Hi and hello, and happy (late) Hallowe'en! Welcome to Chapter 4 of Inconceivable! This time, we'll see Ash and May reunite and continue on their journey away from home, picking up a very special team member along the way. Without further ado, let's get moving!
A/N: for some reason, the song No Surprise by Daughtry was running through my head when I wrote the preliminary stuff for this story. I think it fits, sort of (that's Asperger's logic at it's best, folks).
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.
INCONCEIVABLE
CHAPTER 4-OPENING MOVES
The next few days went by like lightning. Ash spent the time gathering whatever he needed for his and May's impending journey, mainly clothes along with various foodstuffs and hygiene items. He'd asked his mother to put together a larger version of his Hoenn outfit, which she had happily done for him, knowing that he'd favored the hooded sweatshirt she'd made previously. He figured no-one would recognize him once they'd reached their final destination, although he decided to leave his hat behind; the headgear had become his trademark, and even though he had several of them in the closet now, he knew any of them might give him away.
Meanwhile, Pikachu was explaining what he knew of the situation to his compatriots. Sceptile had appeared happy that Blaziken would be coming with May, while a purple blob of sludge and a powerful rhinoceros beetle indicated their eagerness to meet May's Pokémon themselves. The orange otter next to them simply crossed his arms; he'd met May briefly before, but he wouldn't mind meeting her partners either. Only Ash's sixth choice remained to be added to the group, but Ash had planned to pick it up along the way.
The morning before May was scheduled to arrive, Ash came out to the yard and looked at the team he'd selected. It was time to come clean and explain the entire situation to them, so they would know exactly what they were getting into. Fortunately, his mother was out of the house for the day, and Mimey was too busy doing his chores to be interested in what Ash was going through, so it was safe to tell them here. Ash sighed and began his story.
"Okay, guys," he began, looking at each Pokémon in turn. Pikachu was all ears, and Sceptile leaned against a tree to listen. "I think I owe you an explanation of what we're doing here. Most of you know who May is, right?" Pikachu and Sceptile nodded along with the otter, but the other two looked confused. "Alright, so three of you. Long story short, May was one of my traveling partners in Hoenn and our second run through Kanto. She also happens to be my girlfriend." He let this sink in, particularly with Sceptile, who looked dumbfounded and almost dropped the twig in his mouth out of shock. "Don't look at me like that, Sceptile. Anyway, so May's my girlfriend, and we kinda...took things too far last time she was here."
"Pika?" Pikachu could see where this was headed, and it didn't look good. The others simply stared, waiting for the rest of the story.
"Exactly. And now, she's kinda..." Ash cast around for an acceptable euphemism, but couldn't find one. He let out another big sigh as he spilled the secret. "She's pregnant with my child, guys. We don't want my mom or her parents to find out, so we're running away. I'm taking you five with me, and we'll be collecting the sixth member of the gang once we're under way. Until we get where we're going, we're operating under the pretense that we'll be competing in the Terracotta Contest." Sceptile barked a harsh laugh, remembering his tie with Blaziken well. "Yes, Sceptile, the same one we tied at. But we're not going to be competing there. I've an idea of where we're going, but I won't tell you just yet. Just know that I need you guys to keep a low profile out there. We can't attract too much attention, or we'll be found out." At that point, the PokéGear he'd bought to maintain contact with May went off, and he stepped away from his team to answer it.
"We'll be arriving in Pallet Harbour tomorrow afternoon," May said, knowing Ash would soon be kicking his preparations into overdrive. She'd called like she promised, happy to hear her boyfriend's voice after the four days she'd spent on the ferry. "The travel guide says we should be arriving at the south dock, so that's where you should meet me when we land."
"You got it, May. We'll be ready to go as soon as you get here. Get some rest, you'll need it." May smiled and whispered something barely audible into the PokéNav. She heard Ash chuckle on the other end, and an equally inaudible response filtered through. May giggled and turned off the PokéNav after this, and lay down on the bed in the cabin to ponder her current situation.
The past four days had been uncomfortable, mainly due to nausea and other physical symptoms. Thankfully, her cabin had an en-suite bathroom, so no-one would notice her frequent trips to deal with these problems. She made sure she kept her bandanna off and her hair down when she did venture out of the cabin; even though people would likely pay little mind to her, the fear of recognition was very much alive in her mind, and she didn't want this whole thing coming apart before it even began.
She'd debriefed each of her Pokémon in turn, starting with Blaziken, so they would be up to speed before they got to Kanto. All of them had expressed surprise at the news of her pregnancy, but all had indicated they would help out during the coming months, and May had especially emphasized the need to stay under the radar. She didn't have the reserve corps that Ash had in Pallet Town, so if too many of her Pokémon were recognized in the region they fled to, it might be game over for the lot of them.
Ash hadn't told her who he would be bringing with him, but she had some idea of who he might choose. She knew Pikachu would be there—Ash would never leave his best buddy behind—and it seemed obvious, to her at least, that Sceptile would come too, if only to reunite with Blaziken. He'd mentioned on the phone that he would be starting the trip with five Pokémon, with a sixth to be picked up later. "Maybe Bulbasaur will come and be reunited with my Venusaur. That would be nice." she thought to herself. She was eager to see Ash's Pokémon again, and she knew that he would have them keep an eye on her during the journey. As she thought of this, she closed her eyes and put a hand on her stomach.
"Our Pokémon will help us through this, I know it. They won't allow anything to happen to us, especially with our little one on the way." Letting this thought soothe her anxiety, she slipped into a peaceful slumber.
Ash waited at the south dock in Pallet Town Harbour, Pikachu on his shoulder, and watched for May's ferry on the horizon. He was anxious, mainly because of the nature of their flight, but he knew he had to stay strong throughout the trip, if only to keep May's spirits up. Pikachu sensed his nerves and jumped down, looking intently at his trainer.
"Pikachu pi chu-pika ka-chu, pikapi?" Ash smiled as he guessed at Pikachu's meaning.
"Yeah, Pikachu, I am nervous. We're taking an awful risk, but it's got to be done. You just keep a low profile like I told you and we'll be okay." Pikachu left it at this; he wanted to know more about what was going on, but he decided that if Ash didn't want to tell him, he wouldn't force him to. He satisfied himself by looking at the water, then perked up as he saw a puff of smoke.
"Pikapi!" he shouted, pointing at the black cloud. Ash looked out and noticed it himself, his face breaking into a huge grin.
"She's almost here!" The ferry's approach seemed to take hours, but in no time it was moored alongside the dock. A gang-ramp was lowered from the side of the ship, and Ash watched to see where his girlfriend was. When he saw her distinctive green bandanna, his heart leapt, and he hurried over to meet her.
May looked just as she had when he'd met up with her at Valour Lakefront. Her sleeveless orange shirt matched her running shoes, and her black shorts reached to her mid-thigh. A pair of black gloves, along with the aforementioned bandanna, completed the look, causing Ash to imagine them traveling as a trainer and Coordinator again. He had to shake himself as he looked at her, though; this was no time for reminiscing, and time was running short.
"Hey, Ash," May said happily as she hugged him. She struggled to keep the tears out of her eyes as she gripped him tightly, conveying her anxiety through the gesture. "I'm so glad to see you. It's been way too long."
"I know," Ash replied as he felt her lean into his shoulder. He was more than happy to see her, his girl, the mother of his child. Just holding her again was exhilirating. The embrace lasted several more moments, then they broke apart, still staring into each other's eyes.
"Pika-chu chu pika, ka-chu!" Pikachu greeted May as well, jumping from his trainer's shoulder to hers. May smiled weakly and reached up to stroke his ears.
"Good to see you as well, Pikachu." May turned to Ash as she felt Pikachu relax beneath her touch. "So what's the plan? We've got no plans beyond Terracotta Town, so where are we going to go?"
"I'm not ready to tell you yet," Ash said, and instantly wished he hadn't said it that way. When May looked worried, he clarified. "Alright, the truth is, I know where we're going, but I don't want to tell you yet. I have one quick stop to make before we head over to Terracotta Town, then we can make our next move from there. Sound okay?"
"Fine." May trusted Ash enough to let him keep their destination a surprise for now. She knew he would never deliberately lead them astray, even if his sense of direction left something to be desired. She felt Pikachu's presence on her shoulder and instantly felt much more at ease; Pikachu had always been there for her during their travels, and she figured he wouldn't stop that tendency now. "But we'd better get moving, the quicker we go the less chance we'll be found out."
"Right," Ash said, and the couple hurried from the port towards the city limits and the start of their flight.
They opted to take an express bus to Viridian City, since the walk from Pallet would be long and Ash didn't want to tire May out. May protested that she was fine with walking, but Ash insisted that she not overexert herself.
"I don't want any trouble with you-know-what because you're running yourself ragged." he had said, his voice tense. May decided it wasn't worth arguing with him and allowed him to lead her onto the bus, where they sat near the back. Ash put his arm around her, while Pikachu jumped into May's arms and closed his eyes, preferring to remain with her now that he was aware of her condition. May smiled at this; her holding Pikachu made them look like a family already, and she could picture their own child sleeping where the Mouse Pokémon was at the moment. Some passengers complimented the "adorable young couple" as they went by, which made both teenagers blush, and Pikachu simply yawned in amusement. The goings-on between May and his trainer would take some getting used to, but he knew it was for the best.
Once they reached Viridian City, they got off the bus and Ash made a beeline for the northern city limits. May looked at him in surprise, and hurried to catch up with him.
"Ash, where are you going?" she called, letting Pikachu jump off her shoulder so she could move more easily. Ash stopped to let her catch up, and she stopped a few feet in front of him, bending over as she caught her breath. "What's the rush? I thought you didn't want me to overdo it!"
"Sorry, May," Ash apologized, realizing his folly. "I'm just so excited to get where we're headed right now, I forgot about our little passenger. I really am sorry."
"It's fine, Ash. Just warn me when you're going to take off like that." Ash nodded and headed up the short route northward towards a large forest, which May regarded with apprehension. "Wait, what're we heading into that forest for? We never went through there during your Battle Frontier challenge."
"This is where we're going to find my sixth team member." Ash explained as they entered the thick woods. "Just give me a few minutes to find the area..." They walked on, Ash searching for something, while Pikachu kept a lookout too. Eventually, they reached a small clearing and Ash snapped his fingers. "Right, here it is!"
"What's here? Who's coming?" May didn't like the uncertainty surrounding this detour. She'd hoped to be farther along by now, but this delay seemed necessary to Ash.
"You'll see. Although, now that I think about it, you might want to take a couple of steps back. Pikachu, stay with May." Pikachu nodded and jumped back onto May's shoulder, while Ash checked to make sure the coast was clear. He breathed deeply and let loose a high-pitched cry that made the hairs on the back of May's neck stand up. Pikachu covered his more sensitive ears, even though he knew what was coming. A few seconds later, Ash relaxed and moved over to where May was standing.
"What in the world was that?" May asked, her eyebrow raised. "Some kind of bird Pokémon call...?" At that moment, she heard the sound of wings approaching, growing louder as whatever owned them came closer. Ash simply smiled and watched his sixth Pokémon arrive on the scene.
The approaching bird had a handsome yellow crest trimmed with red, and his brown tail feathers were about as long as May's forearm. His razor-sharp talons looked dangerous, but he would only ever use them on an opponent, not his trainer or his friends. He had small, sharp eyes that could see just about anything, and his giant wings flapped majestically in the spring air. Upon seeing Ash, he flew over to where the trainer was standing with May and Pikachu.
"Hey, Pidgeot," Ash said as he looked his loyal former companion in the eye. Pidgeot trilled happily, overjoyed to see his master again. Pikachu called out a greeting as well, and the Bird Pokémon nodded his head in acknowledgement. May, for her part, took a tentative step back, a little frightened by the bird's appearance.
"So this is your Pidgeot, huh?" She didn't have a very good history with the species, having been badly beaten by Solidad's Pidgeot once before. Pidgeot eyed her with interest, and Ash spoke again.
"Yes. I left him here to look after the Pidgey flock in the forest. Pidgeot, this is May, my girlfriend. She and I are traveling together again, and we came to see if you'd like to join us." Without hesitation, Pidgeot trilled again, and Ash nodded and hugged his friend. "Great, I knew you'd want to." He released Pidgeot and maintained his smile. "I promised I'd come back for you someday, right? Now we're together again, just like May and I." Pidgeot turned to look at the girl as Ash released him from his grip, and the young man chuckled a bit. "It's fine, pal. May's just a bit scared of you, that's all." He turned to her and his gaze seemed to calm her down a little. "May, you want to come over and say hello?"
"Alright," May said quietly, walking over to the bird. She timidly reached out to stroke Pidgeot's feathers, and her fear dissipated as Pidgeot responded happily, closing his eyes as her hand ran through his plumage. "I guess we've got our final teams set, huh? Now what?"
"We get going again. Pidgeot," Ash addressed the bird, who turned to face him. "You know where Terracotta Town is, right?" Pidgeot nodded, knowing his innate sense of direction would get his master and new friend there safely. "Okay, we need you to fly us there. You up for it?" Pidgeot nodded again, and stretched out to allow Ash to climb onto his back. "May, come on up. This way, we can get to Terracotta Town even faster, then we can head for our final destination."
"Okay." May's fear was back now; she'd never ridden a Flying-type like Pidgeot before, and the thought terrified her. "Are you sure this is safe?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around Ash's waist.
"Of course, Pidgeot would never let anything happen to us." He watched Pikachu jump back onto May's shoulder, and he turned to face forward. "Okay, Pidgeot, let's move." Pidgeot flapped his great wings and took off into the sky, and May squeaked in terror as she buried her head in Ash's shoulder. Pidgeot turned in the air towards the northwest, and flew swiftly through the midafternoon sky towards their waypoint in Terracotta Town.
Alright, chapter 4 is done! Ash's sixth team member has been added, and they can now focus on their next moves towards their final destination. The project's coming along nicely too, which is good news (for me at least), and I should have the final scenarios ready for next weekend, with a possible update on Monday (which happens to be my 23rd birthday, incidentally).
A quick note on Pidgeot joining Ash's squad. I'm aware that the possibility of Pidgeot's return is sometimes speculated about, especially since in the anime proper Ash still hasn't made good on his promise to come back for it (or him, in this case; I prefer to establish a Pokémon's gender right off if it hasn't already been revealed, since I think it makes them easier to personify. It's also more natural for my writing style.). I figured it should be either Pidgeot or Butterfree that came back, and in the end I decided Pidgeot would advance the story better, plus he's more easily accessible than Butterfree. Hey, as long as it makes for a better story, right?
Okay, once again, standard operating procedure is in effect, so please read, REVIEW and tell me what you thought! (Keep the votes coming as well, any of you first-time reviewers!) Until next time, namárië!