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Max Maple knew the second he set eyes upon them. His eyebrows had furrowed, then shot up near his hairline, and finally settled down as he smirked in a way that was far from innocent. Ash hadn't liked that one bit from the beginning, and he wished he had told both Max and his sister, May, that he couldn't take them with him to Pallet Town.
Oh, how he wished he had.
May had not noticed anything out of the ordinary, much as Bonnie, Serena, and Clemont had not. The brunette was happy to see Ash again and even more eager to meet the three girls he had brought with him. She and her brother had insisted on meeting Ash along the main road through Hoenn, so that he could cut down on his time traveling. Her happy chirps mingled with those of Bonnie, Serena, and Dawn as they had all decided on picnicking that afternoon. Her brother of course whined as she teased him about the 'pretty little girl' Bonnie was, but once the four girls gathered together to talk and get acquainted, he spent his time eyeballing Ash Ketchum and his former rival, Gary Oak, suspiciously.
He knew. There was no question that he did. Further more, as Dawn had guessed previously, he seemed to just know off the bat that Ash was keeping secrets.
"Why does he keep doing that?" Gary had finally asked, softly. Max, talking animatedly with Clemont a few paces away, glanced in their direction once more. Ash didn't need clarification on what Gary was talking about.
"...I have a bad feeling that I know." Was the dark-haired boy's muttered answer. Gary winced, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I dunno how he caught on so quick. We haven't done anything."
"We weren't doing anything weird when Dawn met up with us, either." Gary pointed out. "This's what I was afraid of...people just knowing."
Ash scoffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't care about the other male's fears regarding their newly-founded relationship; it was more of the fact that Ash seriously did not think his friends would make too much of a fuss over it if they knew. He had been against keeping quiet about it from the start. Although he understood the concerns, especially when it came to at some point telling their family members, they frustrated him. "...We wouldn't have to worry about it if they already knew."
That would sting, and he knew it. Immediately he cursed himself for allowing it to slip out, but turning to look at Gary showed that the damage had already been done: the researcher looked infuriated and embarrassed all at the same time, and was deliberately looking elsewhere. Ash opened his mouth, perhaps to apologize, before noticing Max approaching. He was immediately on alert. The look on the blue-haired boy's face was anything but kind.
He stopped right in front of both Ash and Gary, looking from one to the other with his arms crossed over his chest. Gary was nervously looking around to see if anyone was watching, though they weren't. A wide smirk split Max's face.
"Soooo~" He all but sang, finally, "You're Gary Oak? You don't look like a researcher."
Both older boys shared a moment of surprise and relief before Gary cleared his throat to reply. "No, guess not. We come in all shapes and sizes, though."
"Nah, y'know what YOU look like?" Max continued, almost as if he hadn't heard Gary at all, "Yoooouuuu look like somebody who's got something to hide. But then again, Ash does, too. Hm, wonder what two people could be hiding together?"
Beside Ash, Gary swallowed loudly. "A lot of things." Ash took the liberty of supplying. His hand went to his belt, and he took a Pokeball from it with a soft click. Stretching out his hand to Max, he smiled as warmly as he could. "Like a new Pokemon."
The distraction seemed to work. Max's smirk slipped away, replaced by innocent curiosity as he took the ball from Ash and examined it. "...What kind of Pokemon? It's not something like the Bidoof of Kalos, is it?" He asked, suspiciously.
Ash couldn't help but laugh. "No way. It's something really cool, but Gary's pretty much here to make sure it's trained a certain way, right Gary?"
"Yep." Was the quick agreement. Max didn't comment on it, instead focusing on the heat coming from the ball.
"...It's super warm...what IS it?"
At that point, the girls had finished with poor Clemont and were headed their way. Ash was relieved to have them closer, hoping whatever Max was trying to pull would be kept quiet while in the presence of their other friends. May bent over slightly, peering over her younger brother's shoulder at the seemingly normal Pokeball, and he handed it to her gently. She straightened, the expression on her face showing she also had noticed the odd amount of heat coming from it.
"Well, it's a fire-type for sure." She finally said, looking up at Ash. Her blue eyes were full of bemusement, and she looked around to see Ash's other friends grinning secret smiles at her. "...It's important, huh? Well, lemme see, Ash!"
The ball was lightly tossed into his waiting hands, and he stepped back. Serena gently pulled May back a few paces, and by extension Max, who skittered after the brunette hurriedly. Ash waited for them all to be ready before enlarging the ball and tossing it out in front of himself.
The large ball of white light that emerged grew only steadily larger, towering over all eight trainers in seconds. May and Max's eyes were wide with wonder, which only increased as the yellows, oranges, and reds of the Pokemon faded in. Even though Ash had seen Moltres emerge from its ball many times, now, he had to admit that the sight of the bird was still amazing. It peered down at the line of faces in front of it before letting out a loud squawk that sent Max sprawling backwards on his bottom, then turned to find its trainer. Ash reached up immediately, accepting its graceful head into his hands and its forehead to his own.
"Whoaaaa...!" Came Max's breathy voice. He was back on his feet, adjusting his glasses. "A real Moltres...! How'd you get one, Ash?!"
"I'd like to know, too!" May piped up, moving slowly around so she was standing near Ash, examining the bird timidly. "It would be so perfect for--"
"Contests! I said that, too!" Dawn happily exclaimed.
May grinned widely at her - Ash knew for sure that all three of the older girls would get along just fine - and nodded. "Yeah!"
"Gary revived it in Professor Rowan's lab in Sinnoh." Clemont explained, looking down at Max as he did so. "It came back as an egg. When it hatched, Professor Rowan and Gary agreed that Ash should train it."
"Too cool!" Was the little boy's reply, his grin wide on his face once more. "You're always so lucky, Ash! This is the coolest thing ever!"
"More like the hottest."
"Dawn..." Ash groaned. "That was horrible..."
The blue-haired girl giggled. "Well, come on, somebody had to make the joke!" She tried to say, only to be met by a few tired sighs. With a huff, she placed her hands on her hips and put her nose in the air. "You're all just not accustomed to high-society humor in Sinnoh."
"...Is that really what rich people sound like there?" Max asked, blinking.
"BOY you're dumb. Even I know she's joking." Bonnie crowed, crossing her arms. Max stuck his tongue out at her, and she pulled down her lower eyelid. Both of their older siblings pulled them away gently from one another, nervously giggling. "...It was a crummy joke, though, Dawn."
The banter that erupted then left Moltres bewildered. It ruffled its feathers, chirping softly as it watched them all chatter, and finally turned back to Ash as if for an explanation. He smiled, running a hand over the feathers of its wing. "Did you wanna stretch your wings a little?" The dark-haired boy asked, softly. Moltres considered his offer before jerking its head in a nod. It lowered its wings, allowing Ash to climb up onto its back. This was enough to quiet his friends; all of them swiveled to watch him adjust himself on the Legendary bird's back. "We'll be back in a little bit. May, can you and your brother take everyone to the Pokemon Center?"
"Sure." Came the brunette's voice, her eyes wide as she watched Moltres step back and forth impatiently. "You mind if Drew stops by for a little bit?"
Beside her came a whining groan. "Oh no...not your boyfriend..."
"Max!" May admonished, though her face was anything but red. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips as she glared down at her little brother. Max didn't look guilty for having said what he had at all, and instead frowned up at her defiantly.
"They would've found out eventually!"
"That doesn't mean it's any of your business to tell people! Why can't you just nose out?"
The small, bespectacled boy crossed his arms but didn't reply. A few of Ash's other friends were laughing softly - Clemont was sympathizing with May - but Gary looked deeply unnerved. When he finally noticed Ash watching him, the look he gave the dark-haired male was filled with concern. There was a slightly-loud shrill, and Moltres peered back at Ash with rare annoyance on its face. "It's fine, May." He called, hurriedly, stroking Moltres's neck to calm it. "I gotta get into the air. See ya!"
There was a rousing chorus of farewells before Moltres all but shot up from the ground, wings flapping downwards and rousing powerful gusts of wind. Pikachu's tiny paws dug into Ash's shoulder in a way that, a long time ago, would've been painful. Now it only reassured him that his little buddy was secure as Moltres climbed the air currents. The air was chillier further up, and it battled with the heat of Moltres's flames as to which would whip against Ash's exposed skin. Looking down briefly made him see that his friends hadn't moved from their positions, likely watching as he and the bird Pokemon disappeared off into the clouds.
When cloud cover obscured his view, he straightened. It was one thing he wished he could do more of, as a trainer: flying. Heights no longer frightened Ash. He'd stared and lept down into one too many abysses for him to be afraid of falling anymore. When he was flying on the back of a Pokemon, looking out at the world below or the tops of the clouds as he was doing at the moment, he felt some sort of other excitement take hold. Of course, before Moltres, his rides on the backs of Flying-Type Pokemon weren't usually without purpose. He could count on one hand the amount of rides he had taken just for sheer enjoyment and leisure, instead of out of emergency.
Moltres, he knew, wouldn't go far. He was free for the moment of that sort of worry. Instead, he had others to think of.
With a huff, he slumped forward slightly. Pikachu patted at Ash's hat, half to make sure it was on securely and half out of sympathy. "This is way harder then I thought it was gonna be, Pikachu..." He told it, relieved to not be speaking about the subject matter in hushed whispers. The thought of it made him frown, irritated. "Why can't we just say something, huh? May didn't look embarrassed about Drew and her being together."
"Peh-kub." The yellow mouse replied, administering another pat to his head.
"Well, it's not like either's better or worse. I'd want everyone to know and maybe deal with some of them being angry then just not saying anything at all. It feels wrong, keeping secrets from my friends..." Which was the heart of his frustration. Ash was used to sharing almost everything with his friends. Some of them had even, at some point, used his Pokemon to battle. That was about as close as he got to people, as close as he showed his trust in them. He couldn't just keep something so large a secret. It made him feel guilty. It was bad enough not telling his mother: he had been excited to, at points. Still, he could at least view Gary's reasoning for holding off on that. What Ash couldn't agree with was hiding their relationship from his close friends.
Pikachu carefully crawled down from his shoulder, and he held his starter Pokemon loosely in his arms as it head butted and nuzzled his chin. "Pika-Pika, Pi-Pi-Chu." It chirped at him, followed by a soft 'Chaaaaa' as he scratched under its chin. He couldn't completely understand Pikachu, but he knew a couple of its 'words': 'Pi-Pi-Chu' was, apparently, Pikachu's word for 'Gary'. He didn't know what else it had said, however, though he assumed it was supposed to be comforting.
Moltres made a soft crooning noise, and when it showed no change in course, Ash gathered it was also listening to him talk to Pikachu and was putting in its own two cents. What he wouldn't have given to have N around more often, if only to translate at times like then. Pikachu pushed at his chest, getting him to hold it out far enough away to where he could see its face before it began to use its paws to pull at said face. Ash was always pleasantly amused with how much Pikachu could stretch its face, but he didn't feel like laughing when his beloved Pokemon ruffled the fur on its head to look like Gary's and made a sad noise at him. No. There was nothing at all funny about that. Already feeling stupid over his careless remark earlier, seeing Pikachu mimic Gary's worry was enough to ease how frustrated Ash was over the situation.
"...I know he's scared." The trainer finally admitted to Pikachu as the Pokemon flattened its fur. He absently helped, eliciting thankful and affectionate noises from the electric-type. "But why? I trust my friends." Pikachu shook its head, frowning, and prodded him in the chest. He got the meaning rather quickly. "I know, they're not his friends. But then...doesn't he trust me? I wouldn't tell him that I trust them unless I actually did."
It was very confusing, Gary's paranoia and anxiety. As much as Ash enjoyed the other boy's company and closeness, he was beginning to find himself taxed. He'd had fingers pulled away from his own far too many times for his liking, his hand swatted away from coming anywhere near his former rival. They barely had any time alone to do much of anything, and Ash was starting to find that the long periods in between were akin to starving. He wasn't asking for much, he didn't think.
On one hand, Ash bitterly told himself that if Gary wanted to be angry with him over his earlier words then he could go right on ahead. The other side to that was that Gary was the last person Ash wanted angry with him.
"...I'm gonna have to tell him I'm sorry when we get back." Ash admitted, a sheepish frown on his face. "Maybe we just need to talk about it some more...then he'll ease up. Right?"
Pikachu gave him a semi-concerned look and a small noise to accompany it before Moltres gracefully turned and began to head back from whence they'd come.
---
"About time you got here; the girls keep looking this way and giggling. Doesn't bode well at all, if you ask me."
The Maples had graciously allowed the small group of travelers to stay in their home until they left for Jhoto, and so when Norman had let Ash in and gestured to their living room, the boy wasn't surprised to find that his friends had split by gender. He blinked at the voice, however, and turned to see Drew standing near the couches the boys had taken over while the girls gossiped at a table.
Ash and Drew were passing acquaintances, as Drew had always been more May's rival then an opponent of Ash's, but he still smiled and clasped hands with the green-haired boy. "Well, now we've got more of us then them, right? Nice to see you, Drew."
"Likewise." The other boy replied, smoothly. "I watched you fly in; that's an impressive Pokemon you landed yourself."
Shaking his head, Ash moved towards the other three males with Drew falling into step beside him. "Gary had everything to do with that, not me."
"He did say something about resurrecting it. Much nicer in person, you know." Drew commented, slyly, and Ash cringed as Gary peered up at him. The look on his face told Ash that he was by no means amused with what he'd been told in Ash's absence. "Actually, May was quite taken with him. I'm jealous~"
Though Gary seemed to soften a little at that, he was postured rigidly where he sat. His arms were tightly crossed, almost like he was pouting, and he had one leg crossed over the other. It was extremely prissy, and Ash did his best not to laugh. "Not everything I ever say about you is bad, y'know." He told the auburn-haired boy, and Gary scoffed, rolling his eyes. Pointedly, the researcher glanced to his other side, and Ash followed his gaze to see the cause of Gary's stiff position.
"You were gone a while. We'll get a chance to ride Moltres, too, right?" Max Maple was sitting very, very close to Gary, and looked almost too pleased with himself. "Gary said you would."
The dark, knowing smirk that Max had on his face told Ash all he needed to know, and he forced himself to look as neutral as possible. "Well, it's Gary's Pokemon, mostly, so I guess what he says goes." He replied, keeping his tone from dipping to what could be considered hostile tones. Nudging Gary's shoulder to make the boy look up, he jerked his thumb towards the front door. "Hey, you said you wanted progress on how Moltres was flying. Come check it over real quick." The invitation was for Gary alone, and perhaps didn't have all that much to do with Moltres. Recognition sparked in the other boy's eyes before he started to get to his feet.
Max scrambled down next to him. "I wanna see it!" He demanded.
"Uh..." Ash clearly hadn't been expecting the demand, and he frowned. "...It's nothing special, Max. He just needs to go over its stats real quick."
"So why can't I go?" The little boy whined, puffing up his cheeks.
Gary looked as though he was torn between using physical violence on the boy and burying his head into his hands out of sheer exhaustion. Clemont and Drew shared an odd look for a brief second before Drew cleared his throat. "You've been bugging and bugging Gary ever since he sat down. Cut the guy a break, Max."
As much as Ash appreciated the green-haired boy's input, it was clear that it was the wrong thing to say to Max. The boy rounded on him immediately, looking madder then Ash remembered ever seeing him. It was surprising, to say the least, especially since he couldn't remember Max ever being so angry at Drew. "Lay off! Just because you're my sister's boyfriend doesn't mean you can tell me what to do!"
Drew's demeanor changed, and Ash knew why almost immediately: He saw May's head snap up out of the corner of his eye. Her former rival looked extremely nervous, and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Max...I'm not telling you what to do, it's just a suggestion."
"You are so!" Max loudly accused, and Ash could've sworn he saw the hint of a satisfied smirk as May's footsteps approached.
"Drew?" She asked, looking between her brother and her boyfriend. She seemed only curious, but Ash could tell by the way her fists were balling up and the way her lips were drawn tightly that she, too, was bordering on exploding. "What's going on?"
Max turned to her next, stamping his foot. "He's ordering me around!"
"Wh-- May! I didn't...!"
The girl put her fists on her hips, leering at the pair of them. "You both PROMISED me you wouldn't fight anymore." Came her threatening voice. The other girls at the table behind her were watching, wide-eyed. "You PROMISED."
"Beautifly, I promise," Drew murmured, looking very ashamed of himself indeed, "I wasn't...it wasn't my INTENTION--"
"Don't you 'Beautifly' me!" The brunette finally yelled, her face going from merely angry to horrifyingly enraged in a split second. "I told you BOTH: no more fighting! THAT goes for you, too, you little Zubat!" Her hand shot out, grabbing for her younger brother's ear. Max shrieked loudly before being silenced by the girl's face dangerously close to his own, her eyes narrowed and staring into his very soul. "You go run and tell mom and dad, I dare you. Now...what's he 'demanding' you do?"
Grumbling, the boy shoved his hands into his pockets. "...I just wanted to go out and see Moltres with Ash and Gary..." He whimpered, attempting to look pitiful. "And Drew told me to stop bugging and to stay here."
May looked ready to sink down to the floor. "That's it? That's what you're throwing a fit about? Jeeze..." She turned to look up at them, and Ash realized way too late what Max's plan had been all along. "Hey, I know you just got back, and he HAS been stuck to Gary, but can you please take him out with you? It'll keep our dad from trying to find ways to hate Drew."
Looking at the others showed that Max was attempting - poorly - not to look victorious, and Drew actively mouthed an apology to the pair. With a small sigh, Ash forced himself to smile. "...Yeah. It's really not a big deal, we won't have it out of its ball for more then a minute or so."
There was a happy squeal, and Max latched onto one of Ash's legs. "You're the BEST, Ash~" He exclaimed. May shook her head, getting to her feet and murmuring something that sounded a lot like an apology to Drew. The pair squeezed hands, Drew smiling in relief as the girl went to rejoin the other females. There was a tug on Ash's jeans, and he reluctantly turned to follow Gary and an overly-eager Max outside.
Maybe Ash could have believed that it was all just about seeing Moltres, but as soon as the three of them were outside and the door was shut behind them, Max went from looking grateful to smug. "I'm glad that wasn't harder then it needed to be."
Gary finally made a sound, the first one he'd made since Ash had returned, and it was a frustrated growl. "You're the biggest brat I've ever met in my entire LIFE." He accused, leering down at the smirking child. Max didn't seem at all put off by his tone or his words. The blue-haired boy's posture and attitude resonated with Ash, and he couldn't help but laugh. It got both of the other males to look at him, each equally bewildered.
"He reminds me of you." The trainer finally admitted, and watched as Gary puffed up in offense. "He does! Look at him and tell me that's not you back when we first started training."
With another frustrated noise, Gary threw his hands up and abruptly faced away from both of them, arms crossed over his chest. Pikachu gave Ash an unimpressed look before leaping down to the ground from his shoulder. The dark-haired boy rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the mirth from his comparison die away quickly. That was twice he'd managed to offend his partner in the same day, and the idea of what a third time could warrant as far as retaliation made him wince a little. Coughing a little, he yanked Moltres's ball off his waist and tossed it out a ways. "We uh...we should hurry up."
Max was already looking excited before the Pokemon had finished appearing. "How far can we fly on it?"
"It just went for a fly..." Ash started to say, before seeing Moltres light up at the prospect of taking to the sky once more. "We're only gonna be out for a few minutes." He stammered. Moltres made a sad-sounding chirp, fluffing its feathers and attempting to look a little less disappointed. Its head turned to Gary, who was approaching it and began to check it over, and it lightly nudged him with its wing.
"You both said I could!" Came Max's shout, followed by a stamping foot that nearly claimed Ash's own toes. The bespectacled boy calmed himself, then, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Look, the way I see things, you guys owe me."
There was a pause. Ash's mouth hung open slightly as his brain rushed to process what had been said.
Gary beat him to the punch. "We owe you?" The researcher managed to say, sounding as if he was being strangled. "We OWE you!? For what?!"
Once again, Max refused to be intimidated by the auburn-haired boy. "For not telling everyone about the two of you." He stated, matter-of-factly, as if speaking about the weather. The boy took off his glasses and polished them on his shirt. There didn't seem to be any rush for him to continue speaking, regardless of the two older boys looking separate mixtures of horrified and angry. "I mean, you two're dating. And I know no one else knows." Max finally drawled, holding the lenses of his glasses up to the sunlight and squinting before resuming his polishing, "You should be thanking me. Unless you need someone to start telling everyone...I can do that."
"NO." The researcher flushed brightly as both Ash and Max snapped their attention to him. He cleared his throat, attempting to push some of the red color off his cheeks. "No. That's not necessary, even if it WAS--"
"True?" Max finished, arching a brow. "Come on. I'm younger, but I wasn't born yesterday."
Gary deflated slightly, and Ash took over. "Look, Max, there's a reason we haven't said anything yet." He began, gently, "It's not like your sister and Drew. It might not go over really well with some people."
"Not my problem." The boy crowed, grinning. "Unless you want me to accidentally tell everyone, you should treat me a little nicer."
"You want us to bribe you?" Gary weakly asked.
Max shrugged. "'Bribe' sounds harsh. It's more like--"
"It's a bribe, you little Wurmple: you're black-mailing us."
The boy blinked, then nodded. "Okay. Fine. So bribe me, or I start singing like a Chatot."
Before Gary could do something that would land him in jail, Ash caught his arm and gently tugged him to the side. "Give us a minute, Max." He hastily called over his shoulder, pulling Gary away to where Max could still see them, but not hear them if they whispered. The boy did indeed watch them for a moment or so, but then was fortunately taken in by Moltres. As the legendary Pokemon allowed the boy to examine it, Ash turned back to Gary. "What do we do?"
"You're asking me?" Gary hissed, looking borderline murderous.
"Yeah, I don't remember dating anybody else." Ash shot back, and watched Gary pout sourly in response. "Do we tell everyone now or wait until he spills the beans?"
The auburn-haired boy went from sheet-white to tomato-red in a split second, hands grabbing at Ash's collar and holding tight. "We don't do EITHER!" He whispered, harshly, "We give the kid whatever he wants and then figure out how to leave him here in the dead of night!"
"He's not going to just let us leave!" Ash whispered back, glancing back at Max and Moltres, both of whom were thankfully still occupied with one another. His eyes turned back to Gary's. "Why can't we just get this over with now? Even if we do what he says, I know Max: he might drop it for a little while, but he'll be right back at it maybe a week later, maybe less. I'm not gonna keep serving him until he gets bored and says something anyway."
"No...!"
"Gary--"
"I said NO."
Max and Moltres were looking their way, and Ash didn't need to look in their direction to know that. He didn't want to, anyway. He was staring in disbelief at Gary, who wouldn't meet his eyes and was shaking. It could have just been anger, but Ash knew better.
"...What're you so afraid of...?" He asked, quietly, more to himself then to the other boy he was addressing. When Gary didn't answer or even bother to look at him, Ash felt himself getting angry. "Why can't we just tell them? What's so wrong about any of this that we've got to worry about BRIBING one of my friends to keep it quiet...?! No--" He grasped Gary's wrists tightly when the other boy tried to pull away, "Answer me! I don't see why we've gotta keep hiding."
"I told you why, before." Gary snapped, finally, "Because we're both--"
Ash didn't get to hear the rest of it, but the intervention for such wasn't anything he was grateful for. Moltres at that moment rent a loud cry that was a mixture of rage and distress, causing both boys to snap their heads in its direction. What Ash saw made any frustration over their argument drop away, replaced by fury. There was laughter ringing in his ears already, and he barely heard the door to the Maples' fly open.
In hindsight, he should have seen this coming sooner. Even before the stupid motto started, and long before the modified net had been thrown over not only Moltres, but Max and Pikachu as well. Having Moltres out in the open was risky, of course, but he had done the one stupid thing he had promised himself he wouldn't do: turn his back to the Pokemon.
Thankfully, Team Rocket had always been more of a nuisance then an actual problem.
"-the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Oh shut up." Gary finally snarled from beside Ash. Jessie barely got out an indignant squawk before the boy spoke again. "How long's it been going on, now? Just take the net off and get lost, we all know how this is going to end."
"They're still at it?" May groaned. The tall red-head, Jessie, tossed her hair and scowled at them.
"Still rude as always," The young woman bitterly ground out, "Unfortunately for you, you've already lost!"
Snickering, the blue-haired male next to her hefted up his net-gun. "That's right. We've been watching for the perfect moment to strike since that egg first hatched."
"We wouldn't have been able to break into the lab." Jessie admitted, one hand on her hip. "But to be fair, we didn't even know it was there until Twerp One and Twerp Two came running on out with it. It was only a matter of waiting until your backs were turned to grab it! And thanks to your little lover's spat," She sneered, while Gary made a noise like an angry tea-kettle, "we had our moment!"
"And now we have YOUR bird!" James finished. "AND Pikachu!"
Jessie laughed wickedly, fanning her face. "I was really starting to enjoy the little soap-opera, too. But now that we have your Pikachu and Moltres, I guess we won't be seeing any more of each other, will we?~"
"Let them go, Team Rocket!"
"Or what?" The red-head grinned, coldly. "Give up."
Beside Ash, he heard Gary sigh tiredly. "Let's get this over with." The researcher grumbled, and Ash nodded. He waved to the crowd at the door, now joined by Norman, and every trainer there unclipped a ball from their belts and tossed them forward. There was the tell-tale pop of a ball being opened next to him, and when Ash looked next, Gary was shadowed by the enormous bulk of his Arcanine. A smaller, darker bit of shadow with yellow rings barked, and Arcanine lowered itself into a crouch beside Umbreon.
To his surprise, even faced with so many Pokemon and capable trainers, the duo just laughed.
'Duo...' He thought, absently, and with a jolt he realized that the third member of the criminal's party had yet to speak up or even appear.
"Wait..." Ash heard himself say, "Where's Meowth?"
"GLAD YA DIN' FAH'GET 'BOUT ME, NYAHAHAHAHA!"
With a tremendous crash, a large metallic body stepped out of the tree line behind Jessie and James. Ash was no stranger to Team Rockets' strange-looking vehicles, but they never failed to startle him. The one Meowth was apparently commandeering was appropriately shaped just like him, and easily two stories tall. How they had gotten their organization to give them yet another giant mech was anyone's guess, seeing as the trio notoriously never had anything to show for their efforts. One of the mecha-Meowth's arms reached over, and with a start, he saw that the end was nothing more then a hollow tube. Much like a vacuum-cleaner, it sucked at the net on the ground. He didn't even think: the trainer ran forward and latched onto the net, attempting to pull it and keep it anchored to the ground as well as attempt to force it open enough to free the Pokemon - and Max - inside.
To his dismay, he found the net was made of some sort of metal and plastic. Whatever it was was impervious both to Moltres' intense heat and fire and Pikachu's electricity. Both Pokemon had only tried it once before realizing this, and seemed reluctant to try again with Max in such close proximity. The bespectacled boy looked terrified, and Ash forgot all about how irritated he had been with him prior. "Just hold on, Max, we'll get you out of there...!"
"Ash-!" Hands latched onto the net next to his own, followed by a black blur that streaked up onto the top. Umbreon aimed a Shadow Ball into the black maw of the tube, but with a cruel laugh from Meowth, the Pokemon was instead lifted right off of the net and sucked up into the robot. Gary gave an enraged shout next to him before he, Ash, and the net followed right along after her. For a moment, all he heard was the deep sucking noise of the vacuum before the net tumbled, smashing him up against the roof of the tube. Ash saw stars, and then the noises faded away.
'I'm blacking out--'
--
The world was rocking underneath him when he began to come to. Coupled with the dull ache throbbing away in his head, it was enough to make him feel sick. He had barely moved when warm hands gently took hold of his face.
"Ash? Are you awake?"
"Is he okay?"
The first voice - closer, and most assuredly the owner of the warm hands - sighed in relief. "I think he'll be all right. He's got a harder head then most."
"I heard that..." Ash mumbled, scrunching his face up before reaching for it with his own hands. They felt like they were made of lead. "Gary?"
He felt a thumb gently run over one of his cheekbones. "Course." Gary answered, quietly, "I know your head better then most."
"V'ry funny..." Slowly, he slit open one eye, and was thankful when the area around him proved to be shaded. Two darker patches were overing over him, and when he opened both eyes, the smaller of them shrank back a little. Ash recognized the round frames immediately. "Max...'re you okay?"
"Me?!" The boy squeaked, only to have the other shadowy mass shush him harshly. Max swallowed, and in a quieter voice said: "You're the one who was bleeding..."
Frowning, Ash reached up further. His fingers brushed his hair, hat absent, and he grimaced when they touched now-tacky blood matted into the back of his head. One of the hands on his face reached back, knocking his hand gingerly away from the wound. "'S it bad?"
"No." Gary's voice came again, and Ash could now make him out as the other shadow. "Head wounds just tend to bleed a lot more then necessary. You're probably fine." But the concern in his voice was hard to disguise. When Ash tried to sit up, the hand that had kept his own away from his busted scalp pressed flat to his chest and kept him on the floor. "Not yet." And when Ash began to protest, Gary gave him a very forced half-smirk. "Humor me."
Resigned to his position, Ash tried to look around as best he could. They appeared to be in a very small, cramped cell. No electrified barriers; this was an old fashioned iron-bars set up. Across the way, he could see the other cell had the power-barrier, likely because the Pokemon inside would be able to melt iron if given the chance.
"Moltres." He grunted, watching the bird pace anxiously and pluck at its downy feathers. The cell floor there was littered with them already.
"It's been picking at itself this entire time. It's like nail-biting for bird Pokemon." Gary explained, glancing worriedly across the way into the other cell. "If it keeps up, it might rip its skin on accident."
"Where are the other Pokemon?"
Max spoke up then, sounding sincerely meek instead of merely pretending to be. "Next to us, I think. Gary's Arcanine is next to Moltres. It's really cramped...I don't think this robot was meant to hold so many Pokemon out of their Pokeballs...not big ones, anyway."
"They took the rest of our Pokeballs." Gary added on, absently brushing the hair away from Ash's face. Given his unruly bangs, this was something that needed constant doing, since they sprung back into place within seconds. "I didn't hear them talking to anyone else...I think it's just us in here. Which is good, because Norman Maple's still outside and so are the rest of your friends."
Ash nodded once - and a small nod, since any more then that made his head throb. "How long've we been in here?"
It was a relief to have Gary tell him that it hadn't been long. "An hour, maybe two, but this thing doesn't move too fast." He explained, "Your friends are probably keeping good pace with us, assuming Team Rocket hasn't attacked them. It doesn't sound like anything's slowed them down yet."
"I'm sorry." Max suddenly blurted in a small voice. "This is my fault. If you'd been paying attention to Moltres instead of fighting, we wouldn't be stuck in here."
The boy pulled his knees to his chest and put his head down in them. Gary sighed. "He's been like that since they put us in here." He murmured, "Max's been worried sick about you."
"You haven't?" Ash asked, quirking a brow. Gary smirked down at him.
"Again...I'm familiar with how hard your head is." The researcher's smirk softened. "Sure. Course I was."
Satisfied with that answer, Ash gently nudged one of Max's ankles with his hand. "Hey...come on, Max, it's not your fault." When the blue-haired boy didn't move, he nudged at him again. "Really. Gary's not mad at you and I'm not, either. It was just rotten luck...they would've come after Moltres sooner or later."
"Yeah," Max sniffled, miserably, "But you would've been prepared better if I hadn't started anything."
The pair looked at each other before Gary shrugged. "Yeah...maybe. That's still not entirely your fault. It's...mine, really. We were due for that argument for a while." When the boy finally looked up from his knees, Gary went on. "I'm just not ready to tell anyone yet...I can't really explain why, I just...the idea freaks me out a lot. And Ash is having a hard time with that because he trusts you...all of you."
When Max looked at Ash, using the heels of his hands to reach under his glasses and wipe at his eyes, Ash smiled weakly at him. "I've trusted you guys since the moment we became friends. Dawn knows, too," He admitted, and watched as the small boy perked up, "and you and her seem okay with the fact that me and Gary are...y'know...together. I really do wanna tell everyone, but...I know Gary's not comfortable with that yet. So...you get why we were both acting weird over it, now, right?"
The small boy nodded, smiling just a little. "Yeah. I'm sorry. May and Drew hate it when I butt in. It's kinda sorta okay cause she's my sister...but you're my friend. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you, too, Gary. I don't really even know you." He frowned sadly, putting his chin on his knees, "I really am a Wurmple."
"I think after this, we'll do fine." Gary reassured him. "I think we still owe you a ride on Moltres, don't we?" At his words, Max smiled a little wider.
While the pair of them were mending broken fences, Ash tried to sneak himself into sitting up. He nearly got there before Gary noticed. The researcher frowned at him, rolling his eyes. "You don't listen at all, do you? Come on, then..." Max scrambled over, then, and the pair of them helped Ash sit up straight...for a moment, and then Gary let him lean tiredly on his chest and shoulder. "See? I told you."
"You did not." Ash retorted, words muffled in Gary's jacket. "Just gimme a minute...I gotta start moving if we're gonna bust out of here."
"I don't know if we can..." Max murmured, standing and walking to the bars. "I don't see any keys anywhere..."
Gary shook his head. "There weren't any. Meowth locked the door electronically and took the tablet with him when he went back to the control room. If we could short the door, we might be able to get it to open...or permanently lock it. It depends on how finicky the system is."
"Pikachu's in a capsule next to us, so he can't help."
Frustrated, head still pounding, Ash waved a hand at the pair of them. "Okay, okay, I get it: we're stuck. I can't really do anything with my brains falling out of my head, anyway. We should at least check on the Pokemon and tell them things are okay."
"That disgusting."
"At least you're admitting I have brains." Ash shot back, "Now help me get up."
Walking was not something he wanted to have trouble with, but even rising to his feet made the entire world spin much like he was on an amusement park ride. A couple steps towards the bars had him clinging to Gary for dear life. Thankfully, the other boy didn't gripe about it. Max hurried the few steps in front of them, wrapping his hands around the bars once more and pressing his face against them. Ash did the same, partially because the bars were solid and not going anywhere and partially because the cool touch helped his aching head.
They hadn't been wrong about things being cramped: the reason their cell was so small was because it had once been much larger. Now it was split down the middle, the other side housing Umbreon and Pikachu as well as their other Pokeballs. The only reason he knew that was because he could see it reflected in the ripples of the electric wall opposite of their prison, if only for a split second before the Pokemon causing the ripples backed up to try again. Gary whistled beside him, and he winced, shoving weakly at the other boy who had the decency to look abashed for his mistake. The sound did its job, however: Arcanine stopped attempting to ram the barrier and was watching them intently. Ash could almost hear it whining.
Gary evidently could, as well. "We're okay, Arcy." He called, quietly. "All you're doing is hurting yourself. Calm down. Sit. Siiiit..." The Pokemon finally sat. "Good boy."
Ash hadn't ever seen Gary interact with Arcanine outside of battling, so his baby-talk and nickname for the Pokemon made the dark-haired trainer pause and look at the researcher curiously. "...'Arcy'?" He asked, finally, voice deadpan. Gary once again turned a bright shade of red.
"Don't make fun of him. He's still a puppy."
"Gary, he's eight feet tall."
"So?!"
"You're talking to it like it's a teacup-Lillipup!"
The auburn-haired boy's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "...Look, he's my big, stupid, lovable dog. Mind your own business. I'll call him and talk to him however I wanna. Besides, he likes it." To prove this, he made a kissing noise through the bars, calling for the large Fire-Type. "Who'sagoodboy?" Arcanine immediately began to wag its massively fluffy tail, tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth. "Who'sagoodboy? You? Yes you.~"
The large canine lay down on the floor and rolled onto its back, looking for all the world like the teacup-Lillipup Gary was treating it as, and Ash sighed. "That's really dumb, Gary. Really dumb."
"You're dumb." The researcher immediately replied, "Arcy is cute."
"Guys." The pair of them fell silent at Max's urgency. Not seconds later, Ash realized why he had spoken up.
"...We stopped moving."
Just as they had time to process this, the mech was rocked back explosively, sending all three of them crashing backwards against the back wall of their cell. Ash grit his teeth tightly as he felt the wound on the back of his head break open again, hot blood seeping through his hair and down his neck. "Looks like someone caught up with Team Rocket."
"That's not all: Look." Gary grunted, pointing across the small walkway between the prison units. It took Ash a couple seconds to see what he was gesturing to. The electrified barrier keeping in Moltres and Arcanine had vanished, and both Pokemon were steadying themselves.
Ash immediately got back to his feet, using Gary's shoulder for leverage. "Moltres!" He called out, and the Pokemon poked its beak through the bars. "Can you melt through the bars? We have to get out of here!"
When the bird-Pokemon nodded and backed up a step, Gary called for Arcanine. "You burn through the other bars, Arcy!" To Ash and Max, he added: "If we can't get Pikachu and Umbreon free fast enough, we'll have to grab those capsules and go."
"You guys think this thing's gonna explode, don't you?" Max questioned, shielding his face as Moltres began to melt the iron; the resulting tongues of flame were dancing dangerously close to the three of them.
"That's usually what happens, yep." Answered Ash. Another explosion rocked the mech, and he wrapped an arm tightly around the little boy so that he wouldn't bounce around. His head was saved by Gary doing similarly to him. A bright, snaking flame licked at his pant leg, and Ash drew his leg up immediately. "What're they hitting us with, cannons?!"
The lights flickered, then went out before being replaced with a pulsing red light. "Back-up systems," Gary murmured, mouth near Ash's ear, "Whatever they're using to hit this thing with, it just knocked out the main power for good. For a giant robot, it's not built very well. Do they use these things for show or something?"
"I have no idea, and I don't really care-- your jacket's probably ruined..."
"Better my jacket then your head." As Moltres melted through the last few millimeters of iron, Ash felt his partner's lips against his temple. "Can you do me a favor and try to stay in one piece from now on, and maybe try not to do stupidly heroic things like drag a heavy net away from a giant robot? That'd be great."
He couldn't help but smile a little, turning his head slightly so that he could press a small kiss to Gary's jaw. "I can't promise you any of that, and I'm pretty sure you know that. Thanks for worrying about me, though."
Max squirmed in Ash's grip, and he glanced down to find the boy watching them with wide eyes. It was Ash's turn to feel a bit hot in the face. He was grateful for the blinking red lights, in that moment. "Huh..." The younger boy finally said, still staring up at them. Gary had drawn back slightly, likely because he had also noticed the younger Maple's gaze was on them. "I mean...I knew, but I guess it's different seeing it. You guys really care about each other."
Neither got a chance to answer; the flames died away just as another tremendous bang rocked the floor beneath them. Moltres fluttered its wings to contain its balance, hopping away from the hole in the bars. Gary hauled Ash to his feet, and Ash let Max go. "See how Arcanine's doing on the other cell." He asked, and Max nodded before darting out of the cell towards the other fire-type Pokemon. In a lower tone of voice, he added: "Or should I call him 'Arcy'?"
Gary frowned at him, pressing something to Ash's chest as they carefully stepped over the cooling metal into the corridor. "You leave my doggy alone. Take your hat and put it on, maybe it'll stop your brain matter from leaking out...not that you have much of it left."
"You said that was gross." Ash accused, examining his hat. There were little bloody patches on the back, likely from where his head had split open, and he shuddered at the darker splotches on the already red fabric. Regardless, he put it on. His hats had always made him feel a bit more at ease. It felt like it fit too tightly, likely due to swelling around his head wound, but the feeling of being more complete still settled him a little. The only thing that would make him feel better at that point was reuniting with Pikachu.
Arcanine had made short work of the bars and was waiting and whining impatiently when the pair of them finally made their way out of their cell. Upon seeing Max struggling to release Pikachu from its capsule, Ash left Gary to his large Pokemon to help his own. He ignored the cooing behind him - oh, he was never going to let Gary live that down - and instead pressed his hands to the reinforced glass keeping Pikachu contained. "Hey buddy. You okay?" The yellow rodent nodded, pointing to its head before pressing its paws to the glass under Ash's hands. "I'll be okay. Let's get you out of there."
"Ash--!" Gary suddenly cried out, followed by a loud and ferocious snarl from Arcanine and a shriek of fury from Moltres. Ash whipped around, watching as the two Pokemon squeezed in front of the second cell. Gary had been forced through the hole by the pair of them so that both Arcanine and Moltres were effectively shielding the three boys from the sudden intruder.
Meowth seemed less pleased then he had sounded much earlier. Cat Pokemon didn't tend to get along well with their canine cousins, and that was likely why the pint-sized criminal was looking hesitant at approaching any further. The other part of it was, of course, that both Fire-Type Pokemon were easily able to dwarf him and neither was happy to see him. "I know ya in de'yah!" It called, anyway, the quiver in its voice prominent, "I shoulda know you's would get loose. It don't mattah! We still got enough juice t' get us outta he'yah! So's if I was yous, I'd sit tight and not cause no trouble!"
"It's a little late for that!" Gary called, and Arcanine gave another harsh growl that caused Meowth to shiver and step back. "Get out of the way before you get roasted!"
"I'll bet it's my sister and my dad out there! You're gonna be so sorry when they take your stupid robot down!"
Meowth bristled, mouth open for a comeback, when the next explosion hit. The cream-colored Pokemon yelped, leaping backwards nimbly. The two larger Pokemon stepped forward, and Meowth seemed to decide that was as opportune a moment to flee as ever. It barely hauled itself around the corner before Moltres's flame clipped its curled tail, calling back threats over its shoulder as it went.
There was a jolt, much smaller that time, and Ash recognized it as the robot moving again. "Sounds like it's trying to run away. We've gotta get out of here before it gets too far away from everyone--" A klaxon alarm began to wail overhead, and they all covered their ears, "Or before it explodes!"
Gary barked out a quick order to Arcanine, and the large Pokemon ran around the corner Meowth had disappeared down. The boy turned back to Ash and the capsule, squinting in the pulsating light until the other capsule containing Umbreon began to glow brightly. He gave her a grateful smile before examining the container Pikachu was inside of. "Oh thank Arceus...the idiots used something with a screw lid. Trust Team Rocket to go through the trouble of designing Poke-Proof containers only to have the lids simply screw off. Hold it tight..." Once Ash had a good grip, the auburn-haired boy grabbed the lid and strained, twisting it to the left. It took a couple seconds, then the seal hissed and the cap twisted harshly. It only needed a couple revolutions for the heavy cap to fall to the floor, and Ash dropped the capsule immediately when Pikachu jumped out. "Pikachu...!" He laughed, feeling relieved even as the alarms drilled into his already aching head. The small Pokemon chirped happily, rubbing against his cheek before climbing onto his shoulder.
Umbreon's capsule was next, and the Pokemon and her master had a less cuddly reunion - due to her size - before they ran to collect their missing Pokeballs. Fortunately, Team Rocket had had their usual lack-of-foresight in thinking the three boys would escape, and so their Pokeballs were lying out in the open with nothing to hold them. Ash snapped his back onto his belt quickly, hearing Gary do the same next to him.
Climbing back out through the hole in the bars, the trainer laid a hand on the still agitated Moltres. It made him feel elated when the bird calmed under his touch; upon first learning that he would be training the Pokemon, he had been afraid of never having a bond with it, much like he had struggled with Charizard to remain friends. It was a testament to how close he had become with the legendary bird. "You did really well. Thanks for busting us out. You mind going away for a little bit? I think we might need to fly out of here, but you're way too big to fit in here." Moltres hesitated before nodding, apparently concerned with its trainer's well-being as it leaned over and preened Ash's hair lightly. He chuckled, pushing it away. "I'm fine. I promise, we'll let you out once we're outside."
Arcanine returned just as Moltres was absorbed back into its Pokeball. "It found an exit." Gary explained, hefting Max up under the boy's arms and placing him on the Pokemon's back. Max was instructed to lay flat against the orange and brown fur, and the boy did so without question. The researcher took Ash's hand, squeezing it. "Are you going to be able to do this on foot? There's barely enough clearance for Arcanine to walk, or I'd put you up on his back, too."
Another wail of the klaxon made it feel like the blood in Ash's skull had become thousands of needles, but he tried to bite back a grimace while he nodded. "Just stay close. If I go down, then throw me over Arcanine's back like a sack of potatoes. I probably won't care much."
The small grin on Gary's face was enough to show that Ash's joking around had eased the other's concerns, but the grip on his hand didn't loosen any.
It was a short distance from the cells to the exit Arcanine had found, but every step made Ash's head feel ten times heavier. Every sound made it throb, every pulsating light became too much to look at. Umbreon was attempting to brighten the way with her luminous rings, and Ash eventually had to stop looking at her, too. They didn't encounter Meowth on their way down, but as they approached the narrow stairwell that spanned both downwards and upwards, he could hear the trio shrilly arguing with one another. The small group of escapees stayed as quiet as possible as they descended the staircase, and turned the corner at the bottom just in time to miss Jessie, James, and Meowth rush down from above onto the floor they had just left.
"They'll see we're gone in seconds...we've got to hurry!" Gary hissed next to him. Arcanine immediately bolted, followed by Umbreon with Ash and Gary bringing up the rear.
The door that they stopped in front of reminded Ash a bit of one usually in a submarine. It had a huge wheel used to keep it sealed shut and two huge bolts to further keep it locked. It looked heavy, and already he could hear Team Rocket discovering the damage they had done in their escape. He wasted no time in grabbing one of the bolts to heft it to the side. Gary grabbed the other, and once they had slid the bolts away, both of them grabbed for the heavy wheel.
"There'll probably be a drop on the other side!" Gary cautioned, as they began to force the wheel to the left, "Get ready to release Moltres!"
"And just where do you think YOU'RE going?!"
Ash didn't spare a glance over his shoulder. Pikachu had lept from his body already, and he could hear the chorus of growls as it joined Umbreon and Arcanine in a defensive line between them and the criminals. Max did the talking for the two trainers. "Oh give up already! Your robot's about to shut down and we're already at the door! Shouldn't you guys be trying to escape, too?"
"He's right, Jess--" James shrieked as he was presumably struck by the angry-tempered woman.
"Shut up, shut up! Don't say that, you idiot!"
Ash rolled his eyes and nearly fell to the floor as the wheel finally spun in his and Gary's hands. He regained his balance, helping the other boy haul the door open. Smoke billowed in, and soon the area was a mass of coughing. The robot was apparently in worse shape then it had looked from the inside.
Gary withdrew Arcanine and Umbreon, leaving the three boys exposed with just Pikachu for protection. Pikachu was usually enough, in Ash's experience, but he still called it to his shoulder. Jessie, James, and Meowth were caught in the smoke and fluctuated between being able to speak but not see and see but not speak. It was now or never.
"On the count of three, jump." He told Gary. The auburn-haired boy had picked up Max and was holding him to his chest. Both of them nodded at Ash, and he unclipped Moltres' ball from his belt. "One...!"
"DEYAH GETTIN AWAY!"
"Two...!"
He could hear hurried footsteps in their direction and gripped Gary's hand hard enough to hurt. Pikachu's claws dug into his shoulder before the Pokemon nimbly slipped down the front of his vest.
"THREE...!"
At once, he jumped, feeling no resistant tug and knowing that Gary had jumped at the same time. His finger squeezed down on the button on the Pokeball in his other hand, releasing the familiar burst of white light every trainer knew. For a moment, he thought Moltres wouldn't appear in time, that they would plummet to the ground. From the screams behind him, he knew that that was the real possibility Team Rocket was thinking of as they looked down at the falling foursome.
He was - thankfully - gravely mistaken. Moltres materialized with its wings open, catching both boys neatly onto its warm back before sweeping away in a graceful arc. From his vantage point, Ash could finally get a glimpse of the state of the mecha-Meowth: the giant robot was spewing black smoke from several places and sparking dangerously in others. It looked ready to explode for sure. And further down, clustered at its feet, was a small crowd of both people and Pokemon...both of which he recognized.
What was more, they recognized Moltres and its passengers, and a happy cheer went up before a metallic groan rent through the air behind them. One of the huge arms fell off of the mech, eliciting a resounding 'BOOM' as it hit the ground. Ash was sure it wouldn't be long, and he wasn't disappointed: within moments, the metal of the mech's body swelled for a split second before the entire thing imploded in a ball of fire and smoke. He didn't need to hear the familiar line to know Team Rocket had blasted off; the white star in the sky that showed where they had gone was enough.
There was an extreme amount of noise as the remains of the robot clattered to the earth, along with the ecstatic screaming and bellowing of Ash's friends below. Max was also making a ruckus next to him, alternating between being elated for their escape and excited for flying on a real live Moltres.
An arm settled heavily around his shoulders, gently shaking him, and he glanced back to find Gary grinning widely. "We made it!"
And Ash would've grinned likewise back at him, parroting his words, but at that moment his head gave probably the nastiest throb yet. He saw Gary's relief slide off his face just before his own eyes rolled up.
'Blacking out again--' He thought, briefly, and was glad at least to see that his final sights were of Gary securing him from falling off of his Pokemon.
--
Ash Ketchum woke up in a darkened space for the second time. The floor was still underneath him, and was thankfully much softer then it had been the first time around.
There was only one person there: Clemont, sleeping while leaning back in a plastic chair by his bed. The boy's glasses were cock-eyed on his face, his backpack between his feet. The other chair on the opposite side of the bed Ash was lying in was empty, but looked as though it had been pulled there for someone to sit on sometime earlier; it was slanted away from him, as if the person had finally had to get up and had scooted it back slightly to do so.
The lights in the hospital room were off. He thanked Arceus, Mew, and Celebi for that; the pain in his head had dulled, but he knew it could easily come back. The only noise - besides Clemont's quiet snoring - was coming from a monitor hooked up beside him, administering clear fluid through an IV drip.
There was a shuffling near his feet, and when he looked down, he saw a pair of familiar black eyes looking back at him. Pikachu uttered a happy squeal upon their eyes meeting and scrambled up over his body to nuzzle at his jaw. "Buddy~" He hoarsely whispered, reaching up to rub at the creature's head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." A yawn came from beside him, and he glanced towards Clemont. The blond was rubbing his eyes with one hand, glasses in the other, and once the gym leader had put them back on, Clemont smiled in relief. "I didn't mean to worry you, either."
Clemont shrugged. He looked exhausted, and Ash could see by what little of the window wasn't covered with blinds that the sky had grown dark. "They told us you might be out for a few hours. Thankfully, you're okay. We've been taking shifts, anyway. I'm pretty sure we're most of who's in the lobby, right now."
Ash cringed, thinking of all the folks that were likely waiting downstairs for him to wake up. "I really am sorry. I tried to hold out."
"It's not your fault...well, not entirely. Dawn thinks that was probably one of the stupidest things you've done, trying to grab the net in the first place." The boy admitted, scratching his cheek with one finger sheepishly. "But no one blames you. You all got back safe, and that's what matters."
Pikachu's red cheek nuzzled against his own, and he returned to petting the Pokemon. "I think I scared Gary, passing out again."
His friend nodded. "He did look a little unprepared for that when you all landed. Norman Maple really saved the day; he knew just what to do while we waited on an ambulance. And his Pokemon battling...he's very impressive. That's the sort of gym leader I hope I am."
Ash smiled at that, holding out a fist that Clemont bumped his own against. "You are. I guess that was him that was rocking the robot, wasn't it?"
"No, it was all of us!" Clemont scooted to the edge of his seat, leaning forward. "Everyone had their Pokemon out! It was amazing! And Dawn's Mamoswine..." The boy shuddered, blushing and rubbing at one of his cheeks. "She's...she's really something."
"Don't let Bonnie see you doing that." Ash warned, chuckling as Clemont grew pale at the words. "Thank you. I don't think we would've gotten out if it weren't for all of you. You guys shorted out the electrical barriers keeping back Moltres and Gary's Arcanine."
The blond boy nodded. "We know; Gary and Max told us what happened. Well...once we could get Max to calm down, anyway. You might need to take him back out on Moltres."
"I will...once my head doesn't feel like I got Mega Punched by a Kangaskan."
Clemont laughed softly, picking up his bag and standing. When he caught Ash's curious look, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The others wanted to know when you woke up...we're only allowed in one at a time. Anyone you wanna talk to first?" He paused, and then looked down at his toes. "Um...Serena was really worried about you."
Immediately, his thoughts jumped to Gary and the look of horror on the researcher's face when he had begun to blackout while they were flying. Dawn and Max would suspect it, and would likely insist he go up to see Ash first. Still, he shook his head. "You guys work it out, I don't really mind who comes up."
The other boy nodded, reaching over and gripping Ash's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay." He murmured, before heading out of the room and down the hall. For a few moments, it was just Pikachu and Ash, and he was just fine with that. Despite his long periods of being out cold, he found he was exhausted and looking forward to going to sleep instead of just passing out.
Tiny paws patted his cheeks, and he found himself looking down at a worried and teary-eyed Pikachu. A wave of fondness fell over him, and Ash hugged the Pokemon tightly to his chest. "I'm okay, Pikachu. I'm just glad we got you back." The small Pokemon crooned into his neck, nuzzling, cuddling, and generally being overly-affectionate. "You were really worried, huh? I guess I really did do something stupid. I'll try to think ahead next time."
A knock came at the door then, and Ash was surprised when he looked up to see Norman Maple standing there. "Mr. Maple?"
The man smiled wryly, wandering across the room and sinking in the chair Clemont had vacated. "You sound surprised. Not who you were expecting?" When Ash stammered, he laughed softly and held up his hands, "Peace, Ash. Don't hurt yourself further. My kids wouldn't be happy if I was the reason you had to stay in this hospital longer."
"Sorry. No, I guess I wasn't expecting you. Sir. Uh. But that's not a bad thing."
Norman snorted, amused. "And I'm not here to scold you, either, so don't look so tense. I know very well that you tend to get yourself involved in situations like these more often then most, if what my daughter and my son tell me is true. And while I do think your behavior was reckless," Ash winced, shrinking back into his bed a little, "I probably would have done something similar at your age. That was quite the escape, from what I've herd. Well done. Your Moltres is impressive."
"Thank you, sir."
"It trusts you." The man stated, then, and indeed looked rather impressed. "I've never seen a bird like that fret over a human being. Then again, I confess, I've never seen a Moltres before. That Oak boy you're friends with really brought it back from a fossil?" At Ash's pleased nod, the man sat back in his chair, looking thoughtful. "...Very interesting. You'd better keep him, he sounds a bit useful to just part with."
Ash had to process that, along with the knowing look on the man's face, before finally realizing what Norman was saying. "I-I...uh...what?"
"I may never have seen a Moltres fret over a human before," Norman murmured, "But I have seen plenty of loved ones do it to one another."
The boy groaned softly, putting his mouth into Pikachu's fur. "Great. I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?"
"Well no, not really. I don't believe anyone else noticed. To be fair, most of your friends were making a fuss, so it was a bit hard to catch onto. Was easier to notice your little friend Serena. That girl has it bad for you, son."
Ash only swallowed quietly. He had been trying to get around that for a while, considering the girl's behavior had gotten more prominent after picking up Gary from Sinnoh. To have someone just outright say it was forcing him to admit it to himself finally. "...I know." He all but whispered, looking down at his sheets guiltily.
May and Max's father regarded him silently for a few moments before reaching over and setting a firm hand on his shoulder, just as Clemont had earlier. "I won't judge you for your choices. Arceus knows I don't understand, but that doesn't mean I need to judge. I'll give you some fatherly advice, though: you might want to figure out how to break the news to that girl. At the very least tell her you're not interested. It's not fair to keep letting her think she has a chance if you know she doesn't...and uh...considering Oak's grandchild is all boy, I don't think she's got one. You understand?" When Ash nodded mutely, he patted the boy's shoulder before taking his hand away. "That wasn't why I came in first, in any case. I'm taking care of your hospital bill--"
"What?!"
Norman waited for Ash to settle down with a meek 'sorry' before going on. "You're a very good friend to my kids...and you helped rescue my son today. I know you've probably done it before, but it means a lot to me. I let Max travel with you a couple years back because I figured he needed to see what it was like...but it was hard. He's my son, May's my daughter...and as their father it was hard for me to just let them walk away. Your mother probably understands." And she did, Ash wasn't stupid enough to disagree with that. "I couldn't be there to protect them if something happened. Sounds like you've been doing a bit of that for me, and I'm grateful. I already battled you and gave you your badge, so let me thank you by doing this. It's the least I can do, for now."
Ash didn't know what to say, at first. He was touched by the man's generosity and his words, overwhelmed even just a little. "I...I do it for all my friends." He finally managed to blurt out, "We all work together and help one another. May and Max've done things for me, too."
"I don't doubt that." Chuckling, Norman finally left his chair. "It's all taken care of. I'll send up one of your friends now, all right? Then you just rest easy."
'For now.' Ash thought, the looming confrontation with Serena over her feelings weighing heavily on his mind as Norman left. He could stall, he supposed...but he would be alone with her, and that was always the best time to say things a person didn't want everyone else to hear.
Fortunately, his visit with Serena was spent talking about her progress with her Pokemon. She seemed elated to tell him just how well her Pancham and Braixen had performed during the fight with Team Rocket's robot. There was something awkward about how she presented herself; the constant fidgeting and lip biting and all the times she looked ready to say something only to change her mind at the last minute. She had something on her mind, and Ash spent the duration of her visit with him praying to every Pokemon deity he'd ever met to spare him that conversation. It paid off, and Serena ended their visit by hugging him around the shoulders and wishing him well.
Things went on better from there. Dawn was a sobbing mess at first before calming down and abruptly switching topics to how she planned to sneak Moltres into a contest. Ash didn't mention her gushing praise over Clemont, though he did manage to slip in that Clemont had been very taken with her Mamoswine. The girl left happily, sending in Bonnie to see him next. Even Drew had come to see him, apparently having assisted in the fight to free Ash, Gary, Max, and their Pokemon.
This was, of course, around the time Ash realized no one had mentioned Gary and that he'd had yet to see the boy.
"He's coming up last." Max explained. The boy looked just as tired as Ash felt. From what he'd caught during his visits with other friends, Max hadn't shut up from the moment his feet had touched the ground. Apparently, he was finally worn out and ready to go to bed, but not before turning up in Ash's room to check on him. "Someone needed to stay overnight with you in your room. He didn't really say anything at first, but Dawn got everyone convinced to make it him who stayed. Dad helped, actually..." He frowned, and Ash did his best to look innocent. Max caught on anyway - a feat, considering his age and the fact that he was nearly asleep in the plastic chair next to Ash's bed - and he cringed. "I swear I didn't tell him."
"Your dad figured it out on his own." Ash reassured the boy.
Max breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes, and Ash thought he had fallen asleep right then and there. Then the blue-haired boy crawled sleepily from his chair, yawning, and did his best to give Ash a hug. "Hey...I can still come with you guys for Christmas, right? I really wanna go, but I understand if you're still mad at me."
"Course you can still go. I told you before, we're not mad at you. Kinda hard to be mad after all that happened, right?" The smaller boy smiled a little, and Ash gently let him go. "Go tell your dad to carry you; you look like you're gonna fall over."
"Nu-uh..." Another yawn came, and Max grumbled, rubbing at one of his eyes. "Well...maybe I am a little tired...g'night, Ash." At the door, his friend froze, then looked shyly back over his shoulder. "Can...I still go on another Moltres ride?"
Ash barely started nodding before the younger of the Maple siblings threw a fist in the air and gave a happy cry. Then he was gone, sprinting down the hall. There was still some energy left in him to wear out, after all. Moments later, the lights in the hallway dimmed as the hospital staff prepped the patients for sleep. Ash nearly fell asleep himself before Gary appeared, Umbreon at his heels with her rings glowing in a muted fashion.
"I w's wonderin' where you were." The dark-haired trainer mumbled, watching as Pikachu crawled to the edge of the bed to greet Umbreon. The two of them touched noses, nuzzled faces, and to Ash's surprise Pikachu lept down entirely. The tiny yellow Pokemon began to open cabinet doors across the way from his bed, pulling out extra towels and blankets, and together both Pokemon dragged the pilfered fabric to a corner of the room. "...What're they doin?"
"Nesting." Gary replied, and Ash turned his attention back to the auburn-haired boy. His tone had been quiet; Gary was absently setting up a cot that had been placed in Ash's room an hour or so before, his attention focused more so on Umbreon and Pikachu as they created a surprisingly neat nest in the corner of the room. "...I don't believe it." He said, sounding almost breathless as he finally sank down onto the side of the cot to watch them with shock on his face.
Ash was, of course, confused. He gave Gary a few moments to apparently ponder over whatever he was realizing before speaking up. "Don't believe...what?"
The researcher shook his head slightly, peering back at Ash. "They're nesting together." When Ash looked non-plussed, Gary rolled his eyes in a way that was somehow displaying a level of frustrated fondness. "Come on. Nesting. You know. When two Pokemon love each other very, very much..."
It hit Ash then - though he was a bit put off by only having gotten it due to the silly statement - and he made a small 'oh' with his mouth, eyes panning back over to the two Pokemon. "They're just making a bed to sleep in, though."
Gary's resulting sigh was so full of exasperation that Ash was torn between crying and laughing. "Ash..."
"What's it mean, though? I mean...are they..."
"Oh no way." The other boy hissed back, hurriedly, looking scandalized at the very idea. "They better not, not this early on. This just means they trust each other enough to sleep in the same nest. It's a bonding exercise."
The dark-haired trainer managed a small 'hmm' before yawning wide enough to crack his jaw. "...So...they're gonna be together?"
"I guess so." The cot creaked as Gary crawled out over it and settled down on his chest and belly, folding his arms under his head. "I never saw that coming."
Ash grunted a small noise of agreement. His Pikachu, wanting to be partners like that with another Pokemon? He wouldn't have seen it coming in a million years. Then again, he supposed that wasn't fair to assume. His own relationship status was still fairly new and he'd never seen that coming, either. It was...strange. As he watched them settle down, Ash realized with an unpleasant start that Pikachu wouldn't be sleeping as close to him as usual. That struck him uncomfortably, regardless of how sweet he thought his smaller Pokemon looked curled up at Umbreon's side.
Warm fingers tapped on the back of his hand, and he looked down to see Gary's hand outstretched from the cot. He didn't think twice before taking the hand in his own. "We don't usually sleep apart." Ash murmured, and saw Pikachu give him an apologetic look from across the room.
"I'd noticed." The other boy admitted. "If you asked, they might move the nest up onto your bed."
Gary's thumb brushed against his knuckles, and Ash lightly shook his head. "It's okay. They just got it all nice and perfect...it looks cozy." Both Pokemon flashed him proud grins, and Gary snickered next to him. "Plus...I found this hand on my bed, and it's not as fuzzy and not as yellow..."
"If that's what you're into..."
"Do we have to make a bed together, too?"
Gary pulled the blankets over his head abruptly, presumably to cover up the embarrassment he'd been hit with. "Don't ever say that in front of someone. Please."
Ash couldn't help but laugh a little, tugging on Gary's hand lightly until he got the other boy to emerge again. "C'mon...My head sprang a leak today, we got put in prison by a bunch of Rockets, and then we made an epic escape right before things blew up. Be nice to me." Gary looked highly unamused, but Ash held his own grin until the researcher blew a tired breath up through his bangs.
"You're such a pain." Gary griped, getting onto his knees so he could lean over the side of Ash's bed. "You're lucky I like you so much."
"Lucky's got nothin' to do with it." Ash challenged, "I got you with talent alone."
"Are those my lines you're using against me?" Ash didn't answer, still smiling triumphantly until Gary leaned over and kissed him. "Go to sleep, you stupid hero." He murmured, watching Ash through half-lidded eyes. Ash reached up, threading his fingers through the other boy's hair. He got one last kiss this way before Gary settled back down on his cot beside the hospital bed, their fingers still linked loosely somewhere halfway between both beds.
There was Jhoto to go, now, until they were finally home in Kanto. It had been a bumpy ride so far, but honestly, Ash was enjoying it.