CHAPTER 461: OLDALE TOWN

Ash was waiting outside the lab door, his Torchic perched on his head, making itself comfortable. It was a shame the jacket didn’t have a hood, but hey, it was a gift from his mom; he wasn’t not gonna wear it.

Vee and Pikachu were sitting on the fence, also waiting. As they both yawned, Ash was already scrolling through his phone, answering texts from his friends. He was still wondering if he should call them anytime soon, considering his voice and all.

Ash sighed, slipping his phone into his pocket. "May’s still not done," he muttered, hands on his hips as Pikachu and Vee perched beside him, both looking equally unimpressed.

"We were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago," Ash sighed.

"Pi-kaaa..." Pikachu groaned, folding his tiny arms.

"Vee..." Vee’s tail flicked in agreement.

The sound of quick footsteps came from behind. "Hold on, I’m coming!" May called, running out of Birch’s lab with Torchic tucked under her arm and a pink travel bag slung over her shoulder. "Sorry! Birch wouldn’t stop giving me ’starter advice!’"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Lemme guess, ’make sure your Torchic eats properly, gets exercise, and doesn’t set your tent on fire?’"

May puffed up, glaring at him. "Actually, yes! And I’ll have you know I’m very capable of keeping my Torchic under control."

Right on cue, her Torchic sneezed, sending a small puff of embers that singed the edge of her bag.

"...Mostly," May muttered, patting the smoke away.

Ash smirked. "Looks like we’re off to a hot start."

"Don’t start," she huffed, falling into step beside him.

As they began walking down the dirt road leading out of Littleroot, Brendan waved from the lab’s gate. "Hey! Don’t forget to check in with Wally when you reach Petalburg!"

May held up the small parcel he’d given her. "Got it!"

"Try not to burn anything before you get there!" Brendan called teasingly.

May made a face. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

Ash grinned and waved back. "Later, man! Try not to get chased by your dad’s Poochyena again!"

Brendan groaned. "No promises!"

–

{Meanwhile, in the forest, in an ’unmonitored area’}

Zinnia was watching a hidden research lab from the trees, swinging her feet off the branch she was sitting on. This place was off the League’s radar. Wanna know why? Because it was one of the Pokémon Association’s hidden bases.

Even though it was close to Professor Birch’s lab, the Association was so shameless they conveniently "forgot" to grant him access to this area for surveillance.

Well, that was their problem now. Bet they regret that, because right now, Zinnia was watching. After a moment, she jumped down, landing on her feet. Inside, she could already hear scrambling.

Zinnia walked in casually and opened the door, and what she saw inside looked straight out of a horror movie. The bodies of scientists littered the floor: one had his arm torn off, another had his head crushed, and one... was burned.

At the end of the hall, Zinnia saw her Salamence. Its mouth was slightly stained with blood, not because it had been eating them. No, Pokémon didn’t really eat human meat; it just didn’t make sense in a cost-versus-effort scenario. Unless they were starving, they usually just left the body.

No, Salamence’s mouth was bloody because he was the one who had killed all these researchers.

Zinnia looked around and sighed. "Boooorrringgg. Man, these guys were weak. At least the last place actually fought back." She sat down in a chair and pouted.

As she sat, one of her Poké Balls popped open. From it, a little Whismur appeared, looking up at her. This Whismur was named after her late master, the same master who had tried to do what Zinnia was doing now, five years ago, but she had been killed in the process.

Zinnia brightened and scooped up the Whismur, hugging her tight. "Ohhh, my adorable little Aster! ♪ Ahhh, you’re just too darn cute! Like always!"

She set Aster down and glanced around. "Annnyyway, this was the last one." She pulled out a notebook. She’d been hunting down every Association research facility that was studying Rayquaza, and this was the final one.

"Okay... that takes care of all the annoying researchers. Now..." she muttered, scanning the list. The only ones left who mattered were the leaders of the Pokémon Association, and someone else. Someone named Norman Maple.

She didn’t know why Norman was on this list. As far as she could tell, he also hated the Pokémon Association, and he wasn’t a researcher. But even if that wasn’t the case, Norman was... different. Too strong for her and her Pokémon.

"Well, it’ll probably be fine. If he hates them, he won’t care," Zinnia sighed, glancing at Aster. "What do you think?"

Aster tilted her head and let out a soft chirp, making Zinnia hug her again. "Ahh, you’re so right. How can I argue with that logic?"

She pulled back and stretched her arms. "Alright! Now I’ve gotta go make sure those weirdos stick to the plan. Come on, Salamence!"

Zinnia marched out, far too cheerful for someone who’d just wiped out a research team. Yeah, they were corrupt, but still, at best, she was doing vigilante work.

She hopped up, stretching her arms again. "Alright, next up, time to make sure those weirdos actually do their job." She reached into her bag and pulled out two uniforms: one from Team Magma and one from Team Aqua. "Hmm... who to go after first~?"

She turned to her Whismur and Salamence, holding them up. "Which one do you guys think? Which one looks cuter?"

Whismur and Salamence exchanged helpless looks, and sighed.

—

{Back with Ash and May}

Ash was humming to himself as he walked casually, hands behind his head and Torchic still roosting comfortably in his hair like it owned the place. Vee trotted along beside him with a light bounce in her step, while Pikachu perched lazily on Ash’s shoulder, tail swaying with each stride.

May, meanwhile, was dying.

Her bag strap kept slipping off her shoulder, and her Torchic wasn’t exactly light either. She finally slowed to a stop, bending forward with a huff. "How... are you... not tired yet?" she managed between breaths.

Ash blinked, glancing back over his shoulder. "Huh? Oh, I dunno. Guess I just walk a lot."

"Walk a lot," she repeated flatly. "You’re walking like we’re on a five-minute stroll through the park! I swear it wasn’t this long when I came to Littleroot, I got here fast!"

"Yeah, well, you also had a bike. So how’d that turn out for you?" Ash teased as he walked backward.

"I suddenly wish I didn’t skip so many gym classes..." May mumbled.

"Yeah, well, sucks to suck. You’ll get used to it. Besides, if you’re tired from this, you won’t survive later. We’ve been walking for, what, three hours? And you’re already like this. How are you gonna be when we go days at a time before reaching another town?" Ash shrugged.

May groaned, straightening up and shooting him a glare that could melt steel. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

Ash grinned. "Maybe a little."

"Ugh!" May stomped ahead, puffing her cheeks. "You could at least pretend to be tired so I don’t feel like I’m dying alone out here!"

"Hey, I offered to carry your bag," Ash said with a shrug, catching up easily. "You said no."

"Because I can carry my own bag!" she snapped. "I’m not helpless!"

"Didn’t say you were," Ash replied calmly, hands behind his head again. "Just sayin’, when you pass out later, don’t blame me."

"I won’t pass out!" she declared, right before tripping over a rock and stumbling forward with a startled yelp.

Ash’s hand shot out instantly, catching her by the wrist before she face-planted. "Sure about that?"

May blinked, cheeks pink as she found her balance again. "...I-I was just testing you! To see if you’d react fast enough."

Ash smirked. "Guess I passed, huh?"

Pikachu snickered from his shoulder. "Pika pika~."

Vee gave an amused little "Vee-vee!" while Torchic chirped indignantly, flapping his tiny wings at Ash like it was his fault May tripped.

Ash held up a hand defensively. "Hey, your trainer’s the one tripping over pebbles, not me!"

Torchic huffed and turned his head away, clearly siding with May.

May grinned smugly. "See? Even Torchic knows whose side to be on."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Right, anyway, you can either stop complaining or I’ll just carry you the rest of the way. It’s getting late, so we can stop by Oldale Town for a rest."

May blinked at him, half-expecting he was joking, but Ash didn’t slow down. He had that casual, matter-of-fact tone that made it sound like he’d actually do it.

"You wouldn’t," she said, squinting suspiciously.

Ash smirked. "Try me."

May puffed out her cheeks. "You wouldn’t dare carry me like a sack of potatoes through town."

"Oh, I wouldn’t carry you like that," Ash replied, pretending to think. "I’d probably go for the whole ’princess carry’ thing. You know, make sure everyone really sees how tired you are."

May went red instantly. "Y-you wouldn’t—!"

"Vee-vee!" Vee barked in laughter, hopping along beside them. Pikachu was practically choking on his giggles.

Ash just grinned and walked ahead. "Wouldn’t be the first time I carried someone. I mean, back when I was with Yellow, I had to carry her a few times, and Green too. But, you know, that was less because she was tired and more ’cause she didn’t want to walk."

"Besides," Ash turned around and poked her nose, "you’re acting like it’s the first time I’ve carried you."

Yeah, you might wonder what Ash means by that. Well, get your head out of the gutter, you know who you are. Back when they were in school, they did what kids do: saw who could carry everyone. Thanks to good old buddy Tierno, that meant Ash was technically the only one strong enough to carry everyone at the time.

Granted, it was mostly piggyback rides, but still, Ash had carried May at least once before.

May crossed her arms, her face still a little pink. "That was different! We were like seven!"

Ash chuckled. "Yeah, and you were still just as stubborn back then."

"I am not stubborn!" she snapped immediately.

"See?" Ash smirked. "Proving my point."

"Ugh, you’re impossible!" May groaned, quickening her pace just to get ahead of him. Her Torchic chirped in what sounded like agreement, puffing out his feathers.

Ash grinned, walking a few steps behind her. "You say that now, but you’ll be thanking me when we hit Oldale and you can actually feel your legs again."

"Keep talking, and I’ll make sure you don’t make it to Oldale," May shot back over her shoulder.

Pikachu snorted. "Pika pikaaa~."

Vee tilted his head with a curious chirp, as if wondering what May could even do to stop Ash.

The dirt path ahead curved through the forest, where the evening light filtered in warm orange streaks through the trees. The sound of distant Wingull calls mixed with the gentle rhythm of their footsteps.

After a few quiet minutes, May finally sighed, her irritation cooling into something closer to fatigue. "Hey, uh... how much longer to Oldale again?"

Ash pulled out his PokéNav and checked the map. "Mmm... another hour or so if we don’t stop."

"An hour!?" she groaned, dramatically slumping forward. "I’m not gonna make it..."

Ash rolled his eyes. "You’re being so dramatic right now."

"I’m serious! My legs are jelly!" she complained, wobbling for emphasis.

That’s when Ash crouched down slightly, turning his head. "Alright, hop on."

May blinked. "Wait, you’re actually serious?"

He shrugged. "You keep saying you can’t walk. Either get on or keep dragging your feet."

"I—no! I’m fine!" she said quickly, even though her Torchic was giving her the most unimpressed stare imaginable.

Ash looked over his shoulder with that small, knowing grin. "Your choice."

For a few seconds, neither of them moved, until May finally sighed in defeat. "...Just this once."

"Sure thing, princess," Ash teased as she climbed onto his back.

"Don’t call me that!" she yelped, lightly bonking the back of his head.

"Not my fault your username is HoennQueen," Ash teased as he stood up, hoisting her up and continuing to walk.

"I swear I’m gonna change that just because of this," she muttered as she adjusted her grip.

"Sure. Maybe say that after we get to Oldale," Ash chuckled as Vee, Pikachu, and Torchic walked beside them.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, resting her chin on his shoulder, trying to act like she wasn’t secretly grateful.

–

{A while later}

Ash was finishing up a call home, to his mom and Molly. They had arrived at the Pokémon Center a while ago, and May had immediately gone off to take a shower first. Ash didn’t really mind; like he said, he was catching up with family.

After that, he called Professor Oak to let him know he’d delivered the package Oak wanted sent to Birch. What was in the box, you might ask? ...Good question. Ash didn’t know either.

Anyway, he was just finishing up his call to tell Molly goodnight when May walked into the lobby, her hair still slightly damp and wearing a fresh change of clothes. She caught the tail end of Ash’s call.

"Alright, Molly, be good and go to sleep. You’ve got school tomorrow."

"Aww, but big brother, I wanna talk with you more and more..." Molly pouted.

Ash wagged his finger. "Don’t worry, I’ll come visit on your birthday. I still have Abby, remember? Now go to sleep, okay?"

Molly pouted one more time but nodded. "Okay! Night-night, big brother! Love you!"

"Love you too, Molly. Sweet dreams," Ash said as he hung up. When he turned around, he finally noticed May standing there, though he didn’t look surprised, like he’d known she was there the whole time.

"Aww, you still call Molly to tell her goodnight? That’s sweet," May said. Of course, she knew who Molly was. She’d been there when Molly was adopted. And since Pallet House is the only restaurant in Pallet, people did notice when one day there was no Molly and the next day she just spawned in. So yeah, she and the rest of Ash’s classmates knew about her. Not the full story, just that she’d been adopted.

May sighed. "Man, I wish Max was like that sometimes."

Ash pocketed his PokéNav and smiled faintly. "You and Max still fight a lot, huh?"

May groaned and plopped down onto one of the Pokémon Center couches. "Every. Single. Day. He’s been begging Dad to let him travel early, but he’s still too young. Now he’s just being extra annoying about it."

Ash chuckled, taking a seat across from her. "Sounds like he’s just impatient. Reminds me of someone I know."

May narrowed her eyes. "If you’re talking about me—"

"Who else?" Ash teased, leaning back in the chair.

She crossed her arms. "For your information, I’ve matured since then."

"Right," Ash said with a grin. "That’s why you almost tripped over three separate rocks today."

"Those rocks were strategically placed traps!" she protested.

"Uh-huh. Sure they were." Pikachu and Vee both snickered from where they were sitting on the floor, while Torchic pecked at May’s shoe like it was agreeing with Ash.

May huffed. "So you and Molly never fight?"

"Nope," Ash responded as he got up and started walking to the cafeteria.

"Not even once?" May asked again as she followed and placed her order too.

"Not once," Ash said as he got his order and walked to a booth, with May following behind.

"Not even like, on what to eat, or the TV?" May continued.

"Not once," Ash said again as he sat down and May sat across from him. "Not all of us fight."

"Uhh, how did you get the lottery? I wish Max was like Molly. Molly is so nice and she never complains."

Ash took a bite of his sandwich and shrugged. "Guess I just got lucky."

May leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "Or maybe she’s just pretending to be nice so she doesn’t have to argue with you."

Ash gave her a deadpan look. "She’s five."

"Wait, she’s five?" May blinked. "I thought she was seven like Max."

"Well, she turns six in like a month," Ash shrugged.

"That’s not the point though..." May sighed.

Ash chuckled, sipping his drink. "She’s been through a lot though. I just do what I can. When I’m there, I play with her, carry her, read her a bedtime story every night, cook for her when my mom is out..."

"Wait, what was that last part?" May blinked.

"Oh, I cook for her, yeah, she likes it when I make—" Ash started, but he was interrupted.

"No, not that. You read her a bedtime story every night?"

"Well, every night I’m there. She doesn’t like sleeping alone, so she prefers if I’m there to help her get to sleep," Ash shrugged.

May smiled softly. "That’s actually... really sweet. Huh... should I have done that with Max growing up..." she thought to herself.

"Hey, everyone’s different. And who knows, maybe it’s just because we’re not related. Maybe if we were related by blood, we’d tear each other’s hair out like you and Max."

"Yeah..." May thought back to little Molly, who, when she first saw her in that tiny apron, had offered everyone a ’friendship cookie.’ "...No, probably not."

Ash chuckled as he finished his drink. "You’re probably right. Anyway—" Ash stood up from the table. "I’ll be back in a sec."

May blinked. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Oh, I need to feed a few of my goobers," Ash said, not mentioning the two bike dragons he was still trying to bond with in his back pocket.

"Oh, right," May said as she looked over at Torchic, who was stealing one of her fries. "That reminds me." May reached into her bag and pulled out the Pokéball that was supposed to go to Wally. "Should we feed... whatever’s in here?"

Ash waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, don’t bother. Pokéballs have a hibernation setting. It’ll be fine for like three days without food. We’re fine," Ash said as he turned his back and started walking to the door. "I’ll be back in a bit. Maybe call your family to tell them how things are going."

And just like that, Ash left the Pokémon Center, with Pikachu and Vee following him. May looked at the door for a bit, then slowly turned her gaze to the computers. "Call them..." she murmured, glancing down at Torchic. "What do you think?"

Torchic just looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, as if asking, ’Why are you asking me?’

May sighed and took a deep breath. "Okay... can’t be that hard," she said as she got up to go to the computer. As she did, she passed a certain archaeologist who was sitting at another booth, looking at a tablet and minding his own business.

—

Ash walked out of the Pokémon Center. He wasn’t lying, he was going out to feed Koraidon and Miraidon. He’d been working with the two ever since he got them, but they were still afraid of him. Can’t really blame them, after all, they’d been crippled. They couldn’t even go into their battle modes right now.

Ash walked a little further and pulled out their Pokéballs, throwing them out. In a flash of light, Koraidon and Miraidon appeared. They looked around, saw Ash, Pikachu, and Vee, and immediately started cowering.

Ash sighed as he reached into his bag, pulled out a few sandwiches, and placed them on a plate on the ground. He took a few steps back to give them space to eat, since they still didn’t fully trust him.

Yeah... turns out it doesn’t matter how much Pokémon naturally like you. When Pokémon get crippled, and then someone shows up, someone who beat the people that crippled them, and just took them in, they’re going to be scared. Still, they had to eat, and hunger always wins eventually.

So Ash sat a little ways away, pulled out his four Eggs, and placed them in front of him as he started checking on them.

The Bagon Egg obviously needed more time, he’d just gotten it, but the other three were close to hatching, especially the Slakoth Egg, since he’d had that one the longest.

Yeah, and like he said, he’d used up a lot of DNA points to modify this Slakoth, but it was going to be worth it. Ash rubbed the Egg gently, keeping it warm.

As he did, Koraidon and Miraidon peeked over at him, quickly eating the sandwiches, scared that Ash might take them away. But when he didn’t, they slowly began to inch closer, cautiously curious about the Eggs.

Just as they were about to approach, the Slakoth Egg started shaking and glowing, startling Koraidon and Miraidon and sending them running behind a tree.

Ash looked back at them and sighed, shaking his head before turning his attention to the glowing Egg. But then, the other two Eggs began glowing too, as if they sensed the first one was hatching.

Three Eggs... all hatching at the same time.

This was going to be interesting, and Ash was all here for it.