Measure of a Trainer: Secrets of Kultran

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

Key:
“Speech”
`Thoughts'

Chapter 2 – Return

The Golden Azumarill, Main Lobby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*****************************************************************
The Golden Azumarill, Elevator Lobby

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

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

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

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

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

“Race ya there, Pikachu!” He yelled.

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

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

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Outside The Golden Azumarill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ekab Beaches

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

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

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

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

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

“Da very one,” Meowth said.

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

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

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

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

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

“Well?” Demanded Meowth.

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

“What?” Jessie exclaimed. “Why not?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Golden Azumarill Pool Complex

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ekab Beaches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Room 1015, The Golden Azumarill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ash’s stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly.

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

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

Couple of notes on this chapter.

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

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

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

Thanks to those who have reviewed thus far (thanks for the compliments), and please, give me your
comments and feedback on this chap.

Oh, and for Dave, yes, this story may have sex in it by the end, but even ifit does not, then the sequel certainly will.