novelraw Chapter 544: Crash and Burn
Chapter 544: Crash and Burn
May was sitting in the back room, tapping her foot and clasping her hands. She had already put Bulbasaur back into her Poké Ball since, as sweet as she was, she wasn’t going to use an untrained Bulbasaur for this.
But that didn’t mean she knew what she was doing. Her idea of doing this on her own meant she couldn’t use any of the Pokémon Ash had helped her train, so Beautifly and Combusken were out. On top of that, techniques Ash had taught her, like the Counter Shield, were also off-limits.
It wasn’t a good mindset at all. It was like a child saying they wanted to learn to run without their parents’ help, so they decided not to use their legs because their parents had taught them how to walk.
It was more like she was forcing herself to start over, and what she was left with was her Swablu, Skitty, or her Squirtle.
She could hear the announcements for the start of the Contest, with Vivian introducing the judges, but May just sat there, thinking about what she was actually going to perform out there.
She looked into her bag and saw the pink contest dress that Lisia had gifted her. She ran her fingers along the fabric, then closed the bag. She wasn’t going to wear that either, thinking it would be like relying on Lisia too.
She took a breath and looked at the TV, where she could see people already performing. Solidad walked onto the stage and began her performance with a Lapras. As she did, Squirtle perked up, watching the show with sparkles in her eyes.
May looked at her and smiled softly, patting the little turtle on the head.
Meanwhile, behind a wall, Harley was leaning against it, scrolling through a tablet with his notes, "How dare they? I’ll make them pay for that," he muttered, referring to May and Drew because of what had happened an hour ago.
In his mind, anything he baked was the best in the world, so the fact that Drew didn’t take one and May said they were "not bad" was an unforgivable crime.
Originally, he had come to May to try and find a way to sabotage her, but seeing her in this state, it looked like he wouldn’t need to. That made things easier. So he shifted his attention to Drew, and with him, he already had something special in mind for his revenge.
He smiled as he put his tablet away. Solidad’s performance had ended, earning almost a perfect score of 29.9. He started walking out, it would be his turn soon enough. Time to show these losers how it’s done.
—
Ash, Brock, and Max were in the stands watching the show, although Pikachu and Vee had their ears down because they couldn’t find May, and they knew she had probably gone off on her own.
Ash had already explained the situation to Brock and Max, and neither of them liked it.
Brock had his arms crossed, watching the stage but clearly not seeing it, "She’s putting way too much pressure on herself," he said quietly.
Max frowned, gripping the railing a little tighter than usual, "May..."
"Yeah, I don’t like it either," Ash said with a frown, nudging Brock, "Reminds me of how Misty was during the tournament. She almost burned herself out, and it looks like May might do the same."
Brock’s hands gripped his shoulders a little tighter, "I don’t like this..." he said. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even pay attention to the first few rounds, where Solidad performed.
But Ash did notice it, and his eyes almost bulged out of his head. All he could think was, ’Oh no, she’s cooked.’
Ash knew that if May used everything, she might stand a chance. Was it a small one? Yes, but a chance nonetheless. But without everything, she was cooked, sautéed, and about to be served as an appetizer. Solidad was stronger than May. She had more experience, better-trained Pokémon, and was debatably smarter too. Canon May at the peak of the Hoenn arc couldn’t beat her, this was a May with only a few months of experience.
And it only got worse when he saw Harley come out to start his performance.
Ash dragged his hands down his face, burying it for a moment before looking back up. May was so screwed. She was going to lose, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. A part of him almost hoped she wouldn’t make it to the next round, but unfortunately, judging by the competition, it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
Then it was time for May to walk out.
Ash held his breath when he saw she was just wearing her normal outfit. He muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Brock and Max to hear, "I guess let’s just hope for the best."
—
{Meanwhile, in Matcha City}
Dr. Akihabara was working in his new lab, which was now filled with far better equipment than the old, dusty machines he used to have. The mansion itself was clean too, now that he had a reason to keep it that way. After all, ever since his last date with the town’s Nurse Joy, things had gone well, and they were officially dating.
So yeah, Akihabara had started taking better care of his home, and himself. Plus, thanks to all the money D had gotten him, he had nothing to worry about. All he needed to do was handle taxes, and he could pull as much money as he needed.
Pretty sweet deal, especially since he got to research whatever he wanted. Right now, he was studying the effects of Nanab Berry enzyme fermentation on the spatial awareness of Psychic-type Pokémon. Why? Because he could, and no one was stopping him.
He even had a Slowpoke sleeping on the table, lazily eating a bowl of Nanab Berries while wearing an oversized helmet.
Then he heard the familiar sound of teleportation behind him.
Akihabara didn’t even blink. He didn’t jump, didn’t reach for a Poké Ball, and certainly didn’t stop calibrating his sensors. He just sighed, adjusted his glasses, and kept his back to the intruder.
"You know," he said, his voice dripping with casual exasperation, "I actually have a door. It’s the rectangular thing made of reinforced steel that opens when you press the buzzer. You should try it sometime, it’s very therapeutic."
D’s voice came from directly behind him, as casual as ever, "Aw, but where’s the fun in that, Aki? Besides, sounds like you’re already used to me."
Akihabara finally turned slightly, just enough to glance over his shoulder, "One day you’re going to teleport into something unpleasant."
D shrugged, hands in his pockets, "Hasn’t happened yet."
Akihabara huffed, turning back to his work, "So, what brings you here? Vacation boredom already? And if you’re here for the upgrade for Porygon, it’s not done yet."
Of course, D was here to convince Akihabara to join his research lab. He had just come from Mt. Moon after going to get Seymour. It hadn’t taken much to convince him, he had just disguised himself as Ash and said he was there to check on him.
Turns out, staying in the mountain for two years with barely any human interaction wasn’t as great as Seymour had thought, and he was more than happy to leave and join, especially when he heard that Professor Cozmo was part of the lab, someone who also researched space-related topics.
As for Aki, while he wouldn’t be working in the space department like Cozmo or Seymour, he was still incredibly valuable because of his work with Porygon. He may have gotten the plans on how to make them back, and while a few labs across the world had started producing some, he couldn’t mass-produce them. That’s why no one else in the world really had Porygon.
But if D could get him to join, and give him the resources to start mass production, he could use that to create more products, like the Porygon Phone from Pokémon Masters, essentially a cousin to the Rotom Phone.
The only problem was that the Rotom Phone would still be better overall, but the Porygon Phone could be mass-produced since Porygon were artificially made Pokémon, meaning they would be cheaper. Plus, no one said the two couldn’t form a partnership and create something that combined both.
And beyond that, there was so much more Porygon could be used for.
Before the thought of them being used for evil could even come up, that was exactly what D was hoping for. Since they were artificial Pokémon, and with his own Porygon-Z, he could take control of them manually, effectively turning them against their new "owners."
In fact, if he could get this plan going, his first move, even before releasing them into Hoenn, would be getting them into Sinnoh so that Team Galactic could acquire them and think they had a powerful new weapon, when in reality everything would funnel right back to D.
But all of that came second. The first step was recruiting Aki, and that wasn’t simple.
Even though Aki might not admit it, D would say they were pretty good friends. But as far as Aki knew, D was still part of Team Rocket, even if he didn’t seem particularly loyal. Plus, all that money D had came from Team Rocket.
Still, Aki was one of the few people D didn’t mind potentially discovering that he was actually Ash. After all, they had worked together before. If Aki had wanted to do something about D, he could have easily had an Officer Jenny stationed near his house at all times. Aki might not admit it, but he wouldn’t rat D out after everything they’d been through.
Akihabara finally stopped running numbers and looked back at D, "So...what do you want, D?"
"Well, I have a new deal for you. How would you like to start mass-producing Porygon?" D said, his face still covered by the mask.
Akihabara looked D up and down. He knew him well enough to tell, "You’re planning something."
D didn’t deny it. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the edge of the table, "I’m always planning something. You know that."
"That’s not an answer," Akihabara said.
"It’s the only honest one I’ve got."
Akihabara sighed, "Okay, let’s assume I listen to you. You know I’m already working with other researchers on the development of Porygon."
"And is it really what you want? After all, not counting mine, there are only three Porygon in the world, one you have, and one each in Sinnoh and Hoenn," D said.
That got Akihabara’s attention. At the rate things were going, it seemed like he would never get Porygon released to the public, but he wasn’t fully on board yet, "I’m listening."
D smiled under the mask, "Well, what I’m offering is a real way to get what we both want. I’m building a research department, and I can give you all the resources you need. We’ll spread it across the world. We can truly unlock the infinite potential of Porygon."
Akihabara rubbed his chin, thinking, "I see...but that begs the question, what are you after? Knowing you, it’s not just money. We both have plenty."
"You know me so well, Aki." D shook his head, "You’re right, I’m not doing this just for money. Truth is, my plan involves making these wannabe villains suffer."
Akihabara sighed, sitting down in a chair and covering his eyes with one hand. After a moment, he lowered it, a small smile forming, "You’re a moron, you know that? ...Alright. You want to talk business? Let’s negotiate."
D smirked under the mask, "That’s what I like to hear." He pulled up another chair, crossing one leg over the other, "Let’s negotiate."
—
{Back in Rubello Town}
May was right in the middle of wrapping up her performance. She had decided to use Squirtle for this one and was in the final stretch.
"Bubble Beam!" May called out.
Squirtle spun in place, trying to move like a ballerina while sending bursts of bubbles all around the arena.
May then pointed to the air, "Now, Water Gun!"
Squirtle fired a stream upward. The water hit the bubbles at angles, causing them to pop one after another in rapid succession. As they burst, droplets fell like glittering sparkles across the stage.
"Now C—I mean, spin!" she called, almost slipping into saying Counter Shield.
Squirtle twirled beneath the falling droplets, its shell catching the light as the sparkling rain circled around it, forming a gentle, glowing vortex of water and light. Then it finished with a graceful bow, just like a ballerina.
After a moment, the stadium erupted in applause. May caught her breath, it was a good thing the water was falling all around her, or people would see how much she was sweating.
But then she heard one of the judges, Raoul Contesta, mutter under his breath as he looked at her.
"Lacked impact."
May heard it, and her heart dropped.
Then the scores came in:
8.6
8.7
8.5
25.8, her lowest score yet.
May kept up her smile as she bowed, then headed backstage, passing Drew as he went out for his turn. Once inside, she sat down on a bench a little harder than she meant to.
Thankfully, the locker room was empty.
The moment she sat, her hands started shaking. She just sat there, alone, trying to steady herself.
Soon enough, everyone had performed, and the results were posted:
Top 4 Coordinators Advancing:
Solidad – 29.9
Harley – 28.9
Drew – 26.7
May – 25.8
May stared at the screen. She had made it.
But instead of relief, she just felt heavier.
"Why doesn’t this feel good...?" she muttered to herself, eyes fixed on the scores.
–
Outside, Ash, Brock, and Max looked at the scores.
Max practically lit up, "She made it!"
Brock let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, "Top four...that’s still really good," he said. He was so focused on May that he didn’t even notice Solidad’s name yet again.
Ash nodded, "Yeah," he said, crossing his arms, but he was frowning. Then he sighed, "She’s gonna crash and burn, isn’t she?"
"Probably," Brock and Max said in unison.
Brock’s phone started ringing. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen, "Ah, my family, I’ve got to take this. Fill me in on what happens," he said as he stepped out, conveniently just as Vivian began announcing the battle section.
Solidad vs. May
Harley vs. Drew
Ash was starting to think there was some kind of weird force at play, because every time Solidad came up, Brock got distracted or wasn’t there to react. Weren’t they both from Pewter City? Even if they weren’t old friends, Solidad was admittedly really pretty, so Ash was half-ready to hit Brock over the head if needed, but it never came up.
Ash shook his head. That was for later. Right now, the problem was May.
Max looked down, then back up at Ash, "Hey, Ash...do you think—"
"I don’t know," Ash cut him off before he could finish.
That made Max sink further into his seat, worry written all over his face. May was the only thing on his mind right now.
—
Backstage, May still hadn’t moved from her seat. She was waiting to be called out to battle Solidad, barely paying attention to anything around her.
She clasped her hands and nervously tapped her foot, trying to calm her breathing, but she couldn’t. Her foot tapped faster, and her breaths came quicker.
Then a slow clap echoed through the room.
"Well, well," came a familiar voice.
May stiffened slightly when she heard someone. She calmed down a little, or at least stopped tapping her foot, but she didn’t look up.
"What do you want, Harley?" she muttered.
Harley stepped into view, grinning wide, clearly enjoying himself.
"Oh, nothing much," he said sweetly, "Just wanted to congratulate you."
May gave a dry, flat, "Thanks."
Harley’s smile twitched slightly, "On barely scraping by," he added.
While Harley hadn’t gotten any dirt on May like he had with Drew for their match, he didn’t exactly play fair, so he had nothing to lose by trying to put her down.
But then May said something he didn’t expect.
"...You’re right," she said simply.
That made Harley pause, "What?"
"I did barely make it," she continued, "That wasn’t my best. I’m just barely here..."
Harley blinked, thrown off. That wasn’t how this was supposed to go. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Usually, he’d try to tear down overly confident coordinators, not...this. Should he comfort her? No, that was weird. He’d never done that.
He cleared his throat, "Well, at least you’re self-aware," he scoffed, trying to recover, "Makes it easier for you to accept what’s coming next."
May let out a slow breath, staring down at her hands, "...Yeah," she said quietly, "I guess it does."
Harley opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking like a fish out of water. He genuinely didn’t know what to do right now. Should he, like...offer her another cookie?
But then Vivian’s voice came through the speaker, announcing that it was time for May’s match against Solidad.
May sighed and stood up, "Well...time to get this over with," she said as she started walking out, leaving Harley just standing there.
And he just thought, where was the fun in this? If he couldn’t break his opponents himself, how was he supposed to prove his superiority? He sighed and decided he was going to give Drew an extra bad beatdown to make himself feel better. He originally just had audio, but now he was going to see if he could get some video too.
—
{At the Arena}
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Vivian’s voice rang out across the stadium, full of energy, "It’s time for the battle round!"
The crowd cheered loudly.
"And our first match will be—" she paused for effect, "Solidad versus May!"
The audience buzzed immediately at the name.
Solidad was already walking onto the field, calm and composed, her presence alone drawing attention.
On the other side, May stepped out onto the stage, and she just thought everything was too loud, and the lights in her eyes were too bright. Then she stepped onto her side and saw Solidad on the other side.
"Nice to see you made it," Solidad said, her tone neutral, but not unkind.
May nodded slightly, "Yeah."
Solidad studied her for a second. Then her eyes softened just a little, "You’re still forcing it," she said quietly.
May’s chest tightened, "I know," she said softly, but she still raised a Poké Ball and held it out.
That answer made Solidad pause. But before anything else could be said, Vivian cut in again.
"Coordinators, ready!" Vivian called.
Both of them raised their Poké Balls.
"Begin!"
Solidad threw out her Slowbro, and May threw out Skitty.
"Skitty!" she called, just a second too late, "Use [Assist]!"
Skitty spun in place, randomly trying to choose a move from one of May’s Pokémon.
But Solidad wasn’t going to let it happen.
"[Confusion]," Solidad said calmly.
Slowbro’s eyes glowed.
Before Skitty could even finish its move, she was lifted clean off the ground, caught mid-spin. The energy around her shimmered, distorting the air.
"Skitty!" May shouted.
The move finally triggered, [Assist] used one of Combusken’s [Embers], but she was in the air, so it fired off uselessly.
"Throw it," Solidad added, swiping her faster than May could react.
Skitty was flung across the field, skidding hard before tumbling to a stop.
The crowd winced.
May’s breath hitched. She clenched her fists, "Get up! Use—"
She almost said it, then shook her head, "[Tackle]!"
Skitty rushed forward, shaking off the hit, but there was no finesse, no setup, just a straight charge.
"[Disable]," Solidad said.
A pulse of energy shot out.
Skitty staggered mid-run, the energy locking onto her, and the attack fizzled out completely as she fell forward, hitting the ground with her face.
And for a second, everything just...stopped.
Or at least, that’s what it felt like to May.
Her vision tunneled.
The arena, the crowd, the lights, they all blurred together into a distant haze as a loud, pounding thump filled her ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She could hear her heart beating. It was beating way too fast.
"Skitty...?" she tried to say, but her voice came out thin, almost swallowed by the noise around her.
The crowd was still there, she could see them, but they sounded far away now, like she was underwater.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her chest tightened.
Her hands started shaking again, worse than before. Her fingers twitched.
Why can’t I think? she wanted to say, but the words didn’t leave her mouth.
"Skitty, get up!" she called, louder this time, but it cracked halfway through.
Skitty pushed herself up slowly, wobbling, trying to listen, but May couldn’t focus.
Her thoughts were spiraling, ’I messed up...I messed up again...that didn’t work...nothing’s working...’
May couldn’t hear the crowd anymore, not really. Their cheers and murmurs had turned into a dull roar, like waves crashing somewhere far away. The bright lights overhead blurred together, smearing into streaks as her vision started to shake.
Her chest felt tight as her hand shot up and clutched at it, feeling her heart beating wildly.
Her breathing turned shallow and quick, each inhale barely filling her lungs. She tried to take a deeper breath, but it caught halfway, like something was stuck in her chest.
She could barely hear what Solidad was doing. She could tell she was still giving commands, but she couldn’t understand any of them, and Skitty was trying her best not to get knocked out.
As May’s vision started to blur, suddenly there was a loud ring that snapped her out of her anxiety attack. It was the sound of the buzzer indicating that the time was up.
She looked up and saw that it wasn’t even close. May’s bar was way lower than Solidad’s, meaning she lost.
As people cheered, Skitty walked up to May with her ears down, looking up at her, and May slowly leaned down, picking her up.
"You did just great. Don’t worry about it..." she muttered.
Then she looked up at Solidad and quickly gave a smile and a bow, and before Solidad could try to say anything, May ran off backstage again.
When May got there, she put Skitty back in her Poké Ball, saying it was just so she could rest. But once Skitty was gone, May’s smile fell, and she tilted, but caught herself on the wall.
Her breathing hitched harder, turning into uneven gasps as she stumbled down the hallway, one hand dragging along the wall to keep herself steady.
Her hand was still pressed against her chest, fingers clutching at her shirt as her breathing stayed shallow.
She didn’t want to stay here. She didn’t want anyone to see her. So she sneaked out of a back door and walked out of the contest hall by herself.
She didn’t even know why. Was it some weird way to try and punish herself? She didn’t know.
She just walked. The sun was already starting to set since the contest had been going for a while, and May could hear Vivian announcing that next up was Drew vs. Harley, but she hardly paid attention.
She found her way to a nearby park that was empty since everyone was over watching the contest, and she sat down on a bench alone, looking down, her eyes puffy.
Then that’s when Ash found her. It was kind of obvious, after he saw May run off, he knew she was probably going to run outside, so he left Max in the seats to tell Brock when he got back, and he walked out. It wasn’t hard to find her, especially since he had Pikachu and Vee, and they could sniff her out.
So when he found her, she was already sitting with her head down, hands clenched tightly in her lap.
He wasn’t trying to be sneaky, and May heard the sound of someone walking behind her. She flinched, but at this point she knew Ash enough to know it was him, of course it was.
"...You followed me," she said quietly, her voice still a little shaky.
"Yeah," Ash answered simply as he walked over and sat next to her.
May swallowed, her fingers tightening slightly before loosening again, "...You didn’t have to."
"I know."
That made her pause, because of course he knew. He always seemed to know these things.
Slowly, she let out a breath that trembled more than she wanted it to.
"...I messed up," she said, still not looking at Ash. She didn’t know if it was because she didn’t feel like she deserved it, or if it was so he wouldn’t see her puffy eyes.
"I...I thought if I could just do it on my own...if I didn’t use anything you taught me, or Brock, or anyone..." She laughed weakly, but it cracked halfway through, "...then it would prove something."
Her shoulders started to shake slightly, "I didn’t want to be useless."
"You’re amazing in everything you do...Brock is working to be a breeder, and he’s also so strong. And Max...he’s younger than me, but he’s smarter...and then there is me. What do I bring? I don’t cook, I don’t take care of you guys, I don’t know how to train, I barely know how to battle, so what do I bring?" she asked, more pleading than she wanted it to sound.
Ash didn’t respond right away. He let May get it out of her system first.
Then he exhaled softly and leaned back a little on the bench, eyes drifting up toward the sky as the last light of sunset faded into orange and pink.
"Relying on people isn’t a crime, May."
"I know," she said quietly, "but—"
"No," Ash cut in gently, shaking his head as he looked back at her, "I mean it."
He leaned forward a bit now, resting his elbows on his knees.
"You’re acting like it’s something you have to fix. Like it’s wrong." He paused for a second, "It’s not. May, you didn’t use your other Pokémon, or the techniques I taught you, or anything else."
"I wanted to prove I could do it myself," May muttered.
Ash tilted his head slightly, "You were doing it yourself."
She blinked, "But I didn’t feel-"
Ash stopped her right there.
"Okay, then whose was it?"
That stopped May.
She didn’t know what to say to that one.
Ash tapped his chest lightly, "If I teach you something, and you use it, that doesn’t make it mine anymore." Then he pointed at her, "It’s yours. After all, the reason your Pokémon work so hard is for you. It’s not for me, it’s not for Brock, and it’s certainly not for Max. It’s always been for you."
She didn’t look up, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t, because a part of her knew he was right.
Ash noticed, and he gave her a small smile, "Do you remember Mauville?"
That made her freeze. Slowly, she lifted her head just a little, finally looking at Ash as Vee and Pikachu jumped up on her lap, patting her.
Ash gave a small smile, "When you fell through that trapdoor?" he said.
May slowly nodded once.
Ash continued, "You were sitting there, couldn’t even stand up properly, and you still tried to brush it off like it was nothing."
May swallowed, "I remember," she said quietly.
Ash nodded once, "I told you something back then," he said, "and you kinda dodged it like you always do."
May gave a tiny, embarrassed wince, but slowly she was starting to calm down with Ash’s usual cheerfulness.
Ash looked at her fully now, "I said you’d always have me in your corner."
Her breath caught.
"And I meant it," he added without hesitation, "...That hasn’t changed," Ash continued, "It’s not gonna change just because you’re trying to do things ’on your own.’"
May’s eyes stung, her vision blurring again.
"You don’t have to prove anything by cutting people out," Ash said, "That’s not what makes something yours."
May let out a shaky breath, "But what do I actually bring?" she asked again, quieter now, but this time it wasn’t as desperate.
Ash smiled at her softly, "You."
She blinked, "...What?"
"You bring you," he repeated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "And that’s enough."
"W-what does that even mean?"
"That’s for you to find out," Ash said, poking her head, "You keep asking what you bring, like you’re supposed to fill some kind of role."
Ash lowered his hand and put it on Vee’s head, rubbing the little fox, "And when you figure out what that means to you," Ash went on, "I’ll be right here. Always in your corner."
The last thing holding her together just gave out.
May’s shoulders shook as she let out a small, broken breath, and before she could even think about it, she leaned sideways, her head resting against Ash’s shoulder as warm tears started falling
And Ash didn’t push her off. He just raised a hand and patted her head.
Her hands clenched into his sleeve as quiet sobs finally slipped out, the kind she’d been holding back all day.
"I’m sorry..." she choked out, her voice muffled against his shoulder, "I’m sorry, Ash...I didn’t mean to act like that...I know I was being—"
Ash gently shook his head before she could finish, "Hey, don’t do that," he said softly.
May tightened her grip slightly, "But I was. I ignored you, and Brock, and Max. I was a jerk, and I just—"
"May, I’m not mad at you."
That made her pause mid-sentence, "What?" she asked weakly.
"I wasn’t mad at you," he repeated, "I never have been. And Brock and Max aren’t either. We are all worried, but we were never mad."
May looked up at him. Then she felt Pikachu and Vee nudge her, looking up at her with small nods.
That felt like another punch to the gut for May, and even if Ash had just said he wasn’t mad, she couldn’t stop herself as she leaned her head back against him and kept crying some more, muttering, "I’m sorry," over and over again.
Ash just let her cry, holding her there.
They would have to go back to the stadium soon enough, but they had a little bit of time. So he would let May let it all out.
---
Its time guys, next week i will give no Chapters i’m sorry because finals, but the traid offer is once i’m done you know whats coming back, Dally uploads!!!!!
Man i’m tired, but i’ll see you guys next week