Sorry about the glitch that happened. Hopefully, you didn't try reading the "code." Thanks to everyone who let me know about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters.

I hope everyone is safe and healthy during this time. It's pretty crazy what's happening at the moment with this pandemic. I can only encourage you all to be as safe as you can.

Also, thank you for letting me know that someone has been copying and posting my story on Wattpad and making it their own. I found it, and I was disappointed that someone would do that. I've been putting in many hours in this story and this person thought it'd be easy for him/her to copy and paste and add some weird plot in between. It was pretty easy to see the differences in characters' personalities from the way I wrote it and the way this person did. Honestly, I also didn't know where he/she was going with the plot, and he/she doesn't seem to know either since the latest update I saw said he/she ran out of ideas. I guess that's why you don't copy someone else's work.

However, I am happy that other people got to read my version and enjoyed it. I can only say that I will continue writing, and I hope you all like what I write. I haven't posted in a while as I'm busy with grad school, but I already know what I'm going to do for the next few chapters, so I will get those done when I have time. I want to finish my other story as well because I have another idea that I want to start after I finish, so there will be updates for that one soon.

So, to all my readers/reviewers who kept asking, please enjoy this overdue chapter!

Chapter 17

"Dustox, use Psybeam!"

"Stop it with Bubble, Piplup!"

"Oh no you don't! Cacnea, use Pin Missile!"

"Forretress, you use Pin Missile, too!"

"Ice Beam the Dustox, Squirtle!"

The Pin Missile from Forrestress collided against Cacnea, stopping the Grass-type from launching its own attack and falling to the ground. The bubbles crashed against the Psybeam, and Squirtle took advantage by striking a distracted Dustox with strong Ice Beam on its body, causing the Bug Pokémon to drop in pain.

Team Rocket saw their Pokémon fainted on the floor and frighteningly flinched.

"That didn't last as long as like I thought it would," James grimaced. "I think it's time we make our getaway, Jess."

"I think you're right," the woman compliantly replied, extending her Poké ball. "Return, Dustox!"

"You, too, Cacnea."

The heroes were shielding their eyes to block the rain from the harsh winds. May saw Team Rocket trying to make their move and decided to act. She began sprinting at full speed towards Meowth. Jessie and James saw the brunette and were going to stop her when Dawn called for an attack.

"Use Bubble once more!"

"Pip-lup lup lup," Piplup said while firing the Water move. The bubbles struck Jessie and James' eyes, causing them to stop in their tracks and scream in agony.

May continued on and quickly stole the bag from a stunned Meowth, who was looking at his companions after the Bubble attack. May then raced to help Professor Cole up and moved him away from the area. Brock knew she gave him an opening and did not want to miss it.

"Alright," the breeder said as he ran towards his Pokémon. He swiftly grabbed Forretress before winding back and fiercely throwing it in Team Rocket's direction. "Explosion!" Brock commanded. Forretress brightly glowed white as it headed towards its target. When it was inches away, the Bagworm Pokémon powerfully erupted that caused a severe blast and Jessie, James, and Meowth to fly towards the dark clouds in the sky. The group could faintly hear their voices.

"We're blasting off again!"

The strong winds were still raging hard against the hammering rain as May walked with Professor Cole and the bag of fossils back to her friends. She briefly turned back to the museum only to see smoke still coming from the building. Brock and Dawn had met May halfway as she spoke up.

"Take care of the professor," she gently gave him to Brock and put the bag on the floor. She moved her soaked hair from her face as she continued. "Dawn and I will try to get everyone out of the building."

"That's too risky, May!" Brock argued. "The fire isn't letting up!"

"We have to!" May replied. "Help hasn't arrived yet, and we're the only ones with Water Pokémon."

"No need to worry," Dawn interjected before Brock can reply. "We'll be okay. We can do it until help shows up; just tell them there's people stuck in the building."

The breeder wanted to argue but knew they were right. "Fine," he conceded. Brock returned Forretress as he spoke. "But be very careful."

Both girls nodded before racing towards the museum. Their Pokémon quickly following behind. Brock saw them enter the building and sighed. He gently put the professor down, who had lost consciousness when May handed him over, and moved the bag of fossils next to him. Suddenly, from the corner his eye, Brock noticed a dark shadow in the ground heading towards the museum.

"What was that?"

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind. "Are you alright?"

Brock turned and saw a man in a mining outfit running in his direction. "Y-Yeah, we're okay!"

The man approached the breeder and Cole and spoke. "Professor Cole!" The miner called out, recognizing the older man. This caused Cole to stir awake.

"R-Roark," Cole said weakly. "Thank goodness. Something terrible has happened."

"I know," Roark replied. "I don't know all the details, but I saw Aerodactyl flying towards the gym. I saw smoke coming from the museum, so my priorities shifted to everyone's safety."

"And Aerodactyl?"

"I faced two trainers earlier that were at the gym," Roark stated. "I figured they were strong enough to handle it until I finished here."

"Was one of those trainers named Ash?" Brock interrupted.

"Y-Yes, actually," Roark answered.

"Dammit…well, I think he should be okay as long as he has Pikachu," Brock thought to himself, looking towards the museum. "We can handle things from here until help arrives." At that moment, he saw Pikachu swiftly run past them and head towards the burning building.

XxXxXxX

"Hyper Beam!"

"Stop it with Water Shuriken!"

The Mega Aerodactyl fired the massive purple beam towards Ash-Greninja, who was posing in front of Ash after transforming. The Water Pokémon quickly reached behind and pulled the large shuriken before ferociously throwing it to meet the Hyper Beam, causing dust from the ground to fly up from its speed. The Water Shuriken rapidly met the Hyper Beam and destroyed it with ease.

"Not bad," the silver-haired woman said as she stroked her body seductively. "I thought this would be over with one attack after mega evolving Aerodactyl, but you just keep making this interesting. Please don't stop!"

"You do have issues," Ash reiterated. He then thought he would try to get some answers. "Only people with strong bonds with Pokémon should be able to use Mega Evolution. How were you able to use it on a Pokémon you just caught?"

"Hmm, since you're gonna die, I guess it's alright to tell you," she thought aloud as she put a finger on her cheek cutely. "When you're blessed by gods, I guess the special bond is eminent with any Pokémon."

"Gods? What the hell does that mean?" Ash contemplated. "I'm getting more stupid information every time I ask."

"That's all you're getting from me today, handsome," the beautiful woman broke Ash's thoughts. "Use Giga Impact!"

"RAA!" The Mega Aerodactyl somersaulted as its body engulfed in a light-purple aura and rapidly flew towards Greninja. Ash was waiting for the right time to counter when he saw massive, green vines break through the ground and quickly raise up to strike the Mega Aerodactyl on the foot, causing it to lose its trajectory and spin out of control. Ash saw his opportunity as the Giga Impact disappeared.

"Water Shuriken!" He called out. Greninja reached back once more, pulled the large Water attack forward, and doubled its size from before. The starter viciously threw it and landed the powerful move on Aerodactyl's body, causing it to harshly crash against the building and cry out in pain.

The silver-haired trainer appeared furious. "HOW DARE YOU INTERUPT MY TIME WITH ASH?!" She shrieked, looking past the Kanto native.

Ash knew who she was screaming at but decided to glance anyway. He could see Paul frowning and his Torterra in front of him.

"I told you I was gonna settle the score between me and that Aerodactyl," he told Ash while ignoring the stranger's comments.

"You really just tripped it. I delivered the final blow," Ash shrugged while smirking. "You were a good assistant, though."

"Assistant, my ass!" Paul argued. "I took it down!"

"You'll pay for this!" The woman exclaimed to Paul, interjecting the small talk. She slightly calmed down then looked at Ash and blew a kiss to him. "It seems we're gonna have to finish this later. I enjoyed seeing you again and the little tease you gave me." The woman recalled her Aerodactyl and threw a white ball in the air, causing a bright flash that covered the entire gym. Ash shielded his eyes for a few seconds before it disappeared. He noticed the mysterious trainer was no where in sight. He could tell Paul was walking towards him and turned around.

"Crazy ex-girlfriend?"

"I'd remember an ex like her," Ash replied honestly. He could see the rain coming in from ceiling opening had stopped and knew it was over—at least for the time being.

"I've never seen an Aerodactyl like that before."

"I'll explain later," Ash stated as he turned and headed towards the exit. Ash-Greninja quickly following closely behind. "I thought I told you to head towards the museum to help Roark!"

"I do what I want," Paul exclaimed as he charted behind Ash and his Pokémon. "I got the woman to safety and decided to come back…If Roark can't handle the situation on his own, he shouldn't be a gym leader regardless if his Pokémon are hurt."

Ash sighed. "At least I sent Pikachu," he thought. "He should be able to take care of things until I get there."

XxXxXxX

"We should head towards the Pokémon Laboratory the professor was talking about," Dawn suggested. They had just entered the building and could see many items were destroyed. Additionally, the equipment that was not destroyed was being burned by fire. Squirtle and Piplup were watering everything they could as soon as they entered the building. "We can leave Piplup and Squirtle here to finish putting out the fire, and we'll try to bring everyone from laboratory."

"Right," May nodded confidently. She turned to the Pokémon before continuing. "We're leaving everything here to you. Is that alright?"

They stopped their Water moves and spoke.

"Squirtle squirt!"

"Pip piplup," Piplup answered while padding his own chest. At that moment, a few embers flew behind him and touched his tail. Piplup felt the intense heat and began panicking, frantically running in circles. Squirtle quickly fired a Water Gun attack which completely drenched the penguin, calming him down. Piplup looked at Squirtle with a frustrated look before walking over to her and giving her a pat on the shoulder as if to say thank you.

"You both be careful," Dawn exclaimed. "Let's get going!"

The two teens ran down the hall to make their way towards the laboratory. They conveniently passed a sign that told them their destination was just up ahead. When they exited the hall, May and Dawn viewed what appeared to be a forest. There were many trees and plants and a small, clear lake making the scenery a lovely sight—at least it would have been if most of the trees and plants were not on fire or there was no broken glass scattered around the lake from the ceiling. In addition, intense rain and wind was entering through the opening. However, to the teens surprise, a few scientists were awake and commanding some Water Pokémon to put out the fire. The other researchers who were still unconscious were being helped by two individuals wearing white shirts and slacks. May and Dawn thought they were the two guards Jessie and James must have robbed for their disguises. They shook off their initial thoughts and ran to aid the hurt people.

After a few minutes, most of the fire was withered down. Squirtle and Piplup had arrived a couple of minutes before to help reduce the flames faster. To the scientists and guards dismay, they returned the Omanyte, Omastar, Kabuto, and Kabutops that were helping as they were exhausted. May and Dawn had instructed everyone to leave, so they would not inhale anymore smoke then what they already had. The injured individuals compliantly agreed and began exiting through the hallway the teens came from. After a couple of minutes, the coordinators were alone with there Pokémon putting out the last of the fire.

Dawn sighed. "I can't believe we did it," she slightly smiled as Piplup and Squirtle put out the last embers.

"I think we got lucky that everyone was waking up and got the Pokémon to start putting out the fire," May commented. She looked up to see the rain pouring harshly into the building, hitting the scorched plants. She could feel the freezing winds entering the opening which caused her to shiver. "I wonder what's with this-,"

"Squirt?"

"Pip?"

May quickly glanced after hearing the Pokémon only to see their bodies floating high the air and covered in a blue light. In horror, she watched as they were ferociously slammed against the ground, causing a small crater on the floor. Swirls were seen in their eyes as the dust cleared.

"Piplup!"

"Squirtle!"

May and Dawn began running to their Pokémon's direction when a dark shadow in the floor blocked their path. They stepped back hesitantly and watched frighteningly as a Gengar menacingly emerged from ground.

"Gengar!" It announced as it picked up its hands in the air, scaring the teens.

The brunette had reached back to pull out a Poké ball when she froze.

"I-I can't move," May dreadfully said. She noticed she was surrounded by a similar blue light as Squirtle was. "This must be the one the professor was talking about."

"Me neither," Dawn stated while struggling in the same situation.

Suddenly, Dawn and May felt their bodies being lifted from the ground and knew what was coming. It was the same move Gengar had just used on their Pokémon. Fearing the worst, Dawn closed her eyes while May continued to fight to grab her Poké ball.

"Gen-GAR!" The Ghost-type exclaimed as it threw its hands down, causing the teens to drop at a tremendous speed.

"PIKA!"

Gengar abruptly stopped the attack, freezing May and Dawn just before they crashed into the ground and landing softly. They opened their eyes to see Pikachu slam a strong Iron Tail against Gengar's body, hurtling it onto the floor.

"Pikachu!" May said happily. She quickly got up and ran towards the mouse. Dawn followed after her.

"Pika pika pi," Pikachu hastily said to his friends while pointing at the hallway.

"You want us to stay and help you beat Gengar?" Dawn asked.

Pikachu stared dumbly at his friend for a few seconds before rubbing his head in frustration.

"Pika…" He said, pointing the hallway once again.

"Um, I don't think that's what he said," May commented. "I think he wants us to escape through the hallway we came from."

Dawn looked at the mouse's finger and realized he was pointing towards the hallway.

"O-Oh," she said sheepishly while scratching her chin. "I guess my Pikachu-translating still needs work, huh…"

They quickly recalled Squirtle and Piplup before rushing towards the hallway. May did not want to leave Pikachu behind, but she knew he had a reason for his request. "The Gengar did attack me and Dawn. Was he worried that it would go after us again?"

Pikachu watched them disappear and quickly turned to face the Ghost-type. To his surprise, Gengar was nowhere in sight. He then noticed the intense rain and winds had stopped. He sighed in relief. This was another quick confrontation.

XxXxXxX

May and Dawn had exited the building to see firefighters with their Water Pokémon heading towards their direction.

"Are you girls alright?" A firefighter worryingly asked as her coworkers past her.

"We're fine," Dawn answered a little exhausted. "Most of the fire from the main hallway and laboratory is put out. I don't know about the other rooms, though.

"Great," she said. "That information helps us out a lot. You both head over to Officer Jenny where it's safe.

Both girls nodded and continued walking. They found Brock with Cole and Roark, the gym leader as Brock introduced, being checked by paramedics. May was going to ask about Ash when she saw him approaching. She ran and quickly gave him a tight hug. Ash grunted from the impact.

"Are you alright?" May began worryingly. "I heard the Aerodactyl attacked the gym."

"Yeah, but I'm fine," he said as he hugged her back. "Are you all alright? I heard what happened and came as fast as I could."

"We're fine, too," she said hastily while pulling away. "But we gotta help Pikachu! He's fighting a powerful Gengar inside the museum!"

"No need to worry," Ash calmingly said. He looked past her and continued. "See?"

May turned around to see Pikachu jump in her arms.

"Pikachu, you're okay!"

"Pika pika!" He happily replied while raising his paw.

"Yes, I was worried about you!" May giggled as she cuddled the Pokémon.

"So, you were talking about a Gengar back there," a voice said behind Ash.

May stopped playing with Pikachu and gasped when she saw Paul.

"What is he doing here?!"

"I live here," Paul replied nonchalantly.

"O-Oh, I didn't know that."

"I actually don't, but that's how gullible you are."

May could feel her rage building and was about to head towards him when Ash stopped her.

"Don't listen to him," he encouraged. He turned to Paul and spoke. "Your ass must be jealous of all the crap that comes out your mouth, huh?"

Paul could not think of anything, so he just turned his head. "Whatever," he finally said after a few seconds. He began walking away when he called out once more. "We'll talk about that Aerodactyl the next time we meet…and you can tell me more about that crazy ex-girlfriend of yours as well."

May slowly looked at Ash with a surprised expression.

"W-What's he talking about?" She nervously asked. "You have an ex-girlfriend?"

"He's just messing with me. We ran into someone who knew me, but I didn't know her," Ash explained, still not convincing May by her expression. "We'll grab Brock and Dawn, so we can go to the Pokémon Centre to talk about what happened with you guys. I'll also talk about what happened with me."

After a few minutes of settling everything with Officer Jenny and Roark, the heroes regrouped and headed towards the Pokémon Centre. The radiant sun was quickly drying their clothes as it did when Ash first got wet.

May, Dawn, and Brock said goodbye to Professor Cole, who could not thank them enough for saving him and the fossils. He vowed to repay them one day when he was healthy. The teens had mentioned it was unnecessary, but Cole said it was not an option. He would reward them in time after he thought of something that would be worthy of what they had helped with. May, Dawn, and Brock gave in, and said they would happily accept anything he offered.

Ash told Roark someone had captured the Aerodactyl and left without a trace. The gym leader was disappointed but was glad that everyone was safe in the end.

Once they arrived, everyone was sitting at a table in the Pokémon Centre looking at Ash. They had told him everything about Professor Cole to Team Rocket to fighting Gengar in the laboratory. He knew what they were thinking and decided to speak.

"Okay, I guess it's my turn," he shrugged. He recounted beating Roark to Aerodactyl showing up and attacking him. Ash also mentioned the silver-haired stranger who battled him and Paul after catching it. "There's no harm in telling them about her. It goes along with their story about the professor seeing a person with a Gengar."

"So, this woman knew who you were?" Dawn asked to confirm.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, but I had no idea who she was."

"If she knows you, there must be a chance that she knows me, too," Brock thought aloud. Dawn smacked him on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For thinking about girls when we have a serious matter to attend to!"

"I was just saying that I have traveled with Ash since the start of his journey that she might know me, too!"

"O-Oh," Dawn replied lowly. She then smiled at the breeder. "Then that makes perfect sense!"

"Nice cover story, love doctor," Brock thought happily.

Ash noticed May was fidgeting with her hands and spoke up.

"Everything okay," he asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know you said you were, but it must've been scary to have a Gengar attack you."

"I'm okay, really," May smiled softly. Her smile slowly faded as she continued. "I mean…it was pretty scary. It attacked our Pokémon without any warning, and then it attacked us. We've been attacked by Pokémon before, but not like this…this time it felt—dangerous." She briefly looked at her hands as she continued. "I-I couldn't move no matter how much I fought…I can only imagine what would've happened if Dawn and I fell that fast from the air. We…we could've been seriously hurt."

"But we weren't," Dawn interjected, placing her hands on the brunette's hands. "We were lucky that Pikachu got there when he did to save us."

"Yeah, you're right, but…"

"I know I'm right," Dawn smiled. "There's no need to worry about it now because nothing bad happened in the end. Our Pokémon are resting with Nurse Joy and should fine in the morning."

"She's right," Brock added. "It might be acting a little too relaxed, but there's nothing we can do it about right now. We should focus on what's ahead."

May took in a deep breath and smiled. "Okay, then," she began. "Let's work hard to get stronger, so we're prepared for something like this next time! Are you with me?"

"Yeah!" Brock and Dawn said in unison.

Everyone started making their way up to room to take showers and turn in for the night when May grabbed Ash by his shirt. He stopped and turned to face her.

"I-I didn't get to say thank you, Ash," May said, looking at the trainer adoringly. She could feel her face heating up and her heart racing. "I said thank you to Pikachu, but I haven't had a chance to thank you yet."

"There's no need to," Ash said smiling. Pikachu had jumped off his shoulder and caught up with Brock and Dawn, leaving the two alone. "It really was Pikachu who helped."

"Still," she said, fidgeting with her hands. "I-I want to say thanks." With that, May leaned in and tip-toed to gently kiss Ash on the cheek. As she pulled back, she knew she was blushing furiously and looked away from him.

"Um, you're welcome," Ash said a little surprised. He shook off his initial reaction and slowly grinned. He extended his hand to which she shyly accepted with her hand as they walked to their other friends. "I'll always be there for you guys…you know that, right?"

"I know…and I will be there for you, too, Ash." May hugged his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Always like you are with me…"

So, I didn't plan on stopping here, but I thought I wrote this in a way that told me this was a good place. I really had more, but that will be moved to the beginning of the next chapter. I promise it won't take as long to be posted. Sorry, everyone.

But, let me know what you think. Did you like it? Dislike it? I like the feedback.

Thanks. Stay safe!

-Redhood06