Sleeping Ash (Advanceshipping)

[ChloboShoka]

Title: Sleeping Ash
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Summary: When May goes to Mt. Silver, she finds Ash unconscious and his Pikachu traumatised. A mysterious lady named Dahlia Hawthorne sets her a challenge to capture Meloetta before Ash dies.
Notes: It's been ages since I've last written an advanceshipping fic, so I hope I don't lose my touch. Any comments are appreciated.

Chapter One: Sleeping Hero

With the help of her beloved Beautifly & Blaziken, May had finally reached the summit of Mt. Silver. Greeted by a sharp blizzard, May was unable to see anything but fog and rocks covered in snow. She had come a long way since the 10 year old girl from Petalburg City. Her planned trip to Johto had left her intrigued by Mt. Silver. Drew and Harley wouldn’t touch the place, and she came back to find out why.

May’s stomach violently growled. She went to pick a bottle of water out of her pocket and huffed at the orange ice refusing to budge. She looked up to Blaziken and asked, “can you use ember to thaw the drink out?”

Blaziken nodded as he received the bottle from May. Snowflakes breezed through Blaziken’s nostrils as his head swayed three times and sneezed. Blocks of ember and balls of fire jumped out of his mouth. Beautifly quickly dodged the flames and hid behind May. The bottle dived into a limp of snow. May picked it up and tried to drink what she could of it.

The orange slush was too thick to ooze out of the bottle cap. May’s throat was too dry to be patient. She opened the bottle cap and gulped lumps of orange slush. The heat from the burnt bottle transmitted into the pores of pink gloves and reached her hand.

May stopped drinking after the sharp tang reached her neck. She closed the bottle again and placed it in her pocket. She picked up her pokeballs and looked up to Blaziken and Beautifly.

“Both of you have been really helpful,” May told them. With a smile on her face she opened the balls and returned them without another word. Now they can both stay warm, thought May. She walked forwards towards what seemed to be a silver tomb. May took her steps slowly, until she began to hear high pitched cries.

Sparks of thunder fought it’s way through the fog. May wanted to step back, but her gut instinct demanded her to do the opposite. Those cries weren’t just normal cries of a pokemon, there muffled, but aggressive. She scurried to the tomb and placed her ear against the top corner to her left. She could hear the pain in the cries. The sounds of banging to get out.

A pikachu was trapped inside that tomb.

“PIKACHU!” May shouted. “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Pikachu’s crying ceased, but Pikachu responded with stutters muffled in tears. “Don’t worry, Pikachu,” May assured the electric mouse. “We’re going to get you out!”

May jumped to her feet and dragged the lid to the tomb away, and eventually the lid splattered on the floor. The yellow mouse with red circles around his cheeks jumped out of the tomb. Pikachu landed on May’s shoulder and pinched her shoulder for all his life. May could feel Pikachu’s tears drip onto her neck: they were piping hot.

Out of curiosity, May leaned over in the tomb to see what else was there. May gulped and saw a young boy in a slumber. The boy must have been around the same age as her or maybe not, she thought. May’s arm hopped into the tomb and tapped on the boy’s shoulder. The boy rolled over straight. May’s stomach churned and her heart shook in the sensation of what she witnessed. The boy was a mate. A very dear friend. One of the best soul mates she ever had. Ash Ketchum and his pikachu had been caged into that tomb, but by who?

May hopped into the tomb and shook Ash’s shoulders. “Ash...” May’s fingers crawled to his lips. “Please don’t be dead.” May’s eyes glistened as the snowflakes hit Ash’s face. Still nothing. “Wake up Ash,” May begged. “Please wake up, we need you.”

“He won’t die today,”announced a female voice. The voice had a fake vibe of sincerity that reminded May of poisoned honey. “But he will never wake up.”

May panted as she got up and faced the lady. The lady was as pale as her white dress and sandals. A pink transparent shoal served as a scarf with a parasol over her head. Friendly brown eyes, model’s lips and long locks of scarlet hair with her fringe platted around her forehead. She blended into the fog when she took a step backwards.

“Who are you?” May asked.

“Dahlia Hawthorne,” the lady said. She lowered her head, closed her eyes and smiled. “You must be May?”

“That’s correct,” May muttered. She gulped and asked, “How did you know my name?”

“Ash says he’s had many friends,” Dahlia replied. She opened her eyes and took a step closer to May. “But he’s told me all about you, May. Blaziken and Beautifly, where they your first two pokemon?”

May nodded.

“They are enchanting," Dahlia said with a smile. She looked up to May and giggled. "You’re very beautiful May,” Dahlia told May. “He was right... you had the most beautiful blue eyes in the world.”

Pikachu growled and flashed his teeth. May figured that Pikachu was mortified and that Dahlia was responsible for Ash falling into a comotose. Dahlia’s compliments were just to distract her. “What have you done to Ash?” May barked.

“I haven’t done anything,” Dahlia ensured. Her parasol spun around as she denied any harm was conflicted at Ash. “Ash has not been harmed. He’s just a little sleeping beauty for the moment. The gods have great plans for him.”

“How did he get there?” May asked. Ash might not have had any bruises, but Pikachu was covered with both physical and mental scares. “How did you meet you? And why did you just leave them there? Did you want them to DIE?”

Dahlia chuckled. “You’re so sweet,” she cackled with a burst of enthusiasm in her voice. “It would be so mean to hide things from you, especially as you care about him so much.” She tip-toed around the tomb as May kept her eyes on Dahlia. “You see, I’m permanently retired. I’ve been a wondering soul since my retirement and also lonely. Then I meet this energetic guy named Ash, who was exactly who I needed to make the gods happy and for my revenge complete...”

“Your revenge?” May spat. “Why did you use a complete stranger as part of your revenge plan? Did the gods choose him?”

“Do you want Ash back?” Dahlia asked. The tone in her voice was a lot more morbid. She grinned and she stopped walking. May knew that Dahlia wasn't going to give a reply to those questions.“You like travelling don’t you?”

“Yes,” May answered. “To both of those questions.”

“Then I shall set you a task,” Dahlia announced. She smirked as her lips dropped into a neutral smile. “I believe it isn’t very complicated.”

“What is it?” May asked in anguish. “I’d do anything as long it wakes Ash up!”

“Now listen very carefully,” Dahlia demanded. “I shall say this... only once.”

“I’m listening.”

“I will give you a master ball, what I want you to do with the master ball is to go to Hazakura and catch me a meloetta so we can use it’s magic to revive Ash.”

“But Meloetta’s a rare pokemon,” May stated, “How can I capture it?”

“Meloetta walks around the Hazakura area. If you don’t see her in the temple, you’ll see her on Dusky Bridge.”

May accepted the master ball from Dahlia, examined the purple ball and noticed the yellow m on the ball. After looking at the ball, she placed it one of her pockets in her coat.

“Where do I find Hazakura?” May asked. “And what does Meloetta look like?”

“You’ll have to find that out for yourself,” Dahlia replied. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Are you sure Ash will be fine?”

“He will be safe and sound, as long you don’t mention me,” Dahlia requested. She smiled and clenched her parasol. “If you ever say my name the curse will kill Ash. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” May replied.

“Now you must go, find out where Hazakura is and capture Meloetta!” Dahlia shouted. “Oh and one more thing before you go...”

“What’s that?” May turned her back on Dahlia but her eyes were still on her. Pikachu remained as mad at Dahlia as ever.

“You have three days. Ash will die if you don’t hurry.”

Pikachu screamed and launched bolts of thunder at Dahlia. Dahlia remained unaffected, as she stood there with a wicked smile on her face.

May legged it.

[Wuster]

Very interesting start to the story, in a good way. Looking forward to more!

[ChloboShoka]

Chapter Two: Trains

"May, we've all been trying to contact you. Where have you been?"

It was the frightened voice of her old rival Drew who had called her through her phone. May sighed as she listened to Drew rant about how he nearly reported her missing. She slapped herself on the forehead. Pinching her nose, she had only just realised that she had forgotten to ring Drew to let him know she got to Johto safe. Drew and Harley had reached Unova last week. May didn't fancy going there because the didn't do pokemon contests.

When May told them that she wanted to go back to Johto, the guys seemed to have a look of shock, although Harley seemed to have a sigh of relief. She never understood what Harley's problem with her was; as her as she knew, there was never any problems between them.

At the same time she loved travelling on her own. She felt that she had received a ticket of freedom. She could go to places without needing permission or having age limits. May felt that she was getting stronger everyday. She could handle challenges such as climbing onto the top of Mt. Silver.

"I went to Mt. Silver," May replied, forcing herself to speak. "It was freezing out there."

"Harley and I told you not to bother," Drew reminded her.

"It was amazing," May muttered. "It had waterfalls in the cave and by the time I reached the top it was covered in snow."

"Are you in Silver Town's pokemon centre?"

"Yeah."

"You sound exhausted," Drew commented on the low and groggy tone in May's voice. "You should get to bed. I'll hang up..."

"Wait," May called. "Before you go? Do you know any trains that go to Hazakura?"

"I've never heard of it," Drew replied. "I'm sorry... Try the train station in Saffron City. They go everywhere."

"Okay, thanks a lot."

"Sorry I couldn't help you..."

"It's okay." May yawned and put her feet up on the sofa. "Good night. I'll send you a message in the morning."

She hung up and switched her phone off.

May wanted to close her eyes and fall into her dreams to reach Ash. Her eyes were closed, but darkness instead of dreams. May thought to herself, at least it was better than nightmares. Ever since she left Mt. Silver, the frost of Dahlia and Ash's body haunted her. She wanted to call for help, but she didn't want to take a dead body down from the mountain. She didn't even want to think about the fact that Ash was going to die unless she captures meloetta.

Dahlia's made as complicated as she could. May doesn't know where Hazakura is, nor does she know what a meloetta looks like. It's a rare and legendary pokemon, and that was all she knew. She was planning on heading to the nearest train station. If she couldn't find a train for Hazakura, then she'd follow Drew's suggestion and head for Saffron City.

She wasn't going to bother to research Hazakura, there was bound to be something about meloetta there. Two hours trying to sleep. Nothing. She was starting to think that sleep would waste time. Ash needed her to survive. May needed him to live. She shot up and rubbed her eyes. She the centre and proceeded to the train station. The next train for Hazakura was arriving in two hours. May sighed and rested her head against a lamppost inside the station. What was she going to do for the next two hours? Sleep and miss the train?

It was a good thing she didn't go to Saffron City. May overheard an old couple saying the station had been closed due to investigations. A man and a boy who seemed to be quite upper class satbeside her. The boy was dressed in blue whilst the man was wearing a long to hat. They had both mentioned attacks from a creature known as Tortress. May pretended to be asleep as she listened to the conversation in greater detail.

"What's a Tortress, Professor?"

"My boy, a Tortress is one of the most deadliest creatures of all time: it kills anything that touches it."

"Then how come nobody's died yet?"

"I think that is a puzzle that you can solve yourself!"

"Oh I get it professor!" the boy's voice said with enthusiasm. "It's because no one's directly touched it."

"Excellent Luke!" the professor exclaimed. "When we see Sister Binkini, she might be able to tell me a bit more about Tortress."

May's eyelids fell shut. Her body imploded onto the floor. She tried to slide back up on the lamppost but was knocked down by the slippery edges. She could feel Pikachu's small hands behind her back, trying to help. He even tried to shock her back for energy. The fatigue won. The last thing she could hear was Pikachu crying for help.

[ChloboShoka]

Chapter Three: Meloetta

"Young people are so reckless with their health."

May woke up to the quote as well as the welcoming smell of a roast dinner. The warm scent of honey-roasted beef, marinated chicken and steaming vegetables hit a wave in her ear and nostrils. She opened her eyes and heard vibrant noises from the other room. The bed was so comfortable and the velvet quilts made it easy to drift back to sleep, but there was one thing that was stopping her from falling back to sleep: Ash Ketchum.

She walked out of the small bedroom without a change to look around and admire it's oriental patterns. As soon as stepped into the corridor a lady purple robes and a white cloak over her head marched towards her. She was a small and plump lady that reminded her of a cross between a blissey and a jynx. By coincidence, she saw plenty of both pokemon running in the corridor.

"Hello," the lady said. "Welcome to Hazakura. I'm Sister Bikini, the head nun around here."

"Why thank you."

"Oh don't thank me," said Sister Bikini with a smile on her face. "Thank the kind Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke Triton."

"Remember what you used to say Professor?" Luke asked.

"A true gentlemen never leaves a lady behind," Professor Layton and Luke said in unison.

"It's a shame Ayame couldn't be here to see you," Sister Bikini added. "I think you and her would get on really well."

"Ayame?"

"Oh, I took her in after her parents abandoned her," Sister Bikini answered. With a laugh and voice of enthusiasm she said, "She's my big baby now. I do miss her. She decided to go off to work to give us some more money. She's quite clever with those computers. As for me, give me a book any day of the week."

Sweet gurgles could be heard from behind Sister Bikini. A porcelain face jumped up from her shoulder as the nun turned her head.

"This is Meloetta," Sister Bikini said. "She's my little baby." It was the pokemon that Dahlia had requested. Meloetta bent her white legs and flicked her green hair behind her. Meloetta let out a cry of happiness and floated around May. She shook her hand and pointed at the window with her free hand. Sister Bikini chuckled as she saw Meloetta's liking towards May. Layton and Luke stood behind her. Both of them had smiles drawn on their faces.

Meloetta opened her mouth and unleashed charming vocals. She sang in a light tone with a vivid adlibs. Her eyes turned red and her hair tanned and became held upwards with a clip that resembled a music note.

"She's such a fascinating creature," Bikini said in awe. Her warm eyes became fixated at Meloetta's choreography.

"A woman came to me saying that Meloetta would help me find Ash..." May whispered as she tapped Meloetta's hand.

"What was the woman's name?" asked Layton.

"She didn't say her name," May lied. She had no idea that she was talking out loud. She didn't expect anyone to reply. She was hoping to keep it a secret, but May decided she may as well be honest. All that she promised Dahlia was that she wouldn't mention her name and would capture Meloetta for her. Then everything would be back to normal.

"This lady sounds very peculiar," Luke commented. "I wonder why she didn't leave you her name. Maybe she's a witch?"

"By the way she dressed, it seems like she was a rich woman." May stared into the fireplace and thought of Dahlia. Just who was Dahlia Hawthorne? All she said that she was retired, but people usually retire at an old age and Dahlia was rich in youth. Was it even her real name?

"So where did you last see Ash?"

"He was last seen in Mt. Silver," May replied.

"Mt. Silver?" Sister Bikini shrieked. "That's a dangerous place. I'm sure Meloetta can take you safely to Mt. Silver in no time."

"But Sister," Professor Layton interrupted. "Your roast dinners are superb. It would be a shame for May to miss out on such an elegant roast."

"You're quite right my dear," Sister Bikini agreed. "May, I can hear your stomach crying for food. I'm sure if you'll feel a lot better."

"That would be wonderful," May said before covering her mouth to sneeze. She shot up and followed Luke, Professor Layton, Pikachu and Sister Bikini to the dining hall. The meal was just as Professor Layton had described it: delicious and superb.

The feast had turned May from a famished girl to a energized lady. She felt she was even more determined to save Ash from what could be his fateful sleep. From the conversation at dinner time, Professor Layton and Luke seemed to be very kind and intelligent people. Sister Bikini's Blissey told some of the most funniest jokes May had ever heard, but it wasn't enough for Pikachu to smile. Pikachu only ate rice with ketchup.

Pikachu didn't want to waste any time. He jumped on May's shoulder and held onto her bandanna. May didn't want to test Pikachu's patience and decided it was time to leave. To May, it seemed that she had nailed it. She was about to meet Dahlia again and present her Meloetta.

"Thanks guys," May said with a forced grin on her face. "I'll return Meloetta as soon as possible and I'll bring Ash for dinner." Meloetta dived in front of May and Pikachu. The three of them became shrouded by green fog. When the fog faded, they realised they had been transported to the dark woods of Ilex Forest.

When Celebi tumbled down from the darkness, the hut began to form bright green letters of text that read:

Before you return to Mt. Silver, there are things that I need to show you. In a few moments you will be taken through time so you may learn more about Dahlia Hawthorne.

May received a diamond from Celebi. She examined the smooth and cold surface. She turned to the hut and the letters began to change and formed a new message. Celebi was the reason why Meloetta brought them to the forest.

That diamond belonged to Dahlia Hawthorne. You will need it when you see her.

Come, let me show you what you need to know.

[midnightjewelz]

Yay! It's on here as well. I'm liking this sudden increase of AS fics here on serebii. XD Anyway like i said on FF.net. I'm loving the whole outcome of this. Keep it up friend.

[ChloboShoka]

Chapter Four: Flashbacks

May 19th 2013

Pallet Town Library

May recognised the heavily pregnant woman as Delia Ketchum: Ash's mother. From the opposite side of the room, Professor Oak leaned towards the counter; he was chatting to the library assistant. May and Pikachu quickly turned their heads towards Delia who held onto rubbed her stomach. In small steps she marched to a man sulking in the corner. Delia gulped and sat next to the man. The man had spikey black hair and a pink jumper with a red heart in the middle.

"Phoenix..." Delia whispered. "There's something you need to know."

"Go away you fat slut!" Phoenix spat. He faced the corner of the wall and crossed his arms. May gritted her teeth and thought Phoenix was an absolute jerk. She could see the nerves on Delia and the depression on the man.

"Phoenix, where did that come from?" Delia gasped and was about to tap his shoulder, then pulled her arms back.

"I've just lost everything," Phoenix wailed. "You're the last person I want to see."

"There's something I've been trying to tell you for months."

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"You were so infatuated with Dahlia to the point you're denying your own baby."

"Well I don't want to know unless it has something to do with my Dollie."

"It I should be expecting labour in two days."

"Lose some weight," Phoenix demanded. For a few seconds he buried his head in his hands. He stood up and glared at Delia. "You can't be pregnant with my child. Only Dollie can be the mother of my kids. My perfect little Dollie never got sick. You were so gross when you puked."

Pikachu sounded confused about Dollie, but May figured that it was a nickname for Dahlia. Meloetta gasped. All three of them could agree that it was no way to talk to pregnant woman, let alone the mother of your own child. May wanted to punch him. She wasn't just insulting Delia, he was insulting Ash. When Ash got hurt so did May. What Celebi had shown them had given May a clear expression of the damage that Dahlia caused.

"But she's just been arrested for murder," Delia told Phoenix. "You might not be able to see her again."

It didn't surprise May one bit.

"GET A LIFE!" Phoenix roared. "I love Dahlia and nobody can take my Dollie away from me!"

"You're the one with no life!" Dehlia snapped. She picked up the nearest object that happened to be a sturdy book dedicated to science. Without another word she held the book firmly in her hand, then threw it at Phoenix's head. Delia rash out of the library, but as she got to the exit she held onto her stomach again and burst into tears. Professor Oak rushed towards her. He gave Dahlia gentle pats on the back and escorted herto a more quieter are a. Pikachu and Meloetta frowned upon Phoenix as he hugged himself; he was drowning in his fantasies of Dahlia.

"Come on guys," May called. "Phoenix is a loser, let's see what Professor Oak says to Delia." Pikachu and Meloetta jumped to May's side as the main hall of the library faded into a small office. Delia sat bawling her eyes out. Professor Oak had knelt down besides her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Delia, what's wrong?" Professor Oak asked.

"I told Phoenix he was the father," Delia whimpered. "He doesn't believe me. He thinks I'm just fat."

"What a terrible thing to say," said Professor Oak in a gloomy roar.

"I think he'd have been a brilliant father," Delia admitted. "Dahlia has turned him into somebody else. When we first started dating he was worried people would look down on us because I'm only fourteen."

"Fourteen?" May said in shock to herself. "That's the same age as me... The more I watch this, the more I hate Phoenix and Dahlia."

"They're not worth the hassle," Professor Oak said wisely. He lifted his index finger in the air as he said: "In years to come Dahlia Hawthorne will be executed for her crimes. Phoenix Wright will become hobo with a grape juice addiction because he can't afford alcohol. Whilst you will be a fantastic mother to a beautiful child."

"You're right Professor," May said. "He is beautiful." She knew that they wouldn't be able to hear them, but everything that Professor Oak said the truth. Delia lifted her head up and smiled with a compressed giggle.

"Now tell me Delia, do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy," Delia confirmed. "I'm naming him Ash."

"In that case," Professor Oak announced with an enthusiastic voice, "Ash will be the happiest boy in the world."

"Thank you."

"If you need anything I will always be here for you."

July 13th 2029

Black City

They were taken to the present day in Unova.

May couldn't stop thinking about wanting to kill Phoenix for what he had said. The police were gathered around an area. May became distracted and observed what was going on.

Two bodies were removed from the area. Journalists where gathered around a lady who munching on her snacks. The lady was Detective Ema Skye. She confirmed that the bodies where Team Rocket members, James Kojiro and Jessie Musashi. May looked above and saw Meowth in despair. The feline pokemon lying with his back facing the sky as his face became washed in his own tears. Meloetta wept as she sung a sad melody. To May, it was the bitter taste of truth.

A woman matching Dahlia's description walked into a dead end street. She looked exactly like Dahlia expect that her hair was raven black. Her hair colour matched the Team Rocket uniform. She was followed by a green limo that slid into the road. May zoomed ahead to catch them as the pokemon struggled to keep up. Was it Dahlia? Just as the lady was about to climb the wall, the limo halted. The doors opened and a man in an orange tuxedo stepped out.

"Ayame!" the man called. The sophisticated boss was known as Giovanni Rocket. The lady twirled and appeared dazed. "It's not wise to be in your uniform in broad daylight."

"I'm sorry," Ayame said. She held her head down in shame. "I just had to see for myself if the rumours were true."

"Yes," Giovanni confirmed. "They are true."

"Don't you think it's strange?" Ayame asked. "The first fatalities from Tortress are members of Team Rocket."

"Jessie and James were failures," said Giovanni. "They are of no real loss to Team Rocket." The voice was smooth but the his breath highlighted the frost in his heart. He did not care that two of his workers where murdered by a rare killing creature. May had a feeling that Giovanni wanted to capture Tortress and use it for his own purposes.

In a panicking voice, Ayame warned Giovanni, "If Tortress has a trainer he or she might be trying to wipe out everybody from Team Rocket."

"You have nothing to fear," Giovanni said with an unpleasant grin on his face. He jumped into his seat. Before he slammed the door he said, "They can knock us down as many times as they like. We'll come back stronger." As soon as Giovanni slammed the door, the engine rumbled. "Remember Ayame, what dosen't kill you makes you stronger."

23rd December 1997

Kurain Village

Dahlia crawled into her bed and screamed her tears out. Dahlia threw her arms out and punched the cushions. Ayame ran into the bedroom and scurried over to her twin sister. Dahlia's screamed vibrated in May's ear. She couldn't believe how brutal one girl could be.

"What's wrong Dahlia?" Ayame asked.

"Nobody wants me..." Dahlia sobbed. She rolled over and held her pillow as if she was holding a murder weapon. "We might have to kill."

"Why would we need to do that?" Ayame asked. She pushed the pillow down.

"Revenge," Dahlia muttered. "I overheard them talking. They're going to separate us."

"We can still meet up and play with each other."

"No." Dahlia paused. She wiped her tears and then wrapped her arms around Ayame. "Mother doesn't want us any more. Daddy's only going to take me."

"Then where will I go?"

"Sister Bikini, she says she's happy to have you."

"I'm sure you'll be able to see me," Ayame said. She frowned. "I don't like it when you're upset. It makes me cry too. Ayame cradled her twin in her arms and told her, "Dahlia, no matter what happens we'll still be sisters. I'd do anything for you. Everything will be fine in the end."

May wondered who was the biggest jerk: The Team Rocket Boss, Giovanni Rocket; The idiot Phoenix Wright; or the cruel slayer, Dahlia Hawthorne?

Celebi showed them further flashbacks including Dahlia's various, vicious breakdown's in court when her cousin, Mia Fey outed Dahlia as a cruel murderer even after Dahlia swept the entire court away with her superficial innocence. When Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne separated, the father took Dahlia with her whilst leaving Ayame into the care of Sister Bikini. It all made sense to May. Ayame was like the daughter Bikini never had. What would possess a shrine maiden like Ayame to join a criminal organisation like Team Rocket? Why did she chose to pick up where Dahlia had left off. Was Ayame Hawthorne just as bad as Dahlia or was she so selfless she obeyed everyone but herself? Despite all the questions May had, she knew there some things that were perfectly clear.

Dahlia Hawthore was a ghost. A ghost of a serial killer. Dahlia's ex-boyfriend, Phoenix Wright was indeed Ash's father. Dahlia had been hurt by Phoenix in almost the same way Phoenix hurt Dahlia. May had never met or seen Ayame, but she had a gut feeling that Ayame was involved with Ash's kidnapping. Maybe she brought Ash to Dahlia or had been running errands for Dahlia.

Tortress tried to kill Pikachu and Ash became unconscious trying to save him. If he touched Tortress, surely he would have died. But Jessie and James were the only fatalities. Then she remembered what Luke and Professor Layton talked about at the station; Tortress only kills with direct contact. By direct contact, it had be skin to skin. When Ash blocked Tortress' attack on Pikachu, the blizzard blocked the it's in her body.

The chaotic blizzard had prevented Ash from dying. Dahlia was planning on killing Ash from the very beginning. May wouldn't have been surprised if it was Dahlia that persuaded Phoenix to tell Delia to abort Ash. Dahlia's revenge plan was to kill Ash and make Phoenix live with the guilt that his son died without even knowing who he was. May dropped her arms by her side. She Clenched her fists with her eyes shut. The imagery of Ash, paler than porcelain and colder than ice left her own body shivering. All of Dahlia's plans in the past have failed in the most pathetic manner.

May was determined to make Dahlia fail again twice as hard.

[midnightjewelz]

Wow, Phoenix is a total jerk! Calling a preg woman fat! Horrible!
Still, a nice insight chapter to all the characters.
Phoenix, such a jerk. grr.

[ChloboShoka]

Chapter Five: Back Up The Mountain

Celebi had dropped Pikachu, May and Meloetta off to the entrance of the cave in Mt. Silver. May roused herself painfully from the ground. For a moment she reflected on the wonderful adventures she shared with Ash, Brock, Max, Drew, Harley, Dawn, Zoey, Misty and all the other amazing people she had met on her journey. She didn’t ever want it to end. She had grown to love her pokemon like her own children, even though the majority of them were at least twice their original size.

Then it all returned to her. Although she had two days left, she wanted to get there as soon as she could. Meloetta’s red eyes reminded her of Dahlia’s mission. May buried her right hand into her pocket. The weight of the masterball brushed against her leg. She faced Meloetta and took a deep breath.

“Meloetta,” May said. She flashed the masterball in front of the pokemon and allowed her to examine the ball. “Dahlia Hawthorne’s spirit is waiting for us at the top of Mt. Silver. I need you to get inside the ball.”

Meloetta let out a high pitched cry. She waved her thin black arms and stretched out her milky white legs. Meloetta enjoyed the freedom of flying around in Hazakura. May lowered her head and stared at green spikes on the floor. She picked her own head up and smiled at Meloetta.

“I promise that I’ll send you back to Sister Bikini after Ash has been awakened,” May assured Meloetta. She held onto the pokemon’s hand and her lips curled more. Pikachu nodded and gave Meloetta a wink. The joy was contagious. Meloetta allowed the red aura from the masterball to absorb her body. Once Meloetta had been captured, May played the ball in her pocket alongside the rest of her team. She only had Blaziken, Beautifly and Glaceon in her party.

Although May wished that she hadn’t had deposited Venusaur and Blastoise: the two of them could have been very handy cutting through Mt. Silver. On the other hand, May wanted to have spare room in her party. The last thing she needed was for Meloetta to be transported into a PC. It meant having to go all the way back to the pokemon centre to collect her. She didn’t want any more fuss or hassle! Today was the day she was going to save him.

Blaziken, Beautifly and Glaceon were tightly clipped onto May’s belt. She knew that she was going to need Blaziken and Beautifly to help get her through the cave just like the last time. Pikachu remained attached to May’s shoulder. He was feeling a lot better than before, but she could still detect the sense of fear in him.

“Come on, Pikachu!” May exclaimed, “It’s time to defeat Dahlia and Tortress.” She heard Pikachu cry as his little fingers faced the sky. Without another word, May galloped into the inclement atmosphere of Mt. Silver’s cave. May grasped two balls and unleashed Blaziken and Beautifly. May twirled to Blaziken and requested him climb up the ragged rocks.

The feisty pokemon cartwheeled his way up to the first floor of the cave. “You’re doing a great job Blaziken!” May praised. “Now Beautifly levitate us up to the top.”

Beautifly's eyes began to glow aqua. May and Pikachu becomes outlined in aura matching Beautifly’s eye colour. Beautifly was to control them as they floated through Mt. Silver. While Beautifly used her pyschic, Blaziken kept a close eye on the trio. Blaziken had her arms out in case Beautifly lost her focus or power points.

May admired the vibrant scenery of the waterfall and the mountain sides, but it was the last thing on her mind. Blaziken and Beautifly managed to help May climb up to Mt. Silver without any difficulties. The ice shards carried by the wind slashed Beautifly which made it hard for her to concentrate. Fortunately, Blaziken saved May on all occasion. They had just flown over the upper mountain side with all the snow. The worst part for Beautifly was over.

Blaziken lead May, Pikachu and Beautifly into third floor of the cave. The final chamber of Mt. Silver. Whilst Blaziken reached the top with ease, she waited for May, Pikachu and Beautifly to make their way up.

One again with the help of her beloved Beautifly & Blaziken, May had reached the summit of Mt. Silver. Her first trip to Johto had left her intrigued by Mt. Silver. Drew and Harley wouldn't touch the place, and she knew exactly why.

She raised her head up to Blaziken and Beautifly.

"Both of you have been really helpful," May told them with a smile on her face. “Do you think you can stay in the cold for just a little longer?”

Both pokemon nodded without another word. May marched forwards with Pikachu, Blaziken and Beautifly behind her. Sparks of thunder fought it's way through the fog. May didn’t bother to look back. She plummeted into the tomb and dug Ash out of the snow. She swung her ear over to Ash’s mouth to check his vital signs. He wasn’t breathing.

The wild ghost herself, Dahlia Hawthorne appeared. A superficial smile smacked on a face as she flew to the tomb. May stood up when their eyes met.

“I didn’t expect you to be this early,” Dahlia confessed. “I saw that Celebi had shown you some of my past.

“Phoenix Wright all this time...” May whispered. She glared at Dahlia. “You’ve been planning to kill Ash the whole time.”

“Do you have Meloetta?”

May pulled the masterball and diamond from out of her pocket. “Right here!”

Dahlia snatched both items from her hands. Dahlia released a burst of giggles as she kissed the masterball. “I lost this diamond many years ago,” Dahlia explained. “Ash discovered it on his journey to Unova last year. He clung onto the diamond for years - pouring his soul into the diamond. I was able to read his mind. As he did, he became weaker as I grew stronger. Strong enough to put some of my soul into him. Ash Ketchum became Tortress’ accomplice. He propelled Tortress to attack all those people and murder Jessie and James from Team Rocket.”

“NO!” May screamed. “He couldn't. He wouldn’t.”

“The power of the diamond began to scare Pikachu,” Dahlia continued. Pikachu secretly passed it on to Celebi and who coincidentally, placed it in your hands.”

“Ash is a team player,” May muttered. “He wouldn’t have been able to done that all by himself; he would have called for help.”

“He didn’t,” Dahlia responded. “He was looking for his father and our paths crossed by fate. I had seen the son of the man who destroyed all my plans. If it weren’t for Pikachu, I would have succeeded.”

“Why did Ayame join Team Rocket?”

“Because she was told to,” Dahlia swiftly responded. “She’s very cooperative.” Dahlia’s eyes burnt into shade of white. Her face squinted and her cheeks wrinkled into a face of horror. “DO YOU REALLY THINK I’D LET TEAM ROCKET GET THEIR FILTHY HANDS ON MY BABY? OF COURSE NOT! It was me who created her after all.”

“Pika!” growled Pikachu. Dahlia clicked her fingers and she turned the electric mouse into a block of ice in the tomb.


“Now let’s match our powers against each other!” Dahlia proposed. The ghost hurled her parasol which perished. For the first time that May could finally see the true form of Dahlia Hawthorne. The ghost was formed into a grey female figure with white eyes and her gory hair. “Me, Tortress and Meloetta vs You, Blaziken and Beautifly?”

“I accept your challenge!”

[ChloboShoka]

Chapter Six: Tortress

“COME OUT TORTRESS!” Dahlia yelled.

Dahlia’s self-acclaimed baby, Tortress introduced herself by tumbling down from the sky. Tortress appeared to be a hybrid between Venomoth and Butterfree with it’s small blue body and gigantic lilac wings. Her frisky red pupils made her sleet eyes appear more deadly to the eye. To a blind eye, Tortress seemed adorable, but May knew that appearances were sometimes very deceptive. Dahlia waved her arms and imploded to Tortress’s wings. “Who would have thought that the great lethal Tortress herself would be a butterfly?”

May remained silent.

“You were expecting a monster,” Dahlia growled. She tossed the masterball to the ground and the first thing that came out of Meloetta was a dexterous howl. Meloetta closed her eyes and kept her distance from Dahlia and Tortress.

“Something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” May murmered.

“You better ask now before you die,” Dahlia hissed. Her spirit swayed with the flow of the blizzard. Meanwhile, Tortress closed her eyes and yowled, flashing teeth sharper than swords.

“What are the Gods’ plans for Ash?” May asked. “And what was Meloetta’s magic that could wake up Ash?”

“Oh,” Dahlia responded. Her sweet voice faded into deep chimes. “I made those parts up to motivate you. Remember what I said before? He will never wake up!”

“You would lie about something like that,” said May. She grinned at Dahlia as continued with, “But he will wake up because Ash Ketchum is the greatest pokemon trainer in the world.”

Dahlia’s chortles exploded into a destructing hail of dark vibes. May heaved at the discomfort of Dahlia’s voice. “The greatest pokemon trainer in the world? Ash Ketchum inherited his failure from Phoenix Wright and his naivety from his mother.” Beautifly and Blaziken kept gaurd of May as Dahlia’s laughter faded. “Your pokemon look ready to fight. Now Tortress, kill them all!”

“Don’t let Tortress touch you,” May told her pokemon. “Keep an eye on Meloetta too!”

“Slay them,” Dahlia hissed like a serpent with a crown. “Send them to sleep Meloetta.” Meloetta flew above Dahlia and started to sing. Meloetta’s soprano range gave the song an ancient feel to it as if it had been sung many centuries before.

Blaziken captured May’s waist and clasped her beneath her furry body. He thought through the blizzard by climbing up the rocks as Meloetta unleashed a purple beam aiming at Tortress. The beam’s impact dragged Tortress inches away from Ash’s tomb.

The flowing, wavy green hair and light blue eyes of Meloetta had returned and she remained to sing. Tortress flicked her wings and bounced up. She glared at Beautifly as they both became shrouded in white fog.

Beautifly managed to dodge the extreme speed of Tortress’ charge. The hail kept the two butterflies constantly away and apart from each other as if they were spinning magnets. Beautifly was twice as weak against the ice unlike Tortress who was floating steadily compared to Beautifly’s manic turns. She tried to use her own silver wind to control her balance more, but it proved to be futile.

“Why is Meloetta disobeying me?” Dahlia asked. Meloetta began to loaf around in the sky. “SEND THEM ALL TO SLEEP!”

Meloetta glared at Dahlia’s enlarged spirit and discharged a violet beam into Dahlia’s soul which caused an avalanche that errupted a stronger blizzard. May and Blaziken dropped into a lump of snow as the particles of ice left a sharp stinging sensation on their skin. Blaziken bent her knees and dived out of the snow leaving a star-shaped hole in the ground.

Tortress began to spat out sludge bombs at May. Blaziken tried to counter them by throwing flames around them in hope to burn away the toxic.Blaziken threw May to the floor and she rolled over to Ash’s tomb.

“Beautifly,” May called. She raised both of her arms as Beautifly came whizzing past her. “Use psychic to control Tortress.” May swirled to Blaziken. “Once Beautifly has everything in control THAW OUT PIKACHU!”

“Toxic spikes,” Dahlia roared. Blaziken spat out a ball of fire that rapidly melted the ice and snow. Pikachu rose to his feet and shook his head. Dahlia’s diamond fell onto his head forcing him to lie face flat on the snow. Tortress saw it as an open opportunity to scatter thorns covered in venom around the area. One of the spikes managed to cut May’s arm as some of the snowflakes became red.

Blaziken had moved too quick and Beautifly was trying hard not to touch either the spikes or Tortress. The poison from the spikes carried May onto the floor. May couldn’t bring herself to get up but at the same time she tried to keep herself awake.

“Tortress has a remarkable amount of poison inside her,” Dahlia informed May. “She sweats out cyanide. She pumps strychnine and arsenic around her blood. She foams venom and consumes the flesh of her victims That’s why Tortress can kill anybody who touches her. Even those who do not directly touch her face an unpleasant coma. The diamond makes the process more quicker. I was able to take full control of Ash eventually.”

Phoenix might have been a jerk for calling Delia fat when she was carrying his baby, but May wasn’t going to let Dahlia win. Dahlia lost twice; she could handle another loss. If Dahlia’s revenge plan was successful, then Phoenix, Delia and Professor Oak would live in a black shade of regret for the rest of their lives. Pikachu would never be able to heal from the wounds by Dahlia.

The cold grey slush sinking to May’s hair boosted her to spin herself over to Ash’s tomb. She struggled to climb into the tomb with Ash. Her eyelids became heavy and her limbs fluttered. It took May three times to rattle herself into the tomb before having to be assisted by Blaziken and Pikachu.

May watched the sky in front of her. Meloetta looked down on her with wet eyes. Blaziken and Pikachu had their eyes of anger fixed at Dahlia. Beautifly’s pyschic attack caused Tortress to freeze on the spot as May’s pokemon miss the spikes just by the tip of their paws.

Blaziken roared, cloaking herself in a flare blitz. She zoomed behind Tortress and thawed her out immediately as well as leaving her lilac wings on fire. Blaziken fell to the ground and her leg got stabbed by one of Tortress’ spikes.

Blaziken’s fainting caused Beautifly and Pikachu to yell in disgust. The blue aura surrounding Tortress increased in size to the point that the monster was constricted within the aura. Dahlia begged Meloetta to free Tortress from Beautifly’s grip but she sent Tortress into sleep.

Blaziken attempted to stand and use every last bit of energy she had to use one last flamethrower. The fire caused another explosion which sent Tortress flying and banging her wings against the tomb.

Tortress was still on fire.

The diamond fell into the fragile clutches of May’s hands. She held onto it loosely with not enough strength to hold onto it tight. Her head rolled to Ash who was starting to look like a statue. Her free hand stroked Ash’s frozen cheeks. She panted and kissed his lips in case she never got the chance to do it later.


“Don’t fret,” Dahlia said. “You and Ash will be together very soon I’m sure he’ll be happy to see the most beautiful blue eyes in the world...”

“Too bad you won’t be here to see it,” May muttered. She raised the diamond in her hand and tossed it into fiery pit of Tortress’ suffering. Beautifly and Pikachu also used every last ounce of their power to destroy Dahlia’s diamond. The summit of Mt. Silver trembled before them. Meloetta used a green ray of psychic to destroy all of Tortress’s toxic spikes. Dahlia grabbed onto her hair and widened her eyes in disgust.

Dahlia’s spirit began to fade. May held onto the rim of the tomb and placed Blaziken back into her pokeball. It wasn’t a fair fight, but May knew she did what she had to do. Ash was going to live even if it meant that she was going to die. The battle was coming closer to an end.

“NO!” squealed Dahlia. “THIS IS NOT THE END! MY MELOETTA... MY DIAMOND... MY TORTRESS... YOU WILL ALL BE JOINING ME SOON.”

When her diamond exploded and both Dahlia and Tortress perished. May took a deep breath in victory in occurrence to Dahlia’s defeat. She saw Beauitfly and Meloetta tumble down to the snowy summit. May held out Beautifly’s pokeball and Beautifly happily went inside. May slowly closed her eyes and turned her head towards Ash; he was breathing again.

Ash gasped and quailed around the tomb. May could feel herself being sat up by Ash. It felt as if May was being carried by a block of ice. May blinked, then slowly opened her eyes. May beamed a delighted smile, but Ash shuddered.

“Ash...”

“May it was me!” Ash yelled in despair. Bursting into tears, he embraced May so tightly that May almost couldn’t breathe. “I didn’t mean to do it. Dahlia... she took complete control of me.” Ash pulled away from May and clenched his eyes shut from the sight of May’s wounds. “May you’re hurt,” Ash gasped. “It’s all my fault.I only wanted to look for my father.”

“It’s fine,” May replied. “Dahlia told me everything.”

“How did you know I was here?” asked Ash.

“I just happened to have found you here,” May admitted. “I was planning on going to Unova with Drew and Harley but there’s no contests over there so I lost interest. I came here to see why Drew and Harley didn’t want to go to Mt. Silver. I found... you and that’s when Dahlia Hawthorne came to me.”

“What did she do to you?”

“She set me a challenge,” May replied. “She wanted me to go to Hazakura and capture a Meloetta before you die. Meloetta introduced us to Celebi who gave me all these flashbacks into Dahlia Hawthorne’s history... and your father. Then I came back here and had a battle with Dahlia, Meloetta and Tortress. For some reason, Meloetta disobeyed Dahlia’s orders and in the end, Dahlia and Tortress were defeated.”

“I’m sorry, May.”

“There’s no need to be sorry,” May assured him. Meloetta bounced up to May’s shoulder and hugged her from behind. “You were brilliant Meloetta. Can you take us back to Hazakura now?”

Meloetta nodded in glee and Pikachu hugged Ash at the same time. May quickly looked up to Ash and said, “Ash... it’s all over.”

[The Shiny Gengar]

So wait... is that the end? O.o

Anyways, cool story, definitely was well developed, and the final battle was epic.

For some reason, I always imagined Tortress to look like a Turtle... or maybe Fortress...

So yeah, that's all I have to say. Good job, and I hope there's a final chapter to sum everything up.

[ChloboShoka]

We're getting close to the end. Depends how long it takes for me to tie all the loose ends. If I can do it quickly, the next chapter will be the last and if it takes a little while then I think it will end in two chapters .Thanks for the faithful reading and reviews =D

Edit: Two more chapters left.

[midnightjewelz]

Yay! Ash is awake! And Tortress i had a idea it was a turtle but after seeing the image on your tumblr page i was shocked. But it was nice.
I'm sure Dehila will make one more apperance before the final curtain will close.
Loving where this is heading CG

[ChloboShoka]

Chapter Seven: Circle

May returned Meloetta to Sister Bikini and just as promised brought Ash round for dinner. Sister Bikini laughed herself to tears. Meloetta bounced into Bikini's arms and let out a satisfied cry. Little did May know, Bikini also had some more guests gathered in the main hall. People were gathered around in a circle waiting for the dinner to be served. May and Ash had arrived just in time, which was good considering they both enjoyed their food.

"Oh you must be Ash," Sister Bikini said as she looked up to Ash. "May mentioned you when she came here. You two look frozen solid. Luckily the omelet is ready ready."

"That's great," May said with a smile on her face. Ash and May had their arms wrapped each other and joined the circle. May reconised the people sitting in a circle; May's dad, Norman; Ash's parents, Phoenix Wright and Delia Ketchum; and May's friends Harley and Drew. Two other people were a part of the circle too; a tall man with green hair and a young girl with dark skin, and gigantic navy hair with a small axew attached to her shoulder. Ash recognised them as his traveling pals; Cilan and Iris.

"May!" Norman cried out. "I came running here when Detective Skye informed me that Drew and Harley had reported you missing. She managed to figure out your disappearance and Ash's disappearance where connected and asked us all to wait for you in Hazakura Temple."

"What about the gym?" May asked Norman.

"Nothing to worry about," Norman replied with a warm smile on his face. "Max is taking good care of it." The thought of her younger brother running Petalburg Gym astonished May. They had all grown up so much. Max had reached his first years of being a teenager and was going to experience some of the toughest years of his life. "At the same time," Norman continued, "Not many people can climb up Mt. Silver and take on a monstrous spirit and murderous monster and live to tell the tale."

"The monster..." Ash muttered.

"Tortress was a hybrid between butterfree and venomoth," May confirmed. Everyone in the hall had paid attention to her. Ash rested his head on May's shoulder and held onto May's waist. "Tortress was created by Dahlia Hawthorne when she was in Team Rocket."

"What made you choose to go up to Mt. Silver anyway?" Norman asked. "We're all curious."

"I just had a feeling that there something up there," May replied. "Something I needed to see."

"YOU SILLY LITTLE GIRL," Harley cried out. "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL US? WE'D HAVE CAME WITH YOU." Ironically, Harley had a hidden fear of heights. He despised the cold. Mt. Silver was one of the highest and coldest mountains in Johto. She just couldn't see it happening. Perhaps they would have waited, but Drew would have constantly kept persuading Harley to stick around.

"We didn't want you to go up there because it was dangerous," Drew responded. "Harley and I care about you, May. We just didn't think that Mt. Silver was the best place to train, considering all the attacks that happened."

"We had the feeling that you were going to be next," Harley admitted. "All the people who had been attacked owned an eevee or an evolved form of eevee."

"The night after I called you, we tried looking for you in pokemon centre near Mt. Silver," Drew said. He looked at May as if she was his little sister. "We heard that a girl had fainted in the train station. I had a feeling it was you. And..." Drew stuttered and shook his head. He sighed and asked, "Why didn't you let us come with you?"

"You two didn't want to go, remember?" May reminded them. "Besides, I didn't want anyone else in danger..."

"At least you two are both back here safe and sound," Cilan announced.

"You know Ash," Iris told him, "it feels like ages since I last saw you."

"We reported you missing two months ago," Cilan confirmed.

"Was that really now long I was gone for?" Ash asked. His face had gone white again. Cilan and Iris nodded.

"The funny thing is," May admitted. She looked up to the group gathered in a circle and said, "When I first heard the news that Ash had gone missing, I had a gut feeling that Mt. Silver had something to do with his disappearance."

"How did you know I was up there?" Ash asked. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I didn't really have time to tell anybody," May admitted. "Just as we were planning to go to Unova, I decided to go back to Johto. I heard you were last seen going back there, so I went up there. I heard about Tortress was on the loose and with all the attacks going around, you could have been anywhere."

"So it was all just a nice coincidence?" Phoenix asked. Phoenix to have gained a lot more muscle since the time May had seen the flashback of his old skinny self. Funnily enough, Professor Oak appeared to be right about everything. Phoenix Wright had indeed looked like a hobo who's best years were gone. He was holding a bottle of grape juice in his hands. "Ash goes missing for two months and you happen to find him asleep on the top of Mt. Silver. Looks like miracles do exist after all."

"What do you mean?" May asked. Phoenix had never left his eyes off May. He wouldn't look at Delia and even refused to look at his own son.

"You two should both be dead."

Delia quickly dragged Phoenix's shoulders down to the ground. Pinned her knees onto his shoulders, held onto his aqua beanie hat, and then slapped him on both cheeks. Norman crawled over and punched his nose for good measure.

"I deserved that." Phoenix sat back up and scratched his head while Bikini served omelet for everybody. "What I meant was that you two are lucky to be alive."

At that moment, May felt like she was in an awkward position. May knew who Ash's father was and Delia was in the same room. Should she show Ash that Phoenix is his father, or should she wait to let Delia introduce him. After thinking it through, May decided that it didn't matter.

"Eat up!" Sister Bikini requested. "That omelet is very special. It's made from a blissey egg."

A blissey egg. Of course May remembered that blissey's egg has healing powers as well as making anyone who eats it kind to people. The omelet was exactly what they all needed: Phoenix in particular. The omelet was overall fluffy, light and delicious with its sweet delicate texture. It was the first time all of them seemed to be part of a civil discussion since May and Ash had arrived. May and Ash had both fully recovered from their wounds and decided to let out their pokemon so they could have some of the omelet too.

"I think I owe you an apology," Phoenix told Delia. "It was stupid of me to call you fat when you were pregnant."

"I should think so too!" barked Norman. Everybody else remained silent and observed Delia and Phoenix's long needed conversation.

"I've been trying to avoid Pallet Town for a long time and your pregnancy was the reason why."

"You knew I was pregnant?" Delia asked. "Why did you pretend that I wasn't pregnant? Why did you block me out as soon as Ayame and Dahlia came into the picture?"

"You were only 14 at the time," Phoenix reminded Delia. The two of them slowly made their distance apart from each other. "I knew if everyone knew that I made a fourteen year old pregnant, that I would never be able to get a career in law. So I pushed you out of my life. To be honest, I never thought about Ash. I never thought about children, even when I adopted Trucy... I'm sorry to both of you."

"You're my father?" Ash asked Phoenix.

For the first time in his life, Phoenix looked up to his own son. "Yes. Ash, even though we've only just me, I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks Dad," said Ash. May turned to see his smile and she had a feeling that Ash's mind was finally at peace.

"I'd like to thank you May," Phoenix said. "For giving me the chance to see my child again. Although there's something that's been troubling me. Dahlia's always hated me since the moment I met her. Why did she chose Ash instead of Trucy?"

"Because Dahlia wanted you to live with your guilt," May replied. "She though that driving Ash to his death would be the perfect way to get revenge on you. But Dahlia made a big mistake by underestimating Ash's bonds with his pokemon and friends. You should also thank Pikachu too."

Pikachu's dirty looks on Phoenix had melted into a calmer and polite smile.

"Thanks Pikachu," Phoenix said as he patted his son's pokemon.

[ChloboShoka]

Epilogue

Shame on you
You made your friends collect your soul
The birth of a violent blizzard
Unwinds to a diamond storm
She's gotta slash you black again

A yellow fox glares at the moon
Tragedy will call very soon
She jumps in the lagoon and floats until she's called

I can do no more
Of the sins I did before
You are everything I adore
Thou art my world galore
Drifting apart on a golden shore

Your blood plump lips sparkle
Breaking my last breaths
Let me freeze to death
Bury your blues with me
Magnetized by the darkness

The Demon that controls all pain
Has a new apprentice to train
Who's dignity he still needs to obtain
That spirit grew in my brain

Vanishing...
Vanishing...
Vanished

The lyrics jiving on May's ipod reminded her of recent events. The spirit of Dahlia Hawthorne in particular. Never in her life could she imagine that she would be playing in the woods with Ash as if they were children again. The surface of the ground was damp and slippery. Compared to the sheer cold of Mt. Silver, Ash and May considered White Forest to be warm. After the events of Dahlia Hawthorne, Ash and May had decided to travel alone for a little while. May felt like she was living in the state of the living with the aqua sky and innocent insects crawling around the trees. Summer had arrived, but it felt like winter was just yesterday. A handful of petals splashed onto May as she pulled Ash towards the edge of a small pond. Ash slammed his fist onto the grass.

"I can't believe I won another tournament and found my father," Ash admitted, looking to May's eyes." I wish I had found him sooner... I guess I was struggling to find something to do after I won. I was used to losing at the final hurdles, but when I actually won I got lost. I had achieved my dream and I didn't know what to do. I guess I'm free to do whatever I want now."

"Even if you are the greatest trainer in the world," May informed Ash, sitting down next to him, "You can always do better. And you will do better. So have you met Trucy yet?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "She's pretty weird."

"That's siblings for you."

"How's Max?"

"Last time I spoke to him, he said he was good. He's very confident with helping dad out with the gym."

"Things have changed so much since we started on our journeys," Ash told May. "Six years ago, I wanted to get every pokemon in the world. But now, I'm happy with what I've got. Thank you for everything May," Ash said. May felt as if she had turned into a statue when Ash kissed her.