismissed that possibility quite quickly. I entered this tunnel in Unova, nearly twenty minutes ago."
"And we entered this tunnel in Hoenn, just outside of Rustboro City, just over twenty minutes ago!" Ash told her.
"That's ridiculous. Even Zee can't fly that fast. Your time under fire must've rattled your brains a little."
Ash bit back an angry retort as Cynthia put a soothing hand on his free shoulder.
"We'll find out who's right when we get above ground. Something weird is going on, though."
Both sides thought that they were right, of course.
Hilda shrugged in response as a loud trudging began to resonate through the tunnel, coming from the direction that the grunts had fled in before.
"Ah, here we go. How'd it go, Zee?"
The shadows dispersed around the Pokémon as it moved slowly back into the light, but its dark colouration barely made the difference noticeable, particularly as the blue power lines that ran across it were few shades away from black themselves.
Only its massive size, distinctive shape and piercing red eyes marked it out against the darkness.
Cynthia gaped at the draconic titan before them, leaving Ash to state the obvious as Hilda rushed forward to greet her ally.
"You… You're Zekrom's trainer?"
Their rescuer kept up a running conversation with the Deep Black Pokémon, who, in stark contrast to its earlier behaviour, remained utterly silent, occasionally blinking as it gazed down upon its trainer.
Ash took the time to move closer to Cynthia and have a quick-fire discussion.
"So this is the Unova champion?" He whispered.
"How many other trainers can you think of that can command Zekrom? Or any other legendary Pokémon, for that matter?" She challenged, and he couldn't answer that.
"So how did she get here, then? Maybe she was telling the truth about coming from near Nimbasa City before…"
"If that's the case, are we in Unova? Or did she get transported to Hoenn?"
"Guess we can only wait and see, then…"
"Ready to go?" Hilda interrupted them, but they were still a little distracted by the presence of the dragon/electric dual-type behind her to pay proper attention to what she said. "Oh, don't worry about him. He's harmless." She chuckled, and Zekrom emitted an annoyed grunt in response. "Well, you couldn't catch any of those Plasma agents could you? What do you mean, that was my fault? Well, you're the giant dragon, after all… Hey, take that back!"
"They were agents of Team Plasma?" Cynthia asked, intrigued.
"Why are you talking as if Zekrom's talking back to you?" Ash asked blithely, then suddenly realised his mistake, given his previous encounters with the Pokémon in question. "Oh, duh…"
"Telepathy." Hilda finished for him sweetly. "Come on, Zee, might as well include them in the fun. He's a little shy to strangers, you see." She added conspiratorially.
+Very well.+
"Woah." Ash and Cynthia tilted their heads at the strange feeling of hearing a deep voice suddenly speak directly to them, while Hilda beamed at them. May did not stir; evidently the legendary was not projecting into her. "Haven't felt that in a while."
"I'm not entirely sure that I'm comfortable with anyone reading my thoughts." Cynthia said carefully.
+Fear not. I am merely skimming the surface of your minds in order to communicate with you all. I cannot go any further than that.+
"All right…"
Apparently satisfied and that all was in order, the legendary looked down at Hilda again.
+It is time to leave, Hilda, for there is much to discuss, and they are right; we are in Hoenn, now.+
"What?" Hilda cried. "That's impossible!"
"Let's just get out of here, talk later, you said it yourself!" Ash pointed out.
"Fine. Zee, open up a whole in the ceiling, will you?"
+No.+
"What do you mean, "no"?"
+If I did so, you would be crushed by the falling dirt and rubble.+
"Oh."
+I detected an access shaft just around the bend of the tunnel back the way that we came. It should lead to the surface, if you can climb it. I will need to be returned to my Poké ball, of course.+
"Ok, let's go!" Hilda declared, and started walking off down the tunnel.
"Wait, what about May?" Ash cried, pointing out the fact that the coordinator could barely stay conscious for long.
"We'll have to wake her. Come on. No other way out." Cynthia said, moving to follow her fellow champion. Ash looked down at Pikachu, then at May, before joining them, with Zekrom bringing up the rear.
That, Ash mentally decided as he sipped from the cup of coffee in his hands, Must have been the most confusing hour of my life.
He was sitting across from May at her bedside, nearly an hour after they had finally left the tunnel.
It had been extremely confusing to climb out of the manhole and realise that it was still daytime, and that only just over forty minutes had passed before they had entered the tunnel to begin with, and from when the world had seemed to turn upside down.
Their new friend had returned Zekrom to its Poké ball, the two other conscious trainers fascinated at the sight of the giant, proud dragon returning so willingly to confinement. Waking May up had been a struggle to start with, though Totodile had aided the process a little – at the same time as likely buying Ash some resentment from the brunette for using Water Gun to do so. Dripping wet, May had been second to climb the access tunnel, with Hilda taking point, Ash following May with Pikachu riding on his shoulder, and Cynthia bringing up the rear.
They had been blinded by the sunlight as they had first come out. As soon as that disorientation had worn off, May had quickly fallen asleep again on the lush grass outside the manhole.
And then, Ash recalled grimly, and then it got weirder.
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Hilda had cried as the blessed warmth of the sun had shined down upon them, and she had taken a good look – no longer obscured by shadows - at the people that she had saved. The words that she repeated increased in pitch, volume and rapidity each time she said them.
Ash and Cynthia had heard such tones before, Cilan and Iris being the most guilty of such performances in the past.
The cry of the overexcited fanatic.
"I can't believe it's you!" Hilda squealed in admiration, balling her fists up and jumping up and down on the spot, her attitude now completely different from the snarky arrogance she had displayed back in the depths of the tunnel. "I can't believe I saved you!"
The sudden change in character reminded Ash of Trip, back in Unova when he had encountered Alder.
Cynthia had been about to reply with her trademark Oh, yes, I'm the Sinnoh champion, it's an honour to meet you – having assumed that Hilda's attention was directed at her.
It wasn't.
Hilda pointed at Ash.
"I saved Ash Ketchum!"
"Pika?"
"Me?" That surprised almost everyone. Cynthia forgot to close her mouth again.
"I can't believe I didn't recognise you before! Stupid darkness!" She muttered, annoyed at herself, before beaming at him. "You're my hero, Ash Ketchum!"
"I-uh-what-what?!"
"I've got pictures of you hung on my walls back home, I've recorded all of your conference battles and watched them a hundred times! I'm your biggest fan!"
This was far worse than Iris, Trip or even Cilan.
"Gyah-huh-huh?!"
Much of the short time that the group spent together walking around was consumed by Hilda fawning over Ash and Pikachu.
The worst part was that they weren't official posters that Hilda had stuck on her wall, apparently. The Unovan champion had made them herself. By screen-capturing images and printing them out, enlarged.
Such dedication impressed and yet also frightened Ash, who had never considered before that he might actually have a fanbase.
That's going to take some getting used to… Ash thought, then returned his attention – and thoughts – to May.
They had fortunately emerged from the tunnel just outside of Petalburg City, as a sign helpfully pointed out as soon as they reached the edge of its limits; a sign which also caused Hilda to swear loudly, and finally admit that she had somehow ended up in Hoenn.
Ash easily remembered the route to the gym – and by extension May's home – and had directed the newly-founded group all the way there.
May's parents had been searching since she had disappeared for any sign of her. Caroline had appeared close to tears when she had answered the door, and Norman wore an angry expression that only dissipated when he saw his daughter, replaced by a look of desperate concern at the fact that she was unconscious. They were overjoyed at her safe return – and even more so that it was Ash that brought her home, even if they were a little confused at his presence in Hoenn, and the company he kept, though the gym leader certainly recognised the Sinnoh champion, at least, and was glad to meet the champion of Unova too.
They were confused at Ash's presence, of course, because their daughter had informed them several times over the past two weeks alone that he was in Unova, and thus she would not see him for a long time – something that she had expressed deep sadness at.
They had woken May up again to reunite her with her parents, who had managed to persuade May to eat something before she fell asleep again. She consumed a bowl and a half of noodles, an apple, an orange and two chocolate bars before declaring that she needed to sleep a lot more, and begged her parents to allow her to, which they accepted quickly; simply glad, if nothing else, to see their daughter alive and mostly well.
That was how May had climbed into bed upstairs and fallen asleep, this time not to be disturbed.
Cynthia had suggested that they travel to the Pokémon centre, but Ash had resolved to stay with the coordinator. Hilda had subsequently wanted to stay, too, but Cynthia had suggested that they work on unravelling the mystery of how she had managed to end up in Hoenn at all, and thus she had finally acquiesced, glancing with a slight hint of envy at the prone form of her fellow brunette as she departed the house. Cynthia had offered to take Pikachu to the centre, given his exhaustion, and Ash had gratefully thanked her for that.
The Mouse Pokémon understood entirely why his trainer was remaining behind.
Ash ended up staying in May's room for a full hour, eventually venturing out when the others returned from the centre, coinciding with lunch, which Caroline was happy to provide.
He did nothing for that hour but take in the sight of May snoozing peacefully in her own bed, and vowed silently during that time that he wouldn't let anyone harm her again.
I promise…
"Ash Ketchum!" Hilda exclaimed loudly for the third time in five minutes, startling passers-by. "I never thought I'd even meet him, but rescue him? Get out of here!"
Cynthia was beginning to regret making her come along.
They had received instructions from Caroline as to the location of the Pokémon centre, and had made their way there at an expedient pace.
Once there, Cynthia had handed Pikachu and Garchomp over to Nurse Joy, and dragged Hilda – who had been transfixed by the sight of the rare (by Unovan standards) Chansey – over to the phones designated for use by trainers.
"Do you have a contact in Unova?"
"Of course!" Hilda fished out a little address book from her jacket. "Got it written down right here." She keyed a number into the phone's pad, and the two waited as it sought to establish a connection all the way out to Unova.
The number had seemed very familiar to Cynthia, and she soon discovered why.
"Well, well." The voice was even more familiar. "Look at who finally decided to call."
"Sorry, sorry!" Hilda appeased weakly; her bravado apparently eclipsed by the obvious realisation that she should have called far sooner.
"You said it would be quick!"
"It was! I've only been gone an hour!"
"And we finished the raid in half that time!"
"So it went fine without me, then?"
"… Yes. Luckily for you." Cameron sighed and put a hand to his brow. "All right, all right. Where are you?"
Cynthia managed to angle herself so that she could see him but he could not see her across the video chat link, and smirked at his appearance.
Still got that same scowl, huh…
"Uh…"
"Hmm?"
"Hoenn."
"What? The call must be messing up... I could've sworn that you just said Hoenn, but that's not possible. Say again, where are you?"
"… Hoenn."
Silence. Then…
"All right, nice joke, champion. Where are you?"
"I told you. I'm in Hoenn."
"Come on, now-"
"She's not joking." Cynthia decided to butt in and help her new acquaintance. Her smirk grew wider as she saw Cameron spit out what he had been drinking at the time as he caught sight of her on his screen. "Hey, Cameron."
The former champion stared silently at them for a good ten seconds before speaking again.
"All right, all right. Hilda?" He began. "How the hell did you end up in Hoenn?"
"We, uh, haven't quite figured that out yet. I think that Zee had some idea, though…"
"Which was?"
"Didn't say. I'll ask now." She lazily tossed the ball to her left and unleashed the legendary.
The effect on the surrounding centre was immediate. People scattered left and right as the Deep Black Pokémon regarded them. A lone, brave Nurse Joy came up to remonstrate with them, found herself blocked by Cynthia, and was eventually "convinced" by a telepathic message from the Pokémon itself ensuring that it would cause no trouble.
"Okay, Zee, so how did we end up in Hoenn?" Hilda asked.
+The only explanation I can offer is this; I believe that we passed through some sort of gateway; some form of trans-regional travel that whisked us away from Unova to this region. The tunnel, therefore, was a connection between Unova and Hoenn for Team Plasma to use for whatever purposes they desired.+
"That seems implausible." Cynthia commented sceptically.
+Many Pokémon can teleport, champion, and some humans have the ability to do so as well.+ Zekrom countered. +It would hardly be beyond the reach of technology to do so as well.+
"Still leaves the question of what Plasma wants with Hoenn, though… We thought that they were confining their operations to Unova." Hilda noted.
+A worrying development, indeed.+
"Uh, guys?" Cameron scowled at them. "I can't hear what Zekrom's saying telepathically over the phone, you know. Mind filling me in?"
The two champions shared a laugh and proceeded to do just that.
In the end, Hilda decided to stay in Hoenn, and asked Cynthia if she would allow her to join them wherever they proceeded to go. Cynthia was tempted to say that it could be dangerous, and then remembered the presence of a certain legendary Pokémon behind her, and though better of it.
Cameron was vaguely annoyed at the fact that his region's champion would be absent from future action against Plasma, but ultimately gave his blessing for the her to do what she pleased; he could hardly stop her, after all. After a few more pleasantries and after Cameron had ample opportunity to sigh over Hilda's ravings about Ash, the call was cut.
Cynthia then placed a quick call to Wallace on the line that they had pre-arranged, informing him of the latest developments, the surprises that they had and such, and arranged a subsequent meeting the next day to fill him in completely. Wallace expressed excitement at meeting the new champion of Unova in the flesh, and they cut that call too.
Cynthia retrieved Pikachu and Garchomp while Hilda returned Zekrom, and both left the centre in the direction of May's house.
As they did so, a good number of the people who had fled before returned to the centre, expressing relief at the absence of the intimidating legendary that had been there moments before.
They all ate at the gym that night, with the visitors treated as guests of honour.
Ash and Cynthia had been reluctant at first; not wanting to make life difficult for May's family, but her parents waved away their objections, and insisted on offering their hospitality.
Encouraged by Hilda, they had accepted.
Caroline's cooking was as good as Ash had remembered, and he certainly understood why May had found it so difficult at first to adapt to eating a little less regularly when they had travelled through Hoenn together.
May was absent from the dinner, still sleeping, though her mother had several different types of food prepared and ready in case she would wake up at any time.
During the course of their meal, they discussed recent events in Hoenn, exactly what had happened in the tunnel, including the improbability of Hilda's arrival in the region.
Ash also discovered that Max had recently begun his journey across the region, starting with a Ralts, and had expressed his best wishes to be passed on to May's brother at the next available opportunity.
Finally, Cynthia told Ash about the calls that they had made, recounting amusedly Cameron's surprise, before informing him about the meeting with Wallace that was planned for the next day.
Ash accepted this news somewhat sadly. It was inevitable that they would have to leave, but he had hoped to stay for a little longer…
Stay with May for a little longer.
He had forgotten how good it was to see old friends again, and would miss this one terribly upon their departure the following morning.
To his great – and continued – surprise, and happiness, that was not what happened the following morning.
They prepared to leave at nine o'clock, standing outside the gym, bags and equipment all set and ready.
"Look, Ash!" Hilda excitedly produced a small book out of her bag and began to flick through it. "Here are all your best moments; I printed them all out myself!"
Ash was more than a little disturbed by the behaviour of his new friend and still not entirely sure what to think of her.
He trusted her, certainly, simply because she had saved them from Team Plasma, and he certainly respected her for her role as a champion and simply because she could command Zekrom. That much said volumes about whatever kind of inner strength and character she possessed.
But as for her outward attitude and personality? She was hard to read, at times snarky and self-confident, and sometimes acting as she was now; overexcited, jumpy, agitated. It was especially confusing to watch her switch between the two as she talked to different people.
Maybe I just need to get to know her better…
Caroline and Norman came out to say their goodbyes, thanking the trio again for their help in saving May, as unexpected for everyone as it had been.
"Is May up?" Ash asked. "I was hoping to see her again before we set off…"
"I think she's still sleeping, dear, sorry." Caroline sighed. "But we'll tell her that you said goodbye, don't worry."
"Thanks."
With nothing else to say but goodbye, they set up off the road. Hilda did a little dance as they walked, proclaiming that it was because she would be travelling with Ash, while Pikachu looked on bemused and Ash and Cynthia shared a knowing glance of shared feeling.
What have we got ourselves into?
And that was when Ash was surprised one more time.
Pikachu saw her coming long before she reached them, but a finger to her lips silenced the yellow rodent, as it did for Cynthia, who also happened to look back, and suppressed a smirk as she approached.
Ash suddenly found that the weight on his head had disappeared; he felt for his hat, and then gasped upon realising that it had disappeared. He turned around fully past Cynthia, missing her grin, and found nothing but the empty road.
"What the-" That was as far as he got before he turned back around and started at the sight of his friend. "May!"
"The one and only!" She smiled warmly at him, and quickly ran in to hug him as his look of surprise turned into one of pure joy. He reciprocated the gesture and they stood that way for thirty seconds or so, before breaking the hug, and May returned Ash's hat at the time, too.
Cynthia smiled at the spectacle. Hilda didn't.
"I thought you were still-"
"Asleep? Nah." She finished for him. "I just told mom to tell you that, wanted to surprise you. I want to come along with you to wherever you're going."
"You sure you're okay?"
"I had enough sleep last night, if that's what you mean and enough food this morning. I'm refreshed and ready to go. I should be fine now, and I filled my bag with lots of chocolate just in case." She grinned, and then repeated her question. "So, can I come?"
Ash briefly recalled what Misty had said before, back in Pallet Town, about not leaving friends behind, and then smiled.
"Sure!" He said, utterly genuine in his subsequent honesty. "We'd love to have you!"
They exchanged one last smile before setting off up the road as a four again.
Cynthia walked at the far right of the group, and had the opportunity to observe the other three carefully.
She noticed Ash facing dead ahead as he walked, maybe turning his head slightly to talk to Pikachu as he did so.
She noticed May to her immediate left sneak a glance at Ash every now and then.
She noticed Hilda to the far left keep her attention strictly to Ash.
She noticed the Hilda and May glaring at each other whenever they happened to lock eyes.
Oh. Oh… This really will be an interesting trip…
In the memories of those lost lies the strength needed to defend their city.
- Gather the Townsfolk, Dark Ascension