~Measure of a Trainer - Secrets of Kultran~

[ShadowPikachu]

Hey there, this is my first real chaptered Pokemon fic, but definitely not my first fic in general.

Here is a summary for those interested - hope you will read and enjoy: Ash and co. travel to Kultran for a relaxing vacation on its white beaches and lush jungle after their journey through Sinnoh. Their experience turns out to be nothing but when they encounter an ancient evil.


Now on to the story.


Disclaimer: Pokémon is a registered trademark of Nintendo Entertainment LTD. and Pokémon USA Inc. All characters and locations are copyrighted and used without permission or profit. All original characters belong to ShadowPikachu and should not be used without permission.


Prologue – Release


Deep in the Kultran Jungle


An enormous bolt of lightning lit up the sky once again. The canopy of the surrounding rainforest blocked much of the flash and helped to muffle the sound of the thunder, but it was unable to do much to slow the torrential downpour of rain being produced by the thunderstorm.


Bill Tillgood, a senior archeologist at the Katek Ruins Archeological Site, trudged miserably along the ground which had turned to mush from the rain, his wide brimmed hat keeping a large amount of the rain away from his face. He grumbled quietly to himself about evil chief archeologists and their diabolical schemes to give their underlings pneumonia.


He hated these sorts of days when it rained for the entirety of the day, because the head of the archeological expedition still demanded work from them regardless of the weather. Bill made his way past the dozen or so ancient stone buildings and pyramids that the group had uncovered and explored over the past seven months.


The Katek Ruins were named after the ancient civilization that had live in the area thousands of years ago and built this large city. The Katek had ruled over a large kingdom, and it was believed that these ruins were that of the capitol city. Professor Bentland, the leader of the expedition estimated that they had uncovered a mere fraction of the city, and that the rest remained covered by the overgrowth of the surrounding jungle. This was supported by some evidence – aerial exploration runs of the area had revealed the tips of larger pyramids sticking out above the canopy several miles away from the current site.


Through the nearly blinding downpour, Bill could see the outline of the latest project – a large, squat, stepped pyramid. It was not tall, barely eighty feet in height, but it was large in its other two dimensions, covering well over ten acres of area. As he got closer, he could see his fellow archeologists scurrying around the eastern face of the pyramid.


He climbed the slippery, narrow stone stairs in the center of the face, stumbling only once before he reached the upper portion of the pyramid where the research was now centered on. “’Morning, Diane, ready for yet another beautiful day?” he said to the nearest member of the team, a beautiful red-headed woman with brilliant green eyes. She also happened to be his girlfriend.


Diane, whose long red hair was braided into a ponytail and covered by a wide-brimmed waterproof hat, smiled at the sarcasm in his voice and leaned in to give him a kiss. “Good morning to you too, Mr. Sunshine,” she said teasingly.


Bill had met Diane several years ago at the University of Sinnoh, when both of them were studying archeology. They had been two of the best students in their classes, and constantly tried to one-up the other on test scores, answering questions during lectures, and even in board games. Their friendly rivalry eventually led to romance, and they had now been dating for two and a half years.


Their agenda for the day was for several of them to travel down a narrow passage into the pyramid. They had discovered the passage over a week ago when an intern had sat down on the pyramid steps and leaned against one which began to move. Bentland had seen it, and soon got a group together to shove it inward. There had been a loud clang, and then several other steps had slid away and sank back into the pyramid, revealing the passage.


They had already done some work on the first chamber they had discovered, and while most of the group would continue their work there, Bentland, Bill, Diane, and two other senior archeologists – Lane and Edward, would explore down another passage that led further into the pyramid.

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Professor Bentland was the first to enter, followed closely by Bill and Diane, and Edward and Lane, and then by the rest of the group. They descended the narrow staircase for a long distance; it doubled back and forth several times, and went down nearly the entire height of the pyramid before it opened up into the large chamber they had been studying. Bill tossed out a Pokéball, and it popped open to reveal a yellow mouse-like Pokémon with red cheek pouches and a long, lighting-bolt shaped tail.


“Hey, Pikachu, could you use Flash for us?” Bill asked his Pokémon. She knew what to do immediately, concentrating as her cheeks began to spark and glow, and soon the glow spread along her body and then brightened, illuminating the chamber around them much better than their flashlights could.



Bill and the others made their way to the other end of the large chamber, where another staircase led further down into the pyramid. They passed the detailed paintings on the walls depicting ceremonies and everyday life of the Katek. As the others of the group spread out along the chamber, Bentland led their small group on the first trip down the stairway.



They descended another thirty feet and suddenly the brick walls disappeared and were replaced by dirty brown and gray limestone. The tunnel widened slightly and the stairs leveled out into another floor. “Very interesting,” said Bentland, who was in the front of the group and entered the next room first, “It seems the Katek built their pyramid over an underground cave system.”


Bill and the others came up beside him and Pikachu used Flash once more, revealing that the “chamber” was a resistant platform of limestone that extended for twenty feet further before it dropped away down into a large dark chasm. Other tunnels branched off around the area, showing it to be a complex cavern system formed from the dissolution of the surrounding limestone. When the Katek had found this they must have believed that these tunnels led straight into their Underworld.


A few paintings were visible on this wall, of chained people and Pokémon being carried down into this chamber, sacrifices to their god of the Underworld - Kuitlatl. Another showed the Katek building the pyramid over the entrance to the cave system.


While they were examining the paintings, curiosity got the best of Edward who moved to the edge of the chasm and shone his light down. He shivered when he saw that the light became diffuse and faded before it could reach any type of floor to the chasm. His light did however reveal a narrow staircase carved out of the rock along the steep wall that he stood above.


He brought this to the attention of the others, and within minutes they had set up ropes anchored to the floor of the chamber. The archeologists fastened the ropes to themselves so they could climb down this staircase without worry of falling off into the darkness below.


Bill moved down first, being the most surefooted of the group. They had climbed down a good fifty feet when they came upon a smaller chamber situated directly beneath the one they had just stood in. Bill shone his flashlight farther down the chasm and they were finally able to just make out the bottom of that chamber, over two-hundred feet further below them. Diane gasped aloud when the dim light flickered across the floor of the chasm – it was completely covered with off-white bones of humans and Pokémon.


Bill turned his attention to the chamber, which Lane had already entered. She had been immediately been drawn to a large stone altar in the center of the chamber. She walked around the altar, which seemed, like the stairs in the cave, to have been carved out of solid rock. It was over six feet in length, but only three feet in width. It rose up to slightly above her waist.


The top of the altar was covered in the white swirls of the Katek rune-script, and resting in the center of the altar, in a slight depression, was a black pyramidal object covered in golden rune-script that appeared to have been painted on.


She reached out and touched the object which was strangely warm to the touch, odd considering the cool dankness of the cave. She screamed in agony when the temperature spiked, and she could feel the flesh of her palm burning. She jerked her hand away, or rather, attempted to but found that something … some force was keeping her hand gripped onto the object. The others of the group rushed over to her, but she couldn’t stand the pain anymore and yanked her hand, and the object along with it, away from the altar with all the strength she could muster. This allowed the object to be pried free from its resting place.


The object began to glow brighter and brighter, before ejecting a beam of light out of the chamber and toward the bottom of the chasm. It stopped glowing and dropped from Lane’s hand. Lane fell to the floor, sobbing and cradling her burn hand. Bill moved to her side and gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand into the open so they could see it.


The skin on her palm had been charred a brown-black color, and the triangular shape of one face of the pyramidal object was very visible. “I-it hurt so b-bad,” Lane said, still sobbing. “B-but now I can’t feel it at all – that’s bad isn’t it?”


Bill exchanged glances with Diane who shook her head slightly. “Well, its not as bad as it could be, Lane, you’re going to be just fine – we just need to get you back up to the surface, okay?” Bill said, not wanting to cause her panic. He knew that the charring of this skin and lack of pain signified a third-degree burn that had destroyed the nerve endings around the burn and could even have damaged the surrounding muscle and tendons, and would never heal cleanly without scarring unless they got to a Blissey within the first few hours after the burn.


Diane pulled a bandanna – what she usually wore when it wasn’t raining – from her pack and gave it to Bill who wrapped it carefully around Lane’s hand, covering the burn. “C’mon,” he said, grabbing her other hand and pulling her to her feet, “let’s get back to the surface and get you to a doctor.”


Bill looked over to see that Bentland had picked up the object and was examining it and the writings on the altar. He looked up at them. “These writings are describing a revered Katek warrior who fashioned a device with the help of a slave that they captured from another civilization. It says he battled with the demon Kuitlatl and weakened him enough to imprison him within the device – this pyramid.”


Diane looked at him. “You don’t think….”


The Professor shrugged. “I don’t know. I just think that flash of light is very odd considering this description of what this is supposed to be, however. In any case, the important thing now is to get Lane some medical attention.”


They tied the ropes to themselves one again, and began ascending the narrow stairs. They had made it halfway up when a sudden ear-shattering screech sounded throughout the cavern. Then the archeologists began to feel a vibration that grew into a shaking – some sort of tremor that nearly made them lose their balance on the steps.


Bill looked around wildly, and realized that the scream had originated from beneath them – at the bottom of the chasm. He hurried his pace up the stairs and upon reaching the top he lent a hand to the others behind him. Pikachu was still using Flash, and providing an excellent source of light, and when he leaned over to help the last person, Diane, up the stairs, he looked down the chasm and on the dimmest edge of the light being produced by Pikachu, he saw an enormous, writhing mass of black moving up the chasm wall.


“RUN!” he shouted to them as the screech pierced the air, this time much louder than the last. He shoved Bentland in the direction of the stairway, and grabbed Diane and Lane by the arm, yanking them along with him. Edward stared at them in confusion, but started jogging behind them as well, although much more slowly.


“Hey! What are you guys running for?” He shouted ahead to them. No one answered, and he began shouting again. “What are Y-ouch!” He was cut off when he tripped on something and fell to the floor. He pushed himself up and then screamed when he saw what had tripped him. He was staring directly at an enormous black creature whose body stretched back down the tunnel and out of sight. He kicked it in the face and started running, but was tripped once more – this time there were two.


Bill looked back when Edwards’ second scream was cut off, and saw two black things coiling around him – one seemed to have bitten down over Edwards’ head. Several more of the creatures appeared and slithered over the two attacking Edward, making their way swiftly up the stairs towards Bill. He spun quickly and continued running behind Diane, Lane, and Pikachu.


They burst into the upper chamber, startling all of their fellow archeologists. Bill, Diane, Lane, and Pikachu tore past the others. “Run! Get out of here!” Bill yelled to them as he passed. When they saw Professor Bentland running as well, they started making their way toward the next staircase, unsure of what had happened down there. Then one of the interns screamed.


From the stairwell, numerous long black beings emerged, lunging at those closest to them. This led to a panicked rush to the stairwell as more and more entered the room and joined in the attack.


Bill picked up his pace as he heard the panicked screams of the others, and the distinct sound of them being cut off. Suddenly Lane tripped on the stairs, forcing Diane and Bill to stop or fall over her. Bill reached down and yanked her to her feet, but by then it was too late. Diane screamed as one of the creatures grabbed her by the ankles and yanked her feet from under her, pulling her down the stairs. Bill grasped desperately at her hands, aware that Lane was being attacked as well. He clung to her, pulling back with all his might. Then he lost his grip when one of the creatures slammed forcefully into his chest.


Bill fought to catch his breath, watching helplessly as Diane was pulled further and disappeared underneath the writhing mass of creatures. He felt one grab his leg, its razor-sharp fangs slicing into his flesh, and then it felt as if the skin on his leg was on fire, the pain coursing through his body. The creature unclamped its jaws and lunged for his arm, and he saw a black substance where it had bitten him, bubbling and steaming on his skin, and then felt another surge of pain as it spit the same substance on his arm.


Next to him, Pikachu was blasting her attackers with thunderbolts, but was barely able to keep them away, while also trying to handle the ones attacking her friend and master. He gasped as the creature grabbed his midsection and began coiling around him, slowly constricting. “Pikachu!” He gasped out. “Run! Save yourself! You’re the only one fast enough to get away!”


Pikachu glanced uncertainly at her master – he was telling her to leave him to die. “Please, go – you can’t save me.” He said weakly as the creature began constricting around his chest and neck, black spots beginning to appear on the edge of his vision. Tears ran down her cheeks and she turned and dashed up the staircase.


That was the last Bill saw of her, in fact, the last Bill saw anything, as the creature’s coils moved over his face. With every breath out he took, it constricted tighter and tighter, and he could already feel the pressure in his chest building and felt a sudden pain coming from his heart. His last thought before everything faded to black was that he would never get to ask Diane to marry him like he had been planning.


Outside another tremor, this time much bigger, shook the surrounding area, sending Pokémon everywhere scurrying. A loud, primordial screech filled the air of the jungle, and then everything went quiet except for the frightened cries of the Chatot and Tarcan, and the rustling of the fleeing Mankey and Primape.


The horrible secret of the Katek pyramid had finally been released.

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A/N: Hey all, hope you enjoyed the prologue – this is the equivalent of the first opening scene of most of the Pokémon movies.

Well, I’m already hard at work on the first real chapter, and hope to have it up at the latest by next Tuesday – if things go well, as early as Saturday.

Thanks for reading, and please take some time to give me a review – even if it’s just a short one like “great job” or even “this story sucks”. Any sort of feedback would be great (while this isn’t the first fanfic I have written – I’ve written several Harry Potter ones on other sites – I am always willing to take advice on ways to improve my writing).

[ShadowPikachu]

Now, on to the next chapter.


Disclaimer: Pokémon is a registered trademark of Nintendo Entertainment LTD. and Pokémon USA Inc. All characters and locations are copyrighted and used without permission or profit. All original characters belong to ShadowPikachuTrainer and should not be used without permission.

Key:
“Speech”
‘Thoughts’


Chapter 1 – Respite

S.S. Starmie, somewhere in the Hoenni Ocean

The last reddish rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon as the enormous luxury cruiser made its way slowly but surely toward its destination, the city lights finally visible now that the sun had set.

In the massive dining room on one of its decks, a trio of trainers feasted on the buffet provided by their hosts. One was a black-haired young male whose brown eyes were currently closed in contentment as he shoveled food into his mouth. He wore a Pokémon league cap that was a mixture of red and black with a stylized blue outline of the top of a Pokéball on the front which was currently turned backward, likely to allow him to get his face closer to his food.

“Ash! Slow down or you’re going to end up choking on your food. This is an all-you-can eat buffet, not an eat-as-fast-as-humanly-possible buffet!” A young, blue haired girl exclaimed as she sat down, re-arranging her pink mini-skirt.

The other trainer – a tall, older trainer with brown hair who was easily distinguished by the fact that it was often very hard to tell whether his eyes were open or not – shook his head. “It’s no use, Dawn, I think he is officially in Foodland. You won’t be able to get through to him until he has to get up for his next plateful.”

Dawn sighed, rolling her blue eyes as she watched the spectacle that was beginning to attract attention from others in the dining room. “I think you’re right, Brock. I just wish he’d be more discreet – everyone is starting to look at us.” Another of Ash’s best friends – his Pikachu – nodded in agreement with Dawn, rubbing his paw behind his head in embarrassment.

Ash finally looked up from his plate when he had finished clearing it off, and was surprised to see Dawn, Brock, and Pikachu staring at him. “What?” He asked in confusion. “Do I have something on my face, Dawn?”

“Yes, of course you do, Ash!” the blue haired Coordinator exclaimed. “You’ve been shoveling the entire buffet line down your throat for the past ten minutes, so what would you expect?” She asked, handing him several napkins.

“Erm, sorry, I’m just really hungry and it isn’t that often we get to have a buffet with food this good. No offense, Brock.” Ash said to the Pokémon Breeder who had, over the years, become the unofficial cook of the group.

Brock smiled. “None taken. This food is really good. Just tone it down a bit – everyone is staring.”

Ash suddenly remembered that they were just three trainers among several hundred on the ship, and looked around to see others at other tables giving him strange looks. He started sinking down in his chair in embarrassment, but the attention was quickly drawn off him by an announcement that came over the PA system built into the ship.

“Attention guests, we are approaching the port of Ekab, and will be docking within an hour. Those who have arranged for a stay here should remove their belongings from their rooms and exit the ship when we dock.”

Brock finished cleaning off his plate and stood up. “Well, that’s us. I’ll head back to the room and start packing up all our stuff.” He said, carrying his tray over to a conveyer belt that took dishes back into the kitchen of the ship.

Ash got another plate of food, but ate this one much more slowly after Dawn gave him a warning glare. “So Dawn,” Ash said, swallowing another mouthful, “where are you planning on going after our vacation here? You still wanna travel with us?”

“Well…..” Dawn began, “I did sort of want to check out the Contests in Kanto and Hoenn, but I really like traveling with you guys so I’ll probably end up going to whatever region you’re going to next.”

Ash smiled. “Well, I’m not sure where to go next. I’ll have to ask Professor Oak what he thinks would be a good region to head to next. But… I’d like it if you came with us.” He said quietly.

Dawn blushed and looked down at her plate – she had, over the past year or so of their travels together, developed a crush on the hot-headed trainer, but she was sure he didn’t mean his statement the way she wanted him to. “There’ll be plenty of time to figure out what to do next. Let’s worry about relaxing and taking in the sights for our next three weeks in Kultran.”

Ash nodded, and cleaned off the rest of his plate. Dawn pushed her chair back and began to stand. “Last one back to the cabin is a rotten Exeggcute!” She exclaimed, hurrying over to put her tray away before dashing off toward the stairs that led to their room on the third floor of the cruise liner.

“Hey, mwait!” Ash exclaimed, swallowing his last mouthful and sprinting quickly after her. “That’s not fair, you got a head start!”

Pikachu, still at the table, shook his head in amusement at their antics. He then looked around furtively and when he was sure that none of the staff in the dining hall were watching him, he hopped off the table, scampering away after his master with a half-full bottle of ketchup.

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Ekab Docks, City of Ekab

Ash, Dawn, Brock, Pikachu, and several other trainers filed off the ramp of the S.S. Starmie and onto the docks of Ekab. Others on the ship were headed to other resort towns further to the south. Ekab was one of the most popular, and most visited.

Kultran was a large, sparsely populated island region. It came close to rivaling Hoenn in size, and was one of the few regions of the world that did not have a Pokémon League. It was centered on the equator, and much of its interior was covered in lush rainforests filled with hundreds of species of Pokémon. The outer edges of the region were, for the most part, long coastlines of pure-white coral sands. The beaches, rainforests, archeological history, and warm climate made Kultran a prime location for resort cities like Ekab.

Ash was very glad that his mother had let him use some of his winnings from the Sinnoh League to treat his two friends to a vacation. It had taken some convincing, but she had finally relented. He had invited her to go as well, but she had claimed to be too busy, and told him to enjoy his time with his friends.

Brock looked at a guidebook he had picked up before their trip, and consulted the map to figure out the way to their hotel. “This way you guys,” Brock said, leading them north along the main street of the city. As they walked, they took in the sights of the Ekab nightlife – numerous bars and restaurants were teeming with people, music blaring from every open door and window. To their right, brightly lit, massive hotels were built on the street, each claiming its own section of beachfront property.

They finally reached their hotel – The Golden Azumarill – after several minutes of walking. It was a tall structure that consisted of an enormous center area that contained the hotel lobby and an enormous glass-covered atrium, and two wings on either side which contained the hotel rooms.

Dawn entered the front doors and was awed by the atrium, which stretched hundreds of feet above her head. The lobby had numerous tall, leafy trees that reached upward for the top of the atrium.

They walked to the front desk, and Ash, who had made the reservations, signed in with one of the several friendly desk attendants. One of them handed Ash several keycards, and walked from behind the desk to lead them to their room.

They walked along through the trunks of the large trees, and saw that there were several man-made pools of water scattered around the atrium. In the ponds several Magikarp could be seen swimming lazily in the pools – Ash even thought he saw a glimpse of a Feebass as it skimmed through the water, underneath the lily pads floating at the water’s surface.

They walked across a small footbridge which took them over one of the ponds, and reached the entrance to the North Wing of the hotel. The attendant led them to an elevator, which they took up to the tenth floor. They soon reached their room, 1015, and the attendant politely took his leave as Ash opened the door.

The room was reasonably large, with two king-sized beds taking up much of one half of the room. A large entertainment center was located on the wall across from the beds. The tropical, flower print comforters on the beds matched the theme of the room, which had tropical wallpaper, and even a mural painted on the vaulted ceiling making it look as if they were looking up through a rainforest canopy.

“Wow, this is really neat,” Dawn said, taking in the room. She tossed her backpack on the nearest bed. “This one’s mine,” she exclaimed, before walking towards the bathroom. The entire room continued with the jungle theme, with the shower stall, bathtub, and sinks made entirely out of large limestone blocks, and painted to look as if vines of ivy were crawling over them.

Ash and Brock came over to investigate the bathroom but, just as they got a glimpse through the doorway, Dawn smiled sweetly at them before closing the door in their faces. “Sorry boys, but I claim the bathroom first!”

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The Golden Azumarill, Main Courtyard

Ash wandered down on the main courtyard of the hotel – it was situated behind the lobby and sandwiched between the two wings of rooms – the overall shape of the hotel being that of a “U”. He had looked out one of the massive windows of their room, and saw several Pokémon battles going on in the courtyard.

The courtyard was a large, open area that had been set up for Pokémon battles. Beyond it Ash could see the edges of several large swimming pools – he recalled that the brochure for the hotel bragged not only direct beachfront access, but also nine different swimming pools and hot tubs.

He approached the makeshift battle fields on which three battles were being held simultaneously. He watched the closest one – a fight between a Pinsir and a Parasect, which seemed to be at a stalemate. As he was thinking of ways that either trainer could pull out of it and get an advantage, he was interrupted by the voice of another trainer who had just walked up to the field as well.

“Hey, I know you, you’re that one Ketchup guy. I saw you in the Sinnoh Conference a few weeks ago, you’re pretty good. How would you like a battle?” The boy, not much younger than Ash, asked him. His hair was so blond it appeared to be white, and he held it back in a ponytail to keep it out of his eyes. He wore jeans and a simple shirt which proudly displayed seven badges pinned on the sleeve.

Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Er… it’s Ketchum, Ash Ketchum – not Ketchup. But sure, I’d love to battle.”

The other trainer smiled and shook Ash’s hand. “I’m Tony Russo. How about a one-on-one? I’ve been battling a lot here, so I’ve only got one rested Pokémon left.”

“You’re on!” Ash exclaimed, and both of them faced off in the only open area remaining in the courtyard. Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and tossed it in the air. “Go, Staravia!”

The Pokéball popped open, and shot out a beam of light that quickly formed into a tough-looking bird Pokémon whose feathers varied from pure white on its chest and face, gray on its main body and forehead, and black on its tail and on a curled crest of feathers that rose above its head.

“Okay, Granbull, let’s do this.” Tony said, his own Pokéball already in the air. It revealed a short, muscle-bound purple canine Pokémon that firmly planted all four paws on the ground. Its most notable feature was its huge lower jaw, from which extruded two long canine teeth that extended up past the creatures’ nose. It rose from its position, standing up on its hind legs, and clenched its fists while letting out a low growl at Staravia.

“Let’s start off with a Wing Attack, Staravia,” Ash said. The bird Pokémon nodded his head and spread his wings to take flight. He dove in at the large canine, his wings beginning to glow white. He brought one down to hammer the Granbull in the face.

“Let it hit you, Granbull, then use Bite!” Tony shouted just before the attack made contact. Granbull allowed the wing to slam into its face, and then it lunged forward before Staravia flew away and fastened its jaws on Staravia’s wing. He shook the helpless Pokémon in his mouth and slammed it into the ground several times before tossing it away.

“Staravia, are you alright?” Ash asked, concerned for his Pokémon. Staravia winced as it rose back onto its talons, and nodded to Ash. “Alright, now we have to keep our distance or this fight won’t last long. Use Whirlwind.”

Staravia lifted off once more and soared above Granbull. He began quickly flapping his wings, creating a huge gust of wind that formed a twister that soon lifted up the big-fanged Pokémon and whirled it around before dissipating, letting him drop well over fifteen feet to the ground.

The purple canine got up slowly, catching its breath as the fall had knocked the breath out of him. “Payback, Granbull,” Tony ordered. Granbull’s eyes began to glow red, and he suddenly leapt into the air and slammed his head into Staravia.

“What?!” Ash gasped, having seen the canine leap over twenty feet into the air, something he knew was normally impossible for the stocky, top-heavy Pokémon.

He snapped out of his amazement, realizing that Payback must have boosted his physical abilities to allow him to strike back at Staravia. “Keep back, Staravia, and use Whirlwind again.”

Staravia again flapped its wings, creating the same vortex which made its way toward Granbull. The Pokémon tried fleeing but was caught up again. As the vortex released him above the ground, Tony gave another order. “Ice Fang!”

Granbull managed to twist itself in the air, and its canines began to glow a blue-ish white, and two icy bolts launched from its jaws, striking Staravia in the wing. Granbull, having twisted to aim the attack landed flat on its back, had the breath knocked from its lungs once more.

Staravia flapped unsteadily, breaking fragments of ice from its wing.

‘I’ve got to end this right now before Staravia takes any more hits like that,’ Ash thought to himself. “Alright Staravia, let’s end this with Brave Bird!”

Staravia nodded and flew higher until it became no more than a speck to their vision. Then he dove. Granbull squinted up into the dark skies, and then his eyes widened comically when he spotted the blur of Staravia nearly on top of him. “Try to dodge it!” Tony shouted, but he was too late.

Staravia slammed bodily into the canine, sending it tumbling backwards. He landed wearily, the blow having caused nearly as much damage to him as it did to Granbull.

Fortunately the purple canine tried lifting his heavy head, but did not have enough energy to move his massive jaws, and his head fell back to the ground as he passed out.

Tony held out his Pokéball, “Granbull return. You did a great job.” He walked over to Ash and shook his hand. “That was a great battle. Thanks. I guess I still have a lot more training to do before I get into your league.”

Ash laughed, shrugging in embarrassment. “Well, you almost won – if Staravia had been hurt any more he wouldn’t have been able to use Brave Bird on Granbull. Your Pokémon was really well trained.”

“Thanks Ash. Well, I’m going to head off to the clinic and get my Pokémon healed, so I guess I’ll see you around. Maybe we can battle again sometime.” Tony said.

“That’d be great, Tony. Hey, where is the closest clinic here? I’m going to battle some more, so I’ll probably have to take some of my Pokémon in later.”

“Well, there’s actually a small clinic right here at the hotel – you just take the stairs behind the main desk down into the lower level, and they’ve got a clinic there that can handle pretty much anything but the most serious injuries.” Tony replied.

“Thanks.” Ash said, and gave a quick wave as Tony walked away. He turned around and knelt down next to Staravia. “You did great there, buddy. Why don’t you take a rest in your Pokéball now?” Ash returned the bird Pokémon to its Pokéball and put it back on his belt. He stood, and began to wander through the crowds watching the battles, and looked for his next opponent.

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The Golden Azumarill, Room 1015

Dawn hummed to herself as she finished blow-drying her wet hair. She took out two barrettes and used them to pin her long blue hair back out of her face.

She turned from the mirror, and nearly tripped on her Piplup. Piplup was a small penguin-like Pokémon, with an orange beak, white face, dark blue down on the top of its head and around its neck, and light blue down covering much of the rest of its body. He had been her very first Pokémon and was one of her favorites to use in Contests.

Dawn had kept the little penguin in his Pokéball during much of the cruise to keep him out of trouble. She typically left him out of his Pokéball, much like Ash did with Pikachu, so she had let him out once inside the bathroom, and filled up the tub for him to play in while she took a shower.

She reached down and scooped up her friend, giving him a hug. “Hey, Piplup, did you have fun taking your bath?” Piplup chirruped happily and its head on her cheek affectionately. Dawn giggled, giving Piplup a kiss on the top of his head, and shuffled barefoot to the door.

When she opened the door, she felt the cool air of the hotel room clash with the warm, steamy air that her shower had created, and shivered slightly at the temperature change. She looked around the room and saw Brock lying on his bed, engrossed in the latest issue of Breeder Weekly, a magazine he made sure he picked up every time they reached a town during their journeys.

What was noticeable was the absence of Ash from the room. Neither he nor Pikachu were in the room. “Hey Brock, where did Ash go?” She asked.

Brock jumped – he hadn’t heard her exit the bathroom. “Oh, hey Dawn. Ash said that he saw some battles going on down in the courtyard of the hotel and he said he was going to head down there and check them out.”

Brock stood, closing his magazine and placing it on the bed. “So, are you finished with the bathroom now?” Brock asked her.

Dawn nodded. “Yeah, you can go ahead and use it now. I think I’m gonna just head off to bed now.”

Brock nodded. “Okay, good night, Dawn,” Brock said before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Dawn set Piplup down on her bed and he quickly burrowed down underneath the covers. She walked over to the window and looked out. It was dark out, but from the lights of the hotel she could just make out the waves crashing onto the beach.

Directly beneath her, she could see several Pokémon battles going on. The closest one was between a Monferno and a Bibarel. The goofy, beaver-like Pokémon seemed to be taking a beating. Monferno, an ape-like Pokémon with bright orange fur and blue and red markings on its face swung its tail at its opponent, the bright flames on its tip scorching the Bibarel.

Its tail swung around again, illuminating its trainer in the light of its flame. Dawn smiled as she recognized Ash’s backward-facing hat. She watched the battle a little longer until it was ended by Monferno’s Flame Wheel, and then watched as Ash ran over and hugged the ape Pokémon, congratulating him.

Dawn sighed and slowly turned away from the window. Ash’s very close bond with his Pokémon was one of the many things that she admired about him. She flopped down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. ‘Who am I kidding,’ she thought to herself, ‘I have a huge crush on him and he probably doesn’t even have a clue. Even if he did, why would he ever like a loser like me?’

Tears came to her eyes as she remembered her crushing defeat in the Sinnoh Grand Festival. She hadn’t even been able to make it to the top 16, and despite the happy, “no need to worry” face she put on for everyone else, it still hurt her – it was even worse than the painful time she had when she lost both the Hearthome City and the Solaceon Contests in the appeal round.

She’d been so proud of Ash for making it as far as he did in the Sinnoh League, and then she hadn’t even made it past the preliminary appeals. Ash had been there for her as always, trying his hardest to cheer her up after her loss, but she knew he must have been thinking about how weak she was – she herself couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Piplup chirruped in concern when he peeked out of his little nest of blankets and saw his trainer crying. His face drooped, knowing she was thinking about the Grand Festival – he had seen her upset over it several times already. He got out of his “nest” and waddled closer to her, jumping on her chest to rub his head against her cheek. “Lup Pipip,” he said, looking up at her and using his rough pink tongue to lap the tears off her face.

Dawn let out a giggle and managed a watery smile. She wrapped her arms around her best friend and squeezed him tightly. “Thanks Piplup,” she whispered to him. “You always know how to cheer me up. I’m just thinking about what happened back at the Festival.” Piplup patted her face with one of his stubby fins and cuddled closer to her.

Dawn sighed and closed her eyes. “Sorry if I’m worrying you, Piplup. I’ve just not been able to stop thinking about Ash and whether or not he would ever feel the same way as I feel, especially since the Festival. Do you think he would like me, you know, like like me?”

Piplup looked up at her and nodded its head when she opened her eyes once more. “Lup, pippip!” He said. He had seen Dawn staring at Ash when he wasn’t looking, blushing around him, sometimes being unable to talk to him without stuttering. At first he had thought that there was something wrong with her – that she was sick or something. But he soon realized that she had a crush on the ebony-haired trainer, and now Dawn had finally confirmed his suspicions.

He didn’t know if Ash felt the same way about his trainer, but he knew that nodding and encouraging her would make her feel better.

Dawn smiled – a real smile – at her Pokémon and closed her eyes. “I hope you’re right, Piplup.” She whispered before slowly drifting off to sleep to the rhythmic sound of the shower running in the next room.

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The Golden Azumarill, Main Courtyard
“Thanks, Grotle, you did a great job,” Ash said to the Pokémon that currently had its jaws clamped onto his arm in its unique way of showing affection for its trainer. Grotle was a large snapping-turtle Pokémon. Its main body was a light green and the entire top of its body, from head to tail, was covered in a protective yellowish shell that had several dark green bushes growing on it.

After finally prying the hard-shelled Pokémon from his arm, he returned him to his Pokéball. He looked to Pikachu, the only Pokémon he had not used yet that night in a battle, on his shoulder. “I think we should head back to the room. It’s getting really late.” Ash said to his best friend. It was already nearly midnight; he saw only one other battle going on, and most of the crowds had already gone to bed.

Ash retraced his steps to the main lobby. He made his way down a small staircase which was exactly where Tony had said it would be. The stairs led to another lobby, this one very similar to most Pokémon Centers. A pretty blond-haired young woman sat at the chair behind the main desk.

Ash walked up to the desk, noting that her nametag said “Amanda”. She looked up from the magazine she was browsing through and gave him a bright smile. “Hi there! Do you have some Pokémon that you want us to treat?” She asked in a friendly voice.

“Er, yeah,” Ash said, pulling all five of the Pokéballs from his belt and placing them on the counter.

“Okay, all I need is your Trainer’s License, and your hotel keycard.” Amanda said.

Ash pulled his keycard from his pocket, and gave her his Pokédex which contained an electronic version of his Trainer’s License. As she scanned his license and swiped his keycard in a reader, Ash spoke to her. “Kinda weird not seeing a Nurse Joy behind the counter.”

She smiled and looked up at him after typing briefly on her keyboard. “I’m sure it is. We aren’t an official Pokémon Center – we’re more of an accredited Pokémon Health Care facility. Since we’re privately funded through guest fees at the hotel and not funded by the Pokémon League we aren’t able to get any contracts with a member of the Joy family.”

She handed him back his License and Pokédex. “But, we’ve got some of the top doctors outside of the Joy family here at this facility. Alright, now I’ll take these,” she said, picking up the Pokéballs on the desk before pausing a moment.

“Do you want that cutie there to get treated to?” She asked him, pointing to Pikachu on his shoulder whose already naturally red cheeks darkened in a blush.

Ash shook his head. “No, just those five. Pikachu didn’t battle today.”

“Alright,” Amanda said as she placed the Pokéballs onto a conveyor belt that took them through a small opening in the wall to a back room. “They all should be refreshed and healthy by tomorrow morning. All you have to do is bring your keycard and License again to verify your identity. But you know, you probably won’t need them; I don’t think I’ll be able to forget such a cute face.” She said with a wink.

Ash looked at Pikachu again, but quickly realized she had been talking about him this time, and it was his turn to blush. “Er, o-okay, thanks! I’ll come back first thing in the morning.” He said quickly before turning to head up the stairs before he embarrassed himself.

Pikachu laughed at his trainer’s expression. Ash turned his head and gave him a look. “Oh, and you’re one to talk, Mr. Cutie.” Ash said, laughing when Pikachu’s smug expression disappeared.

Ash entered the elevator and punched the “10” button before he leaned back against the back wall of the elevator as it jerked into motion. He thought back to the incident with the receptionist, Amanda. He realized how much had changed – how much he had grown up – in the past few years. ‘Just a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have had a clue that she was flirting with me,’ Ash thought to himself with a grin.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, allowing him to step out on the 10th floor. He walked slowly to the door to their room and slid his keycard in. The lock mechanism whirred and the light above the lock flashed from red to green, allowing him to turn the knob.

He moved in slowly, making sure to shut the door as quietly as possible when he saw the lights were turned off, leaving only the dim light of the moon coming in through the window to illuminate the room. He crept into the room and set his backpack down next to his bed. He took off his vest and folded it, and then removed his hat with a yawn, placing both of them on the nightstand. He heard the loud snores of Brock, whistling breaths of Piplup, and the steady, soft breathing of Dawn, telling him that all of them were already asleep.

He laid back on the bed next to Brock, and Pikachu jumped from his shoulder to claim his sleeping place, taking up nearly half of Ash’s pillow. Ash turned on his side, resting his head on the other half to allow his friend more room. The moon came fully from behind a cloud, increasing the lighting of the room. Ash could see Dawn turned on her side, holding tightly to her Piplup, her long blue hair escaping from its barrette on one side of her head to drape over her neck.

He smiled, closing his eyes. ‘She looks so cute when she sleeps - WAIT!” Ash slapped himself on the forehead, trying to clear those thoughts from his mind. He’d noticed himself having them more frequently and, despite what others thought about his mental prowess, he knew what they might mean – he was developing feelings for Dawn.

He sighed to himself. Along with the changes he had been thinking of before had come a “curse” – he had begun thinking of other girls in ways involving more than just simple friendship, especially Dawn who he spent every day with. He’d come to realize that it had started before he had come to Sinnoh, in the last few weeks he had spent with May Maple, another of his best friends. He hadn’t been able to figure out what the flutters in his stomach and leaps in his heartbeat meant at the time, but now he knew that he had unknowingly developed a crush on May.

He groaned silently - now the same thing was happening with Dawn, only this time he knew what was happening. He had no clue whether Dawn might feel the same way. ‘Heck, I don’t even know if May liked me in that way, let alone which of the two I’d like to…’ He trailed off, shaking images of him kissing both May and Dawn out of his head.

‘Gah! I’m starting to turn into Brock!’ He thought to himself. He finally managed to turn his mind to thinking about what battles, Trainers, and new Pokémon he might encounter the next day before he finally drifted off to sleep.

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The Golden Azumarill, Main Courtyard
The morning sun had just risen fully above the horizon, shining through the clear glass of the atrium and onto the courtyard and beach when Ash, Dawn, Brock, Pikachu, and Piplup exited the lobby to the courtyard.

They had just eaten breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, and were now on their way to spend the day on the beach. Brock was wearing blue and green swimming trunks, Ash was wearing a pair of dark blue trunks, and Dawn was wearing her favorite orange and yellow two-piece swimming suit. All of them carried towels, and Piplup had a small shovel slung over its shoulder, looking excited to play on the beach.

They made their way past several of the enormous pools offered by the hotel, and Dawn decided to talk the others into swimming in some of them later on in the day. They walked down the steps from the raised pool area, and stepped onto the pure white sands of the Ekab beach. The sands were surprisingly cool, but Dawn realized that was due to both how early in the day it was, and also their reflective nature.

Ash turned to Dawn and Brock. “Okay guys, I know today we’re going to hang out around the beach, but I think we should check out some of the hotel brochures on activities we can do.”

Dawn nodded. “You’re right Ash. As much fun as it would be, we shouldn’t just lay around on the beach for our whole three weeks. I’ve heard there’s all sorts of things to do, like snorkeling and taking a trip into the Kultran jungle. I heard they have several Pokémon Breeders that monitor the health of the local Pokémon. It would be fun to meet them, don’t you think Brock? Brock? Brock!”

Brock looked at the expansive beach, and the many scantily clad young women sunbathing and playing in the surf, and his eyes began to glaze over. He began walking down the beach in a daze, the cries from his friends who he had just walked out of the conversation from not registering in his head.

Ash shook his head. “I think breeding is the last thing on Brock’s mind right now, Dawn.” Ash paused, and grinned. “Or at least Pokémon breeding isn’t.”

Dawn gasped and slapped Ash on the back of the head before starting to giggle. “Ash, you’re such a pervert!” She exclaimed. “You’re probably right though.”

Ash blushed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. His eyes fell on Pikachu, and he straightened up. “Hey Pikachu, race you to the ocean!” Ash said, sending sand flying in the air as he sprinted along the beach.

Once Dawn cleared the sand from her eyes she glared at the ebony haired trainer running down the beach. “Oh, you’ll pay for that, Ketchum,” she said aloud. “Come on Piplup, let’s head down to the ocean too.” She stalked off toward Ash, intent giving him quite a dunking once he got in the water.

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Ekab Beach, Late Morning
Ash looked up from where he laid on his beach towel, watching Dawn and Pikachu playing in the ocean. Further down the beach he could see Brock hitting on several young women clad in bikinis, and his frog Pokémon reaching out to jab him and drag him away. Ash smiled to himself and laid back, soaking up the hot summer sun of Kultran. ‘Now this is what I call a great vacation!’ He thought to himself.

The temperature was perfect – it was just right to sunbathe in, and just warm enough to merit a few traverses into the somewhat cooler ocean water. The waters of the Ekab area were a beautiful clear blue, not clouded with sediment, clear enough to see the sands of the ocean bottom hundreds of feet out.

He heard shuffling footsteps and turned his head to see a sand-covered Piplup waddle over to him. He and Dawn, with the help of Pikachu, had been building sand castles and shaping sculptures of different Pokémon out of the sand most of the day, and he had yet to rinse himself off.

“Hey Piplup, are you having fun?” He asked the penguin Pokémon. Piplup nodded but then patted Ash’s shoulder and gestured to his stomach. “Lup-luppip!” It exclaimed.

Ash looked at the tiny Pokémon in confusion. “Er, what’s wrong, Piplup? What are you trying to tell….” He trailed off when he heard the blue Pokémon’s stomach gurgle noisily.

Ash laughed. “Oh, you’re hungry! Well I guess it’s around time that we should go eat some lunch. Now that you mention it I’m getting kinda hungry too. You go rinse yourself off and I’ll get Dawn and Brock.”

Ash got up, tilting his head when he felt the water in his ears that had gotten there earlier in the day when Dawn had leapt at him, shoving him under the water numerous times for accidentally kicking sand in her face. He walked over to where Brock was currently recovering from his latest rejection. “Hey Brock, let’s go get some lunch. Maybe if you get some food in you, you’ll have some better luck with the ladies,” he said.

Brock smiled and stood up, picking up his towel. “You’re right Ash, I think I’m starting to lose my edge due to starvation. I’m sure once I get some nutrition into me I’ll be back and as irresistible as ever!” Brock exclaimed.

Ash raised an eyebrow before turning to get Dawn and Pikachu. “Er, yeah, whatever keeps you going, Brocko.” Ash muttered.

“Hey Dawn, Piplup reminded me that we should all eat some lunch, so me and Brock are headed to the hotel room to change and then we’re going down to the restaurant. Wanna come with us?” Ash asked.

“Sure!” Dawn said, and picked up the now clean Piplup before she walked out of the gentle surf. Pikachu sprang from the water as well, leaping onto his usual place on Ash’s shoulder as the trainer walked back toward the hotel.

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The Golden Azumarill, Elevator
It had only taken ten minutes to change, and for Dawn to fix her hair to her satisfaction, and Ash was already beginning to feel his stomach rumble at the thought of food.

The elevator ended its descent at the main floor, and they made their way through the atrium toward the restaurant which occupied the first floor of the South Wing of the hotel.

As they passed near the main desk, Ash, who was in the lead, paused when he heard a voice that sounded very familiar to him. He glanced over at the person and nearly fell over in shock.

He saw the back of a young woman who was talking with one of the attendants who was handing her several brochures on local activities. The brown-haired girl was wearing a long, orange and white sleeveless shirt, which extended partway down over short black biking shorts. Around her waist was a light green fanny pack, and most of her brown hair was covered with a green and white bandanna.

Ash walked over toward the main desk, and the others then noticed the person he was looking at. The girl thanked the attendant and turned around, facing Ash and the others. Her face brightened, and she smiled widely at the four, her smile even carrying through to her expressive blue eyes.

“May!”
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A/N: Hey everyone, that’s it for the first chapter. Hope you all liked it.

As far as “shipping”/pairings go, I haven’t decided completely yet (whether it’ll be Ash/May or Ash/Dawn as I like both) – we’ll see how the story and the characters write themselves. Either way, there will be some tension between most of the characters regarding it, but in any case nothing will really be acted on until the end of the story (furthered in the sequel), and this story will be primarily action/adventure.

Well, got this chapter done early and spent today editing it, but next week is going to be hectic at work, and my family is visiting next weekend, so the next chapter may not be out until next Tuesday (hopefully next Sunday, but I’m not too sure).

Well, that’s all I have to say, except again please leave some sort of feedback.

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Nice story! The ruins link to the history of the Pokémon world, like Pokémopolis, and the jungle setting remind me of the beginning of the first Pokémon movie. Like you said, the intro had the look 'n feel of a Pokémon movie opening scene.

I found you being very good at portraying "Our Heroes" (a feat not easily accomplished), and at just making the whole story seem like it could be part of the anime continuity. I'll have you know the last I saw of Pokémon envolved the Battle Frontier and the Giant Butterfree event, and the fact I can't distinguish much between actual and imaginated references to Sinnoh events speaks for the genuine feel of your story.
The scene opening sentences are a good idea too, for setting up both the time and location of the event.

Not that you're in lack of shipping material, but I wonder what Ash's newfound "mature" thoughts might lead to should he ever farther down the road meet up with Misty again, her being the gal he travelled with the longest (through 3 Leagues, after all).
Aside from that, I'm hoping to find out how long before Chapter 1 the Intro was set, and how the Pikachu's will interact if and when they meet.

[ShadowPikachu]

Nice story! The ruins link to the history of the Pokémon world, like Pokémopolis, and the jungle setting remind me of the beginning of the first Pokémon movie. Like you said, the intro had the look 'n feel of a Pokémon movie opening scene.

I found you being very good at portraying "Our Heroes" (a feat not easily accomplished), and at just making the whole story seem like it could be part of the anime continuity. I'll have you know the last I saw of Pokémon envolved the Battle Frontier and the Giant Butterfree event, and the fact I can't distinguish much between actual and imaginated references to Sinnoh events speaks for the genuine feel of your story.
The scene opening sentences are a good idea too, for setting up both the time and location of the event.

Not that you're in lack of shipping material, but I wonder what Ash's newfound "mature" thoughts might lead to should he ever farther down the road meet up with Misty again, her being the gal he travelled with the longest (through 3 Leagues, after all).
Aside from that, I'm hoping to find out how long before Chapter 1 the Intro was set, and how the Pikachu's will interact if and when they meet.

Thanks for the review. Glad it gave you the feel like the intro to a Pokemon movie. Happy you enjoy the portrayal of the characters and the world. As to Misty, we'll see. She won't appear in this story, but will likely make an appearance in the sequel.

As far as when the Intro was set, we'll find out in several chapters as the plot begins picking up pace. Same with the Pikachus.








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Well, on with the story.

Disclaimer: Pokémon is a registered trademark of Nintendo Entertainment LTD. and Pokémon USA Inc. All characters and locations are copyrighted and used without permission or profit. All original characters belong to ShadowPikachu and should not be used without permission.

Key:
“Speech”
`Thoughts'


Chapter 2 – Return

The Golden Azumarill, Main Lobby

“May!” Ash and Dawn exclaimed at the same time, seeing the young brown-haired coordinator standing in the lobby of their hotel.

“Hey guys!” May exclaimed. “I was wondering when I would run into you.” May said, moving forward to give each of them a warm hug – leading to blushing on Ash’s part which he tried his best to hide by tugging his hat lower over his face.

“It-it’s great to see you again, May,” Ash stuttered, “but how’d you know we were here?”

“Your mom told me you guys would be staying here, Ash,” May beamed at the three trainers in front of her. “I won the Johto Grand Festival and I’m here for a vacation!”

“Congratulations! You should have told us,” Dawn said, “we would’ve invited you along with us so you didn’t have to come down here by yourself.”

May shook her head. “Oh, I thought about it but by the time I called, you guys had already left. Besides, we would have been on different boats – my prize for first place was a trip here to Ekab for two weeks with cruise tickets and my hotel room included.”

“How long have you been here?” Dawn asked.

“My ship just docked here a few hours ago, and I’ve checked into my room. I was just asking them for information on things to do here, and then I was going to lunch.”

“Hey, that’s where we’re going right now. Wanna come with us?” Ash asked. He was torn between excitement that May was back with them and his confusion about his feelings for both Dawn and May.

“Sure,” May said, “where are we going?

“We were going to try the restaurant here in the hotel. They had a pretty decent breakfast so hopefully they’ll have good lunch.” Ash said.

He took the lead once more and they were soon seated at a table. The room had an aquatic theme, with large aquariums filled with Finneon, Goldeen, and Magikarp lining the walls. Their tables were shaped to look like the classic wooden wheel that would be used for turning the rudder of a ship, and the chairs appeared to be made out of pieces of rowing oars.

“So what about you guys?” May asked once the waitress took their drink orders. “When did you get here?”

“Last night,” Brock answered. “We checked in and spent the night, and today we’ve been enjoying the beach and the ocean. You’re more than welcome to join up with us, you know.” He added.

May smiled. “I’d like that,” she said.

“May, how was your time in Johto?” Dawn asked, changing the subject.

“I had a great time,” May said, “the contests were challenging but I got enough ribbons to enter the Grand Festival. I guess Coordinating is more popular there than I thought, because they held the Festival in the same stadium complex that they hold the Silver Conference, and from what I heard, it was just as filled as what they usually get for the League Championship.”

Ash looked up from his menu. “So, who did you end up having as opponents in your rounds?”

“Well, in the first few rounds I was against several different Coordinators from Johto; one I had met before but the rest were mostly strangers. In the first round of the final four I went against Harley,” May said, her nose wrinkling as she said his name in annoyance.

“In the final round I had to face off against Drew. That was a really close round. I ended up winning when the time ran out because I had a few more points than him.”

“Did those two cause you any trouble?” Ash asked, a scowl developing on his face.

May shrugged. “Well, Harley was a jerk, but that’s nothing new,” She grinned suddenly. “He did make a fool of himself at the first contest. He tried cross-dressing again to look like me like he did in Hoenn. We hadn’t met up yet, and he didn’t know I completely changed most of my outfits, so he dressed the same as he did in Hoenn.”

“You should have seen his face when I passed him in the hallway as I went to give my own appeal. It was great!” May said, giggling behind her hand.

Ash and Brock, who had seen the original incident, laughed the hardest. Dawn smiled – she had heard plenty of stories from Ash and Brock about Harley and various other rivals. She was glad that most of hers were also her friends, like Zoey and Kenny.

The waitress walked over to their table and took their orders after placing their drinks in front of each trainer.

As she left, Ash looked over at May again. “So, Harley was a jerk. What about Drew? Did you have any trouble with him on your trip?”

“No, he wasn’t any trouble, Ash,” she said. “It’s very sweet of you to be concerned, but I know how to take care of myself.”

Dawn was the only one who noticed May’s smile falter for the briefest of moments before returning. Dawn frowned in thought, tuning out the conversation. She could tell that May was hiding something, she knew from her brief change of expression that Drew hadn’t really been as little trouble as she had claimed.

Dawn felt a brief moment of jealousy over Ash’s obvious care and concern for May, but it was quickly squashed down by her admiration of the young Coordinator, and the friendship they had developed during the Wallace Cup.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone shaking her arm and calling her name. She snapped her attention away from her thoughts and saw May’s black-and-white glove resting on her arm. She looked up and saw May grinning at her.

“In your own world there?” May asked teasingly.

Dawn blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, kind of drifted off there. Were you guys talking to me?”

May nodded. “Yeah, I was wondering how your contests ended up. Did you make it to the Grand Festival?”

It was Dawn’s turn for her expression to falter. She shrugged at May. “Yeah, I got to the Grand Festival but I didn’t make it past the second preliminary appeal round.”

May’s expression fell. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Dawn! You must think I'm such a big jerk for bragging about my contests!”

Dawn shook her head. “No need to worry May, I’m over it,” she lied. I’m not upset about you talking about your contest. I’m glad you won – we should talk later about your rounds.”

May’s smile returned. “That’s a deal. And just keep trying. I know you’ll win next time, you’re a really great Coordinator,” May said, patting her on the arm.

Dawn now felt guilty for her earlier bout of jealousy – May was a great friend and was one of the nicest people she knew.

“Thanks May,” Dawn smiled gratefully at her friend.

Eager to take the subject off herself, she looked over at Ash. “Hey Ash, have you told her about the Sinnoh League yet?”

Ash’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah, May! I won the Sinnoh League Championship. It was really tough, especially my final battle against Paul, but it’s the first official Pokémon League I’ve won.”

“I know, your mom told me when I called her up. I could hardly get her to talk about anything else. She’s really proud of you, you know,” May said, grinning when she saw Ash’s face color slightly. “I knew you could do it, Ash,” she added, “congratulations.”

“Thanks, May.” Ash said, and just as he was about to launch into a detailed account of his last battle with his rival, the waitress returned with their food. His train of thought disengaged immediately, and he began munching on his cheeseburger and fries with a gusto.

The other three trainers stared at him for several moments before beginning to eat their own meals. May shook her head and looked at Dawn who was doing the same. “Same old Ash,” May said with a laugh.

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The Golden Azumarill, Elevator Lobby

May had gone up to her own room to change into a swimming suit. The Grand Festival prize gave her a suite on the top floor – there was one suite per floor and each opened onto a large open air deck/balcony area facing the ocean. The others had already changed and were waiting for her to come down.

Ash’s mind was whirling: his already confused feelings and emotions about Dawn and May felt like they had been tossed into a Whirlpool attack with May’s unexpected visit.

‘And now I’m going to spend the day with both of them in the pool’, he thought, unsure about that prospect, having already seen Dawn, who had changed into a dark blue bikini that revealed a bit more than her usual swimwear – he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep his eyes to himself.

The elevator door opened and May, who had let her hair down and wore a form-fitting red bikini, walked out, a small beach bag slung over her shoulder.

Ash gulped and suddenly couldn’t wait to get into the pool and cool down. “Well, let’s go!” He exclaimed loudly, startling Pikachu from his shoulder as he spun and dashed toward the door that opened onto the courtyard.

“Race ya there, Pikachu!” He yelled.

The disgruntled mouse brushed himself off as he got up from the ground, and raced after his trainer, his cheeks sparking.

“Well, I guess Ash is really eager to get in the pool,” Brock said, smiling knowingly after the young trainer. They made their way to the door and saw Ash, who had made it about halfway to the pools, now lying twitching on the ground as Pikachu calmly walked past him, a satisfied look on his face.

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Outside The Golden Azumarill

Only a few other guests were swimming in the pools when they entered the gate through the fence that enclosed the area. There were three small, deep pools roughly oval in size, each kept at a different temperature, closest to the hotel. Two children’s pools occupied the southern portion of the area. Two long pools on the west side curved inward and met one another, each a full Olympic length pool. A large circular pool sat in between where they met – it was filled to the point of spilling water, which ran down into the other pools.

This was the famed “Infinity Pool”, in which one could sit back and look out in the direction of the beach, and it would appear that the pool continued on out past the horizon into the ocean because of the optical illusion it created.

The final pool was an enormous rectangular pool that varied from a few inches deep on one side to nearly fifteen feet deep on the other. It was set up specifically for the guest’s Pokémon to use.

“Well, we shouldn’t be the only ones having fun,” Brock exclaimed, “come on out, Sudowoodo, Happiny, Toxicroak!”

He took three Pokéballs from the built-in Pokébelt on his swimming trunks, and tossed them into the air. Beams of light materialized into several Pokémon. One was a tall, gangly brown Pokémon shaped like a tree trunk, with a Y-shaped “antenna” sprouting from its head, and three green orb-like fingers on each hand.

Happiny was a small, pink, almost egg shaped Pokémon, with a pink pigtail shaped appendage sticking up from the back of its head. She had a red elastic-like pouch on the lower half of her body, which held an oval shaped whitish stone that Brock had shaped for her.

Toxicroak, the Pokémon that delighted in yanking Brock away when he started flirting too much with women he just met, was a large, bipedal light green frog Pokémon. It had a large horn jutting from its forehead, and a pinkish-red throat-sack that expanded and contracted as it breathed.

Ash pulled five Pokéballs from his belt, and released his Pokémon. They popped open, revealing Grotle, Staravia, and Monferno, as well as Gliscor, a large, purplish bat-like Pokémon with large, sharp pincers at the ends of its forearms, and a long, segmented tail that ended in two curving stingers. The fifth Pokéball contained Floatzel, an orange, twin-tailed otter with a yellow underbelly.

Floatzel leapt eagerly into the pool, his twin tails acting as a propeller to send him skimming around the pool. Gliscor and Staravia perched on a nearby railing surrounding the pool while Pikachu and Grotle splashed around in the shallows. Monferno, who didn’t particularly enjoy swimming around in the water due to his Fire type, leaned against the railing the two fliers were perched on and took in the warmth of the sun.

Dawn’s Piplup leapt from her arms and into the pool after Floatzel as Dawn removed her own Pokéballs. They contained four other Pokémon: Ambipom, a purple primate with two long tails that ended in large hands; Buneary, a small, bipedal rabbit Pokémon whose lower half and the tips of her ears were covered in a yellow wool while the rest of her body was a soft, short brown fur; Pachirisu, a cute Electric-type squirrel Pokémon with an off white body, electric blue stripe down her back and fluffy tail, and two round yellow pouches on her cheeks that stored her electricity; and Swinub, a short, wooly, brown Pokémon with a pink pig-like snout.

May, who had not yet seen Dawn’s Swinub, was delighted by the small Pokémon. “Oh, Dawn, you caught a real cutie! Have you used her in any contests yet?”

Dawn smiled, and Swinub preened under the attention as May ran her hands along its soft fur. “Yeah, I did actually. She was the main reason I won my last contest to get my fifth ribbon.”

Ash re-introduced May to his Gliscor, Floatzel, and Monferno, all of whom had evolved into their present forms since the last time she had paid the group a visit during the Wallace Cup.

May sorted through her bag and pulled out several of her own Pokémon. “I only brought a few of my Pokémon – I left all the rest back at home at the Gym with dad.” She said, referring to her father Norman, who was the Gym Leader of Petalburg City.

She tossed her Pokéballs into the air as the others had, and they materialized several that everyone had seen the previous time she had visited.

Blaziken, a tall, bipedal birdlike Pokémon with long, muscular legs, and long whitish hair streaming back behind her head – the rest of her body was covered in red and orange feathers.

Her Glaceon, one of the evolved forms of Eevee, was a short, vulpine Pokémon covered in light blue fur. She had a darker blue growth on her head that trailed off into two ends that hung down on either side of her head, which gave the appearance of a Sherpa cap.

May’s Wartortle was a dark blue turtle Pokémon, with a long tail covered in rich, thick fur, and two whitish fin-like ears protruding from either side of her head.

The light from her last Pokéball shot out and slowly reformed into a small, mammalian creature with shaggy brown fur, wide innocent eyes, and a small white crescent shaped mark adorning its forehead. It looked up at the trainers surrounding it and stuck its right paw into its mouth and began sucking on it.

Dawn literally squealed and ran over to it. “May, a Teddiursa! It’s so cute! You caught it in Johto?”

May nodded. “Well, sort of. I met a couple who takes care of Pokémon eggs, and they ended up giving her egg to me. I guess her parents were captured by Pokémon poachers. The egg hatched about two months ago with this adorable little girl inside.”

The furry bear Pokémon shrunk back as Dawn came closer to her. She stared at the ground with her head down and began sucking more rapidly on her paw the closer she got.

May knelt down next to her and picked up her Pokémon, who quickly hid her face against May’s chest. “Hey, it’s alright sweetie, this is Dawn, and she’s a friend of mine.” May cooed to the little bear.

May tried coaxing the small Pokémon from where she clung to her before finally giving up with a sigh. “Sorry Dawn, she’s always been really shy with other people around, and doesn’t take to most people very easily. I’ve been trying to get her to be more outgoing, because I want her to compete in contests, but I haven’t had much luck so far.”

“Well, maybe once she gets to know all of us she won’t be as shy. After all, you’ve been traveling alone so you are the only one she’s really seen all the time,” Ash said.

“Great point Ash,” Brock said, “and since she’s so young, she’s much more shy. That isn’t all that unusual among Pokémon. I wouldn’t be worried about it May.”

A small smile appeared on May’s face. “Thanks you guys. I was worried I might be doing something wrong. I mean, the only other baby I’ve had to look after was Manaphy and he had to leave just a few days after he hatched.”

May eventually pried the little bear from her place and set her down on the ground.

“War torwar,” May’s Wartortle said, as she walked over to the Pokémon and took the paw that wasn’t currently in her mouth. She led the brown bear over to the shallow end of the pool and coaxed her into the water.

May smiled as she saw Teddiursa’s face light up, and watched her begin to splash water at Wartortle who playfully splashed back with her tail.

“Wartortle has sort of taken her under her wing the past month. They get along really great.” May said.

Piplup swam over and tried introducing himself, but Teddiursa quickly locked up once more. Wartortle turned and splashed Piplup, who quickly retaliated, causing the small bear to look on in interest at her friend playing with this strange new Pokémon. She walked up to the blue penguin and looked at him curiously before she removed her paw from her mouth, and decided he was similar enough to her turtle friend.

She shyly splashed water at Piplup, and very soon a three-way water fight erupted, and Teddiursa quickly became accustomed to the new Pokémon that wanted to play her games.

May laughed at the three. “Looks like you guys were right,” she said, “let’s leave them alone for a while and let her make friends on her own.”

The four trainers left their Pokémon to their own devices, and walked to one of the larger pools. Ash cannon-balled in, an his spray soaked the other trainers who entered more calmly down the steps.

The water was the perfect temperature – just cool enough to be a welcome reprieve from the tropical sun, but warm enough that it was not uncomfortable to swim in.

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Ekab Beaches

Down the beach, a blue haired man who wore dark green swimming trunks and a pair of black-tinted sunglasses lay on a towel, sunbathing on the sand.

A young woman with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail lay next to him, wearing a black bikini. She was resting on her stomach, her head turned to the side.

Near their heads sat a crème colored catlike Pokémon with a golden charm that sat on his forehead. The Meowth held a pair of binoculars, which he was using to scan the crowds and the ocean. He surreptitiously turned from time to time toward a group of trainers and Pokémon playing in the pools of a nearby hotel.

“Yo, Jessie, James. Looks like that brown haired Twoipette dat traveled wit da Twoips a while ago is back wit dem now,” the Meowth said with a distinct accent. He was one of the few Pokémon besides the telepathy-using Psychic types that was able to actually speak human language. It was a skill he had acquired with a long, laborious period of study years ago.

The red-haired woman, Jessie, lifted her head lazily. “You mean that one brunette that was always trying to steal my thunder in my Contests back in Hoenn?” She asked.

“Da very one,” Meowth said.

She laid her head back down. “Well, that just means more Pokémon to steal. Now be quiet Meowth, I’ve been trying to take a nap here.”

Meowth smacked her over the head with his paw. Jessie’s hand flew to her head and she looked up, glaring angrily at Meowth. “Ouch! What was that for?” She demanded.

“We’re s’posed ta be here lookin’ for Pokémon for da Boss and followin’ da Twoips, not layin’ around an’ getting’ a tan on da beach!” He said.

He leaned toward the blue-haired man, James, and swatted him as well. “Speakin’ of da Boss, ya remembered ta tell him dat we was comin’ here ta follow da Twoips, right?”

Silence followed the question, leading both Jessie and Meowth to look over at him. He was looking at them sheepishly.

“Well?” Demanded Meowth.

“Er, well, you see……… I didn’t,” he said.

“What?” Jessie exclaimed. “Why not?”

“Well,” James said, laughing nervously, to the two who were currently glaring at him, “I figured if we told the Boss we were going to Kultran to follow the Twerps, he’d think we were lying and trying to get off on a vacation here.”

Jessie and Meowth looked at each other blankly before Jessie spoke up. “Well….. I guess he does sort of have a point. We aren’t exactly on the Boss’s good side, and we wouldn’t want to give him the idea that we’re taking a vacation.”

Meowth sighed hopelessly. “Yah, I guess you’re right. We’ll just hafta make sure we bring da Boss some good Pokémon.”

“Yes Meowth, but when we snuck on the boat disguised as maid staff, I heard the Twerps say that they’d be here for a few weeks, so why rush? Why not wait until the opportune time to grab some of their Pokémon when their too busy having fun to notice?” Jessie said.

Meowth sighed once more in resignation. “Well, I guess youse guys are right. We could use a little relaxation. We’ll just hafta keep our eyes peeled an’ strike when dey least expect it.”

“Glad you agree,” Jessie said, “now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to perfecting my tan.”

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Golden Azumarill Pool Complex

May floated lazily on her back. The water of the pool would occasionally lap over her face when someone jumped into the large pool with enough force, but for the most part she just bobbed slightly on the small waves produced by her fellow swimmer.

Ash and Dawn had started out with breath-holding contests, but they had quickly tired of that. Dawn was now resting against one of the walls of the pool with her arms up over the sides. Her eyes were closed in contentment as one of the small jets gently massaged her back muscles.

Ash had become quiet and pensive; something that May was not used to seeing from him, and had moved to the Infinity Pool. He had his back rested on the wall and was staring quietly out onto the horizon as the sun slowly made its descent in the sky. It would be mere hours before the bottom began to disappear below the horizon.

Brock, taking advantage of his Toxicroak currently playing with the other Pokémon, was chatting with an attractive young trainer who had recently entered the pool.

May was beginning to feel the skin on her fingers and toes start to wrinkle from their extended submersion in the water, so she moved upright. She made her way to toward the steps of the pool, intent on reclining on one of the lounge chairs that were provided around each pool.

May toweled herself dry and sat on one of the chairs. As she was about to recline it, her attention was drawn to several Pokémon cries that drifted through the air.

She looked over to the pool that they had left their Pokémon in, and saw that all of their Pokémon, along with some belonging to other trainers were crowded around the pool. They were cheering on Wartortle and Floatzel who were racing each other lap after lap around the perimeter of the deep end of the pool. May smiled as she saw the determined faces on the two as each tried to gain a lead on the other.

Her gaze panned along the crowd of Pokémon, wondering if Teddiursa had made friends with the others like she had with Piplup.

May’s pulse quickened slightly when she didn’t see Teddiursa. She stood up quickly and walked toward the Pokémon pool. ‘Calm down, May, you’re overreacting,’ she told herself. ‘Teddiursa is really small and is probably hidden behind Blaziken or that Blastoise or any of the others.’ She thought, attempting to keep calm.

“Teddiursa!” She called, moving around the crowd. She felt her heart leap and her throat tighten as moved to the side she had been unable to see before, and Teddiursa was still nowhere to be seen.

“Teddiursa!” She called again, this time hearing panic in her own voice.

Pikachu looked up at her from where he stood cheering. “Ka?” He questioned.

May knelt down next to him. “Pikachu, have you seen my Teddiursa? I can’t find her.”

Pikachu shook his head in the negative and scampered through the crowd, searching. He quickly returned and leapt into May’s arms, shaking his head once more.

“Thank you Pikachu. Could you get Ash and the others? I’ve got to find her.” May said, her eyes beginning to fill with unshed tears.

“Pika!” He exclaimed before dashing off at Quick Attack speeds, rendering him a yellow blur.

“Blaziken! Glaceon!” She called, pulling their attention from the race. “Please get everyone’s attention. Teddiursa has gone missing.”

Their eyes widened when they realized the diminutive bear was no longer standing where they had last seen her. The two turned to the pool and used Flamethrower and Ice Beam respectively, a long stream of flames erupting from the Bird Pokémon’s mouth to hit the water next to an pale blue beam of icy energy sent forth from Glaceon’s body.

This gained the attention of the entire crowd, and the two quickly informed the others of the situation, trying to find out where the little bear had last been seen. The two swimmers, disoriented by the sudden mix of boiling and freezing water they had swum through, made their way dizzily to the dry ground alongside the pool.

Wartortle immediately listened to the others conversing and heard “Teddiursa” several times. Her head snapped up and she looked around for the bear, wondering if something had happened to her while she had been racing.

She walked over to May, and saw that her trainer was visibly upset.

“Why weren’t you watching her?” May said angrily. She immediately felt horrible when Wartortle hung her head, ashamed, as something had apparently happened to Teddiursa.

May bent down and hugged her turtle Pokémon. “I’m sorry I snapped at you Wartortle, I’m just really worried about Teddiursa – she’s disappeared and no one saw her leave. It’s not your fault.”

By this time Ash, Dawn, and Brock had reached them and caught most of the conversation.

“Don’t worry May, we’ll find Teddiursa,” Ash said.

“Yeah, maybe she just decided to go for a walk by the beach,” Dawn added.

The trainers quickly collected most of their Pokémon, leaving several at the pool in case Teddiursa wandered back. The rest set out with their trainers to give more sets of eyes to search the beach. The gate closest to the beach was unlocked, and May figured either Teddiursa had been able to jump high enough to unlatch it, or someone had left it open.

As they descended the steps from the pool complex and stepped onto the beach, May felt fear begin to gnaw at her stomach. The beach was packed with people and Pokémon strolling along, playing volleyball, tanning in the sun, and swimming and surfing in clear waters – many more people than Ash and the others had encountered early in the morning.

The group split up, making a plan to meet back within a half hour to see if any had found Teddiursa. If not they would have to figure out some other plan.

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Ekab Beaches

Dawn moved quickly through the crowds after her unfruitful search, hoping that the others had better luck. She pushed through a group of older teens, and saw May, Ash, and Brock already at their designated meeting place. Teddiursa was not among them.

May saw Dawn approach and looked hopefully at her. Dawn shook her head sadly and May collapsed to her knees, the tears she had held in thus far now flowing freely from her eyes. “Where could she have gone?” She sobbed out loud.

‘I’m such a horrid trainer and even worse mom. How could I have been so stupid? I should have been watching her.’ She thought as buried her face in her hands, her shoulders jerking visibly.

Ash awkwardly placed his hand on her shoulder, but she continued sobbing. Dawn knelt in front of her and pushed Ash’s hand out of the way before she firmly gripped both of her shoulders.

“May, I know you’re upset and really worried about Teddiursa, but you can’t help her unless you pull yourself together. We need to figure out what we’re going to do next.” Dawn said in a low, gentle voice.

This got through to the brunette, and her sobs slowed. She sniffed loudly, swiping at the tears on her face. “You’re right Dawn. We’ve got to figure out what happened to…”

She gasped, interrupting her own sentence as a thought came to her. “Ash, does Team Rocket still follow you guys around everywhere?” She asked, her voice still shaky.

Ash nodded. “Yeah, they do…. Wait, I see where you’re going with this – you’re thinking Team Rocket stole Teddiursa?” He frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t know, I’d think with all of the Pokémon there they’d go all out to steal them all. And we don’t know if they managed to follow us here.”

“But they could have,” May insisted, desperate for some something to focus on, “she could have wandered away and they could have decided to keep it simple and get away without being noticed. Or it could have been someone else that decided they’d like a Teddiursa.”

Ash nodded. “You’re right, May. There’s so many people here we’d…”

Ash’s sentence trailed off as he saw the sun flash off a white crescent mark further in the crowd. It was complete chance that he’d been glancing that direction and saw it that far away.

Then he got a glimpse of a young man wearing a tan vest, and a brown wide-brimmed hat, who was clutching a Teddiursa in his arms. That was all he needed to see. He could feel in his gut that this wasn’t just a coincidence of a kid walking the beach with his Teddiursa.

“Hey! You! Get back here with that Teddiursa!” He bellowed, startling the other three who had been waiting for him to complete his sentence. He shoved past Brock and dashed down the beach, slipping in and out between members of the crowd. The others soon realized he had spotted the missing Pokémon and raced after him.

At Ash’s second shout, the boy realized someone was calling to him, and he turned around. Ash realized he couldn’t be that much older than himself. He saw the boy’s eyes widen when he spotted Ash charging up to him.

He stopped a few feet in front of the boy, breathing heavily. He clenched his fists at his sides and demanded angrily, “Who do you think you are that you can just snatch somebody’s Pokémon off the beach? Giver her back, you thief!”

The young man threw one arm out in a defensive gesture, his palm pointed toward Ash, while his other arm remained wrapped around the Teddiursa who had buried its face in the front of his vest as Ash began yelling.

“Whoah there! I ain’t a bloody thief, an’ I didn’t snatch anyone’s Pokémon off the beach, an’ I sure wouldn’t just give up Teddiursa t’some nutter that comes charging willy nilly across the beach screamin’ his head off.”

“If you’re not a thief then why do you have my friend’s Teddiursa?” Ash asked, ignoring the young man’s last comment.

“Your friends-” he broke off and looked down at the Teddiursa. “Wait, I can explain-”

“Sure, that’s what they always say,” Ash growled, his fists clenched tighter as he prepared himself to fight the boy for May’s Teddiursa if it came down to it.

Ash heard his friends run up behind him, panting. He grew confused when the other boy’s expression, indignant at being cut off in the middle of his explanation, dissolved into a relieved look.

“May!” He exclaimed as he started to move to walk around Ash.

“I take it you’ve been lookin’ for this cheeky little bugger?” He said, in a pronounced accent that Ash only then noticed, as he gestured to the Pokémon in his arms.

Ash moved quickly in his path to keep the stranger away from his friends, but May had already brushed past him.

“Nate!” She cried, as she threw her arms around both the boy and her Teddiursa. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!” She said, her words muffled by his shoulder.

He was startled, and awkwardly patted her on the back with his free hand. “Y’welcome, May,” he said to her.

May pulled back and took Teddiursa into her arms and held her tightly. Teddiursa looked up at her trainer curiously, wondering why her face seemed to be wet. She reached up with one paw and rubbed one of the tears falling down her trainer’s face.

May let out a choked giggle at her Pokémon before her face grew serious. “Teddiursa, don’t you ever run off like that again without telling anyone what you were doing. I was so scared that you were hurt somewhere and none of us would be able to find you.” She said, burying her face in the fur on the top of her Pokémon’s head.

When her breathing calmed down, she looked up at Nate once more. “Thank you again for finding her.”

He grinned. “No worries, May. But I can’t take all the credit. She’s the one that found me. I was layin’ on the beach, tryin’ t’sleep, an’ then I got pounced on by this little sheila – scared the bloody daylights out of me. I figured you’d be lookin’ for her, so I was headed for the hotel here t’look for ya, before this bloke decided t’rip me a new one,” he said, nodding in Ash’s direction.

Ash looked on with a sheepish look on his face, and felt jealousy course through him as he watched the two interact. May looked over at him, and he knew what she wanted.

“Um, sorry ‘bout before, you know, calling you a thief and all. I just thought-”

“No worries, mate. Ya wanted t’help your friend find her Pokémon, an’ thought I was tryin’ t’steal her. I’da prob’ly done the same thing m’self.” Nate interrupted.

Dawn was eying up the newcomer with interest. He was somewhat taller than Ash, and had a stronger build while still somewhat lithe like Ash had – definitely more muscular. He had warm brown eyes and a cocky grin on his face which seemed to suit him well. A long, pale white scar ran down the right side of his face from just above his eyebrow to the lower parts of his cheek, standing out against his tanned skin.

‘Wow,’ she thought, a small blush coming to her cheeks, ‘he’s pretty… hot.’

She found herself wondering, if he and May were an item – they certainly seemed to be close, and she secretly hoped they were a couple. She then finally realized that even if things never ended up working out with Ash, if he didn’t return her feelings, there were plenty of other people she could eventually fall in love with.

Nate realized that there were two other people standing around him besides May and Ash. “Where’re my manners? Th’names Nate Fisher,” the young, deeply tanned teen said, tipping the brim of his slouch hat in respect to the two girls in front of him. “Nice t’meet ya.”

He extended a hand toward Dawn and took hers. “An’ this lovely sheila must be Dawn,” he said.

It seemed to Dawn like the temperature had risen several degrees, and what felt like most of her blood fled to her face. “Uh, yeah,” she squeaked out.

“May’s told me about all three of ya. You’re a Coordinator, right?” He asked.

She nodded, and he continued. “My mum’s a Coordinator back home. Still competes in the local Contests.” He turned to the other two.

May gestured toward the ebony haired Trainer first, and then to the tall brown haired Breeder. “This is Ash, and this is Brock.”

Both stepped forward to shake his hand. Ash gripped his hand firmly, pouring out the jealousy he felt after he saw Dawn’s reaction to Nate into his handshake.

“Nice to meet you,” Brock said with a smile, “Obviously you know May. Did you compete in the Johto Contests with her?”

May spoke up first. “Oh, no, Brock. Nate’s a League Trainer, not a Coordinator. We actually met on the cruise over here and became friends.”

Teddiursa began squirming in May’s arms until she let her climb to the ground. The tiny bear scurried over to Nate and began to tug incessantly on the leg of his swimming trunks. “Tedd, Tedd,” she called up to him.

“More!” He said with mock astonishment. “Well, I guess y’can have a few more. But no more after this or your mum’ll be cross at me for ruinin’ your appetite,” Nate said as he knelt next to Teddiursa and rummaged through his rucksack. He pulled out a cellophane bag, the top of which had been rolled shut. He unrolled it and removed several pieces of Gummi candy, and held them out to Teddiursa.

She eagerly snatched them from his hands and shoved them into her mouth. She cooed happily and chewed on them, her eyes closed as she let the sweet flavor fill her mouth.

May smiled at her Pokémon’s antics. Teddiursa, like most of her species, loved most anything that was sweet. She seemed to have become addicted to Gummi candy in particular.

“Speaking of appetites,” May said, “why don’t you come and have dinner with us Nate?”

“Yeah!” Dawn said enthusiastically, “We should be heading off for dinner soon anyway. You should join us.”

Nate’s eyes strayed to Ash, from whom he had earlier sensed hostility and jealousy when he talked to both girls. He saw Ash looking impassively at the others, but thought he could see the muscles of his jaw clench slightly as they asked Nate to dinner.

He shook his head. “Nah, wouldn’t want t’intrude. I know you’ve been really excited about seein’ these three, an’ I don’t want t’interrupt your time with your friends-”

May interrupted, shaking her head firmly. “You wouldn’t be intruding, Nate. Besides, you’re my friend too. C’mon, please?” She said, her eyes begging him. When she saw his expression falter, she set her lower lip in a small pout.

“Agh, alright, alright, y’don’t hafta give me that look!” He said. “Bloody hell, that should be outlawed. Shouldn’t be legal to do that to a bloke,” he muttered.

May smiled widely. “Great! We just need to get changed and we’ll be ready to go. Meet you down in the lobby?”

Nate nodded. “Alright, when’d y'wanna meet?”

Ash grinned for the first time since they had met as he spoke up. “Knowing these two, it’ll be an hour for them to get ready.”

Dawn gave an indignant gasp. “Ash Ketchum! Just because we want to spend our time to make sure we look good doesn’t mean you have to make fun of us. What do you think would happen to you if you made that crack to a girlfriend? She’d probably smack you upside the head, that’s what! Besides, it should only take half an hour,” she said.

May shook her head as the two continued to bicker. “Sounds like we’ll see you in about a half-hour.”

“Okay, I gotta change too. Seeya then,” he said as he slung his rucksack back over his shoulder and began to walk toward the south wing of the hotel.

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Room 1015, The Golden Azumarill

“Why do we have to go to dinner with that guy?” Ash grumbled as he lay back on the bed, flipping through the channels on the room’s television.

He and Brock were waiting in their room while May was getting ready in her own room, and Dawn was showering in the bathroom to get rid of her “pool hair” as she termed it.

Brock looked up from the magazine he was reading. “Well, he’s May’s friend, and she wanted him to come. Besides, I think he’s a pretty nice guy, don’t you?”

Ash scowled. “I dunno. He seems like an okay guy, but what if it’s just an act? There’s something I don’t like about him.”

Brock smiled – the perfect moment to confront Ash on his suspicions had arrived. “Are you sure it isn’t that you don’t like the fact that May and Dawn were eying him up like a fresh cut of meat?”

“What? No! Why would that matter?” Ash protested.

“Uh-huh…..” Brock said, disbelief evident in his voice, “come on Ash, I’ve known you for over five years now. You’ve got a thing for both of them, don’t you?”

Ash sighed and closed his eyes as he rested his head back on his pillow.

“Is it that obvious?” Ash asked in a defeated tone, knowing Brock would never give up on it until he admitted to it.

Brock laughed. “Not too obvious unless you know what to look for. And I’ve had plenty of experience the hard way of telling when a person doesn’t like you.”

“What am I gonna do, Brock? I like both of them, and I don’t even have a clue if either of them even feels slightly the same. Even if they do, how would I choose?” Ash asked, frustrated.

“You could try flipping a coin,” Brock remarked.

Ash raised his head and looked at the Breeder in disbelief. Brock managed to maintain a serious face for several moments before he broke into laughter.

“That’s up to you, Ash. I think you’ll be able to tell when the time comes. Now, as to whether they like you the same way, I don’t think you have to worry too much. I think Dawn at least has a crush on you. May…. I’m not completely sure. Something changed while she was in Johto. Nothing big, but… she’s not quite the same May I’m used to,” he said, beginning to think out loud.

He shook his head. “Then again, we’ve only seen her less than half a day. She’s definitely become much more independent after journeying around on her own like she did.”

He looked to Ash who was nodding thoughtfully at his observations. “Anyway, would you please give Nate a chance? He seems like a nice guy, and May seems to like him. Besides, you know that Pokémon typically have good instincts toward people, and remember how Teddiursa was all over him.”

Ash groaned. “Alright, I’ll try to be nice. But just remember that Harley played the nice guy card once too, and look what happened then.”

“If anything happens, feel free to say ‘I told you so’. But remember – be nice. You certainly won’t get on May’s good side if you act like a jerk toward her friend.” Brock said, and then winked. “And now you’ve confirmed my suspicions on just how much you’d like to be on May’s and Dawn’s good sides.”

“Hey!” Ash exclaimed and tossed a pillow at Brock. “You better not tell anyone else. I can already tell I’ll have enough teasing coming from you.”

“Don’t worry, Ash. Your secret’s safe with me, but to ensure continued protection you could always give me a few bucks for a bouquet of flowers that I can give to Melonie.” Brock said sighing wistfully as he remembered the trainer he had met in the pool before the frantic search for Teddiursa.

Ash grumbled and pulled out his wallet. “Evil blackmailer,” he muttered under his breath as he handed Brock several dollars.

Further conversation was cut off when the sound of the hair dryer shut of, and Dawn emerged moments later. She had changed into a pink blouse and a short black skirt. Several locks of her hair were now braided, and fell down over the top of the rest of her hair which she allowed to flow freely over her back.

She stuck her tongue out at Ash, a gesture that left him with a strange feeling in his stomach, and said, “See, that was only twenty-five minutes and we still have five to spare, Mr. Girls-take-an-hour-to-get-ready.”

He snapped his eyes away when he realized he had begun to stare at her. He sighed heavily. “Well, I guess you proved me wrong,” he said with mock reluctance.

“You better believe it. Maybe you’ll think next time before you try to make fun of a lady,” she said as she hopped onto the bed next to him and elbowed him playfully in the side.

Ash’s stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly.

Dawn laughed. “Ash doesn’t need a watch, he can use his stomach to tell time. Let’s go you two, before it starts complaining any louder.” She said, still laughing as she headed for the door.

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A/N: Well, that’s that. So, we see more of May after that evil cliffhanger, and we meet a new character who adds to the drama between Ash/May/Dawn. Sorry I took so long getting this one out – things turned out to be more hectic in RL than I expected.

Couple of notes on this chapter.

First, some might take issue with Ash saying the Sinnoh League is the first he really won – That is my personal view, and it is the view he will maintain in this fic. I know he’s won the Battle Frontier, but that isn’t really a League, and I know he won the Orange Islands, but the impression I got was they were not a professional league (no torch, no Mr. Goodshow, etc.).

Second, for those of you not sure (or those never been exposed to some of the phrases), yes, Nate is Australian (or at least the Pokémon world version – more on that next chap). Now, I am not Australian myself, so there may be some messups of using Aussie slang incorrectly (or using US slang when Aussies use a different word), so any Aussie readers feel free to correct me. I have two Australian friends I used to hang out with (they’re back in Australia now – exchange students), so I got most of it from what I picked up from them.

Anyway, I’m starting to rant so I’ll wrap up here. Next chap will (hopefully) be up in a week.

Please, everyone, give me your comments and feedback on this chap.

[Gavin Luper]

Well, I may just be skimming this fic for mod duties, but you DID shout out to any Aussie readers, and that includes me. So even though I haven't read the rest of your fic so far, I'll offer the best feedback I can on the ockerisms for ya.


“Whoah there! I ain’t a bloody thief, an’ I didn’t snatch anyone’s Pokémon off the beach, an’ I sure wouldn’t just give up Teddiursa t’some nutter that comes charging willy nilly across the beach screamin’ his head off.”

Willy nilly - that must be an Aussie expression? This sounded fine, though "ain't" never sounds truly Australian to me; it might be more common to hear "I'm not", though I could be totally mistaken here.


“I take it you’ve been lookin’ for this cheeky little bugger?” He said, in a pronounced accent that Ash only then noticed, as he gestured to the Pokémon in his arms.

Cheeky little bugger is such a grouse phrase. Totally cliched sounding, but that doesn't mean you won't hear it said by some Aussies.


“No worries, May. But I can’t take all the credit. She’s the one that found me. I was layin’ on the beach, tryin’ t’sleep, an’ then I got pounced on by this little sheila – scared the bloody daylights out of me. I figured you’d be lookin’ for her, so I was headed for the hotel here t’look for ya, before this bloke decided t’rip me a new one,” he said, nodding in Ash’s direction.

Good observation with the way Aussies tend to shorten or flatten vowel sounds, especially between words (ie. in the case of "to"); or with "y'welcome", previously. Although it looks a bit overdone to see it written, that's exactly how I'd write it myself I think, and I've seen other writers do it too. It's definitely a nice touch to Nate's character to make him a bit ocker. The only thing that stood out was the "rip me a new one" --- I haven't ever heard that said by people I know, though again, doesn't mean it's not said elsewhere.


“No worries, mate. Ya wanted t’help your friend find her Pokémon, an’ thought I was tryin’ t’steal her. I’da prob’ly done the same thing m’self.” Nate interrupted.

Ditto with the above comments - apostrophes are apparently our friends. "No worries, mate" would have to be the most stock-standard Aussie phrase, I reckon.


“More!” He said with mock astonishment. “Well, I guess y’can have a few more. But no more after this or your mum’ll be cross at me for ruinin’ your appetite,” Nate said as he knelt next to Teddiursa and rummaged through his rucksack.

"Your mum'll be cross." --- love it.


She eagerly snatched them from his hands and shoved them into her mouth. She cooed happily and chewed on them, her eyes closed as she let the sweet flavor fill her mouth.

May smiled at her Pokémon’s antics. Teddiursa, like most of her species, loved most anything that was sweet. She seemed to have become addicted to Gummi candy in particular.

Nothing to do with Australianisms - just found that to be a cute moment.


“Agh, alright, alright, y’don’t hafta give me that look!” He said. “Bloody hell, that should be outlawed. Shouldn’t be legal to do that to a bloke,” he muttered.

The repetition of the last two sentences seems maybe a bit like the Aussieness is forced, but having said that, I can think of at least one of my mates who could get away with saying those lines exactly and not sound unusual. And if we're taking Nate to be a slightly ocker Aussie, this fits with his character.

I hope I've been helpful in some way. It's really cool to see a notably Australian character popping up in a fanfic. Having a glance at the rest of your fic, it seems like you've got a solid, well-written piece going on here. The layout, at least, is really pleasing to the eye, and your narration is clear and strong. It's not immediately clear to me what the plot of the overall piece is, and it feels maybe a bit cluttered with main characters, but those are generalisations I've made from a sweeping glance at your fic; sorry if I've overlooked the facts.

Good luck with the next chapter, dude.

Cheers!

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Well, nice re-intro of May! I just realised most of the chapter revolved around her, but that's normal to introduce such an important chapter.

I saw you thought of going with the most likely story for how the Johto Grand Festival played out for May:


“Well, in the first few rounds I was against several different Coordinators from Johto; one I had met before but the rest were mostly strangers. In the first round of the final four I went against Harley,” May said, her nose wrinkling as she said his name in annoyance.

“In the final round I had to face off against Drew. That was a really close round. I ended up winning when the time ran out because I had a few more points than him.”


That's good, and really the only thing I would have thought of when I'd imagine what she went through, but see to it you don't start stereotyping.
I don't recall the last time it was Ash and not May that went bezerk on food (except for when he returned from Hoenn), so his stomache rumbling all the time comes unexpected to me (then again, I haven't seen any episodes of the middle-to-late Battle Frontier or Sinnoh saga).
... That isn't to say I didn't really enjoy the return of Pikachu's ketchup obsession in the previous chapter. :D

Oh, so now it's a four-way shipping matchup, ey? Let's see how Nate stands his man in front of Ash... Meh, the frixtion between them is nothing a couple of League-war story-exchanges and a heated, equally-matched Pokémon battle can't cure.

I like what you did with Brock, by the way. He's able to be himself (a.k.a., flirt around) without an ear-pulling or butt-jabbing interruptor in the way. That, and his status as the senior member of the group stands out more, what with him playing Doctor Love for Ash.
And TR's cameo was entertaining. They didn't need to grab the spotlight in this chapter (May already had it), so they didn't.

Keep up the good work! I'm waiting to see more, "'specially of them funny accents you's pourin' 'round there."