I'd Sacrifice My Happiness for You – An AdvanceShipping/Pokémon Story
Chapter 9 – Reunions and Fond Memories
May continued chasing Eevee through the streets of Geosenge Town. She couldn't understand what had possessed the Normal Type to run off like that. She followed it into a corner, in which it was sniffing the ground until it reached a manhole. It then summoned a Tail Whip, knocking the lid off, then it jumped into the hole.
"Eevee?!" May cried out. While she felt she should really be continuing her search for hers and Ash's missing Pokémon, at the same time, she had grown quite fond of this Eevee, and how friendly it had been to her, and she wanted to make sure it didn't run into any trouble. So she climbed into the manhole to catch up with the energetic Normal Type.
May continued to follow Eevee until it came to a standstill, causing her to come to a standstill herself. The sight in which she and Eevee currently laid their eyes on horrified her. All of Ash's Pokémon (from his loyal Pikachu, to his original team of Bulbasaur, Charizard, Kingler, Muk, Tauros and Snorlax; to his Johto team of Heracross, Bayleef, Quilava, Totodile, Noctowl and Donphan; to his Hoenn team of Swellow, Sceptile, Corphish, Torkoal and Glalie; to his Sinnoh team of Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, Buizel, Gliscor and Gible; to his Unova team of Unfezant, Oshawott, Pignite, Snivy, Scraggy, Leavanny, Palpitoad, Boldore and Krookodile; to his Kalos team of Talonflame, Hawlucha and Noivern; to his latest team of Rowlet, Lycanroc, Torrecat and Melmetal) were all locked up in cages.
"Ash's Pokémon! There's all here!" she exclaimed, "Is this why you ran off like that, Eevee? Did sniffing my half ribbon and travel photos make you catch their scents as their similar to Ash's?" Eevee nodded.
As soon as Pikachu saw May, its eyes widened with happiness and called out to the Petalburg Co-ordinator. Ash's Hoenn Pokémon joined Pikachu in calling out to her, and soon so did the rest of the bunch.
"Pikachu! Everyone! Are you okay?" May asked them, very concerned for their wellbeing. They all nodded their heads yes.
"Have you all tried using any of your attacks to release yourselves?" They all nodded their heads yes again. At that moment, Eevee tried using its Tail Whip to break one of the cages, but got electrocuted upon contact with the cage.
"EEVEE!" May cried out with worry for the friendly Normal Type. She picked it up, reached for her bag and used a sponge to heal its wounds as much as she could, something her mother had advised her to carry with her in case she'd end up in dangerous situations like this. Eevee woke up, eager to not give up, and sent a Sand Attack at the cages, followed by a Swift before trying Quick Attack. Nothing worked, and upon Quick Attack got electrocuted again. May used her sponge again. Eevee opened its eyes again, and smiled at the Petalburg Co-ordinator to let her know it was okay.
There's got to be way to free them, May thought to herself. Now that she had found all of the Pokémon belonging to the guy she loved, there was no way she was going to leave anybody behind. She started to look around her for some clues. Eevee looked with her. It had grown fond of this caring Co-ordinator, and wanted to help her anyway it can. They saw a curtain covering something, and went towards it to see what it was covering. May removed the curtain, revealing a switch, with 'POWER' written on a sign above it.
"I wonder…" May thought. She decided to flip the switch the other way. "Everyone! Try you attacks again!" She told all of Ash's Pokémon. They all started using their attacks, and this time, instead of the cages electrocuting them, their attacks managed to break the cages, freeing all of them.
"Alright! We did it!" May exclaimed in triumph. Eevee ran into the Co-ordinator's arms to snuggle into her, feeling the triumph she felt, and she cuddled the Normal Type tightly. "Thanks so much for helping me rescue them, Eevee!" Once free from their prisons, Ash's Pokémon started running towards May and Eevee happily. Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Corphish jumped into May's arms; Sceptile hugged her; Swellow, Torkoal, Glalie and Donphan knocked her down to the floor out of affection. They were soon joined by Charizard, Snorlax and Heracross, who all also hugged her. But the affection Ash's Pokémon were giving her didn't stop there, as the rest of the bunch hurried towards her. Bayleef, Quilava and Torterra rubbed their heads next to hers; Gliscor and Krookodile gave her a massive hug; Totodile, Buizel, Snivy and Oshawott joined in hugging her, as did everyone else. While she liked the affection they were all giving her, she couldn't understand why when a lot of these Pokémon hadn't met her before now, unless Ash had mentioned her to them. One of the hugs she got was from Infernape, which made her turn around to face the Fire Type.
"You're the Infernape Ash raised from a Chimchar." May said. Infernape nodded its head, and smiled at her. Tears started falling from May's eyes as she remembered the tragic story Ash had told her that this Fire Type had been through. She began wondering if, back when she had first just started her journey, she would've ended up abandoning her Blaziken when it was still a Torchic, like Paul had done with Infernape when it was still a Chimchar, if she hadn't met Ash and Pikachu, since she had initially not even liked Pokémon, and backed then would've even traded them for a trip around the world. She then broke down, confessing how she used to dislike Pokémon before meeting Ash and Pikachu, how she didn't deserve any of their kindness because of that.
Seeing the tears in her eyes, Pikachu, Eevee, Torkoal and Corphish cuddled into her even more. Sceptile put a hand on her shoulder, as did Swellow with its wing. Infernape put a hand on her other shoulder, telling her that she had earned their affection and Ash's love because she's a caring person, and he had seen that, as did all of them. Seeing the care they were all showing her at the moment made her realised that she wouldn't have abandoned Torchic, as Torchic had shown her so much affection from the moment it saw her. Torchic had chosen her just as much as she had chosen Torchic, and it had played a part in her becoming fond of Pokémon too. Same with Squirtle having chosen her.
"I appreciate all of your affection," she told the whole bunch, "but why? I'm not Ash, and most of you don't even know me."
Pikachu put its paw to its chest.
"You and Ash told them about me, Pikachu?" May asked the Electric Type. Pikachu nodded yes. Sceptile, Swellow, Torkoal, Corphish, Donphan and Glalie then came forward, joining Pikachu in trying to tell her how they all saw how much Ash cared about her, and had vowed to protect her like they'd protect Ash, their own Trainer, with Bayleef, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Snorlax, Quilava, Heracross, Infernape, Gliscor, Torterra, Krookodile, Snivy, Oshawott, Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern, Melmetal, Lycanroc and Torrecat backing them up.
While May didn't understand completely what all of them were saying, she understood that they had figured out how much she meant to their trainer. Seeing their loyalty to Ash that they'd protect her too took her back to when she had returned home after the Johto Grand Festival…
"Welcome home, sweetie!" Norman and his wife, Caroline, called out to their daughter as she returned home.
"Mum! Dad! It's great to be home!" May hugged her parents. Max came in and joined in the family hug. She told them about her adventures in the Johto Region; how this time, she had made it all the way to the Top 2 of the Johto Grand Festival, but, like at the Kanto one in the Top 4 before, lost to Solidad.
"Hey! I say you're getting the hang of being a Co-ordinator." Caroline exclaimed. "Being the runner-up is nothing to sell yourself short on. Besides, you still managed to out-pass Drew and Harley."
"True." May agreed. "But, despite managing to develop my own battle-style like I had intended to do in Johto, Solidad still saw right through it. She must've observed my new style carefully. She said she was heading for Sinnoh next. So were Drew and Harley. However, I thought I'd take a bit of a break to think some things through."
"That's a good idea, sweetheart!" Norman said. "So, we saw the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh on TV, and saw how your Eevee had evolve into Glaceon, it battled really hard against Dawn's Piplup."
"That's right. And thanks for the encouragement, dad. Glaceon gave it its all." May smiled. She then brought all of her Pokémon out of their Pokéballs, allowing her Blaziken, Glaceon, Beautifly, Venusaur, Wartortle and Munchlax to appear and to say hi to the rest of the family. "I can't thank you all enough for always having my back in Johto. Too bad we lost in the finals." She told her trusty Pokémon. They all cheered for her, letting her know they'll always have her back.
"That reminds me, May." Max told his sister. "Hey, Delcatty! Come here! May's back!" At that moment, a Delcatty came out of the living room, ran towards May and rubbed its head next to her leg.
"Skitty?!" May asked the Normal Type. Delcatty nodded its head yes. "Wow!" The Co-ordinator exclaimed. "You evolved into Delcatty!" She hugged it tightly.
"That's right!" Max explained. "A week ago, I was keeping Skitty company in the garden when it found some stone on the ground, and once it touched it, it evolved into Delcatty. It must've been a Moon Stone."
May smiled at her brother, and gave him a massive hug. "So, Max. are you excited to be starting your journey as an official Pokémon Trainer in a couple of weeks?"
"Absolutely." Her brother answered. "I can't wait to head to Professor Birch's lab to collect my very first Pokémon!"
May turned to all of her Pokémon. "Come on! Let's head to my room!" She and all her Pokémon ran up to her room and started making themselves comfortable. Delcatty, Beautifly, Wartortle and Munchlax hung around each other, while Venusaur and Glaceon stayed around May. Blaziken, however, was at looking at some of May's travel photos on her desk.
"Blaziken? What's wrong?" May asked her first partner Pokémon. The loyal Fire Type turned to its trainer and showed her a photo of her with Ash. She smiled at the photo, as it brought back happy memories of her time with Ash, and how much she missed having him around her. Unexpectedly to her, Blaziken nudged her, and pointed at the photo, before pointing at her backpack.
"Are you saying I should take it with me on our next journey, Blaziken?" She asked the Fire Type, who nodded its head yes in response.
"But… why?" She asked, curious about what her loyal starter was thinking. Blaziken just crossed its arms and raised an eyebrows, as if telling its trainer: Do you REALLY think none of us have noticed how much Ash means to you? You're IN LOVE with him.
"What?! No!" May protested, realising what her starter was implying. She didn't want to admit that she had developed feeling for Ash during their journeys in Hoenn and Kanto, and even after travelling by herself in Johto, she still had feelings for him. But Blaziken insisted, this time, with Glaceon, Venusaur and the rest of her Pokémon backing the Fire Type up.
May sighed. "All right. I'll take it with us wherever we go next." She realised her Pokémon were not buying her cover ups about her strong feelings for Ash. "In fact, I think I'll travel with Max again and take on the Hoenn Grand Festival again for my next journey. He could use some company on his very first adventure as a Trainer. Plus, it'll be a good opportunity to meet more rivals rather than just sticking with Drew, Harley and Solidad, so that if I ever eventually battle Solidad in a Contest again, she won't be able to predict my strategy as easily as she used to."
Max, who had watched and heard the entire conversation, chimed in. "Really? Thanks, sis! That means a lot. I missed having you around."
May then walked out of her room and headed for the garden. Her brother and her parents joined her trusty Pokémon, and smiled at them, especially Blaziken.
"That was a really nice thing, Blaziken." Caroline told the Fire Type. "I can't thank you enough for always supporting our daughter."
"She might not want to admit it right now," Norman added, "but she's still very much in love with Ash. But one day, she'll be ready to confess her feelings to him…"
Looking back, her Pokémon were right. This made her think back to a couple of weeks back to the night before the finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival she had participated in, when she had a life-changing conversation with an old friend of Ash and Dawn's…
May was nervous. In a couple of hours, the finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival would begin. It was in the finals of the Johto Grand Festival in which she had lost to Solidad. Since then, she had competed in both the Hoenn and Kanto Grand Festivals a second time each, making new friends and rivals along the way, placing in the Top 4 of the Hoenn one, and as the runner-up in the Kanto one.
After the Hoenn Grand Festival and the Hoenn League, she and her brother had decided to part on their own separate journeys for some time. Max had headed to Sinnoh while she had competed in the Kanto Grand Festival again, which had prompted her to come to Sinnoh afterwards while he explored Johto, where he had got to meet Dawn, who was competing in contests in Johto.
Despite having been the runner-up at both her Johto and Second Kanto Grand Festivals, May was worried that she was up for false hope in winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival. That was when her trusty Glaceon and Blaziken cuddled into her. Blaziken then rummaged into her bag and pulled out two items: her half of the Terracotta Ribbon and the photo of her and Ash her Pokémon it had insisted she took with her on her travels. Seeing the photo made May both sad and happy at the same time. Ash meant more to her than anyone else or anything else in the whole world. Even her family and Pokémon, while meant so much to her, couldn't have the same special place the Pallet Trainer had in her heart. She missed having him around her. She was now realising that her feelings for him never went away, and are, in fact, as strong as ever.
"I see you, too, know Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, my friend." came a voice from behind her. She turned around and found herself face-to-face with Nando, her friend and rival. She had met him in her first Pokémon Contest in Sinnoh. Out of all the rivals she has met, he was the most genuine and friendliest. Very peaceful and in perfect harmony with his Pokémon. He also competed in Gym Battles as well as Contests, with this being the second time he would be competing in the Sinnoh League. Unfortunately, he had gotten knocked out in the Semi-Finals by Akari, who May would be facing off against in the Finals.
"Hi, Nando. Yes. Ash and I used to travel together in Hoenn." May answered. Her smile widened upon mentioning the Pallet Native.
"You know," Nando continued, "he and Dawn had a huge impact in me deciding to pursue both Gym Battles and Contests. I had enjoyed battling both of them so much that I couldn't let go of either routes. The two of them are best friends. I saw that clearly. You, however, from the way you talk and think about Ash, and the way the two of you are in that photo, it's clear to me that you're in love with him."
May was taken aback by Nando's revelation about her. She knew he was smart, but she had never imagined that he could read her like a book. But before she could respond, Glaceon and Blaziken stepped in and nodded their head, confirming what the Trainer/Co-ordinator said was true. May realised that they were right. Her feelings for Ash were still as strong as ever.
"Perhaps you're right." she admitted. "And I think my Pokémon saw that all along, so does my family. Ash actually had a huge impact on my life too. I initially didn't even used to like Pokémon, and had only started my own journey just to visit places. But then I met Ash on my first day as a Trainer, where he had arrived in Hoenn, and I had seen the strong bond he and his Pikachu shared. Not to mention, Pikachu itself was very friendly with me, it had played just as much of a part in me starting to love Pokémon as my Blaziken here when it was still a Torchic, who showed love and loyalty to me the moment it saw me. Heck, there was one time Ash's Treeko had saved Torchic from a Serviper, even if it meant itself getting severely injured in the progress. Before I had competed in Contests in Hoenn for a second time, Blaziken here insisted I take this photo with me on my future travels."
"Maybe, since your Pokémon know how much Ash means to you, and how much you miss him, they wanted you to feel he's close to you everywhere you go, as if you have something to fight for while competing in your contest." said Nando. It was evident from her face his words struck a chord with her. "Why don't you take it take a step further? Take this photo with you when you battle Akari in the finals. It might give you good luck, and whenever you feel lost, feel it in your hand in your pocket, as it might give you the motivation to not give up."
May began thinking he was right. She looked at the photo again, and then at her half of the Terracotta Ribbon.
"All right." May told him. "I'll take it with me for the finals." At that, Nando, Glaceon and Blaziken smiled at her, as she got ready for the finals of the Sinnoh Grand Festival…
Nando and her Pokémon had been right. During her battle with Akari, whenever she had felt like she was losing, she felt the photo and felt as if Ash was with her. It gave her encouragement, and the will to carry on. She had manage to turn the tables and win, earning the title of Top Co-ordinator.
However, her happy moment hadn't lasted long, as the following day, she had woken up to have found all of her Pokémon missing. She had contacted Professor Rowan to ask every Officer Jenny in Sinnoh to help find them. She had then told her parents and her brother, who had returned from Johto after placing in the Top 8 in the Johto League, on her way back to Hoenn. Her parents had contacted Professor Birch to have all the Hoenn Officer Jennys try and look for her missing Pokémon, while Max had got in touch with Professor Elm to inform all the Johto Officer Jennys, while also telling Brock, Misty and Dawn about her Pokémon's disappearance. Brock and Misty had then contacted Tracey, Professor Oak and Ash's Mum, Delia, who got all the Kanto Officer Jennys to search Kanto too. Professor Oak and Delia had then given May the unfortunate news of the disappearance of all of Ash's Pokémon too – all the ones that he had at the time on him and all the ones that were staying at Professor Oak's Lab. It was a bit after their disappearance Trip had shown up at her dad's gym, eventually leading to the situation she was currently in, having now found all of Ash's Pokémon and was ready to get them out of Geosenge Town, out of Kalos, and back to the guy she loved where they all belonged.
"Well, we need to get out of here." She stated. She tried thinking of how she was supposed to get everyone out of this sewer. The small ones like Pikachu and Bulbasaur would be easy. So would the ones who can fly like Swellow and Talonflame. But the bigger and heavier ones like Snorlax and Torterra would be much more difficult. But she refused to leave anyone behind.
However, before she could come up with something, at that moment, they heard the ground shake and lift off the ground, revealing that they were inside a pirate ship!
May looked outside, with horror on her face as she found that she, Eevee and all of Ash's Pokémon were trapped on a Team Magma ship!