Chapter Fifteen: The Day Before The Trial
Ash's Flashback : The Meeting Five Years Ago
Misty approached Ash with an urgent phone call and that an assassin was out to kill his family. The man was known as Shelly De Killer and Iris was the only one in the group that had information about him. Ash couldn't sink in everything that Misty had told him, all he could take was that Cilan had been killed. Cilan had been one of Ash's travel companions in Unova. He couldn't smile, nor could he bring himself to tell May why he was feeling down in the dumps.
There was a meeting down in an empty warehouse in Viridian City. It was once a retreat for Team Rocket. As the youngest son of Team Rocket's leader, Ash felt compelled to save his family, even if he didn't approve of their actions, but he especially wanted to make sure that his mother remained unharmed.
His heart was aching, but he also felt a sigh of relief. He was glad that his girlfriend was in Hoenn with her family. He didn't want May to get involved in any of it. Ash wanted May to live. He peered though the cracks of the door and saw some of his friends gathered around an round and disfigured table.
He saw Misty, Dawn and Iris sitting in the seats. There was an empty chair that was reserved for Professor Oak. He knew that if Professor Oak was trying to get involved, that it must have been serious. He had been praying that everything that Misty said to him over the phone was a giant prank. It was a wish, that was not going to be true.
"Misty told me about your plans," Ash announced as he glared at Iris as he took the empty seat. He noticed that Dawn and Iris appeared to be surprised. Ash slammed his fists together as he declared at the top of his voice, "I want to revenge on Shelly De Killer too!"
Cilan had always been a good man. He wasn't afraid to give constructive criticism when it was due, but he always did it out of the goodness of his heart. He loved seeing people and Pokémon grow together. Ash held all the adventures that he had with Cilan very close to his heart. His body may no longer be with him, but his spirit shall always live on.
"Where's Professor Oak?" Dawn asked everybody. She pushed herself against the back of her chair and panted at Ash. "And how do you know about all of this?"
"Weren't you listening?" Misty yelled as she slammed her fist on the table. "I told him. He had a right to know!"
"Tracey just texted me," Misty announced. "He told me Professor Oak isn't coming. He's too busy with the lab."
"Now that Ash knows," Iris said with a slick grin on her face. "I think we can proceed with our plan. We have to capture De Killer, as fast as possible."
Iris tossed a photo on table. It dropped in the middle and swayed over in Ash's hand. He gasped. The photo of Cilan's body created turmoil in Ash's soul. Cilan's green hair had been dyed red from the blood poured from his head. Ash covered his mouth as he resisted the urge to vomit.
"Poor Cilan," Dawn whispered as she lowered her head, with her eyes fixated on the floor. "What a horrible way to die. How could anybody be so cruel?"
"He's an assassin," Iris barked. "They're pure evil. He murdered my grandpa as well."
"I thought you and Drayden weren't really related?" Dawn asked as she stood up.
"I loved him like a grandfather," Iris said, hugging herself. "That was good enough for me. Drayden was the only real family I ever had." She cradled her stomach and looked down on it, patting it gently, she said, "but when my son is born, he will be loved."
"How do you know it's a boy?" Dawn asked Iris again.
"Instinct," Iris said with a smirk on her face. "I could be wrong, but I just have a feeling it's going to be a boy."
"The baby is due any moment now," Misty said. "Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Of course I am!" Iris yelled. "I got to make sure that the man is captured."
"If we work on this together we can capture the killer for good," Dawn announced. "Everybody would think that we're heroes."
"It's my brother's birthday soon," Ash muttered as he rested his fingers on his chin. "And my brother is one of De Killer's targets. He won't like it, but I think we should make a birthday party for him."
"What's this got to do with capturing De Killer?" Misty growled.
"Come on you guys!" Ash snapped as he stood up with his arms pumped out as if he was ready to fight. "Shelly De Killer is bound to attend if we throw a big party for Silver. My dad will come and so will Red and Leaf. Then when we see him, he'll catch him."
"Sounds like a big gamble," Dawn sighed. "What if we put the whole town in danger. What if something goes wrong and we get arrested?"
"Nobody will get arrested," Ash promised the girls. He was speaking on impulse and could feel an adrenalin rushing through his body. The girls in the room gasped in horror, even though Ash was trying to assure then that everything would be fine. "If something does happen, then I'll be the one to take the fall."
"What are you talking about?" Dawn screamed. "We're not killing anybody."
"That's right," Iris said. "Neither of us intend on killing the assassin. That would hardly be a punishment for him."
"He deserves the full weight of justice on his head," Dawn cried out with her fist in the air. "He killed an old man and a young boy for no reason."
"We'd be just as bad as him if she decided to kill him," Ash said. "Let's leave this place and head to Pallet Town. We'll explain all our plans to Professor Oak. He will help us with the party as we all keep an eye out for De Killer."
"Great idea!" Dawn cried out.
"I really hope nobody screws up here," Misty muttered.
Ash believed in all of them. He believed that once Shelly De Killer had been captured that they could all live in peace. Iris could finally be able to rebuild her life as another. Dawn would get the glory that she's always desired. Misty would also be able to improve her reputation as a formidable gym leader.
The Present Day: The Detention Centre
May was followed by Trucy into the detention centre to meet up with their client, Serena Yvonne. When May took her first footstep into the visiting room, she saw Ash and Iris sitting in the visitor's seats as Iris stood up and turned her head towards May and Trucy. May felt her stomach churn the moment Iris laid eyes on her. She gritted her teeth together and stood a few steps behind Trucy.
"Serena," May quickly said, panting under her breath. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this. I was wrong to accuse you of murder. Let me make things right for you."
"You have a lot of nerve begging the accused in a desperate manner," Iris giggled.
"And you also have a lot of nerve showing your face around here!" May screeched as she pointed her finger at Iris.
"What makes you say that?" Iris asked, flicking her fingers through her hair.
"I know you killed Shelly De Killer, and I know you killed Delia Ketchum too."
"May?" Ash shrieked as jumped out of his seat. "Don't make the same mistake with Iris as you did with Serena."
"I'm not mistaken," May insisted. "Iris, you killed her didn't you?"
Iris refused to speak and she turned her back on May as if she was getting ready to leave. May suddenly found herself in darkness and all she could see within the eternal blackness was herself and Iris. Silver chains emerged from every corner possible as five black locks surrounded Iris. The chains circulated all over Iris and she looked as cold and as dark as the chains that engulfed her.
"You can see them can't you?" Iris asked, hugging herself. The despair in her voice was an awful thing to hear. "The psyche-locks!"
"I do," May admitted, nodding her head. She found herself back in reality again, but May could still feel the dark aura of Iris's psyche-locks.
Iris twirled over to May's direction. "I don't understand why you take pride in being Mia Fey's daughter."
"Because she was a good person."
"I don't know if you have any locks," Iris admitted. "I can only see psyche-locks on Pokémon. But do you know what kind of things the Fey Clan did?"
"But Aunt Maya is trying to improve things," May told Iris. "I don't know what the Fey Clan were like before, but those are the old days."
"You don't know anything about them," Iris muttered, as she folded her arms and clenched her hands. "The way they overworked the boys and men and the way women and girls were pitted against each other. They destroyed my father to the point he couldn't live as man. They Fey clan are full of evil bitches and psychos. Why else would Mia Fey dumped you?"
"She didn't dump me?" May yelled. "She gave me away."
"It's the same thing," Iris said with a small smirk on her face. The more May had to stand looking at Iris, the hotter her blood boiled. "Anyway, it's for the best. Do you see why I don't want to be associated with that filthy clan."
"You're mother was a Hawthorne," May reminded her.
"And they're even worse," Iris growled. "My father tried to raise me as a woman, but he slowly perished."
"Did he die?"
Iris shrugged her shoulders. "He sent me away. Never saw or heard of him again."
"But didn't he change his gender?" Trucy asked.
"He did, but he'll always be my father to me. I'll be going now. See you all in court." After talking, Iris stomped out of the detention centre.
"What are these psycho-locks that you and Iris are talking about?" Ash yelled.
"Their psyche-locks," May explained to Ash. "They represent a secret locked up in somebody's heart."
"How are you able to see them?" Ash asked.
"Iris and I share a great-grandmother," May explained to Ash. "Our biological mothers were cousins. They were part of a clan devoted to spirit mediums. They're experts in this kind of thing."
"That...sounds...creepy!"
"I don't understand a lot it," May admitted. "My Aunt Maya is the clan's leader now, and she's a lovely person. Her girlfriend is Franziska Von Karma."
"The one who prosecuted and whipped me to shreds?" Ash asked, leaning over.
May nodded. "She's also a pretty good Pokémon trainer. She's ruthless in court, but she's lovely to her Pokémon."
"I never knew she was a Pokémon trainer," Ash sighed. "Learn something new everyday. Miss Cykes and Mr. Blackquill came to visit Serena too."
"They did?" May asked. "What about?"
"Miss Cykes wanted to defend me," Serena told them. "But Ash insisted that I should let you defend me. So I went with Ash's advice. Mr. Blackquill wasn't too impressed. Called us all idiots and walked off."
"Only you can do it," Ash told May. "You're the one lawyer I can trust."
"All the lawyers in my daddy's agency are good," Trucy exclaimed.
"That might be true," Ash said to Trucy. "But I know May, she's the only one that I can depend on to make things right. And I love her."
"I think I remember everything," Serena admitted.
May's face lit up. "You do! Please tell us everything."
"I remember Brock giving me a drink," Serena said as she lowered her head onto the table. "He told me to drink it and that it was good for me."
May tilted her head. "What sort of drink was it?"
"It tasted really sharp and bitter," Serena described the drink. "It was a brown colour, it resembled cola but it tasted so strong. I had a big glass of it. I didn't like it very much, but I drank it for him."
"Why would Brock give you whisky?" Ash screamed. He slammed his hands against the glass and then his hands slowly slid back to his sides. "He wasn't trying to..."
"Trying to what?" May asked, gripping onto Ash's shoulders.
"Get Serena drunk so he could...have his wicked way with her."
"I can see him doing that," May admitted as she dropped herself onto the chair.
"He said it was his father's special brand," Serena added. "He said he wanted all the beautiful girls to try it."
"Are you sure it was Brock?" Ash asked. May could tell that he didn't want to think that Brock would be stupid enough to give alcohol to a minor. Serena would have been either fifteen or sixteen when Delia was murdered.
Serena nodded. "I couldn't mistake him for anyone else."
"How many of glasses of whisky did you drink?" May asked.
"At least two," Serena admitted. "I drank them one after the other. It went straight through my head."
"What role do Dawn and Misty play in all this?" May asked, having a feeling that the girls had planned on bringing Serena into the plan without letting Ash know. "Did you interact with Dawn and Misty before you had a memory black out?"
Serena nodded. "They gave me more drinks."
"WHAT?" Ash roared. "So Brock was in on this plan too?"
"All three of them must have tried to get Serena drunk," May concluded. "To grab your attention, and to make Shelly De Killer think that you were Red. Dawn must have spotted De Killer walking into your house whilst you and Misty dragged Serena back to your house."
"I can remember seeing lots of grass and the feeling of two people dragging me into a house. Then I landed on something soft. Then I heard a bang, and then before I knew it, I had picked up a gun from the floor."
"It all happened so fast," Ash said. "Mom was suddenly shot and a gun came flying out of nowhere. When Serena got the gun, I was trying my hardest to get it away from her. Still, I intended to keep to my word. I said if anything was to go wrong, that I would take the blame."
"Is that why you're still telling people that you're guilty?" May asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"It's the quickest way to prove Serena's innocence," Ash yelled.
"Ash," Trucy yelled. She folded her arms as she sneered at his foolish behaviour. May didn't want to admit it, but she agreed with Trucy. "I know you think that lying is going to help May win, but you're only making it harder for her."
"Huh?" Ash gasped and stared blankly into Trucy.
"I know you think you're trying to save everyone," Trucy assured him. "At first I thought your actions were really strange, but you need realise that in court, the truth is the most important thing."
"Trucy is right," May declared. "The further away from the truth we get, the harder it will be to end this nightmare. Besides, the quickest route isn't always the best."
"Damn!" Ash sighed. "I really thought I was helping you guys."
"You can still help by testifying tomorrow," Trucy exclaimed.
"Of course I can," Ash said with a warm smile. "I don't need to lie any-more. But still, I can't believe that Iris is the killer. You better have some decent evidence that she is the killer. She didn't even attend Silver's party."
"I don't have it," May confessed. "Not yet anyway. I'm sure that tomorrow's trial will bring some new evidence to light."
"That's good thinking," Ash admitted. He chuckled to himself as he rolled his head onto May's shoulders and kissed her cheek. "May, you've really gotten a lot smarter since I've been to prison." After a brief kiss, Ash jumped away and made his way towards the exit. "Anyway, I better get going."
"Where areyou going?" May gasped.
"I'm going to catch up on my training," Ash declared with his pokéballs in the air. "My skills need polishing up. But I'll see you in court tomorrow."
"WAIT!"
A loud voice caused everybody in the room to jump. Misty Waterflower scurried into the room and halted, closing the door behind her.
"Misty!"
"I heard you're accusing Iris of murdering Ash's mother," Misty confronted May as she put her hands on her hips. The tone of Misty's voice was so angry and loud, May could hear the straining in her throat. "Iris is our friend, why would she do a thing like that?"
"Deep down you know it's true," May yelled. "I think you also need to speak up too. You haven't exactly told me the whole story."
"What do you mean the whole story?" Misty snapped, mimicking May's movements.
"You, Dawn and Brock intentionally gave Serena alcohol!" May declared. "You both ordered Brock to smuggle in alcohol in the party, so you could get Serena drunk to the point her memories were repressed."
Misty chuckled as clung onto her blue visor. May could tell Misty's laughing was all just an act: a sign that she had cracked under pressure. "Why would I do a thing like that?"
"Because you all had it planned out," May confirmed. "You all intended on using Serena as a pawn to attract Shelly De Killer's attention."
"How would we have achieved that?" Misty asked, sneering at May.
"By making De Killer think that Ash was Red!"
"I'm sure that Shelly De Killer would have known the difference between me and Red," Ash said. "We're both have different hair colours."
May shook her head. "But you wear the exact same hats. Not only that, I can confirm that Iris was the one that poisoned you, Misty."
Misty shook her head. "NO!" Misty bellowed at the top of her voice. "That isn't true! Iris would never do a thing like that. She's a Pokémon champion, a hard-working mother and a very good friend. She would never do a thing like that. Serena did it! She's the one that insisted on switching drinks."
"Misty!" Ash snapped. He hopped over and slapped Misty twice on each cheek. "Get a grip of yourself. I know Serena better than you do, and there's no way she would try and poison you."
"You better have a good explanation for all of this," Misty barked at May.
"Iris tried to kill Shelly De Killer that day," May announced, calmly. She remembered an old saying that a lawyer is somebody that smiles even at their darkest days. "She ended up shooting Delia Ketchum and Shelly De Killer escaped. Iris blamed Serena for everything, she tried to kill her but like you said, you got the dose of poison when you had the drinks swapped."
Misty's hostility began too melt away as her fingers stroked the red marks on her face. "The day after Mrs. Ketchum died, we went to the French café for lunch. I don't remember much about it, other than it was very pink and that it was near my gym."
"That restaurant isn't there now," Ash pointed out. "My cousin made a restaurant there in honour of Mom."
Misty's flashback: When Her World Became Blue
Misty opened her eyes and her world was blue. She could see aqua silhouettes of two men in cloaks. Their anatomy was somewhat distorted, but she could tell they were doctors. She turned her head both ways and screamed. She felt herself all over and could feel a wave of cotton above her legs. She had a feeling she was in a bed, but to her she felt as if she was in an underwater kaleidoscope.
"Where am I?" Misty screamed.
"Saffron City General Hospital," one of the doctors announced.
Misty demanded, "Turn the lights on! It's too dark in here."
"The lights are already on," the other doctor muttered.
"What's happening?" Misty asked. Her heart raced fast as the images of the doctor began to blur out as the shape of inanimate objects distorted into chaotic splats. She couldn't even tell she was in a hospital any more, or anything else.
"Five years ago you took a fatal dose of poison," one of the doctors said. Misty could tell the voice was coming from her left, but she was unable to detect anything else with her eyes.
"Your drink was spiked," the other doctor said. Her ears and nose felt sharper. The scent of disinfectant overpowered her as the sound of the doctor's voices mixed with the beeping machines left a burning sensation in her ears. "We were close to pulling the plug on you. It's a miracle you're still alive."
"Why can't I see things?"
"It's monochromacy." The whitish figures thinned out and then swirls into their normal state. Misty pushes herself along the bed and takes a deeper look into the doctors, but she couldn't tell the facial details: everything was far too blurry. She pushed herself against the metal frames of the bed. "The poison has made you blind. That is why you can only see the colour blue. But we've designed a special visor to help you see."
"A special visor?"
"It's not perfect," the doctor admitted, "but it shall help you see things better. You should be able to carry on with your daily activities without any trouble."
As the doctors left the room to pick up the special visor that they were talking about. Misty threw upper body back against the bed. She covered her eyes as the lights in the room flashed before her eyes. "How did it all come to this?" Misty asked herself.
Five years ago, that day in the café was one that changed Misty's life forever. She couldn't remember much about the café, other that it was near her gym. She was invited to go out for lunch with some of her friends and managed to convince one of her sisters to go out. Daisy's idea of looking after the gym was giving away badges for free. Any decent trainer would rebuke this and demand a battle. Daisy often refused battles, but loved organising aquatic shows at the gym. An hour or two was all that she asked for. Violet flat out refused and said she was too busy as she did her make-up. Lily conveniently left and claimed that she had a date.
Eventually, her other sister, Daisy told Misty, "Okay, you can go out for lunch for one hour, but if a challenger arrives, we'll have to give away Badges for free!"
"You shouldn't be giving away badges for free," Misty sighed as she slipped on her jacket. "But thanks, Daisy. I'll see you soon."
"If you see any cute boys let me know," Violet cried out as she waved her younger sister goodbye.
She remembered being with her friends. Four of them gathered round the table. It had been a terrible year for them. They all found things as a trainer getting pretty tough; Dawn had an embarrassing loss at her last contest; Serena being rejected by the man she loved; and Iris her dear friend, Cilan and the man she called Grandpa all within the same month. Misty was struggling with her sisters' bills as well as her own.
Iris told them that Shelly De Killer had murdered Cilan and Drayden. They believed every word of it, and they all wanted to help Iris extract revenge on the man that broke her heart. Together with Ash, they organised a surprise birthday party for Silver to attract De Killer, however the plan was a disaster. Shelly De Killer escaped and Delia Ketchum was murdered.
She recalled having a deep conversation with the girls. She remembered May being invited but was unable to make it. She was in Hoenn visiting her family, but after hearing the news of Mrs. Ketchum's death, she was making her way down to Kanto. Yesterday's events at Silver's birthday party was never mentioned. They talked about other guys, losing virginities and their deepest secrets they had. Misty felt nostalgic thinking about how warm and fuzzy the memories of her friends.
The moment Serena added some stuff to Misty's drink came to mind. The other girls didn't seem interested in stopping her. Iris was swapping sugar bowls around for some reason as Dawn drifted off to sleep. Misty remembered the last thing she ate before she fell into a coma: bubblegum ice cream and blueberry milkshake. Not long after finishing off her drink, she started to feel dizzy as she imploded to the floor taking her chair with her. Misty blacked out. Little did she know, it would have been the last time she would be saying goodbye to many other colours.
"Here you go Miss Waterflower," one of the doctors said in rhythm with his footsteps. Misty could barely see anything but she could distinguish a hand holding something long, hard and navy. It sparkled like a huge sapphire. "This is the visor. Try it. You should be able to see much better."
"Let's try it then," Misty said. She had nothing to lose as she had already lost five years of her life. The doctor's assisted her in putting her visor on. She leaned her head towards her chest, and then her head twirled around. "I can't see any difference," Misty admitted.
The doctor pressed a button. "You should do now."
Misty gasped. The distorted figures had disappeared. Nothing was blurry any more. She was able to see the doctors more clearly now. Both of the doctors were young men with deep voices. The one on the left with long hair seemed particularly pleased. Her eyes looked up to the sky. Nothing about the sky had changed. She looked around again and noticed a mirror by her bedside table.
She picked up the mirror and noticed her hair was almost as white as the clouds in the sky. She held onto her hair and gasped. "I don't remember ever dying my hair blue?"
"Like I said," Doctor Nanako explained. She was able to see the name-tags on their clothes clearly with the visor, even though they were miles away. "The visor can't give you the colour back, but it can help you see things much clearer. The other doctor was Doctor Proctor. Misty felt that she recognised his polished face and smart hair from somewhere. He grinned. "You're so pretty;There's no need to feel so blue."
If it was a joke, Misty wasn't laughing. Misty's bare feet hit the floor as the blue hue on the floor and the cold sensation on her toes made her feel she was walking on ice. "This floor is so cold," she muttered. She took a few steps around her room before collapsing on the bed again. Misty could see a plethora shades of blue. From aqua to navy to the musty shades of blue. Her whole world was blue.
The doctors go on to see their next patients, leaving Misty to her thoughts. She wondered where everybody was and why nobody had come to see her. She rose from her bed again and started to scream. She turned around to the window and saw a balloon rise into the sky. To Misty, it was a vivid shade of blue, but to the rest of the world, it could be red, yellow, orange or even pink.
She gazed into the mirror again. She hated what she saw. The visor that covered her eyes was far too heavy for her head. Her lips were like melting ice as tears rolled down her face. Her cheeks are dead and pale. Her hair was wet in sweat and her eyes were hidden beneath the turquoise light. Her legs clasped and became limp. With nothing left to do, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. She felt as if she was floating in an ethereal dream.
She opened her eyes again. A small Pokémon jumped on her lap and caused her to jump. She turned around and smiled for the first time in ages. She was greeted not by a doctor but with her special friend.
"Ash..." Misty whimpered.
"Misty!" Ash cried out. "I'm so happy that you're still alive. They said you may never wake up again."
Misty sat herself up, and gasped in horror when he saw Ash arms chained to each other as he stood out wearing horizontal stripes. "Ash... what happened to you? Why are you dressed as a prisoner?"
"Because I am a prisoner," Ash replied. "I took the fall, just like I said I would. They let me visit you for just one hour."
"What?" Misty screamed. "You got arrested."
Ash nodded. "I was found guilty and I've been sentenced to death."
"Why would you do all that to protect Serena?" Misty asked. "She was the one who poisoned me."
Ash shook his head. "It couldn't have been her. She was framed."
The Present Day: The Detention Centre
"It was sugar I added in your drink," Serena whispered as he reached out for Misty. Her palms stretched out on the glass as she pushed her body against the wall. "You were complaining that the drink was sour. If there was poison in that bowl, then I had no idea."
"I'm sorry." Misty whispered to Serena. "I should have known better than to think it was you. And Iris is the prosecutor for this case?" They all nodded. Misty smiled. "That should be okay. We're all friends and she'll be certain to believe you're innocent."
"I doubt that it's going to be that easy," Ash admitted. "May believes that Iris is the killer."
"Why?" Misty shrieked again. "Why not Dawn? Iris wasn't at the party because of her pregnancy, it couldn't have been her."
"But you said that Iris was the one swapping sugar bowls around," May reminded Misty.
Misty backed herself against the wall. "Yeah, don't know why she would do a think like that. It was a bit strange."
"Do you, Iris, Dawn and Serena take sugar in your tea or coffee?" May asked as she thought of a way to prove Iris' guilt.
"Only me," Serena admitted. "I don't think Dawn takes sugar in her drinks does she?"
Misty shook her head.
"Iris intended on killing Serena that day," May concluded. "She mixed the poison in the sugar bowl, then started mixing the poison in other sugar bowls. She swapped the sugar bowls around so none of you were suspected of murder. I met Ash while you were there, and I only got to see him for five minutes before the police escorted him away..."
"A part of me feels really sorry for Iris," Misty sighed. "She's been through a lot. It must have all got on top of her."
"She may have had a hard life," May announced. "But she's still a murderer. She needs to be brought to justice one way or another."
"How are we going to prove Serena is innocent without evidence that Iris is the killer?" Ash begged.
"Don't worry," May announced with a slick grin on her face. "The evidence is out there, we just have to find it. But I'll keep pressing her until it comes out."
"Visiting hours are over!" the guard announced. "Everybody out!"
Misty hopped on the bus home. May and Trucy had bumped into Athena and Apollo outside the detention centre. They all stopped their movements and stopped to chat.
"Hey guys," Athena said with a toothy grin. "Apollo and I are heading out to the karaoke bar. Wanna come?"
"I'd love to," May stumbled. She scratched her head. "But I've got a trial tomorrow and I don't want to oversleep."
"We've all got trials tomorrow," Athena announced. "You'll be fine. If you get too drunk, I'll give you a piggy back."
"I have no intentions of getting drunk," May admitted,
"I don't drink," Apollo sighed. "So we'll all be fine. Absolutely fine."
"You were drinking on Mr. Gavin's birthday," Athena reminded him.
Apollo blushed. "That was a special occasion."
"We're going to the karaoke bar!" Athena announced as she clapped her hands together. "That in itself is a special occasion."
"BRING IT!" Athena's widget cried out.
"I don't think I'll be coming," Ash muttered. "Cause I'll have to go and do some more training."
"Ash, you and May haven't done anything together in ages," Trucy exclaimed. "A bit of karaoke will be fun."
"I know, but if I want to be a Pokémon master, I can't goof around." Pikachu jumped of Ash's shoulder and bounced onto May's head. "Fine..." Ash muttered as if he was defeated. "I'll come along. I won't be staying for long though."
Buck Whet's Karaoke Bar
Buck Whet was a large man with huge quiff. He owned a noodle bar, creatively called Whet Noodle. Athena and her boyfriend were regular customers and Buck had recently decided to expand his restaurant with the edition of a karaoke bar upstairs.
Buck brought them all upstairs in one of the private rooms. The room had seven shades of pink and a disco ball in the middle of the room. May thought it was a lot more sophisticated then she was expecting.
May really liked the place. It had a nice atmosphere and she enjoyed spending more time with Ash and her colleagues. When Buck Whet presented the food, May saw Ash's eyes sparkle with delight. It was just like the old days where they would eat all they could, and then burn it off the next morning.
Ash and May were both stuffed up to the brim with udon noodles. Between the two of them, they are twice as much as Apollo, Trucy and Athena combined. Trucy couldn't even finish hers, so May finished it for her. Buck Whet took away all the empty bowls with tears of happiness rolling down his cheek.
"How can you eat so much?" Apollo asked with his mouth wide open.
"Those noodles were so good," May exclaimed. "I don't think I'll need to eat again for the rest of the week."
"I'm so tired," Ash sighed rubbing his stomach. "I haven't eaten so much in years."
"Will you two be dancing?" Trucy asked. "That will help you feel better."
"I'll give it a miss," Ash groaned as he nodded off to sleep in his chair.
"That's okay," Trucy jumped from her seat. "You can dance with me, May."
"I wonder what the first song will be?" Apollo wondered as he saw Athena fiddling about with the remote.
"YOU'VE ALL BEEN RICKROLL'D!" Athena's widget cried out.
"It's that Rick Astley song again," Apollo grumbled as he helped himself to a small glass of drink. May didn't know what was in it, but she doubted that it was tea. One drink turned into two or three and it wasn't long before Apollo started tapping his feet.
May, Trucy and Athena gathered round the microphone and started singing the lyrics highlighted on the screen. The song was so upbeat and joyful that there was a lot of dancing as well. Apollo started joining in with the chorus.
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
It was Trucy's turn to chose a song. She chose Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy. They all screamed for joy apart from Ash, who was still trying to let the food settle down in his stomach. May smiled as soon as she heard the guitar opening as she held onto Trucy's hand and began to dance.
I can move mountains
I can work a miracle, work a miracle
Oh, oh, keep you like an oath
May nothing but death do us part
Apollo and Athena sounded like they were trying to compete who could sing the loudest. Ash didn't sing, but he began to bop his head forwards and backwards. May twirled around and grabbed Ash up and he reluctantly danced with her. May's body moved like silk compared to Ash's wooden movements.
"I've got to sit down," Ash told May. Ash returned to his seat as he watched May dance away with Trucy and her colleagues. He couldn't help but grin, even though so much had changed in the past five years, they were still able to be themselves.
"May why don't you choose a song?" Trucy suggested as Ash returned to his seat.
"Okay," May decided. Feeling the need to cool down, she brushed the sweat from under her fringe. She flicked through the catalogue and decided to choose a beautiful, but slow ballad. It was a song called Read All About, and she thought the song fitted the occasion.
"Are you sure you don't want to dance again?" May asked Ash.
Ash nodded. "I'm pretty positive." He cradled his stomach as he fought back the urge to vomit. He turned away as soon as he felt the urge to vomit. He sipped on some water as he tried to settle his stomach. He had never eaten so much it years and the overindulgence was punishing him greatly.
Yes, I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream till the words dry out
So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it
Read all about it oh
Oh-oh-oh
"Are you alright Ash?" May asked as she bounced over to him.
"I've got to go to the bathroom," Ash admitted. He stood up and left. May glanced at Ash as he left the room as she decided to follow him.
"Hey Ash!" May cried out. She couldn't help but feel that was something off about him, as if he was out of character. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Ash nodded. "I think I ate too much." He sounded as if he was in agony.
"Well why don't you wait for me," May suggested. "I've got to go to the ladies. Won't be long."
"Okay then," Ash said. "See ya."
May went into the toilets, did what she had to do, washed her hands and then reapplied her make-up. "Bingo!" May smirked. "I've got a surprise for you, Ash." She could feel a wave of passion flowing in her heart with the strong heartbeats. Once she was satisfied with her make-up, she blew a kiss in the mirror, and ran to the door, she closed her eyes as she left the bathroom and twirled towards Ash's direction.
She had given Ash the biggest kiss that they had ever had in five years. It meant a lot to her. May suddenly felt warm and cosy. When May opened her eyes, her heart began racing again. She slapped herself on the forehead and wished she had her eyes open the whole time. It wasn't Ash that she kissed: it was Trucy!
Songs they song at the kareoke bar: Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy, Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley and Read All About It by Emeli Sande. Also two very big flashbacks, which I thought were important to the story. The next chapter will have Serena's trial.