Hi and hello, and Happy Valentine's Day, everybody (it would be happier if there wasn't two feet of snow where I live). Chapter 23 has arrived, and we'll see the action further wind down as we approach the conclusion of our tale. How's this week's chapter going to turn out? Let's find out, shall we? Curtain up!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.

INCONCEIVABLE

CHAPTER 23-PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Time started to race by after everyone became acquainted. The Maples and Delia found a hotel room across town, but close enough that they could travel quickly to the apartment. Caroline and Max had gotten into a heated argument over this, the focal point being Max's desire to stay at the apartment himself.

"Max, I don't want to argue with you. I cannot in good conscience leave you here, not with your sister in the condition she's in." Max stared defiantly at his mother, not ready to give up the fight.

"But Mom, I haven't seen May in forever! Can't I stay with her and Ash just for a couple of days?"

"Absolutely not, Max. They've barely got enough space for themselves as it is, they don't need you here too."

"I won't take up that much space! I'll sleep on the couch, or on the floor..."

"No, Max. You're staying with us, and I don't want to hear any more arguments. I..." Caroline stopped as May stepped forward.

"Max, calm down." She turned to her mother. "Mom, I know you want Max to stay with you guys, but it'd be fine if he stayed with us, even if it is just for a couple of days. He can use my sleeping bag, and it'll be just like old times. I'll just be sleeping in a different room, is all." Caroline looked first at Max, then back to May, and frowned.

"I'm not sure, May. You and Ash...I mean, you are...together now." May laughed a bit, knowing what Caroline must be thinking.

"Mom, trust me, we don't get up to much of anything anymore, if that's what you're worried about. This is going to sound weird, but I actually want Max to hang around for a while. I know we fight a lot, but I've really missed him all this time, and I want to be able to catch up a bit. Is that okay?" Caroline sighed, then nodded.

"Fine." Turning to Max and giving him a stern look, she continued. "Max Maple, you listen to me very carefully. If you cause them any trouble at all, you're going to have to answer to me, then your father. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly, Mom. I won't be a nuisance, I promise." May laughed, and Max grinned. Things were going to be fine.

May now spent most of her time with Caroline, Sandra and Delia, making preparations for her new arrival. Now that everything was out in the open, May was much more comfortable talking about her situation and inner feelings about the entire affair. All three mothers offered varying advice, most of which had to do with the first few weeks after she had the baby.

"You and Ash are in for a lot of long nights," Caroline told her daughter. "I speak from experience here, May. You and your brother were a handful, just ask your father."

"Mom! We weren't that bad, were we?"

"I'm just saying, May. The baby's going to keep the pair of you up for hours. It's a major responsibility."

"Well, I've got no choice but to be ready, do I? There's no going back now."

"Don't worry so much, May." Delia chimed in. "You're going to be fine, I know it. After all, you can always make Ash take care of things."

"He's done so much for me already, though." May looked down at the ground, all their experiences coming to mind at once. "I wouldn't do that to him, however tempting it is." Sandra noticed May's discomfort and tried to relax the young woman.

"May, Delia's right in principle, you mustn't worry so much. The baby will be well looked-after, and you've got nothing but time to get used to things. Being a new parent isn't easy, but you'll pull through."

"I know, but..."

"May, relax. Just concentrate on now, and worry about the baby when they come. You've got enough to worry about at the moment, don't get too far ahead of yourself."

"Sure, Mom." May looked out the window, watching the sun begin to drop in the sky. Despite what she was being told, she couldn't help but wonder what she and Ash would do once the baby arrived. It had been at the back of her mind for months now, and it wasn't going away.

Despite not being actively working, Ash took a lot of time out of the apartment, not wanting to sit around talking for days on end. He was glad Norman had struck up a friendship with Biff, since that meant he had time to decide what to say to May's father. He had an idea, but he wasn't sure when or how to say it.

When he wasn't aimlessly wandering around the city, Ash helped the girls with the Pokémon in the courtyard. Max helped him out, since he didn't want to spend all day talking with May and the other mothers either. The younger boy was excited to see May's Pokémon again, and the feeling was mutual. Ash's Pokémon were eager to meet Max themselves, and Max spent quite a bit of time extricating himself from Muk's grasp. Not surprisingly, Max didn't react quite as badly as most did, since he was known for getting up close and personal with various species of Pokémon on their travels.

"Ash, how'd you go about picking your team?" Max asked after peeling Muk off him for the eighth time. Ash shrugged.

"It was more a question of subtlety than anything. Half my Pokémon would've given me away, so they were out almost instantly. Muk was a risk, but I figured I'd take it."

"So I see. What about Pidgeot? You never told me you had one."

"Didn't I? I caught him as a Pidgeotto, then left him in the Viridian Forest after he evolved. He spent the time away watching over the forest's Pidgey flock, particularly against a roving Fearow that we had history with."

"What's this about a Fearow?" Kathryn asked, running over from playing with the other Pokémon to listen. Ash looked around and saw the whole group follow the younger girl, with Mary in tow. He sighed, gave Max a quick glance, and began to tell the story.

A week passed, and Ash finally decided to explain himself to Norman. It wasn't easy, since Norman spent a lot of time out of the apartment himself, and Ash wanted to get him on his own. Eventually, though, he found the opportunity. Norman was just about to leave for the night when Ash tapped him on the shoulder.

"Uh, Norman, can I talk to you for a bit?" Norman raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.

"Sure, Ash. Why the sudden interest?"

"Not important right now." Ash looked to where the women were sitting, and motioned towards the door. "D'you want to head down to the courtyard, though? I kinda don't want to be overheard."

"Very well." Norman followed Ash out of the apartment, and the younger man waited until they were out of the building to start talking again.

"Okay, Norman, first off I want to say I'm really sorry things turned out the way they did. I take full responsibility for everything, we shouldn't have slept together that night and I definitely shouldn't have convinced her to run afterward."

"I...I can't say I approve of your running, Ash. It would have been better if you hadn't, but what's done is done." Ash breathed deeply, then continued.

"That may be, but I still feel bad. Anyway...right. I wanted to talk to you about what's next for us. You know, after the baby arrives."

"I'm listening."

"Well, as I told you before, I found a job in the city to support this small family that formed that night. It wasn't easy, because I wouldn't know what to do in a normal situation, let alone a forced one like this. I intend to keep that up, no matter where we—or I—go."

"That's a laudable sentiment, Ash. I will admit it, I was impressed to hear you had taken such a demanding job. For a full-time Pokémon Trainer to make such a major U-turn is generally unheard of."

"I got lucky, though. If I hadn't met Biff and his family, things wouldn't have gone as smoothly as they have."

"Yes, Biff is quite a character. You could have done much worse in the mentor department."

"Well, it reminded me of when May and I traveled together."

"Did it?"

"Yes. I took it on myself to mentor her during our journey in Hoenn, and working on the site let me feel the way she did." Ash chuckled at this. "That sounded really corny, didn't it?"

"A little." Norman laughed himself; at least Ash wasn't as tense as he'd anticipated. The time spent away had obviously changed him quite a bit.

"To add to that, through all this time, I've gotten to thinking about what others have said about us. Sandra talked to me about my relationship with May, and it made me wonder whether I was living up to my own responsibility."

"Sounds to me like you're already doing that."

"Yeah, but we're nowhere near done yet; I've still got something I've got to do. That's actually why I wanted to talk to you, Norman. About our future."

"You already said that."

"Did I? Alright, then." Ash sighed, then looked intently at Norman. "Norman, I want to do the right thing. Not to make up for all the nonsense we've put you through, you understand."

"Go on."

"Norman, I...man, this is hard." Ash breathed deeply, then continued. "Norman, I want to fully take responsibility here. I fathered a child with May, and I don't want to see her become a single parent. I know you wouldn't approve...that's why we ran, after all."

"And?"

"Alright, here goes. Norman, I wanted to ask you if it was alright...if, after the baby's born and we settle in a bit...if I asked her to marry me?" Ash braced, wondering what Norman was going to say to him. To his surprise, Norman's face broke into a smile.

"Ash, I wondered when I'd be hearing that from you."

"You have?" Norman laughed.

"Ash, I always had a high opinion of you. From the day I first met you, you seemed a strong-willed, determined young man, ready to do anything to be the best. But seeing you take charge of May and Max showed me a different side to you. You were willing to give them both a chance to see the world beyond Petalburg, and helped May find her path as a Coordinator." When Ash looked stunned, he continued. "Now that I've seen all you've done for May—finding a place to settle, taking a job that many would leave to others, and generally taking care of her—you've proven to be much more than the man I thought you were."

"So is that a yes?" Ash's heart quickened as he waited for Norman's answer.

"It is. Although it is not ideal, I'm willing to let you wait until the child is born to ask her. She's not exactly in a state to answer, is she?"

"I wouldn't think so, no."

"Just promise me one thing, Ash."

"Yeah, Norman?"

"Don't let yourself or May slack off once you become parents. It's a tough job, and I want my grandchild to have the best parents around. Do that for me, will you?"

"Of course, Norman." Ash extended his hand, which Norman shook, and they headed back to the apartment.

And there it is! Ash has Norman's approval to ask May THE question, and now all there is to do is wait! We're coming close to the end folks, but keep reading! There's still plenty of action left to come.

Alright, standard operating procedure is in effect. Please read, REVIEW and tell me what you thought! Until next time, namárië!