Chapter 2: Meeting the Family

May led Ash through the woods until they reached the edge of town. Ash glanced it over from the overlook. It was a fairly large village, with rows of wooden houses strewn about. The townspeople milled about the streets, some selling their wares or tending to gardens. One building stood out above all of them, however.

It was a tall, ornate castle that could be seen from miles away. Ash could only stare up in awe at it.

"Woah. Who lives there? They must be pretty important."

May giggled.

"That's where I live!"

"You live there?"

"I should say so! I am the princess of the Hoenn region, after all."

Ash's jaw dropped. He hadn't even been in the time period for an hour and already he'd rescued a princess. May giggled, grabbing his hand and led him towards the castle.

"Come on, let me introduce you!"

As they approached the entrance, the two guards blocked their way with their swords.

"Halt! Who dares to walk up to the castle unannounced with the princess?"

Ash stepped back slightly, taken aback by the sudden hostility. May, used to their antics, just sighed.

"Lighten up, Brendan! He's my guest."

"Then why was the king not notified of this?"

"Because I just met him! He saved me from Team Magma, and I wish to repay him. Now please, let us in!"

The other guard sighed, and relented.

"Stand down, Brendan."

Brendan huffed, but obliged, allowing the castle doors to swing open.

"Fine, but if you lay a single hand on the princess…"

"Oh, leave the poor boy alone! Come on Ash, we need to get going. Thanks, Wally!"

"You're welcome…Princess."

May led Ash through the long corridors of the palace, allowing him to get a good look at the interior. The walls seemed to extend forever into the vast darkness of the ceiling, making Ash feel absolutely tiny by comparison. Portraits of the various kings and queens lined the walls as they passed, until they finally came to the door to the throne room. Before Ash could push the door, May stopped him.

"Perhaps it is best that I talk to them alone first. Just wait out here, it should only be a few minutes."

Ash nodded, and stepped aside to let her in. While he waited, he glanced around, taking in the beautiful architecture.

"Nice place."

"Hey, you!"

Suddenly, the angry guard from before came marching up to him. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Ash raised his hands in surrender.

"Listen, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just…"

The guard smiled, and let his expression ease.

"Relax, I'm just giving you a hard time. If the Princess trusts you, then so do I. My name's Brendan, what's yours?"

Ash breathed a sigh of relief, and accepted his handshake.

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is Pikachu."

"Pikachu!"

"A Pikachu, huh? We don't see a lot of those around here."

Before anything more could be said, May poked her head out into the hallway.

"My parents wish to speak with you, Ash."

Ash gulped, nervous. He had never spoken to royalty before, and was worried he would mess up. May, sensing his worries, smiled and took his hand into hers.

"It's okay, you can trust them. After all, you trust me, don't you?"

Ash smiled, and nodded.

"Alright, lead the way."

May gently led Ash through the doors and into the throne room. The King and Queen sat on their thrones, their expressions unreadable as they looked Ash up and down. With a nervous gulp, Ash kneeled before them, Pikachu following suit.

"It's an honor to meet you, your excellencies."

"Pika!"

The king smiled, and signaled for him to rise.

"So, my daughter tells me you rescued her from soldiers from the Magma kingdom, is that correct?"

"Yes, sire."

"Then you have our gratitude. However, there is one thing we do not understand. You claim to come from Pallet Town?"

"Yes, sir. From the Kanto Region."

The Queen looked surprised.

"Kanto? I've never heard of any place like that."

"Son, I suggest you tell us where you're really from."

Ash thought for a minute, trying to decide on whether or not to tell the truth. After all, what were the odds that they'd believe he came from the future? But if he didn't they might have him thrown in the dungeon, or worse!

"Well?"

"It's…kind of a crazy story."

"Go on."

Ash took a deep breath, and explained everything, from the mission up until he met May. After he finished, he closed his eyes and waited for the end.

"My, it seems like you've had quite the day!"

Ash opened his eyes, surprised to see that the King and Queen were smiling.

"You believe me?"

"I'll admit it is a little out there, but we have heard stories from our allies of people with strange clothing falling from the sky, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to worry about them thinking he was insane. May giggled at his expression.

"I told you you could trust them."

Just then, a guard came up.

"Apologies, your majesties, but dinner is ready."

On cue, May's stomach rumbled, making her laugh.

"I guess being kidnapped works up an appetite!"

Everyone shared a good laugh.

"Very well, let us eat! Ash, please come and join us."

"Oh, I couldn't-"

But May had already dragged him to the dining hall. A huge table lay before him, full to the brim with all sorts of food, from meat, breads, and pies and so much more. Ash could only stare in awe.

"Wow, is that a Pikachu?"

Ash jumped, surprised to see a 7-year old kid with glasses standing behind him, staring up in awe at his partner. May sighed, and gently pulled him away.

"Max, it's not polite to stare! Sorry Ash, this is my younger brother."

"Sorry! It's just, we don't see too many of those around here. Can I pet him?"

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and ran right up to Max, allowing the kid to stroke his fur.

"Wow, he's so soft! And cute!"

Pikachu let out a content "Chu" making everyone giggle.

"Come on, Max! I'm sure Ash will let you play with Pikachu later, right Ash?"

"Of course…your highness."

May laughed, and shook her head.

"Please don't do that when it's just us. May's just fine."

"Okay Pri- I mean, May."

"Don't worry about Pikachu, I've already told the cooks to prepare an extra helping of Pokemon food."

May guided him to a seat right next to hers, and before he knew it she had piled up a huge plate of food for him.

"Go ahead, enjoy!"

Ash tried to practice good table manners, but the moment he took one bite of the delicious food he couldn't help himself and began scarfing the food down as fast as he could. By the time he realized what he was doing, his plate was empty and the King, Queen, and Prince were all staring at him.

"Um..excuse me?"

Suddenly, a burp from right next to him drew his attention. Everyone turned to look at May, who had just finished her own mountain of food.

"Phew! My compliments to the cooks, as always."

Everyone had a good laugh at that, except Ash who stared in awe. He'd never met anyone who could match his appetite for food before, and it was incredible.

"I think I'm in love."

"What was that?"

"Uh-uh, nothing."

May shrugged it off, and went to go check on the Pokemon. But while she may not have heard what he said, her father had, and it gave him an idea.

"Ash, Pikachu is your Pokemon, correct?"

"Yep! My first, actually."

"Your first? Does that mean you have more?"

"I do, but they're back home. After my most recent journey, I wanted a fresh start somewhere new, so I set off with just Pikachu."

Norman nodded, impressed.

"Well then, what do you say to a friendly battle? If you're going to be here for a while, I want to see just how strong you and Pikachu are."

Ash looked over to his Pikachu, who just smiled and nodded.

"I'll happily accept your challenge!"