Chapter 16: The Medieval Festival
Hey guys, so I said a couple weeks that I would probably be taking a break for a while and if you didn't hear from me in two weeks' time on this story it meant I was likely going to be focusing on another story. Well, there was a slight change of plans. I am still going to be going through with my idea to focus on the other one that's somewhat close to being complete, but I decided to stall it for a while. Last week (or two weeks ago if I get this out on Sunday) when I would normally have updated this was my birthday week. I'm 30 now and decided I've been working pretty hard with this fanfiction writing. We all need to take a break at some point, so I decided to do that. I will be updating one story twice a week from now on until that one is done and rotating my other four stories. So, I expect this story will be updated only once this August, probably on Tuesday the 22nd, so check back then or the day after on the 16th. But then come September it should go back to the more normal routine of getting a chapter every two weeks.
Now I felt like replying to the reviews this time so…
Lady Arcanine: I'm honored as always you are enjoying it. I will be keeping up the good work as much as possible, its just gonna be on a little break here now.
Shadic Hyrule: While I did make this based on one of Lady Arcanine's fanfics, I saw no mention of Luna in Time Traveling Princess so that will not be happening, I respect her beliefs and headcanon though, but this is not the story for that.
Force Smuggler: Glad you enjoyed it.
Dark Drgon: I'm sorry but Ash already has a full set of six Pokémon in this AU, and as I recall he doesn't usually go beyond that every region, if at all. So I don't think I'll be doing any of the other anime Pokemon, at least not for him. I just don't think its possible at this stage since they already are at Mossdeep island. Unless May somehow finds a Bulbausar that got abandoned or something, though I have an idea that could work in this chapter. Read and see. But I MAY add some new ones for her in like I did with Ash and Castform. Just wait and see. Maybe I'll have her get a different water type somehow, they are probably gonna encounter something that will take them to the Magma base soon. That aside I think I might take some of your other ideas about the medieval carnival which you will soon see.
Now, without further ado, lets get into the story!
Ash and May went to the Pokémon Center to heal their partners. They gave Pikachu and Eevee to the Mossdeep Island Nurse Joy.
"They will need a bit of rest," she told the trainers as she took their Pokémon. "But they should be fine by tomorrow."
Ash nodded. "Good."
"And the carnival is tomorrow so that will give us time to pick up an outfit for you," May said.
They left after giving each of their partners a quick hug or petting. They found the site of the carnival which was currently closed for the most part, but there was a store reading 'Knightly Garments' open in front of it. Ash went inside and saw many different outfits. May herself was intrigued by all of them.
"Oh, they are so lovely!" the princess said as she looked at the dresses. "But I will stick with my old one."
Ash nodded. "I think its suits you the best."
He thought back to that day when they'd first met. He'd found her in the Mirage Tower, unconscious, and he recalled the first thing he thought of, that she looked like she worked at a medieval carnival.
He chuckled, gaining May's attention.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
Ash smiled at her. "Back when I found you in the tower and got you out, I thought you worked at a carnival like this one. Cause of your princess outfit."
She sniggered at him. "If I were to work at a carnival in my time I would probably have to be a jester!"
They laughed at the thought of that, May in an orange outfit with a three ended hat that had bells attached to it.
"That or a dancer," May said. "We did have some traveling bards and performers back then, they came to my castle once or twice a year."
"I wish I could have seen it," Ash said. "I guess this is the closest I'll ever come to it. Or maybe we can ask Dialga if I can come and visit your family?"
They laughed again. After a moment May caught her breath.
"I doubt he can even hear us right now," she said.
"You're probably right," Ash said. "Ah well, I'm just glad to have you back in my time."
She nodded, then a thought occurred to her once again. "How did Duke Harley get here though?"
"No idea," Ash said. "But we don't have to worry about him anymore."
He looked through the costumes and settled on a blue and gray caped tunic with a hat that bore a yellow symbol on it.
"Wow, Sir Ash that looks heroic!" May said.
Ash grinned. "This costume was worn by one of the heroes of Kanto in ancient times. A knight named Sir Aaron who gave his life to save his kingdom when it was under attack."
"That sounds like a brave knight," May admitted. "Shame he died though."
Ash nodded sadly. "Guess not every knight has a happy tale."
May's heart filled with a feeling of dread as she considered the possibility that something might happen to take Ash from her. Her mind went back to when she'd been forced to her own time. It had been the worst feeling of all.
Ash looked at her and wrapped her in a reassuring hug. "Nothing's gonna tear us apart, May. If anything tries to, we'll overcome it. We did before. You mean everything to me. You, Pikachu, and our baby are now my whole world."
He put a hand on her womb where their child was growing. She smiled with tears in her eyes.
"You mean everything to me too, Sir Ash," May said.
They kissed. Ash then brought the costume and they headed back to the center in time for dinner.
…
The next day the couple were reunited with their two Pokémon who had fully recovered from the battle yesterday. They had breakfast and explored the rest of the city as the festival wouldn't be on till noon. Though as they thought about it, they decided to get Pikachu and Eevee some costumes as well. Pikachu a cute little blue vestment with a hat and shoes, and a blue dress and pink ribbon for Eevee.
"You two look so cute!" May exclaimed.
"Yeah," Ash agreed.
Once it was getting close to time, they headed back out and changed into their costumes, or in May's case, real princess garment. But it could easily pass for a costume. The Princess and her Knight, a combination that now looked more real then ever, walked hand in hand to the festival grounds which were now crowded and in full swing.
They looked around in awe, seeing a variety of different events and people in traditional costumes. Nurse Joy was there, dressed as a nun, and Officer Jenny had a knight's outfit like Ash's, but in the more revered suit of armor, and Liza and Tate both dressed as wizards. Also, Ash spotted-
"Morrison?" he asked.
The man whom he and May had met on the boat was there, he hadn't changed into a costume but Ash noticed a large set of bandages sticking out from his traditional kimono.
"Oh, hey Ash, May," Morrison said.
"Are you okay?" May inquired.
"Yeah, my bleedings stopped but it still hurts quite a bit," Morrison said wincing a little. "Figured I wouldn't want to miss the festival, and I can still challenge the gym in a while. Might be difficult to get my pokeballs out though, ah well. Could be worse."
Ash smiled. "That's the spirit."
Morrison looked at May. "Well, you certainly look beautiful May!"
She blushed. "Thank you."
Morrison nodded. "Ash is one lucky guy to find a girl like you."
Ash's smile had been replaced with a bit of a jealous frown, but it returned instantly. "Thanks Morrison."
They wandered around the stands which sold a variety of items including copies of ancient paintings or tapestries.
"Come up and get copies of ancient tapestries featuring knights of ancient Hoenn like Sir Kenny! Or King Norman I, ancestor of the Petalburg Gym Leader!"
This caught May's attention. She and Ash walked over and were surprised to see a painting of her family back in her time, it even had her in it! The seller gaped at her.
"Whoa! That is the best Princess May costume I've ever see!" he said looking from her to the painting. "You must have been born under a lucky star to look so much like the ancient princess!"
May held her breath nervously.
"Uh, yeah, she's just lucky to look like her!" Ash said holding May's hand. "In fact she's descended from her!"
Huh? May thought.
"Norman V in Petalburg is her father," Ash lied with a small sweat drop.
Oh right, Norman V made that cover up story for me so that records would say I'm his daughter! May thought. She didn't like the idea of lying but it was better then risking exposure.
"The descendant of a princess!" a nearby child who'd overheard exclaimed.
The little girl and several other children her age crowded around May.
"Your dad is the best!"
"I can't believe I'm meeting someone descended from actual royals!"
"Can I have your autograph?"
May eventually got left alone by the children after answering a bunch of questions and signing a few papers. She almost signed as Princess May but simply put May instead. She sighed as she and Ash walked off, Eevee and Pikachu trailing behind them in their outfits.
"Whew, this is exciting," May said. "Didn't expect so much attention."
"Even in this time you're a big shot," Ash said. "Guess that's the perk of being a gym leader's relative, and ancient royalty."
She sniggered at the word ancient and playfully slapped him on the head. "I'm not that old you know! I'm still just 18!"
"In one way," Ash grinned. "But I don't care if you are a few centuries old in another way!"
They came to a medieval food stand that sold ancient style cooking. Roast beef, strawberry short cakes, and more.
May took a bite of her favorite food, the strawberry shortcake, and smiled. "Ah, never thought I'd get the chance to have these in this time! They were my favorite! But they're even better in this era!"
Ash looked at her. "How so?"
"Well, there's more flavor," May elaborated. "When I was sent back, I noticed that the food there was actually pretty bland compared to this time. Cooking had really come a long way in your time."
Ash smirked. "Glad I wasn't born at that time then! No offense!"
May sighed. "I suppose if you were born then we would have been separated when I went into the Mirage Tower."
They thought for a moment, wondering what sort of events might have happened if they had both been born in the same era.
"Maybe you would have been a knight from another kingdom, and we never would have met," May thought aloud. "Unless my father sought an alliance with the kingdom of Kanto back then. Maybe we would have met somehow and you might have fought Duke Harley in a sword fight for my hand?"
Ash chuckled. "Maybe. And you could have been the actual daughter of the Petalburg Gym Leader that would join me on my journey and collect gym badges or contest ribbons. But I guess we'll never know."
They ate their medieval style meal and looked around more. There was a ballroom dance going on in one area and the Rapidash jousting in the other. Two riders in metal armor mounted Rapidash and tried to knock each other off their Pokemon. Lastly there was a also a sword fighting lesson.
"Ever wanted to learn to use a sword like the knights of old?" a man called out. "Well now you can! Step right up and Sam the Swordsman will teach you what he can!"
"Ooh, that could be fun," Ash said as he stepped up in line with a number of other people.
May was surprised to see a couple girls in the lesson as well.
"Are you learning to use a sword?" she asked one next to her.
"Yes," the girl said. "This isn't medieval times anymore, so either gender can learn to fight."
May's eyes widened. Then her mind went back to how she had learned to battle with Pokémon since she'd arrived in this timeline.
"I suppose I'll give it a try," May said.
She doubted she ever have real need of it as she could rely on her Pokémon to protect her. But this could be fun.
Sam the Swordsman provided them with unsharpened swords made of hardened plastic called synthetics. He then ran them through a series of moves, May recalled them from her time, as she had occasionally watched the soldiers in training on her days off. Her arms quickly got tired though, so she took a break while Ash continued. But soon he was panting slightly as well.
"Thanks a lot, Sam! That was fun," Ash said.
"Not a problem," the sword instructor said.
Ash joined May who had been hoping for something as she rested. She gestured to the dance area.
"You want to dance?" she asked.
Ash beamed. "A dance with my princess? I think I'd like that."
"How about the Rapidash jousting after that?" she pressed as they walked over.
Ash looked over to the other side, remembering he'd ridden a Rapidash once during his first year as a Pokémon Trainer over a decade ago.
"Uh, I don't know I'm up for that, but maybe some other time," Ash said.
May shrugged with a smile. "Guess I can't expect my knight to compete in everything."
They took a spot on the dance floor and Ash took her by the waist while she put her hands on his neck and they started out slowly. Ash was glad that he'd learned how to dance in Kalos, cause he'd been pretty bad at it before. Still, May had to give him some pointers. But soon they sped up and he twirled her around. Pikachu and Eevee likewise danced as well nearby.
They were both out of breath by the time it was done.
"Whew, what a day," May said. "But I loved it."
"Me too," Ash said.
"Everyone please come to the front of the fesitival!" a loud voice called out. "We are giving out a few prizes!"
Ash and May followed the crowd to the front of the festival where a stand stood. On top of a pedestal were a trio of pokeballs.
"We have three prizes to give out today!" Officer Jenny said as she spoke through a microphone on top of the stand. "First prize is for… best beginning sword fighter goes to… Henry!"
A young teenager stepped forward.
"Next, the best Rapidash Jouster!" Jenny continued. "Robert!"
A man with long blonde hair came from out of the crowd.
"And finally, best costume! May!"
May's mouth fell open. She'd won a prize? The shock caused her to freeze.
"May?" Officer Jenny called again. "Please step forward May!"
May snapped out of her trance and came forward with Ash past the rest of the people. Many gasped in awe.
"Well, well! That is certainly the most identical costume and face I've seen resembling Princess May of Ancient Hoenn!" Jenny said. "Well, you three have each won a Pokémon of your choice!"
She grabbed the pokeballs and threw them into the air. Pokémon emerged in flashes of light. A Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle.
"Starters from the Kanto region, sent here by Professor Oak!" Jenny said.
"Awesome, I've always wanted a Charmander!" Henry said.
"I suppose I will take Squirtle then," Robert said. "It might make a cute partner for my beloved Milotic when I enter the Grand Festival soon!"
The two of them picked up their Pokemon. That left May with the blue animal like Pokémon with heart shaped markings on its head and a green bulb on its back.
"Hi Bulbasaur," May said. "I guess I got lucky with you."
"Bulba! Bulba!" the Bulbasaur said eagerly.
"Nice to meet you too," May said.
Ash smiled. They hadn't expected this but it was lucky. Now May had four Pokémon, with room for two more if the opportunity arose.
They enjoyed the rest of the festival and once it was over began walking back to the Pokémon Center. As they did so, Eevee was in deep thought. She'd been thinking about this for a while, and she felt like she'd made up her mind.
"Eevee! Eevee!" she said softly looking up at May.
Her trainer looked down at her. "What is it, Eevee?" May asked.
Eevee looked and then noticed something. Her trainer wasn't wearing her usual fanny pack as that had been left back at their room in the Pokémon Center.
"Eevee!" the Evolution Pokémon said.
May wasn't quite sure she understood. Ash wasn't either, he turned to his own partner. "Uh, Pikachu? A little help here?"
Eevee spoke and Pikachu translated, he made a hurt sound quickly followed by a resting motion.
"You want to get back to the Pokémon Center?" Ash asked Eevee who nodded.
Pikachu then picked up a stone and raised his front paws as though demonstrating something shining.
"I think Eevee wants to use that Ice Stone to evolve!" Ash said.
"Is that true, Eevee?" May asked. "You feel ready?"
Eevee nodded. She'd managed to win in a gym battle, so that proved to her she was strong now. But she could get even stronger and battle better for her trainer, mate, and friends if she evolved.
They made their way to the Pokémon Center and May got out the stone.
"You really ready?" Ash asked. "Once you do this, there's no going back."
Eevee hesitated a moment, looking at Pikachu who smiled.
"Pika, Pika," he said to her. "I'll love you no matter what you choose."
She smiled and nodded. May smiled back and held out the stone. In the second before it began, Eevee's entire life flashed before her eyes. How she'd been born in captivity in the cruel care of bad humans with her mother. Her dream to escape to her mother's home of Silvertown, which had been her mother's final wish before she succumbed to the wounds inflicted by their abusers. But now that Eevee, the one that had grown to mistrust and even hate humans, was about to be gone. Eevee had learned that there were good humans out there that were kind to Pokémon. Now she was ready to put the past behind her, and become a new Pokémon altogether.
The Ice Stone was held out to her, and she started to glow. She grew, her body transforming. Her ears became more triangular and gaining another pair of strips growing out of her forehead. The light cleared and revealed her as a Pokémon with a light blue coat and areas of darker blue as well as a caplike feature on her forehead.
"Oh, you look beautiful Glaceon!" May said.
Ash pulled out his Pokedex.
Glaceon, the Fresh Snow Pokémon and the evolved form of Eevee. Glaceon can freeze the fur on its body, and make it stick out like sharp needles.
"Welcome, Glaceon," Ash said.
Pikachu approached her slowly, a tad uncertain if anything had changed between them with her evolving on her end. But she looked at him and quickly tackled him to the ground before nuzzling him. He grinned up at her. She had changed forms, but their love remained. Now they just had to face whatever was to come. One more badge for Ash and it was on to the Hoenn League. But who knew what else could their way?
I found myself laughing when I inserted a character that was close to my username, and my name in real life of course, at least for the Sam part, but Swordsman does suit me. I did feel it was fitting though since I do like to work with swords in my free time every so often. Hope you guys like this and the next update should be Tuesday the 22nd around midnight at the latest before Wednesday.