Hi and hello! Here's Chapter 8 of Inconceivable, where Ash and May will reach Ecruteak and decide on whether to settle there. Will they? Will they not? Are there any last-second options? Read on to find out!
A/N: the first name I picked for Ash's cover name is obvious; the surnames (and May's cover name) will be revealed and/or explained later on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.
INCONCEIVABLE
CHAPTER 8-A GLIMMER OF HOPE
The next few days were spent moving along the road towards Ecruteak City. Ash had gotten hold of a local paper as they'd left the National Park, and after reading it through several times May was relieved that no-one in the press had gotten wind of their disappearance. As they got closer to the city proper, they saw more and more travelers, which didn't surprise them at all; Ecruteak was popular with tourists looking to see the two towers at either end of the old city, not to mention theatre-goers looking to catch a glimpse of the famous Kimono Girls, and that was before one took challengers at the Ecruteak Gym into account.
The walk from the National Park had taken them another week on top of the month and a half they'd been gone, and May's birthday was celebrated on the road again. It had been simple yet heartfelt, with yet another round of ramen substituting for a cake. May appreciated everyone's effort in making her day special; Ash had tried to put together what he obviously thought was something similar to a Contest routine, but only succeeded in freezing Muk solid after Buizel misjudged his Ice Punch. May loved the whole thing; she hadn't laughed so much in weeks, and it felt good to release some of her built-up emotions in a positive way for a change, instead of crying uncontrollably into Ash's shoulder.
The next evening saw them come within sight of the city gate. After setting up camp in a secluded spot off the road, the couple began discussing whether they should stay in Ecruteak or push into another town.
"I like the idea of Ecruteak, if only because it's so quiet," May said. "At the same time, Mahogany Town is even smaller and out of the way..." Ash cut her off.
"No way. We'd have to go through Mount Mortar to get there. That'll take weeks, and I still don't want you overexerting yourself, May. The cave is too dark to see in, and don't even get me started on the wild Pokémon in there."
"Okay, okay, I get it, no Mahogany Town. So what else is close by?"
"Well, there's Olivine to the southwest, and Whitestone is on the same route."
"Olivine? Ash, we've been over this, if a city has a big Pokémon Contest, someone is going to notice me. Remember, if some journalist or competitor recognizes either of us, it goes in the papers or some official material and we're outed. I think there's a Contest in Whitestone too, come to think of it, it seems like the kind of place that would host one."
"Okay, so we're basically choosing Ecruteak. Are we set, then? You know we're gonna have to find somewhere to settle, since we can't just stay at the Pokémon Centre for the next several months."
"I think so. We should stay at the Centre for a couple of days while we look for an apartment or something, Nurse Joy never asks too many questions. Who knows, she could help us out."
"That's true." Ash knew the Pokémon Nurse would be happy to assist them, and he could rely on her to keep the information to herself. "Alright, let's get a fire going and cook us something to eat, then we can relax a bit more."
"Fine." Within minutes, the fire was blazing nicely and they had polished off another round of instant ramen soon after it cooked. As the Pokémon began relaxing after their own meal—Ash had made sure to pick up enough Pokémon food to last them a while—the couple sat down next to one another on a log as the sun disappeared, tinging the clouds a deep pink. May looked at the brilliant sky, awestruck.
"Sunsets are always so beautiful," she murmured to no-one in particular. Ash smiled and put his arm around her as they watched the sky darken after the sun dropped out of view. May turned her body and snuggled into his chest, wrapping her own arms around him as she did so. Right now, all she wanted was his security and love, and that was what he gave.
Ash and May rose late the next morning, rested and ready to enter Ecruteak proper. After breaking down the camp and recalling their Pokémon, they moved at a brisk but measured pace into the city, passing several knots of tourists as they walked through the city gate. Ash kept his arm around May's shoulders as they walked along a crowded street, drawing some side-along glances from a few onlookers. The Pokémon Centre wasn't too far from the gate, and Nurse Joy greeted them warmly as they entered.
"Hello, and welcome to our Pokémon Centre! How may I assist such a fine young couple?" Ash flushed, and May looked at her feet.
"Ash, I think you can move your arm now," she whispered, and Ash removed his arm from her body. "Um, okay, we're just looking for a room for a few nights. We're actually looking for someplace to live in the city, so we thought we'd stay here until we get that done."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Just give me your trainer cards, and I'll check you into a room right away." Ash cringed as he realized the flaw in his plan; if Nurse Joy knew who they were, the ruse might unravel. May nudged him and they handed over the cards, and Nurse Joy's eyebrows rose as she saw their names. "Wait, I know these names..." Ash closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable shout of recognition.
"Do you?" May asked, and Joy nodded. "Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but can you please keep our being here a secret? We kinda don't want anyone finding out we're here."
"Oh," Joy looked stunned, then nodded in understanding. "Of course. This, and anything else you should choose to tell me, is strictly confidential."
"Thank you so much," May was relieved that Joy wouldn't be blabbing about their presence. It felt good that at least one person in the city could be trusted. She could see the gaping hole in their plans, but she would bring that up with Ash later. "Come on, you two," she said to her boyfriend and Pikachu as she received their room key from the Pokémon Nurse. Ash followed quickly, wanting to get out of sight before anything else happened.
When they reached their room, May turned to Ash.
"Ash, we have a problem."
"A major one," Ash answered, nodding. "When we go looking for a place to live, they're gonna want to see some kind of ID, and when that happens, they'll know who we are for sure. I don't know if we can trust anyone in that area, which puts us in a bad spot. We can't live here at the Centre, and it's out of the question to camp outside the city."
"Right." May was worried. Things had gone so well up until now, it was hard to see things come unstuck now. "So what do we do?"
"I don't know. We can check the listings in the meantime, and maybe Nurse Joy has some recommendations."
"Maybe." May lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, trying not to get too worked up. Pikachu lay down next to her, his soft fur tickling her bare arm. She smiled as she moved her hand to stroke the little mouse, hearing him coo softly as her fingers ran through the yellow fur. Ash watched the pair, then moved to the door.
"Where are you going?" May sat up as she heard the door open. Ash motioned towards Nurse Joy's desk.
"I'm going to see if Nurse Joy can help us with our living situation."
"Well, I can help you look through the listings," Nurse Joy said after Ash explained their situation. "I can't vouch for any of the landlords around here, though. Especially in the cheaper buildings, they tend to be real fast-talkers."
"And they could rat us out to the papers or the cops anytime they wanted," Ash growled. "Alright, thanks, Nurse Joy. We really appreciate your help."
"Anytime. It's my job to assist a Pokémon Trainer in need, and I will do whatever I can to help the two of you." Ash thanked her again and went back to the room, where May had fallen asleed with Pikachu in her arms. He smiled and jotted down a quick note on a spare sheet of paper, then left the room again, preparing to at least take a look at what options Ecruteak City had to offer them.
May awoke a bit later, looking around for Ash and panicking when he wasn't there. She went for her PokéNav, then saw the paper on the dresser. She picked it up and read it, calming down when she realized what it said.
"May." it read. Went into the city to look at living options. I'll be back by six, so don't worry that I'm gone. Stay in the room, we don't want anyone but Nurse Joy knowing we're here. ASH." She looked at Pikachu, who was oblivious to the whole thing, and sighed deeply. Ash would normally have taken the Electric-type with him, but it was obvious he'd left him behind to stay with her; Pikachu had preferred sitting in her arms to being on his shoulder anyway. Reassured, she dropped back down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts fade as she dozed off.
Ash wandered through the city, looking hard for a decent place to settle. He'd already passed several run-down buildings that looked like they hadn't been fixed in years, and even though he thought the rent might be lower there, he didn't like the state of them so he mentally crossed them off his list. It wasn't like he was looking to move into an upscale neighbourhood—if he did, they would've stayed in Goldenrod—but he wanted the place to appear decent.
This whole thing was, of course, new to him, and he wished he had his mom or at least Brock at his side to guide him. The listings in the papers and online could only tell him so much, and he wasn't sure he was up to negotiating a lease. In hindsight, he should've thought of researching this before they left, but he'd been so caught up in the shock of May's pregnancy and his own preparation for flight that it had never crossed his mind. Score another one for poor judgment, he thought bitterly.
On he walked, past rows of houses that looked either too run-down or too pricey for them, until he reached a building he'd promised himself he'd avoid: the Bell Tower annex. People were flooding in and out of the stately building; even though the tower itself was usually off-limits to tourists, they still came to admire the relics in the annex and walk the Bellchime Trail, which appeared to be in perpetual autumn with the red and orange leaves floating down from the trees alongside it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice said from next to him, and Ash nearly jumped out of his skin. Beside him stood a tall, blond-haired man with a black shirt and a violet headband that matched his eyes. His purple scarf was tipped with red, and a strange symbol was pinned to it. Ash nodded to the stranger as he turned from the building. "You don't look like a tourist, though. What's your name?" Ash considered; he couldn't reveal his actual name, so he had to come up with a cover name quickly. He cast around and eventually said the first name that jumped into his head.
"I'm...I'm Satoshi. Satoshi Narazaki."
"Nice to meet you, Satoshi. I'm Morty, the Ecruteak Gym Leader. I usually hang around here when I'm not taking battle challenges."
"Sounds like fun." Ash wasn't sure what to do; he knew who Morty was, obviously, even though the Gym Leader looked different from when they'd battled all those years ago. He didn't think Morty recognized him, though, which made things a bit easier.
"It is. My primary hobby outside of being a Gym Leader is researching Johto folklore, particularly the legendary beasts that used to reside in the Brass Tower across town. The legendary Pokémon Lugia and Ho-Oh used to live at the top of each tower too...well, at least that's what the legend says." he added hastily, remembering that not everyone believed the legendary Pokémon actually existed. "So anyway, what brings you to Ecruteak City, Satoshi?"
"Well, I actually just moved here with my best friend...well, girlfriend," he clarified, deciding to just admit it rather than obfuscating. "We came into town earlier today, and we're hunting down a place to live."
"You're looking for a place to live? Maybe I can help." When Ash looked skeptical, Morty grinned. "Hey, not too many people move in; most of the people that live here have been here their whole lives. The least I can do is help aspiring new residents to find somewhere to settle."
"I don't know if it's going to be permanent, though. Plus, why would you help us out? We just met, and you haven't even met my girlfriend yet."
"Oh, don't be like that, man. Trust me, you're in luck. I've got a small place on the east side of town, and my parents just moved out when they retired to Hoenn. I can get you guys in there, no problem, for however long you think you're gonna stay."
"Are you sure?" Ash wanted to trust Morty, but something was nagging at him. This was so sudden, and so simple. Watch out for things that go too well, he'd read somewhere. He made his decision quickly. "Okay, Morty, why don't I talk to my girlfriend about this, and we'll come up with an answer as soon as we can."
"That's fine by me. If you want, you two can come over to the annex later and we'll discuss it together. It's only fair that both of you are in on this."
"Alright. Is tomorrow evening okay?"
"Anytime's okay, Satoshi, but the evening's probably better, since I don't usually have any challengers then."
"Fine. We'll be by the annex tomorrow, then." Ash shook Morty's hand, then headed back to the Centre to inform May of the news. Things had gotten easier for once.
Yeah, not my best, I know. This chapter represents an odd way of going about things, but think of it this way: they've got enough problems as it is, and it's high time something went their way. Plus, it maintains their cover and makes it so only Nurse Joy knows who they actually are.
Funnily enough, one of the comments actually mentioned Morty, and that pushed the other plotline I had formulated out the door; it's a better idea than what I had in mind, anyway. Next chapter may be a change of perspective, depending on how I want to structure the coming installments. Watch this space, folks!
So, as usual, standard operating procedure applies. Please do read, REVIEW and tell me what you thought! Until next time, namárië!