Pokemon The time traveler

Ch 20 Kanto

"How long is it going to take us to get home again?"

"Pi."

"Six hours!"

"Pika pika chupi."

"Yeah, I guess we are still pretty far..."

Ash and Pikachu were on the far west side of Viridian City. They were arriving from the Johto Region where they had just finished getting Charizard from the Charicific Valley. Retrieving Charizard ended up being the last stop the duo made before deciding to head home to Pallet Town. It had been a total of three months and one day since Ash and Pikachu left home on their side mission, so they wanted to get home to keep their promise to Delia.

Ash sighed. "Well, we're gonna miss breakfast and lunch, but at least we'll be home before dinner..."

"Pika kapi chu," Pikachu said on Ash's shoulder.

"True, we'll get to have breakfasts and lunches for a full month when we get home," Ash agreed happily. He took in a deep breath and began walking. "Come on, buddy. We won't get anywhere if we're just talking, right?"

With that the duo began making the long walk home.

XxXxXxX

"Can you see the docks, May?" Captain Erin asked. They were about four hundred yards away from the shore and traveling at a decent speed. Erin slowed the speedboat down a great amount after passing the Johto waters. She told May they were making extremely good time that they could cruise the rest of the trip and still be true with her estimate of four hours—to be exact, it had been three hours and forty minutes since they left the docks from Petalburg.

May stood up from her seat and squinted her eyes in the direction they headed. She could make out other ships and people walking along the docks. "Yeah, I can see it! It shouldn't take us to get there now, right?"

"No, it should be about ten minutes from where we are."

May smiled. "I'm already in Pallet Town, and it's only gonna be two in the afternoon." She thought. "Ash is going to be so surprised to see me. I mean, of course he is because I didn't tell him I was coming...maybe I should've told him," May started contemplating herself. She shook her head and reassured herself. "No...I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind if I just showed up to visit him—asking to travel together again might be a different story, but showing up randomly should be okay."

It took a total of fifteen minutes to arrive to the shore. Captain Erin docked her boat and helped May off the vessel. The dark-haired woman smiled at the teen. "So, what'd you think? It was pretty quick, right?"

"I wouldn't have gotten here faster with anyone else," May stated brightly.

Erin grinned. "Thank you, May. I hope you enjoy your time here in Kanto!"

May shook the captain's hand, said goodbye to her, and turned around to walk off the docks. XxXxXxX

"If I remember correctly, it should be...there it is!" May said as she found the small house. After leaving the port, May decided her best option was to go to Ash's house. For a moment, she thought of going to get some food because she was pretty hungry, but the brunette figured Ash's mom would be making lunch right now, so she took a chance and just headed for Ash's house. She walked up to the house and rang the doorbell.

"I'm going!" A voice inside the house yelled.

After hearing the voice, May, suddenly, straightened out her hair and her outfit. She then gave herself a confused look. "Why'd I just do that?"

The door opened and showed a serious Delia. "I thought you would've be-" She stopped herself when she saw it was not whom she thought it was. "Oh," Delia said surprisingly before smiling brightly. "Hi, May!"

May smiled slightly. She was confused when Delia first opened the door but quickly shook it off. "Uh, hi, Mrs. Ketchum. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, dear," Delia responded happily. She moved aside and continued. "Why don't you come inside, so you can relax and we can talk?"

May happily accepted and walked into the house. She took a seat on the sofa after Mrs. Ketchum gestured for her to sit down.

"So," Delia spoke up. "What brings you Pallet Town? Are you here to see Ash?"

"Yeah, I am here to see him," May looked around the house to see any sign of the trainer. "Is here right now or is he with Professor Oak?"

Delia sighed. "I actually don't know where he is," She confessed. "He left on a trip about three months ago and hasn't returned."

"What?!" May yelled as she stood up. She realized what she just did and quickly covered her mouth as she slowly sat down. She slowly moved her hands away and spoke. "I-I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum. I didn't mean to yell I...was just surprised from what you told me, that's all," She apologized. "Did he leave earlier than he said he was? But, he said he'd leave in four months, and Ash is not a person who'd lie about something like that...right?"

"That's okay, May," Delia sympathized. "I understand why you were so surprised..."

There was a brief silence before May spoke up again.

"So, you don't know where he is?"

Ash's mom shook her head. "No, but he should've been home yesterday."

After hearing those words, May sighed in relief. "Okay, so he's supposed to come home—that means he didn't necessarily leave for Sinnoh, and I can still ask him if I can go with him...but where did he go?" She thought to herself. "Do you know where he was going?"

"No, he just said he'd be back in three months," Delia responded. The older woman heard a grumbling noise from May's position and smiled. "Are you hungry, dear?"

May blushed. "Um, a little bit," She admitted as she held her stomach. "I actually haven't eaten since breakfast..."

Delia's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, we can't have you going without eating for that long. You wait here while I make you a few sandwiches, okay?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum," May smiled. However, her smile turned into a confused look. "Wait, did you say a 'few sandwiches'?"

Delia nodded happily.

"Oh, I-I'm fine with just two, please."

"Nonsense," Delia countered. "I don't mind making a few. Besides, Ash said you could finish a buffet by yourself if you really wanted to, so I know you can eat well—especially if your stomach is rumbling."

"H-he said that about me!" May's face heated up from embarrassment. "Oh, we're going to have a talk when I see him again."

"You shouldn't feel embarrassed, May. I've always liked girls who can eat a lot," Delia told the brunette. "It shows that you aren't afraid to show your true self."

For some reason, May felt less embarrassed and angry towards Ash after hearing those words. "Uh, o-okay...I guess you have a point there."

"I know I do," Delia said as she walked into the kitchen. "They should be finished in about ten minutes if you want to come sit at the table."

"I'm coming, Mrs. Ketchum!" May got up from the sofa and made her way to the table. "Where did you go for three months, Ash?"