This was a real problem. Ash and May had been captured by those flunkies from Team Rocket in their successful attempt to take Pikachu. Making matters worse, The nylon net ripped Ash's belt which had his other Pokémon. Pikachu was encased in a glass container with a light bulb on top. Ash had seen those so many times that he knew Pikachu's electric attacks would get absorbed. In an abandoned warehouse, Jessie and James stored the remorse-filled May and the scowling Ash in a large closet. "Now you two stay in here until we get back with the riches," Jessie playfully ordered. "Pikachu should net us millions." Even though she was in a happy place, she viciously slammed the door. Ash and May were tied, locked and without Pokémon. Helpless. Ash struggled with the nylon straps that covered his arms but good. How many did they use?

"We'll get Pikachu back!" Ash growled. On his feet, he eyed the door and sprinted. He lowered his shoulder and...BAM! A shoulder tackle into the door. No good, because Ash bounced back. Regardless, he tried again. BAM! Same result.

"Ash, stop!" May pleaded as she got to her feet. Ash tried twice with the same shoulder blade with no progress. He was ready to use the other shoulder. The run-up...BOOM! May tackled Ash despite her arms in the same nylon straps from wrist to bicep. Ash was shocked. May intercepted Ash on his way to try and break out. If his arms were free, he hit her for acting out of his line...or was that breaking into his path? "No more, Ash. Please, no more!" She was crying again. Ash was too wound up in breaking free and saving Pikachu. He wanted to stand up and try the door more but May kept him pinned. That agitated Ash.

"What's with you?" May's bawling was getting to Ash's last nerves...until she dropped the mother of all bombshells.

"I don't want you to die like those on Alto Mare!" That froze Ash. Alto Mare seemed to click with him but how?

"A...Alto...Mare?" What happened in Alto Mare that May said they all died? "Is...that the reason?" May was ready to tell the truth, the whole truth and...too much The People's Court.

"I had stopped by for a contest and won the ribbon on Alto Mare. As the trainers were leaving, there was a sudden quake which shook the city and sunk it. I borrowed one of the gondolas to see if I could rescue them and helped a few onto it. All the other trainers just left those to drown and my gondola was filled to the brim. I couldn't carry another person. I waited for rescue boats to arrive but..." Her bawling grew. Now Ash became shuttered in disbelief in dismay. May was brave in trying to save people from a city falling to the depths of the sea when no help came in time for those who became statistics in a shift of the earth's plates. "I don't wanna lose you!" Poor May. She was brave after all. It was the other trainers who became chicken. Ash was now sympathetic.

"I'm...sorry I doubted you." May, tears still raining down her face, looked at Ash before shaking her head. To her, Ash had all the right to think that she needed a confidence boost...before boosting her lips onto his. It's tough enough to admit feelings about someone and the tied arms were more of a weighing process. Removing lips, the kids began to blush like crazy. Ash's heart had to be heavy with all who were lost in a natural disaster/abandonment. There had to have been plenty of people and Pokémon he knew. However, May's kiss seemed to have placed some helium balloons under that weighted heart to lift it. "Okay..." Ash rose back to his feet. He wasn't going to do that shoulder tackle again, was he? No, he began to search the room for something to cut the nylons off. He wasn't going to get a good amount of time to look.

"Brick Break!" another voice shouted. Brick Break? That's when the door was destroyed by one powerful chop...by an Electavire! The violet-haired young scowling man peered into the room. Ash was surprised about their rescue.

"Paul?" Paul sighed at the sore sight of Ash and May in their tangled mess.

"I thought you were better than to let Team Rocket beat you," he scorned. Usually but not today.

"They...actually used their heads today. By the way, were you invited to the Thanksgiving dinner, too?" Paul snorted to let Ash know he wasn't interested in events like that.

"I only came because Reggie insisted. I was on a walk when Electavire sensed a problem." Paul pulled out a pocket knife and ripped the nylons off of Ash and May, freeing them of their limited movement. Then came a bigger problem. Ash's shoulder was acting up. He grasped it in pain. It had to have been when Ash tried to break the door down first.

"You okay?" May asked in fear. Ash gave his bumming shoulder a quick massage before running out to find Team Rocket and Pikachu. There was a good chance they left. The group left...only to find Team Rocket vainly fending off a huge flock of Spearow. Their balloon wasn't going anywhere suspended in midair like that.

"Get your grubby beaks outta here!" Jessie snarled while swinging a...flyswatter? You're kidding... One Spearow had enough and pecked a hole in the balloon...and soon, so did the rest of the flock. The deflating air sent the balloon to the ground. The loud thud made the basket vomit the load it was carrying, including Pikachu and the capsule it was in...CRASH! Okay, forget the capsule, it's smashed. Freed, Pikachu dashed back over to Ash and May. Recovering from that fall, Team Rocket seemed to be in disarray.

"I told you about the Spearow would retaliate after we borrowed the abandoned shelter!" Meowth growled at Jessie. Jessie's retort? POW! Right cross in the whisker base. Getting up, she viewed the new member.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Scowls-A-Lot. You sure have a soft spot to rescue your hated rival." Paul definitely showed Jessie one heck of a scowl. That mock was making him mad.

"I may not like him," he growled. "But at least he's more dignified than you." Fascinating words from Paul about Ash that even he had to do a double take. Jessie scoffed Paul's words.

"Those are certainly confident words coming from someone who was humiliated by the twerp in the tournament." The more Paul scowled, the more Jessie mocked it. For Ash, it was too far.

"That's enough, Jessie!" Ash roared. The fire in Ash's eyes burned fiercely. "All you care about is taking Pokémon without the consideration of others. You have no right criticizing trainers, regardless of their talent." Jessie chose to ignore Ash and threw her Pokéball.

"Seviper, Poison Tail!" she ordered as her zigzag snake, Seviper, made it's appearance with a glowing purple blade for a tail. Ash had only Pikachu but Paul stepped up.

"I'll make you pay for it!" he shouted. "Magmortar, stand by for battle!" Paul threw his ball and out came a giant walking "man" of fire with cannons for arms. Seviper swung the tail, nailing Magmortar. Magmortar went down. "You will not quit! Get up and use Flamethrower!" Magmortar got to its feet but crumbled to a knee. That shot nailed a weak spot and Magmortar seemed to be in trouble. May figured out how.

"Magmortar's been poisoned!" she realized. Something didn't seem right with Ash.

"Wait!" he spotted. "Shouldn't Magmortar's Flame Body have burned Seviper?" Flame Body was a Fire Pokémon's ability to burn the opposing Pokémon when there's a successful strike...but somehow, Seviper escaped that.

"That move was so fast, Flame Body never kicked in," Paul theorized. Jessie grinned about the upset she was going to accomplish.

"And now, Seviper will finish the job," she smiled. "One more Poison Tail!" Seviper lined up one more Poison Tail. Paul had to act.

"Get up and do Rock Tomb!" Magmortar managed to get to its feet before stomping the ground. Within striking distance, Seviper was ready top swing when...BOOM! Rocks jumped out of nowhere and snagged Seviper in its tracks. "End it with Fire Spin!" Magmortar used the cannons to shoot flames into the pile. On contact, the flames behaved like a tornado, engulfing Seviper who was torched. When the flames ceased, Seviper was defeated...and well done. "That was a little close, Magmortar." Despite that victory, Paul didn't crack a smile. Suddenly, there was a shot. Paul looked, spotting a boxing glove lining right at him. It was going to fast, Magmortar didn't snap in time to block it. KAPOW! Paul was decked in the chest and his body was slammed into the wall, knocking him out as the glove retracted. Jessie wasn't happy after the loss. She was furious.

"You know what? I...am sick and tired of you...kids interfering with Team Rocket's business!" After all these years Ash and his friends have stopped these three from their felonious actions, Jessie had finally snapped. "Never...NEVER ONCE did we accomplish one thing. ONE THING! We came after Pikachu because of its rarity. We will take that Pikachu one way or another!" Ash was ready to defend Pikachu like always.

"You know you can't take Pikachu!" he denied the ultimatum as Pikachu leaped onto Ash's good shoulder. Jessie grew more burning anger.

"We WILL!" That's when she drew a bazooka. She wasn't...was she? James and Meowth were shocked that Jessie would point the bazooka at a human. "If you're not around, I'll take all of your Pokémon and there's nothing you can do! I'll kill your girl, then you and then him!" Her eyes screamed kill indeed. "No one will be in my way to claim your Pikachu!" She pointed the bazooka at May, an itchy trigger finger pull from letting one fly. May was too scared to shuffle her feet. Ash stepped in front as Paul regained consciousness.

"Over my dead body will you hurt her or take Pikachu!" He was ready to take the shot. Jessie smiled.

"Exactly..." Finally, she pulled the trigger and out launched a big grenade. Paul watched, unable to move from being blasted to the wall. The grenade hurled toward Ash...and he wasn't going to move.

"ASH!" May screamed. Ash stood but Pikachu retreated to Paul's side. He was going to die for May. Then...KABOOM! A large explosion erupted where Ash was standing. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" No one could survive a blast like that, Pokémon or human. May couldn't believe it! Ash was killed protecting May. Paul was beyond being scornful. He didn't like Ash but he never wanted to kill him.

"The fool..." James and Meowth ran away, believing the out-of-control Jessie would turn the bazooka on them. Jessie started wearing a maniacal smile. She lost her mind.

"That's right, twerp! DIE!" She was confident that Ash was gone. That's when the smoke began to disperse...and Ash was still standing! Jessie saw the trainer, dismayed that Ash was still there after taking a blast head-on, even though his hat, shirt, vest, shoes and gloves were destroyed and his pants were scorched. "I-I-I-Impossible!" Ash began to walk forward. For someone who was the center of the explosion, he was moving very well.

"I...don't believe it..." May shuttered. Paul and Pikachu couldn't either.

"He shouldn't be able to live through that, let alone walk," Paul murmured. "I...don't understand how he's doing it..." Jessie pointed the bazooka at Ash but Ash was too close. He clutched the barrel and squeezed it. The bazooka was no longer usable. Jessie turned from maniac to scared.

"N-Now hold on," she stuttered. "You know the law doesn't allow you to harm another person. Y-You do realize that, right?" Oh, she's one to talk about the law. She tried to kill Ash. Ash was in no mood as a blue veil covered the angered trainer. He snagged Jessie's uniform and chucked her into the trees, back first. Jessie collapsed onto her buttocks but Ash wasn't done...if that was Ash.

"That was for trying to take Pikachu time and time and time again," Ash hissed before throwing...a left hook into Jessie's stomach. "That was for terrorizing all the trainers you were stealing from." Jessie tried to get up but on all fours, Ash slammed his foot onto her spine, flattening her. "That was for kidnapping the Pokémon from their habitats and others." Ash snagged her uniform so that Jessie was face-to-face with Ash. Jessie was groveling to Ash like crazy.

"Please...have mercy!" Nope. He was just letting you know how he felt.

"Finally, this is for trying to kill me, my girlfriend, my rival and my Pikachu! Don't ever show your face again!" Another punch to the chops? No. How about a javelin toss...of mythical proportions! Jessie was launched with so much velocity, she left the scene within two seconds. Nice hurl. Ash watched Jessie leave. Paul was astounded with what had transpired. He didn't see the Ash that he loathed. Heck, he didn't see Ash as human. Ash closed his eyes, trying to calm down...and grasp his head. May, ignoring all the warnings of death, ran over to Ash to see if he was okay. Girl, he went into "Hyper Mode" to protect you and the other two.

"Ash?" she called. "Ash!" Opening his eyes, he looked to May. He seemed normal.

"May!" he softly spoke. He even cracked a smile. "You okay?"

"I should be asking you about that. Your aura kicked in and protected us." His aura? Pikachu scampered to be by Ash's side now that he was safe. Paul got up but clasped his side of his chest. He was injured but mustered enough to walk over to Ash and May.

"You...possess aura?" he wondered. This was a surprise to Ash. Paul was...interested in something Ash did.

"I did," he admitted with a grimace. "Guess it kicked in when that shot got to me." In time to protect Ash. Paul leaned over a placed a hand on the injured shoulder, also glowing blue. That was a bigger surprise. Did Paul have aura too? In a few seconds, Paul removed the shoulder and Ash's shoulder was moving better than ever.

"I didn't want anyone to know about this fearing people would abuse my abilities. However, knowing that you have aura, I guess I can relent some of my hatred to others and bury the hatchet between us." Finally, he broke a smile. It wasn't a creepy or thrilling grin, just a plain old smile. He also extended a hand out. "I think you need to find the one who had the Darkrai and beat him. I want to dissolve our rivalry." The best news on Ash's pride. Ash shook Paul's hand in acceptance.

"You bet." Feeling better, Ash now wondered how they were getting home. They didn't need to wait long.

"Ash!" the sound of Dawn shouted. Listening, the three glanced over and saw a parade of people and Pokémon barreling over toward them. They were all glad to be reunited with friends and family. The group got back by nightfall and had would later fall asleep but not before Ash and May told Misty, Dawn, Max, Caroline and believe it or not Barry listened in. The next day was Thanksgiving. After sometime in the peaceful ranch feeding the Pokémon, Dawn, Max and Misty couldn't help but watch Ash and May together, holding hands while spending time with the Water Pokémon.

"I'm really grateful that May is happy again," Misty smiled at the scene. It was the start where May had apologized to Ash for something. However...

"I'm still trying to figure out what May was sorry about," Dawn pondered. It seemed that May didn't want to talk about the tragedy of Alto Mare. To Max, it's all in the past.

"You know what?" Max chirped. "I think it's better that we don't know what happened. If only for May's sake." Good idea. It was then that Caroline came over. What business did she have as she walked over to Ash and May?

"Ash, May," she called to the two who turned. "It's dinner time." The Thanksgiving feast. Misty, Dawn and Max were hungry for the feast. At a diner in the outskirts, Mrs. Ketchum, Brock, Caroline, Johanna who made the trip and was also Dawn's mother and Paul's brother, Reggie, brought a smorgasbord of food and fixings to the giant lined table. Pikachu and Piplup also joined in the human meal but they may have been after the veggies. As the food was being passed around, plates were being filled to the rim. With every plate full, it was time to eat...but not before...

"Okay, everyone," Mrs. Ketchum voiced. "Let's have a prayer before we eat." Everyone grasped hands from each side, even the Pokémon joined. Bowed heads and closed eyes. "O Lord, we thank you for providing many a family in this time of feast and union. We thank you for protecting all who've nay to sin in the world you've created and sheltered us inside. Today, we are not a crowd of many families but a grown family of peace and prosperity. Your strength and your love have helped with what we've been offered in your ever watchful eyes."

"Amen," everyone chanted to wrap up.

"If there are items that you are thankful for, be truthful or forever hold your peace." Everyone had a thing or two to be thankful about. As May was offering her peace, her mind, heart and opened eyes were onto Ash. She saw what she wanted and it wasn't the turkey on her plate. Finally, they ate. An hour later, everyone else finished before Ash and May and left the diner. The non-surprise was that Ash was on his fourth plate of food. It wasn't that May wasn't hungry. Something else was on her mind.

"Ash?" May called softly. Ash shot his eyes over to her. "Where are you going now, adventure-wise?" Ash would be focused on his next adventure. If there was a spot to go, he'd be there.

"I heard that there's a League in the Unova Region," he explained his plans. "It's far west of Kanto and may take a few days to reach it from Gringey City." That's when it clicked. She showed interest. "You want to come along, don't you?" May did what Brock usually did when a cute girl came by: clasp the hands together.

"Is it alright if I join?" Ash didn't stutter.

"You're more than welcomed." Excited, May hugged Ash.

"Thank you!" Hey, one more thing to be thankful on Thanksgiving. How about that? "My love, thank you!" She's crying again but they were happy tears. Ash and May would leave but let them have their moment. The trip to Unova would take time to get there but that's a short amount compared to what rested between Ash and May. Guaranteed!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!