A/N: Hey Everyone! Here's Part 2 of A Christmas to Remember. There's a lot more drama in this segment than in the previous chapter. There is also a lot of insulting innuendos in this chapter. This in no way is my actual view and serves only as utterances for an extremely tense and dramatic situation. The humor only comes at the end of the chappy. Again, I stress that strong profanity and some offensive language is used towards the end of the chapter. I also apologize if anyone is offended by some of the insults in this chapter. I tried my best to make it as authentic and realistic as possible.
So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Part 2 of A Christmas to Remember.
"I don't get it, Ash. How do two people like Paul and Misty become a couple?"
"Well, they're both alike. They're both bossy, pushy, conceited…"
"Ash, you just described Misty."
"Yeah, but it's a hell of a lot better than describing Paul. I mean, you can't say the guy's name without putting 'A-hole' or 'ungrateful bastard' in front of it."
May just shook her head and continued walking beside her husband. Their walk so far had been pleasant. All night they'd been talking about their friends and how perfect they were together, about their new baby, and how nervous they were of becoming parents.
For some unknown reason, Ash decided to drive to Mauville City and start their walk there. She didn't ask questions and just followed his lead. She trusted him with all her heart. If she didn't, she wouldn't have married him.
"Remember this place, May?" Ash asked as he pointed to a lake not far from Mauville.
"This is where we saw the Illumise and Volbeat perform when we traveled here so many years ago."
"And?"
"It's the same place you proposed to me last year," May said with a smile.
"How right you are, Babe. Remember what I did?"
"How could I forget? You had set up a surprise for all the Illumise and Volbeat to do a little dance show that spelled out 'Will You Marry Me'."
"Right again."
"I'll never forget that night. This forest holds so many memories."
"And it's about to hold another one."
May furrowed her brow and looked at her husband with bewilderment, confusion clearly evident on her face.
Ash just gave her a warm smile and took her hands.
"Look up, May. What do you see?"
May looked up at the sky just like he told her, but all she saw was the dark blue evening sky, and the bright stars that seemed to twinkle with delight.
"Ash, I don't see anything."
"Look again."
May looked up again. She noticed that one star was shinning brighter than the others. Then May something that nearly caused her to jump out of her skin.
The star moved!
The little star moved up, and then down. And then left, and then right. It kept doing those same movements until the stars surrounding it started doing those very movements.
May stared up at the display in confusion.
"Ash…wha…?"
"Keep looking, May."
May looked back up at the sky, confusion still evident on her features.
The stars continued to dance. May noticed that while they were dancing, they started to change form. Before they were just dazzling constellations in the sky. Now, they were starting to form something. When May looked again, she noticed that they were forming into a human.
As they continued to dance, the form of the human became more visible: A woman. She was looking down at something in her arms, but May couldn't quite make out what it was.
Something began to form beside the woman. Another human. More specifically, a man. He too was looking down at something. When the stars started their alignment again, May noticed that another thing was forming below that man and woman but couldn't make it out at all. The stars were beginning to fade away. What was happening?
May turned to her husband again.
Ash just gave her a warm smile, and then looked down at his faithful pokémon.
"Pikachu?"
Pikachu nodded at his trainer, knowing what he what he wanted him to do as they rehearsed it several times.
Pikachu began running, soon being surrounded by electrical energy from charging up his Volt Tackle. He then jumped into the air and released a mighty Thunderbolt.
The Thunderbolt hit one of the stars and the force of the attack caused it to brighten up, releasing the electricity to another star, and then another, and then another. The cycle continued until all the stars in the sky were firmly lit, and the image of the picture May had seen was clearly visible.
May gasped at what she saw.
There in the sky, was not only a picture of a man and woman, but of Ash and May. It was them! Sitting beside each other. And the little image that she couldn't make out earlier also became clearer.
It was a baby! A little sleeping baby being held in May's arms. That's who the two of them were looking at. And beneath all three of them was a message spelled out. It read: To my loving wife. Our new family. Ash, May, and baby Sebastian/Mozzelle.
May was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say. She turned to look at her husband who gave her another smile and grasped her hands once more.
"Not done yet, Babe. Look back up."
May, slowly looked back up to see a sea of Tropius and Altaria flying in the air towards them. They separated into two groups on either side of the image Pikachu and the stars had just created. The Tropius released an array of Petal Dance and Razor Leaf, while the Altaria released a furry of feathers from Feather Dance and Gust. The two attacks collided, framing the picture with beautiful leaves and down.
Now there was a huge picture of Ash, May, and their baby in the sky, being framed beautifully by glistening leaves and feathers.
May felt her tears welling up in her eyes and flow graciously down her face. She turned her head to meet her husband's eyes. He gave her a warm smile and mouthed the words 'I Love You'.
"Oh Ash…" She began to say.
Kissing her hands, Ash looked at his wife, then pointed up. May wondered what else he could possibly have planned. Slowly she looked up again. She saw one of the Tropius hovering above her. It had a mistletoe around its neck and a huge smile on its face.
May just shook her head and gazed back at her husband. Ash, still wearing that warm smile, had an amorous look on his face.
"Merry Christmas, Baby."
May wasted no time in kissing her husband. They held each other in a firm embrace for several moments. Pikachu looked at his trainer and friend with a huge grin on his face. They looked so good together.
When the two let go of each other, they looked at each other lovingly.
"Ash…how…how did you…"
Ash's smile widened as looked into his wife's sapphire-blue eyes.
"Look carefully, May. What do you see behind the stars?"
May looked back up at the display of stars. When she examined them more closely, she saw that the white stars were actually the wings of Swablu. Behind them were Illumise and Volbeat with brightly lit tails, smiling and waving at her.
"Wha…Ash…"
"I pulled a few strings."
"How…"
"The pokémon didn't get shocked? Well, I made sure all the Swablu knew Steel Wing. That way, when Pikachu released his Thunderbolt, it would absorb the shock and the Volbeat, Illumise, and Swablu were all safe."
"I…I…"
"Don't think it was as easy as it looked, either. It took a lot of practice to get the alignment just perfect. The frame was just a bonus, but it was just as hard to come up with. It took forever to get Pikachu to shoot his Thunderbolt just far enough to hit them and still have enough strength to continue that cycle. Let me tell you…"
May put her finger on Ash's lips, then kissed him softly. Ash took the hint, and instinctively put his hands around her waist.
Pikachu, still smiling at the whole thing, perked his ears up, listening for something. He couldn't quite understand what it was. He felt almost as if someone else was there. But he just shook it off, and continued to look at the happy couple.
It was several moments before they separated again. It was Ash who spoke first.
"What was that for?"
"For being the greatest husband a girl could ever want."
"Well, I don't know about the greatest husband."
"Oh Ash…"
May was cut off as a fury of sharp leaves flew between the couple and almost slit her throat. She let off a shrill scream as she fell into Ash's arms, trembling, while the all the pokémon in the sky feverishly flew away to get away from harm and to a safer location.
"May, are you alright?" Ash asked, concern clearly in his voice.
"I…I think so."
Ash looked up with anger in his eyes at where the attack had come from.
"Who's there?"
Ash was answered by an array of purple poisonous pins, which was launched in his direction.
Seeing the attack, he grabbed May and pulled her to the side, Pikachu dodging in the opposite direction.
Ash held May firmly in his arms as he looked back to where the attack came from. He repeated his question.
"Who's there? Reveal yourself!"
Pikachu ran in front of Ash and May, ready to fight what he thought he had sensed earlier.
His only answer was a menacing laugh as a voice called out to him.
"Over here, hun!"
A cold chill ran down Ash and May's spine when they heard that word. The same cold chill that ran down Brock's and Max's own spines long ago.
'It can't be,' May thought to herself.
Slowly, they turned around. Their eyes widened when they saw who stood there.
Before them stood a tall man with long purple hair that flowed down to the middle of his back. He was dressed in a white tuxedo, and wore a purple bow tie with matching purple dress shoes. He had a sinister smile on his face, his green eyes full of contempt.
"Harley?" May shrieked.
"That's right, bitch! Your old friend is back to wish you a very merry Christmas."
"What do you want?" Ash shouted, taking a defensive position in front of May.
"Why, revenge, of course, sweetie-pie. All those years your little trick spent humiliating me and my darling pokémon. All those years of putting up with her and her damn her pokémon. All those years of being the stupid bitch that you are! Well, all of my hard work is about to pay off cause I taste revenge, honey, and boy, is it sweet!"
Ash shakes his head at Harley's lame attempt for a joke.
"Look you flamboyant faggot, you do not want to mess with me right now! You just spoiled a special evening I had planned for me and May! Do you know how hard it was to even get the right pokémon to do this? Do know how freaking long it took me to set this up?"
"Why does everyone keep calling me that? I am not gay! I'm metrosexual! Whatever. It won't matter once I eliminate you and your little girltoy."
"Who the hell says that?"
"I say it!"
"Harley, please. It's Christmas."
"How right you are, sweetie. I…" It was then that Harley realized May's 'condition'.
"Good Lord, May! What happened to you? Did you swallow a Munchlax or something, you're freakin' huge!"
May crossed her arms at Harley's remark.
"Humph, well I guess someone like you wouldn't know what pregnancy is. Or maybe you do? Ever felt any soreness or tenderness in your breasts? Have you ever felt sick in the morning? Are you still on your period?"
"Enough with the jokes about my sexual character!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Guess you must be sensitive about that. I know how gender-confused you are. But you better figure out your sexuality soon, Harley. Don't wanna hit 40 and still not know if you're pitching or catching."
"That's it! Ariados! Poison Sting, now!"
The large red spider stepped in front of his trainer and released another array of poisonous pins at May. Ash again pushed her out of the way, while Pikachu dodged to a parallel side.
"Aww, we missed. How's that possible, being as large as you are?"
"Oh, go f—k yourself, you homophile pansy!"
"Ooo! Hoenn's little princess has a potty-mouth."
"You little…"
"Cacturne! Pin Missle!"
The humanoid cactus-like pokémon appeared in front of his trainer and released a fury of pins at the couple. Once again, Ash, May, and Pikachu dodge the attack, but May falls to the ground this time. Ash was at her side in a heartbeat, his eyes full of concern as he gently helped her sit up. Anger filled his eyes after he realized she was okay.
"Harley, you son of a bitch!"
Harley just begins laughing menacingly.
"If you think this is over yet, you're sadly mistaken. The battle's only just begun. Now, Ariados, use Poison Sting once more!"
The spider-like pokémon again shoots out a fury of poisonous pins at May.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt, now!"
"Pika! Pika-CHUU!"
The electric mouse released a mighty Thunderbolt towards the array of flying pins. The colliding attacks cause a huge explosion and a cloud of smoke to form.
"Oh, no fair! This doesn't concern you boy! Why are you intervening with my objective to teach this bitch a lesson, huh?"
Ash got to his feet and stared Harley down. He didn't respond but gave Pikachu his next attack.
"Thunder, Pikachu!"
Pikachu again released a Thunderbolt at the demented man, only more forceful.
"Humph. Alright. I got game. Let's play! Ariados, Shadowball! Cacturne, Bullet Seed!"
Ariados and Cacturne did what their trainer asked them, releasing a black ball of energy and an array of seeds at May.
"Thunderbolt, Piakchu!"
Again, Pikachu released a lightning bolt at the oncoming attack and again they collided and caused a huge explosion.
"Oh, you're no fun! Wigglytuff! Come on out here and spice things up a bit!" Harley called as he threw the pokeball.
A large blob of pink fur with bunny-like ears materialized in front of Harley.
"Hidden Power!"
Wigglytuff's eyes began glowing as white circles of mysterious energy began circling him in an X formation. Wigglytuff then released that energy toward Pikachu. The attack hit its mark and Pikachu cried out in pain as he hit a nearby tree.
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu struggled to get to his feet as the three pokemon began surrounding him. Ash found himself grinding his teeth in frustration at the display.
"Harley, you bastard, that's not fair!"
"Who said anything about fair? This is business, hun. You wanted to intervene, now I have to shut you up and out. Ariados, Spider Web! Cacturne, Faint Attack! Wigglytuff, DoubleSlap! Let's go, guys!"
Ariados traps Pikachu by hitting him with his Spider Web. Pikachu struggled to get up as the cobweb bound him to the ground. He began to panic as he saw Cacturne and Wigglytuff running towards him, ready to attack.
"Pikachu!" Ash called out to his pokemon.
"Try to use Iron Tail to cut the web!"
Pikachu tried to move his tail but to no avail. He was stuck, and tight.
"Oh no."
May, seeing Ash's distress, decided that she had seen enough. She grabbed her purse and took out the one pokeball she always carried with her no matter what.
"Blaziken! Use Flamethrower to protect Pikachu!" May screamed as she threw her pokeball.
The Blaze pokémon materialized in front of her human. Using her mighty legs, she jumped in front of Pikachu and released a stream of fire at Harley's Cacturne and Wigglytuff. The pokémon cried out in pain as the force of the attack sent them crashing into Ariados and onto the ground.
Blaziken then used Sky Uppercut to free Pikachu from the sticky web Ariados had trapped him in.
Ash looked at May, and they both gave each a nod as they looked towards Harley.
"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"
"Blaziken! Use Overheat!"
The two pokémon leaped into the air and released their combined attacks on Harley's pokémon. They all cried out in pain as the combined attacks caused a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, all three pokémon had spirals in their eyes, a clear indication that they had all fainted.
Harely, seeing this, begins stomping his feet. Crying out in the process.
"Oh! My darling, darlings…" He cried as he caressed each of his pokémon.
"Give it up, Harley! It's over!"
Harley smirked as he returned each of his pokémon into their balls.
"How wrong you are, bitch. This is far from over."
"You serious, man? You have no pokémon left. I have a right mind to send you flying if I feel like it. And I might just do that considering how much you're pissing me off right now!"
"Oh, but how wrong you are, boy. Looks like it's time for me to release my secret weapon."
Ash and May shared a worried glance as they looked back at Harley.
"Secret Weapon?"
"Right! My secret weapon! But instead of talking, I'll just show you. Now my mighty Dusknoir, come forth!"
A large, intimidating, grandiose-sized pokémon appeared in front of Harley. It had a large red eye and stared menacingly at Ash and May.
Ash, May, and Pikachu looked on in horror at the mighty beast before them.
"Tha…That's…"
"A Dusknoir? I know. Isn't he beautiful! I got this large barbarous hunk in a trade. My Bannette for this monster. It was a bittersweet moment for me to let him go, but it was worth it. This gorgeous beast is going to help me in my primary objective of eliminating you once and for all! Oh would you just look at him! You gotta admit he has a striking resemblance to the Grim Reaper, don't you think?"
May and Ash just shook their heads. This thing was a monster. Few people in the world even owned a beast as powerful as this and Harley had one?
"Ash, I'm scared."
"Don't worry, May."
"Aww, isn't that nice. Too bad I have to spoil it, though. Now Dusknoir, use Shadow Sneak!"
Dusknoir launched a large beam of dark energy towards them. Ash grabbed May and pushed her out of the way.
"Pikachu! Volt Tackle, now!"
Pikachu got up and began running towards the gruesome monster. He began charging and was soon surrounded in electrical energy. He then jumped up, prepared to hit Dusknoir.
Harley just smirked and looked at his pokémon.
"Now my love, open your mighty stomach!"
Dusknoir heaved forward, then opened up his huge belly nearly 90 degrees. Pikachu gasped as he charged into Dusknoir's stomach that was closed shut only moments ago.
"Pikachu!" Ash screamed as he saw his best friend enveloped by the monster's belly. May gasped as she gazed upon the display.
Harley began laughing ominously, much to Ash and May's chagrin.
"Harley, you son of a bitch! Give me back my pokémon!"
"Can't do that, hun. Gotta keep you under control somehow. Just keep out of my affairs and mind your damn business. Now is that so hard?"
"Harley…"
"If you want your Pikachu back, then come and get it."
Ash grimaced. He couldn't do that. If he went to get Pikachu, that'd leave May out as an open target. But he had to get his best friend back somehow.
Ash began calling out to Pikachu, hoping he could still hear him.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to shock Dusknoir into releasing you!"
A few grunts were heard. Then, electrical sparks were seen coming from Dusknoir's stomach. As quick as they appeared they vanished, followed by a piercing high-pitched scream.
"Pikachu!"
Harley closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"You didn't think I'd know you'd try that? I'm very well aware of your battle strategy, Ash. That's your name, right? See, Dusknoir's stomach is a large abyss of darkness. Anything that enters it is drained of all energy and spit back out. That way, he can easily destroy anything he finds threatening. Didn't I tell you he had a relation to the Grim Reaper?"
"No…No! No!"
"Oh, don't worry about your pathetic mouse. I can't kill him. That's completely up to Dusknoir. Unfortunately, he can't do that unless he gets assigned a mission from the spirit world."
Ash found himself grinding his teeth in frustration again.
"Whatever. I'm done with that rat, anyway. I only did that to make a point. Dusknoir, darling, you can release him now."
Dusknoir leaned backward and shot Pikachu out with impregnable force. Pikachu hit the ground and bounced off of it three times before skidding across the ground and stopping with a thud.
"Pikachu!"
Ash ran over to his partner and picked up the little mouse. Pikachu had red sparks flying off his cheeks and was burning with a fever.
"Oh no, Pikachu."
"Oh yes. Thank you, Ash. Now Dusknoir! Hyper Beam that bitch!"
Ash's eyes snapped open when realized he left May open for an attack. He spun around to see Harley's Dusknoir launch a beam of yellow energy toward his wife.
"May!"
May looked up to see a beam of bright light come towards her. She began to panic but regained her composure and called out to her pokémon, who had never left her side after she aided Pikachu.
"Blaziken! Intercept it with Overheat!"
Blazikan ran in front of her trainer and launched a beam of fire towards the lighter beam. The two attacks collided, neither side giving in to the others attack. The energy between the two attacks increased and soon they created an explosion.
Harley put his hands on his hips, thinking aloud.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot about that stupid pokémon of yours. Alrighty then, Dusknoir, use Hidden Power!"
Dusknoir surrounded himself in a circle of mysterious energy, then released it towards Blaziken. The little white circles surrounded her and then closed in on her, causing another explosion. The force of the explosion sent May crashing into a nearby tree and caused Blaziken to faint.
"May!" Ash screamed as he ran over to her, his drained pokémon in his arms. He gently set Pikachu beside her, and helped her sit up.
"May, Baby, are you alright?"
"I…I think so…" May started as she began to get up, soon wincing in pain and dropping back down to the floor, gripping her stomach firmly.
"May!"
"Ash…I…"
"May what's wrong?" Ash was beginning to panic. May was in pain, and in a very sensitive area. He hoped, beyond hope, that she wouldn't say that dreaded three-letter sentence he sensed was coming.
"Ash…Ash…something's wrong."
Ash's heart froze as she said those words. '…Something is Wrong…' He could feel himself shake with fear. He looked May squarely in her eyes.
She was scared. And worse, she was crying.
Ash didn't know if she was crying because she was in pain, or because she knew there was a strong possibility that their child might be…
Ash shook his head to empty those thoughts out of his mind. He could feel his own tears start to fall down his face.
'No…no…God please no…'
Ash looked back at his wife. She was hyperventilating. Ash held her firmly in his arms.
"It's okay, May. It's gonna be okay…"
"Ash, I'm scared."
"It'll be okay, May. It's gonna be okay," Ash reassured her, not quite believing his own words.
"Aww, how cute."
Ash's eyes snapped open as he looked menacingly at Harley.
"Harley, you f—king son of a bitch!"
"Oh, that's not very nice, Ash. I never did a damn thing to you!"
"Harley, if I find out you hurt our baby in any way, I swear to God that…"
"Oh, you shouldn't swear to God. What's wrong with you?"
Ash gave a loud scream and lunged himself at Harley, knocking them both on the ground. Harley cried out as Ash began punching him in his face senselessly.
"Dusknoir!"
Ash felt himself being lifted high in the air. Dusknoir held Ash with one hand, looking him deadly in the eyes.
Harley stood up off the ground wiping his lip. He looked down at his suit.
"Oh no! My perfect and elegant white suit! You bastard! You got blood and grass stains all over my new suit! Ohh! Dusknoir, hit that meddling son of a bitch with Focus Punch!"
Ash saw a bright light approach him as he felt Dusknoir's fist connect with his face. The force of the punch sent him flying straight through three large trees and crashing into one.
Ash screamed as he felt a sharp pain shoot up his spine. He knew something broke.
Harley began wiping at his suit feverishly.
"Oh, that's gonna take months to wash out!"
Ignoring the immense pain in his back, Ash desperately tried to get up. He began limping slowly towards May.
Harley, still wiping away at his tux, screamed out to him.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Ash ignored Harley and continued walking towards May. She was grasping her stomach firmly, crying heavily at the pain she was in.
"Oh, no you don't! Dusknoir! Use Psychic!"
Ash felt himself being lifted off the ground once more and slammed into another tree. He screamed out in pain as the tree hit his arm. He knew that was broken now, too.
"Dusknoir, wrap him up in some vines and make sure he stays put!"
Dusknoir used Psychic to join some vines from one of the trees and slowly began wrapping Ash tightly around the tree. When he was done, Ash was securely bound to the tree and moaning and groaning from the pain in his back and arm.
"That'll do, darling. We have bigger Finneon to fry, literally."
Ash began to worry as he saw Harley walk casually over towards May, his Dusknoir right behind him.
"Harley…please! Don't do it! I'll do anything! Please don't hurt May!" Ash said weakly. He could barely keep his eyes open. But he had to hold on. He couldn't let Harley hurt May. She may be the only thing he has left.
Harley stopped, but didn't turn around. Instead he lowered his head in frustration.
"Sorry, Ash. But this is personal. I have a long history with this bitch and it's time I did something about it. Back then, when we competed against each other, I had tried petty attempts to hurt her. I tried to hurt her emotionally and socially. But now I see where I went wrong. I should have destroyed that bitch all those years ago when I had the chance. But I didn't. Well, today I have another chance at revenge, and I'm going to take it."
"Harley…"
"Ash, if I really wanted to hurt her, I would have killed you off years ago. But I don't just want to hurt her. I don't just want her to feel pain. I want her dead!"
"Harley…please…she's the only thing I have left…" Ash felt his eyes burn as his tears flowed down his face.
Harley paused before he responded.
"Sorry, hun. Nothing against you, but there really is nothing you can do to change my mind. I've planned this for so long. I'm so close to tasting revenge, and I'm not about to stop now. Sorry it has to be this way."
And with that, Harley continued his walk towards May.
Ash could feel himself go numb. The vines were digging deep into his flesh. He was sure he was bleeding from the pressure of the vines against his body.
Ash looked over to best friend. Pikachu laid there, moaning in pain. Ash knew what would happen if he didn't get him to a Pokémon Center quick. He looked back over at his wife. She was still grasping her stomach firmly, and her tears still fell down her face. Her eyes were closed shut, and she was groaning loudly.
Ash began sobbing hard, knowing there was nothing he could really do for them.
Harley stood over May, looking at her menacingly.
"Well, well, well. My, how the tables have turned."
May slowly looked up at her long time rival. Her vision was blurred from the tears in her eyes.
"Harley…we have to bring this to an end…"
"I couldn't agree with you more."
"Harley, please, it's Christmas…"
"How right you are. I'm gonna give the greatest gift you'll ever get. I'm about to put you out of your misery."
"Harley…"
"I can clearly see that you're in pain. I'm about to make it so that it never happened. You'll never feel pain ever again."
"Harley…please…"
"Give up, May. It's over. I won."
May dropped her head, sobbing hard. She knew what was coming, and she couldn't do anything about it.
"Now Dusknoir, it's time to end this. Let's finish this bitch off with Hyper Beam."
Dusknoir began charging energy. Two large balls of bright light began to form by his hands. He was ready to strike when his trainer gave the order.
Harley's dark expression immediately lit up into a large smile.
"Oh! This is such a Kodak moment! Smile, May!"
Harley got out his camera and slid his head right next to May's, giving a large smile as he shot the camera.
"Oh, May! I told you to smile!" He said as he looked at the picture seeing May's glum expression.
"Oh well. All charged up, Dusknoir?"
Dusknoir gave his human a nod.
"Alrighty then. Any last words before I take you out of your misery, hun?"
"Harley…I…"
"Too late! Now Dusknoir! Blast her with Hyper Beam!"
Dusknoir put his hands close to May's face as he began releasing the mighty beam.
"Merry Christmas, Bitch!"
May eyes widened when she saw the two large balls Dusknoir held in his hands form into a large beam. The last thing she remembered was seeing that bright light dangerously close to her face.
Ash cried out as he saw the bright beam of yellow energy hit his wife. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. He felt numb when Dusknoir put his large barbaric hands in her face, and he felt his body drain when he saw the beam make contact with it.
"May!" Ash closed his eyes as he felt an explosion begin to form when the close-ranged attack hit both May and the tree behind her.
When he opened his eyes, he felt his soul slowly start to drain away from him.
There, on the ground, he saw his wife lying there limply, not moving, not breathing. Her eyes were opened but not seeing. Her ears were open but not hearing. Her mouth was opened, saliva and blood pouring out onto the brown sand.
Ash couldn't believe his eyes.
May, his wife, his partner, his love, was dead.
Harley stared at her, his eyes wide, and his mouth open.
"Is she…is she really…"
Harley walked over to her and lifted up her arm. It fell limply back to the earth. He lifted it two more times and got the same results.
"I did it…I did it! Haha! The bitch is dead! The bitch is dead!" Harley screamed as he began dancing around the field, holding his Dusknoir's hands in the process.
"Oh Dusknoir, honey, we did it! The bitch is finally dead! I'm finally rid of her forever! Whoa-hoo!"
Ash just shook his head. He couldn't believe it.
"May…no…no…God no…please, don't let this be true! Oh God! May!"
Ash was shaking. He couldn't believe this. He didn't want to believe this. Yet the evidence was right there in his face.
Ash looked back over to his slowly dying pokemon. Pikachu laid there, still alive, but his breathing was shallow. It wouldn't be long until he met the same fate as May.
"No…No! God No! Please don't let this be true! Please!"
Harley froze when he realized he wasn't alone. He looked over to Ash, who was sobbing hard, looking down at the ground.
Harley stopped dancing and slowly walked over to Ash. He stood over him, his eyes full of contempt.
"I'm so sorry it had to be this way, Ash."
Ash didn't respond. He just continued crying, his eyes closed.
"You do realize what I have to do now, right?"
"Please…just make it quick."
"I promise. Dusknoir…"
Dusknoir again began charging up his Hyper Beam.
Ash could feel the heat of the beam in his face. He closed his eyes shut as he prepared for the impact.
"Alrighty Dusknoir, Hyper Be…"
Harley was cut off as a large vortex of fire hit the ground, separating Harley and his Dusknoir from Ash, preventing him from continuing his attack.
Harley screamed in terror as he saw the large vortex burn the very ground he was standing just moments ago. What would have happened if Dusknoir didn't push him out of the way just before the attack hit? Harley gave another shrill scream as the ongoing attack continued.
Ash just looked transfixed as the heat of the flames nearly burned him to a crisp. The vortex was only mere inches from his face and he was surprised that it just didn't melt right off.
When the attack ceased, the ground between Ash and Harley was severely charred.
Harley looked at it wide-eyed.
"What the hell was that?"
Harley's question was answered when a large majestic bird flew down, hovering above them. It was approximately 3.8 meters high and it had multi-colored feathers. It had a feathered crest and prismatic wings. It stared menacingly at Harley.
Dusknoir instinctively bowed down to the bird while Harley looked at it awestruck.
"H…H…Ho-Oh?"
The legendary bird cried out as it opened its mighty wings, allowing Harley to see it in all its glory.
Ash just shook his head in disbelief.
'A Ho-Oh? What would Ho-Oh be doing here in Hoenn?' He thought to himself.
Then he noticed something different about the bird. Its rainbow colored body was not as dark as it usually was. In fact, they were bright. Bright pastel colors.
A smile lit up on Ash's face when he looked at the familiar features. He knew this Ho-Oh!
The phoenix-like bird looked at Harley apocalyptically.
"Oh! Your Majesty! I…I…" Harley was cut off as the bird cried in his face.
"But what did I do?"
Ho-Oh looked at Harley, then looked over towards May's limp body. Harley followed her gaze and realized what she was talking about. He instantly began to defend himself.
"B-Bu-But Your Majesty, she deserved it. She…" Harley was cut off again as the bird gave another cry.
Dusknoir shook his head at his trainer's foolish mistake. How dumb was he to tell the creator of all pokémon that it was right to kill someone?
With one loud cry, Rainbow hit both Harley and Dusknoir with a mighty Hyper Beam. Dusknoir was surprised that the attack even had effect, him being a ghost-type pokémon and all.
Then again, this was Ho-Oh.
Together Harley and Dusknoir was shot high the sky, blasting off like how Team Rocket did all those years ago. As they were flying, Harley noticed that his tux was completely burned and soon turned to ashes as he soared through the air, leaving him clad only in his Luvdisc briefs.
"Oh no! My beautiful suit!" Harley cried as he and Dusknoir disappeared in the sky.
The phoenix-like bird flew down beside Ash and looked him lovingly in the eyes.
"Wow, is that really you, Ho-Oh?"
The colorful bird just nodded her head.
"Wow Ho-Oh, you've really grown since the last time I saw you," Ash said as she freed him from the vines.
Ash winced in pain as fell flaccidly to the ground.
Rainbow looked at Ash in confusion until she remembered what happened earlier. Gently, she put one of her wings over him.
Ash opened his eyes as he felt the pain in his body slowly fade away. When the beautiful bird lifted her wing, Ash stood up, looking at her in confusion.
"Ho-Oh…wow, you did this?"
Again the bird nodded her head.
"Wow, you must be…" Ash was cut off as he heard a low groan. He looked over to the side to see his pokemon lying on the ground, breathing slowly.
"Pikachu!"
Ash ran over to his best friend and gently picked him up.
"Oh Pikachu."
The little mouse was sweating and his eyes were lightly shut. His breathing was very low and he was burning up.
"Pikachu…"
Ho-Oh, seeing the situation, again placed her wing over Pikachu.
Ash looked transfixed as he saw a pink light outline Pikachu's body and Cora's wings.
A few seconds later, she lifted her wing from over Pikachu, and stared at him to see if he was okay.
Ash called out to his pokémon again.
"Pikachu?"
The little mouse slowly opened his eyes, before he snapped them wide open. He blinked his eyes a few times before he looked at his trainer, first in confusion, then in sheer happiness.
"Pika Pi!"
Ash's frowning lip widened into a smile as he looked at his healthy pokémon.
"Pikachu! You're all right!"
The two embraced each other firmly at seeing that the other was okay.
"I'm so glad you're okay buddy!"
"Pika Pikachu!"
Ho-Oh smiled at the loving display.
When the two let go of each other, Pikachu's cheery expression changed into one of confusion as he looked at the large bird behind Ash.
"Pika?"
Ash's eyes snapped open when he realized the other person he lost only minutes ago.
"May!"
Ash sprinted towards his wife, followed by Pikachu and Rainbow.
He dropped to the ground on his knees and looked endearingly at his wife.
"Oh no. May!" Ash cried as he picked up her limp body. Her neck bent back unnaturally as her arms fell back to the earth.
Ash's tears returned again when he realized the realization of the situation. Ash caressed her face, holding her chin up as he gently gave her a kiss on the lips. His hand then glided down to her belly. It stayed there for several moments, trying desperately to feel for life.
Ash's sobs become harder and he grasps May firmly in his arms, holding her tightly against his body.
Pikachu stares at his trainer and May with a worried expression on his face. Just how much did he miss when Harley's monster spit him out of his stomach?
"Oh God…May I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Ash cried as he held May even closer.
Oh-Oh, seeing the display, realized the other reason she even came to Hoenn in the first place. She slowly walked over to Ash. Gently, she put both her wings over May, transferring some kind of blue energy over to her, and closed her eyes in concentration. Ash opened his eyes to see the colorful legendary bird over him, with both wings over his wife. He blinked several times trying to figure out what she was doing.
She was hovering over May like how she was over Piakchu, but this time the energy transferred was blue instead of pink and it outlined her whole body and not just her wings.
When the transfer was complete, Rainbow lifted her wings off of May, and stepped back a few feet. Ash looked at her with no clear expression until he felt movement in his arms.
Ash's eyes snapped back to his wife as he saw her eyes flutter open. She blinked a few times before looking around in confusion.
"Where…"
Ash's eyes widened as he saw her slowly lean forward. He saw her rub and squint her eyes as she looked at him.
"Ash?"
Ash flung his arms around her as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
"May! You're alive!" He cried as he felt his tears fall freely down his face again.
"Alive? What are you…" May was cut off as Ash pressed his lips firmly against hers. When he pulled back he looked her lovingly in her eyes.
"May, I thought I lost you."
"Lost me? What are you talking about?"
"Harley, he attacked you…"
"Harley? Ash, Harley's all the way on the other side of the world."
Ash nearly smirked when he realized how close to home she had hit and the irony in it all.
"But he was just here…You mean you don't remember?
"Ash, all I remember is you showing me that picture in the sky with the Swablu and Illumise and Volbeat."
Ash looked at Rainbow in confusion. She just gave him a look that said 'It's better this way.'
Ash scrunched up his face.
"Ash, Baby, are you feeling okay?"
"I…" Ash froze at what she said. Instinctively, he placed his hand on her belly. He let it stay there for a few moments. He began to panic when he didn't feeling anything. A few seconds later he felt something hit his hand. A smile lit up on his face when he realized what it was.
"The baby!"
"What?"
"The baby! It's kicking!"
"Yes, yes, the baby's kicking…Ash, is something wrong?"
Ash didn't respond. He just pulled May to her feet and embraced her once more.
"Oh God, May, I love you so much."
"Yes, honey, I know."
"The baby, too. You're both my whole world."
"Yes, yes, baby, I know."
As Ash pulled back he felt something hop on his shoulder and nuzzle his face.
"You too, Pikachu. All of you are my world."
"Pika?"
"I'd die if I lost anyone of you."
May and Pikachu shared a worried glance.
"Uh, honey, are you feeling okay?"
"Never better, May. Never better," He said with a smile as his tears began to flow down his face.
"Oh baby, what's wrong?" May asked, her voice full of concern.
"Nothing, May. Not a single thing is wrong."
May gave her husband a worried look. She was about to ask him a question when she felt something rub against her back. She turned around to see the beautiful legendary bird who had resurrected her moments ago looking down at her, wearing a warm smile on her face.
"Wha…Ho-Oh?"
"Not just Ho-Oh, May."
Mat looked back at the colorful bird. Her eyes widened when she realized just who the bird was.
"Ho-Oh?"
The sky guardian nodded her head to assure her friend.
"Oh my…Look at you! You're all grown up!"
Ho-Oh nuzzled her friend once more, loving the feeling of touching her again.
"Wow…So you're the present guardian of the skies now huh?"
The phoenix-like again nodded her head in agreement.
"My, how you've grown. Who'd a thought that little egg I found all those years ago would mature into this beautiful legendary before me."
Ho-Oh just smiled at her trainer's remark.
"So what're you doing in Hoenn? I thought you were supposed to be in Orre with your mother?"
"Well, she is the guardian of the skies, May. She's responsible for the whole world. Can't very well stay in one location now, can she? I mean what sense would it make to have two Ho-Oh's in one location? How can she protect the world if she's in the same place as another Ho-Oh? They have to spread out for them to fulfill they're destiny."
Ho-Oh was impressed at the way her friend handled the situation. She could have very well taken off and left that part unanswered.
"Well, take care of yourself, Rainbow. I love you always."
The legendary bird smiled and nuzzled May once more, before taking off into the sky, her feathers changing from a bright pastel color to gold and leaving a trail of a rainbow behind her.
Ash gave May a good squeeze around her waist as they watched the bird disappear from sight.
"C'mon, beautiful. We better get home before Mom 2 starts yelling at us for being late for her very special Christmas dinner."
"Mom 2?"
"I'm working on it."
Ash and May laughed heartily as they entered the front door. It wasn't too long before they were met by Brock and May's Pikachu.
"Where have you two been?!"
"Pika Pi!"
"Out…I told you we were going out for a walk."
"Ash, I–" Brock was cut off as a loud crash was heard coming from the living room.
"The hell was that?"
"Probably a chair making contact with a wall."
"What?" Ash and May asked simultaneously.
They were answered as they heard a loud cry and then another crash, louder than the first.
"What was that?"
"Probably Barry's Rapidash hitting Paul's Torterra with a Flamethrower and Torterra crashing into Lucas' Infernape, who in turn, crashed into a wall."
Ash, May, and Pikachu had blank expressions on their faces.
"Brock…"
"May, all Hell broke loose when you two left. First, Paul and Barry got into this huge fight over Dawn and Misty. Then Lucas, some friend of Dawn's, came over. But then he and Barry got into a fight since Lucas used to date Dawn. Pretty soon all three of them got into a huge argument. Then they started to fight each other, throwing lefts and rights. Then they brought out their pokémon! They all started battling each other! And if that wasn't bad enough, Lucy dropped by, with her new boyfriend! Her freaking boyfriend! Why the hell would she come by here with her boyfriend after we broke up, huh?"
"I thought you two decided together that you didn't want to be together again?" May questioned.
"Yeah, and where's Mom and Delia?" asked Ash.
"One, it still hurts, Ash! I mean have you seen Lucy lately? Oh God, she's hot! And she was wearing a freaking midriff and mini-skirt! And it's winter. Winter, Ash! Two, I don't know where Caroline and Delia are!"
"What?" said a worried May.
"You mean they're gone?"
"No. They didn't leave. They're just not here."
Ash and May shared worried glances as they looked back at Brock.
"Uh, Brock. Did you hear what you just said?"
"What?"
"How can Mom and Caroline…I mean, Mom 2, be here if they're not here?"
"What are you talking about? They are here. They're just not here."
Ash and May exchanged glances again.
"Uh, Brock man, you feeling okay?"
"What?"
"I think you need to lie down."
"What? No! I'm fine!"
"Brock, you just said that Caroline and Mom were here and not here at the same time."
"They are here! They're just not here!"
"I think the eggnog's going to his head."
"What are you talking about! I'm not crazy!"
"We know that Brock…May, I think we need to call someone."
"What are you talking about! I'm fine!"
"Yes, Brock, we know…who, Ash?"
"I'm fine! I'm fine! I'm freaking fine!"
"May, I think we're losing him."
"God Dammit, Ash! I'm fine!"
Brock was cut off as another crash was heard in the back.
"Take that, you son of a bitch!"
"F—k you! F—k all of you Mother Fu…" Another crash was heard in the back.
"Paul, please!"
"Barry! Lucas! Stop it!"
"I can't believe you left me for this arrogant cur."
"Cur! Is that French for Jackass?"
"See! He's so stupid! No, Jackass! It's a synonym for jerk and it means you're a cowardly cad! But thank you for pointing out the obvious fact that you are indeed a Jackass!"
"You son of a…" Another crash is heard from the living room as the fight between Paul, Barry, and Lucas continued.
"God Dammit, what is wrong with you people!" Brock screamed as he began punching the wall.
"Ash, I think he's lost it."
"Dammit, May! I'm not crazy! I'm fine! Perfectly Fine! F-I-N-E! Fine!"
"Ash, he's lost it!"
"Arg! I'M FINE!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pika-CHUU!"
Pikachu shocks Brock with a mighty Thunderbolt, knocking him unconscious.
"Whew, that was close."
"Ash! What did you do?" Max screamed as he ran down the stairs to see Brock lying on the floor knocked out.
"Brock was scaring us. He kept talking about how Caroline and Mom were here and not here at the same time, then he began punching the walls and pulling at his hair. He was really freaking us out. I think his separation with Lucy is driving him crazy."
"What? No! Brock may have been the only sane one here!"
"But Max, he kept talking about how Mom and Delia were here and not here."
"They are here! They're in the kitchen."
"Then why did he keep saying they weren't here?"
"Because they're not here."
Ash and May's eyes widen as they looked at Max, fearing that he too had gone off the deep end.
"Max…"
"May, they're not here mentally."
"What?" Ash said, confused.
"Are you calling Mom slow?"
"I don't know what I'm calling her! All day, she's been in that kitchen and I find it very hard to believe that she didn't hear a damn thing that was going on in here! The fact that Delia didn't hear it either is scaring me, May. The kitchen isn't soundproof! Why isn't she out here doing something?"
Ash, Pikachu, and May share worried glances as they looked back at Max.
"Maybe we should go in the kitchen to see…"
Ash was cut off as another crash was heard in the living room, followed by an 'Uh Oh.'
"Oh God!"
"Barry! What have you done?"
"That wasn't me! It was Lucas and his damned Infernape!"
"No, the hell it wasn't! It was that dumbass purple-headed freak and his Torterra!"
"Who the f—k do you think you're talking to? I didn't do shit!"
"Paul!"
Another crash was heard as the smell of smoke filled the house.
"Oh no."
"Ash, please tell me I don't smell smoke in Mom's house."
"Uhh…"
Another crash was heard as fire was seen pouring out of the living room and into the front room.
"Ash, please tell me I don't see fire burning the main hallway."
"I wish I could, May."
"Ash, May, I think we better get out of here!" Max screamed as the fire advanced on them.
"I think you're right, Max."
Ash and Max began to run for the front door when May called out to them.
"Wait! What about the others?"
"They're grown! They can get out by themselves."
"But…"
"C'mon May! This place is gonna collapse soon."
"Ash, no. This is wrong."
"I'm not asking you."
Ash, as gently as he could, heaved May up and carried her bridal-style to the door.
"Ash! Put me down!"
"Max, grab Brock. I don't think he's gonna wake up any time soon."
Max did what he was told and proceeded to the door, Prikachu right behind him."
"Ash!"
"Dammit May, I'm not gonna lose you again! Let's go!"
"What're you talking about?"
Before Max and Ash could open the door, the sprinklers in the house went off.
"What the f—k, man!"
"Oh Paul…"
"My hair!"
"Would you stop complaining about your damn hair and move, Dawn! We have to get out of here!"
"And you still stay with a Jackass like him."
All the voices were unsettling to Ash, May, and Max, but none of them were as terrifying as what they heard next.
"My Ham!"
Max and May winced as they gazed upon the ruins of their house. The Pokémon Rangers arrived only moments ago to put out the flames. Everyone had gotten out safely. It was what followed the fire that was unsettling. Paul, Barry, and Lucas continued to fight with one another while Dawn and Misty were trying to break the feud, and Brock was being looked after by a paramedic, but that wasn't the unsettling part.
No. What was unsettling for them was the fact that their mother and Delia hadn't said anything about the whole thing. Caroline told the officers that she wouldn't press charges against Paul or Barry, while Delia remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal.
Even after the rangers and police left, they still stood there, silently looking at the now destroyed house. Their brow was in a wrinkle, and their mouth was curved downward.
Ash slowly walked over to his mom, tapping her on the shoulder.
"Hey, mom…" He was cut off as Delia held her hand up, a clear indication that she didn't want to speak right now.
Ash timidly walked back towards May, fear clearly in his eyes.
Max finally built up enough courage to go over to his mom.
"M-Mom?"
She didn't respond.
"M-Mom? A-Are you okay?"
"No, Max. I'm not okay."
Max paused before trying to say something again. However, he was cut off by Caroline.
"My ham, my turkey, my cider, my rice, my roast, my yams, my sweet potato, my pies,…all of it. Gone."
Max took a few steps away from his mother.
"Six days of preparation all gone!"
Max hastened his pace to get away from his mother and ran behind Ash and May.
"All my hard work…Gone!"
Delia began nodding her head in agreement.
"And to top it off, my house is now gone as well!"
The three of them began exchanging worried glances.
"So to answer your question Max, No! The hell I'm not okay! I'm far from the damned word!"
Max and May began shivering in fear. Their mother wasn't the one to curse, being a very religious person and believing that you should search for other things in place of curse words. So to hear her curse was more than frightening.
Caroline herself began to shake as her anger began to rise. Caroline stopped her rant on Max when she heard three voices yelling at one another.
"What the hell is your problem, buddy?"
"You Jackass! You f—ked up the house which means you f—ked up the food! The only reason I even came to this dumbass gathering was for the food! And thanks to you, that's not gonna happen!"
"That wasn't my damn fault! It was this son of bitch over here!"
"Now I know you're not gonna pin this whole thing on me, dummy! And as for you, you know damn well it was your fault, you purple-haired bastard!"
"Come say that to my f—king face!"
Caroline's eye began to twitch as she stormed off toward the group.
"Uh Oh. This will not be pretty," Ash whispered as he watched his mother-in-law approach the feuding men.
"And I don't know who the fu…"
Paul was cut off as Caroline grabbed him and threw him to a nearby tree.
"What the fu…"
"Shut up!"
"Who the fu…"
Caroline grabbed him again and threw him towards Barry, knocking both men to the ground. Rubbing their heads, they looked up at the infuriated woman.
"Dammit, lady! What the…"
"You listen to me, you pathetic sons of bitches! You destroyed my very special Christmas meal! You just destroyed over $5,000 worth of food and over $364,000 worth of damage when you burned down my house! That's almost $400,000 worth of damage total!"
"Look, lady…"
Paul was cut off as Caroline grabbed him and pulled him dangerously close to her face.
"Cut me off again and I'll make sure…"
"Um, M-Ma'am?"
Caroline looked over her shoulder to see Lucas standing there, trembling uncontrollably.
"Um…Ma'am…I…I just…"
"Little boy, if you don't get the hell out of my sight…"
Faster than anyone could count, Lucas sprinted away from Caroline and straight for Slateport City. He was catching the next boat to Sinnoh if it killed him.
With a huff, Caroline threw Paul down on the ground right next to Barry. She looked them both squarely in the eye.
"All those damned hours I spent ignoring you, acting like I didn't hear a damn noise you were making in my living room. I heard the crashes! I heard the swearing! I smelled the fire! But I thought one of you would be smart enough to go outside and fight or at least use your water pokémon to put out the flames! Yes, I'm looking at you, Misty!"
Misty cowered behind Dawn as she heard her name mentioned.
"Look, I don't give a damn who started the fire or destroyed my house and well-prepared Christmas meal! I may not have pressed charges against you two but so help me God, you blasted sons of bitches are gonna pay off all the damn damage you did to my house or I will kill you myself and they'll never find your bodies! And I'm married to a Gym Leader. A Famous Gym Leader! I know people! I can make it happen!"
Paul and Barry shivered in fear looking at the Maple matriarch.
"All of you God damn bastards better learn to get along or I will press charges, and I will put you behind bars, where Officer Jenny will do a hell of a worse things to you than I ever could! Am I understood?"
Paul and Barry looked at each other before looking back at Caroline.
"Y-Yes Ma'am!"
"Message received and understood!"
Ash, May, Max and the Pikachu looked on at the display in utter shock. They didn't know whether to be happy or scared at the way Caroline handled the situation. The whole time Delia was nodding her head in agreement with Caroline.
Finally, Ash grabbed all of them in a hug and spoke up.
"Well guys, at least it's safe to say this is one Christmas we will always remember."
A/N: And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, concludes part 2 of A Christmas to Remember. Hope you all liked it. I know there may be some confusion about the Ho-Oh involved with Ash and May. Don't worry about it. Again, it'll be a separate story in my future fics.
And again, I would like to sincerely apologize for the homophobic slurs present in this chapter. I don't like writing so profanely and offensively and I will not be doing any more stories like this for a very long time. And by that I mean stories that contain highly offensive and potentially –phobic language. I only wanted to convey Ash & May being very stressed from the situation and in the way I saw it playing out, they would be cursing out and insulting Harley a lot because they are so agitated and the situation is so tense and violent. I just try to picture how my stories would play out in the real world and I try to make them as realistic as possible while in the fantasy world around them. These again are not my actual views and I again sincerely apologize if any of you were offended by this.
Anyway, I gotta hop off. Again I say don't forget to review. Love you all! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!