Hi and hello! Chapter 22 has arrived, and the reunions are nearly upon us! How's it gonna go this week? You know the procedure, folks! Curtain up!
A/N: if you want to strike up a more interactive discussion of this tale, or just to connect with fellow AdvanceShippers, head over to the Advancers forum (link is on my author page). I just joined up recently, and it's a great community. Come on over and check 'em out!
INCONCEIVABLE
CHAPTER 22-TEARFUL REUNIONS
"So that's it, Morty. May and I really didn't want to deceive you like this, but we couldn't risk being found out. I hope this doesn't cause any problems."
Ash had followed through on his decision to inform Morty of his and May's deception, and now he was braced for what he hoped wouldn't be too difficult an exchange. Morty, for his part, was hanging on Ash's every word, and he now stared at the young man in front of him.
"Wow." The Ghost-type specialist shook his head, then continued to stare. "Wow. I can't believe I never realized it. All this time, I didn't pick up on the similarities. A former challenger with a Pikachu shows up, and it didn't even register."
"I'm really sorry, Morty. I didn't tell you who I was because of who you are, and the network you're a part of. Now that we've emerged from the shadows, we can finally let you and everyone else know what's really going on."
"It's...it's fine, Ash. I'm just a bit surprised, that's all. To be fair, though, I would've kept your secret for you." Morty laughed, more out of disbelief than anything. "But I guess you never thought of that, huh? Too busy trying to make things work, am I right?"
"Yes. I've been working really hard to make May's life easier, especially since she's got a baby on the way. We panicked, and that led to everything else." Ash sighed, realizing just how heavy this was on both of them. "Morty, you can't imagine how grateful we are for everything you've done for us. You helped us find somewhere to settle, found me a job, and gave us some semblance of peace in all the chaos. There aren't any words to describe how grateful we are for that." Morty smiled, knowing how difficult it must be for Ash to admit everything he was.
"Ash, I can't say I'm not shocked by this, but knowing what you just told me, I understand fully why you went to all the trouble to hide. You and May were desperate—well, not desperate exactly, but being in relatively unfamiliar territory would be difficult on anybody. I was so excited about people actually coming in to the city that the whole situation didn't seem out of the ordinary." Chuckling to himself, Morty continued. "But now, I can see that I've done so much more than just help two aspiring new residents. I helped a young man make a life for himself and his girl, and allowed them to set a good foundation for a new arrival. Knowing what I do now, it makes everything that much more worth it."
"We were really concerned of how we were going to take care of the baby once they arrived. Your help made that so much easier."
"And seeing how much it's helped makes me confident I did the right thing. Ash," Morty said, looking intently at the young man in front of him. "Like I told you when we signed off on the apartment, I believe that part of my job is to represent the best of Ecruteak City. Helping you guys out makes me more confident than ever that I've done that job, and done it well. I understand what you've gone through in the last few mmonths, and your telling me the truth hasn't changed anything for the worse. In fact, I should be thanking you for that, since it vindicates my own convictions about my job."
"I'm glad to hear that, Morty." Ash stood up and extended a hand. "Thanks for hearing me out, Morty. May wanted to get this out in the open quickly, and I agreed with her. It means a lot that this hasn't negatively affected anything."
"Don't worry about it, Ash. Like I keep saying, it's part of my job." Morty shook Ash's hand, and grinned as the latter turned to leave. "And Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Let me know when the baby arrives, will ya? I'll see about dropping by when everything settles down over there."
"Will do, Morty. We'll keep in touch." Ash gave Morty a quick wave, then ducked out of the Bell Tower annex and headed back for the apartment.
The time spent waiting for their families to arrive seemed endless. May and Ash continued their usual routine, with Ash dropping by the Pokémon Centre regularly to see if the others had tried to contact them. Sandra and the girls came almost every day now, continuing to help May prepare for the difficult next few weeks. The topic of conversation often turned to Sandra and her family meeting May's parents, a prospect Kathryn was particularly interested in.
"I can't wait! Your mom and dad will be so happy to see you, and it'll be so cool to meet them! And your brother's gonna be with them too, right?"
"That's right." May answered, a bit flustered by Kathryn's rapid-fire conversation. Despite spending the better part of five months with the younger girl, it still was a bit wearing on her. "And Ash's mom will be with them, and I know she's eager to see him again."
"It will be an honour to meet your families, May. I know how hard it was for you to leave them, so it's going to be extra special for you to reunite with them. And the fact that they care enough to come out to you means they're ready to forgive anything you've done."
"Really? Because my dad's going to want to light into Ash for convincing me to run."
"He won't. Even though I haven't met them yet, I know that they're nothing like my parents. When my sister became pregnant, they wanted nothing to do with her until my niece was a few years old, and they realized their mistake. The way I'm seeing things, you won't have that problem."
In the last week of November, Ash finally got a phone call from May's parents, who had just arrived in Goldenrod City. Ash made arrangements to meet them at the Ecruteak Pokémon Centre, and determined when they would be arriving. He spent a bit more time talking to his mother, assuring her that he was alright, and got in a few words with Max too. The whole time, he felt his nerves come racing back, realizing he'd be facing up to what he did again, and this time it would be in person.
Two days after the call from Goldenrod, he stood outside the Pokémon Centre and watched for the arrival of his and May's families. May had told Sandra to bring everyone to the apartment, even Biff, although she and Ash both knew their reunion with their family would take priority. Pikachu and Glaceon had been ordered to be on their best behaviour, which the pair had gladly agreed to; they had no intention of causing any trouble while everyone was together.
Ash kept himself busy by occasionally walking back and forth along the path leading to the Centre, waiting nervously for everyone to arrive. He was trying to work out what he could possibly say, anything to break the inevitable tension. Above all, he was dreading having to face Norman, regardless of any reassurances May had given him. Adjusting his jacket, he turned to the entrance to the path, and felt his heart race as he saw four figures walking towards the Centre. Everyone had finally arrived.
The first thing Caroline noticed when she saw Ash waiting for them was that the young man looked a lot more worn than he seemed through the videophone. His body looked thinner and more wiry than he had last time they'd met in person, and his eyes had dark circles underneath, as if he'd been losing quite a bit of sleep during his stay in Ecruteak. The young man smiled weakly as he saw them approach, and he headed down the path to meet them.
"Hi, guys," he said as he reached them, chuckling a bit. Caroline didn't have much opportunity to say anything, because at that moment Delia had raced towards her son and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Ash Ketchum, don't you dare do this to us again!" she said, letting out all her worry in the one gesture. "You really had us worried!"
"I know, Mom. I'm sorry." Ash didn't even bother trying to get his mother to release him, knowing it would just make her grip tighter. Delia finally did let him go, then looked him over with a slight frown. "Ash, what are you wearing? Don't you still have the outfit I put together?"
"Oh, yeah, I still have those back at the apartment. These are actually my work clothes."
"Work clothes?" Norman chose this moment to jump in. "What do you mean, Ash?"
"I found myself a job out here, Norman. To support May." Norman was silent after this, anything he wanted to say to the young man lost after his last statement. Now Max raced to the fore, grinning from ear to ear as he hugged Ash as well.
"I can't believe it, it's been too long, Ash!"
"Good to see you too, Max. How's the journey been?"
"Awesome! Gardevoir has really grown strong since I went back for her, she even took down the Dewford Gym single-handedly."
"That's good to hear." Ash realized this wasn't the place to reminisce, so he looked around to everyone before he spoke again. "So, why don't we head back to the apartment? I know you're all eager to see May, so let's get over there." Everyone nodded, and Ash led the way down the street. Caroline and Delia dropped back as Norman moved forward towards the young man, and Max fell in step behind the two mothers. As they reached the main road, Norman attempted to strike up a conversation with Ash.
"So, Ash, you said you found work out here. What kind of work are you doing?"
"Um..." Ash looked behind him, hoping his mother couldn't hear him, before continuing. "I've actually been working heavy construction, helping renovate the Bell Tower. Well, Buizel did most of the work, but I did my share of the job too." Norman fell silent again, impressed by the young man's dedication. To take such a difficult job just to help May out would have been a major sacrifice for him. As they continued towards the apartment, Ash was relieved that Norman didn't press the issue any further; he had a lot to discuss with the Petalburg Gym Leader, but this wasn't the time or place to do it.
Piling into the elevator in the complex, the whole group headed upwards towards Ash and May's apartment. Nothing had been said through most of the journey, usually just one of the mothers asking how much further the complex was. Ash felt his nerves rise once again, realizing that everything was now coming to a head, but he also knew that this was almost certainly for the best. They finally had some kind of help, and the cloak of secrecy that he and May had worked so hard to maintain could finally be discarded, for good.
As they reached the apartment door, Ash shut his eyes as he unlocked the door. He knew that Biff's family was probably already here, so he might be able to stay on the fringes of the reunion for a while. He opened the door and stepped back to let everyone in before entering himself.
May was sitting on the couch next to Sandra, and the girls were playing cards at the small table in the kitchenette. Biff was watching the sky from the living room window, looking a little out of place in the setting. The silence was broken by May's voice as she saw who had arrived.
"Mom? Dad? Max!" May's eyes filled with tears as she saw her family enter the apartment. "You guys are finally here!"
"May!" Caroline rushed to her daughter, and May stood up to embrace her. Both mother and daughter were crying by now, overcome by the emotion of it all. Norman hugged his daughter next, happy to see that his little girl was safe. Max was more hesistant to hug his sister, instead nodding as he tried to keep tears out of his own eyes.
"Hi, sis," he said quietly as he looked down. May sniffed and threw her arms around her brother, knowing in her heart that he had missed her as much as she had him.
"Max, I'm so glad you came too. I've missed you so much."
"I know, May." Max didn't bother saying anything else, May knew what he was thinking anyway. He broke off and headed into the kitchenette, introducing himself to the girls as Delia embraced May herself. Norman walked over to talk to Biff, and the older worker grinned as he shook the Gym Leader's hand.
"Hey, you're May's father? Biff Kernighan, at your service. I've been helpin' Ash out at work, and my wife's been workin' with your daughter all this time." As the two men struck up a conversation, Ash grinned and slipped into the background, knowing that everyone would soon be acquainted once again.
And on that bombshell, it's time for this chapter to end! Everyone's reunited, and it's all downhill from here...or it should be, anyway. (A note: I just realized I'm gonna be extending this story by another chapter, so it should be done in the next three at least. Just for you folks keeping score at home).
Alright, standard operating procedure is in effect. Please read, REVIEW and tell me what you think! Check out the Advancers forum, and until next time, namárië!