Protection and Comfort

(This is first of quite a few collections I will be writing for Advanceshipping. Hope you enjoy this first collection. Requests are also welcome for ideas.)

Chapter 1: His Angel, His Saviour

Summary: Despite everything they have made it through together, Ash fears that he won't always be able to protect May. He fears that one day she could be in danger and he won't be there in time to save her. When it becomes too much for him, May arrives to save him.

It was a bright sunny morning in Pallet Town and in the Ketchum house, May, now 16 years old, came downstairs to find Delia Ketchum at the kitchen. May was wearing her emerald green outfit consisting of an orange dress-like outfit with black short leggings and orange and white shoes with a black stripe complete with a green bandana with a white Pokeball symbol tied around her brown hair which hung down in two pig-tail like sections. Delia turned to see May and smiled.

"Morning, May." Delia said. May looked up at Delia showing a bright smile in response. "Good morning, Mrs Ketchum." she responded. Delia came and sat down at the table, to which May came over and made herself comfortable.

"Is Ash feeling all right today?" Delia asked. Ash Ketchum was Delia's 17 year old son and May's boyfriend. His aspiration was to be a Pokemon Master and he really enjoyed travelling as well while doing so. Upon the mention of Ash's name, May's smile faded and she looked down and shook her head.

"No. He's up in his room again. He's been like this for the past few days." May responded. Delia's smile was replaced with surprise and she came over to May so she could understand what May meant.

"I've been hearing him talking in his sleep every night for the last few nights, and he always looks like he's unable to sleep. I've wanted to ask him about it, but I worry that he won't respond." May explained. Delia had some thought to herself about it, and then she looked over at May.

"I think I'll go talk to Ash about it. Maybe he might be able to tell me." Delia said. May then showed a soft smile and nodded in agreement; that sounded like a good idea. With this, Delia started to head upstairs to Ash's room.

In his room, Ash was sitting at his desk looking out the window to see the Pidgey fly past. It had happened to him again; over the past few nights, he had been having nightmares. Though they had all been different, they had one thing in common; they all had to do with May. He could still remember the nightmare he had the previous night, and it was something he didn't want to remember...

Ash found himself trapped in a dark void. As he looked around, all he could see around him was darkness, and nothing seemed familiar to him. "What is this place? Where am I?" Ash asked, as he looked around this unfamiliar area. Just then, he could suddenly hear a familiar voice ring through his ears.

"Ash!" Ash suddenly gasped as he recognized who that voice belonged to; he could tell the source in an instant. "May! Is that you?" he asked as he started to look around, hoping to find her in the darkness.

"Ash, help!" Ash could hear May's voice call out to him yet again, and he immediately realised that she was in danger.

"May! I'm coming!" Ash responded, and he started to run even thought it felt like he was going nowhere in the never-ending darkness. But he wasn't going to let that stop him; he knew May was in danger, and he had to find her before he was too late. As he continued to look, he stopped short when he saw May in front of him.

"May, are you all right?" he asked. May turned to notice Ash and a smile of relief crossed her face. She immediately ran over to him and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Ash, it's you! I'm so glad you're here! I thought I'd never see you again!" May cried as she refused to let Ash go, almost as if she was afraid of losing him. Ash was almost at a loss of words, but he held May close seeing how afraid she was.

"May, what's wrong? Was something after you?" Ash asked. Just then, a familiar shadowy figure appeared. He was completely pitch black, with a white top of his head and red around his neck, and his blue eyes shined in the darkness. "Darkrai! What are you doing here?" Ash asked, as he and May stared on at the shadowy figure.

"I have come for May, of course. I have been hoping for the chance to see her, but I did not expect to see you too." Darkrai responded. Ash held May close, not wanting to lose her to Darkrai.

"What do you want with May?" he asked. "Why would you need to know that? That sort of business does not involve you." Darkrai said.

"That might be true, but I'm here to protect May. And I won't let someone like you have her! So I won't you get to her!" Ash retorted. He immediately started to run towards Darkrai, but Darkrai easily pushed him aside, sending Ash falling backwards and landing on his back. May gasped seeing Ash hurt, but then she noticed Darkrai coming towards her.

"Well then, May, where were we?" Darkrai asked. He grabbed May and started to head off with her. Ash was shaking himself off when he looked up to see May leaving with Darkrai. "Ash, help!" May called. Ash started to get up, but he found himself somehow unable to move and he could only watch as Darkrai left with May.

"May, no!" Ash cried, and everything started to go as black as the void he was trapped in...

Ash then sighed as the terrifying memories of that nightmare flooded back in his head; he could remember the sinister appearance Darkrai made in that void of darkness and his hopelessness as May was taken away, with him unable to do anything to save her. He could suddenly hear the sound of footsteps and turned to see Delia come upstairs to see him.

"Mum?" Ash asked. "Hi, honey. I thought I'd come up to see you." Delia said. Ash then looked away continuing to look out of his bedroom window. Noticing his unusual silence, Delia came over and sat down next to Ash, to which he turned to see her.

"Have you been feeling all right, Ash? Has anything been wrong recently?" Delia asked. Ash was silent for a few seconds, before he slowly gave an answer. "No...I don't think so. Why's that?"

"Well, May told me that you haven't been able to sleep well for the past few nights. She said that you've been talking in your sleep, and I just wanted to see if you were all right." Delia explained. Ash nearly jumped at the mention of May's name; that was exactly what he least wanted to hear recently. The mention of May sent memories of his nightmares coming back to him, and he could suddenly feel tears build in his eyes threatening to let loose. He then brushed them away, and then looked up at Delia.

"Actually, Mum, I haven't been able to sleep well. I keep having these strange dreams, and they seem to do with May." Ash explained. Delia was nearly unable to say anything at the mention at that, but she figured that Ash would be able to tell her about what was happening if she just asked him about it.

"Really? What happens that involves May?" Delia asked. Ash nearly jumped at the mention of that; he knew exactly what happens in his nightmares. Almost every night they had occurred, he could see May in danger and him being unable to save her every time. But, he was still unable to understand what that meant, so he decided he shouldn't give any exact details until he understood what the nightmares meant.

"I'm not sure. I find myself unable to remember what happened when I wake up." Ash responded. He knew it was a lie, but he figured it was a good idea for the time being. Hearing this response, Delia nodded slowly in understanding.

"If you're able to remember what happened in at least one of those dreams, let me or May know. We want to do what we can to help you if anything happens to you. After all, you are my one and special son, and May loves you more than anything else. So, be sure to remember that, okay?" Delia asked. Ash then gave a smile, even though it felt forced to him, and nodded in agreement.

"I will. Thanks Mum." Ash responded. Delia smiled at this and she happily hugged Ash, while Ash hesitantly returned her embrace, and after a few seconds, Delia let go and headed downstairs closing Ash's bedroom door behind her. Once she was gone, Ash's smile faded and he looked back at the window hoping that he'd be able to work out why he was having these strange nightmares.

That night, Ash was comfortable in his bed, but he was tossing back and forth. He was having another nightmare, and this one was particularly worse than it was last night.

Ash found himself in a forest and as he slowly looked around him, he could tell where he was almost straight away. "Hey, I know this. It's Viridian Forest. But what am I doing here?" Ash wondered, as he was looking around. Just then, he could suddenly hear a voice from nearby.

"Ash!" Ash then turned as he could recognize that voice. "That's May! She must be in danger again. Don't worry, May! I'll be right there!" Ash called and he started to run to find May, hoping that he'd be able to save her this time. As he was running, he could hear her voice calling out to him again.

"Ash, help!" Ash knew that was May, and he had to make sure not to let her down this time. "May, I'm coming!" Ash responded, hoping May could hear him. But then, he suddenly heard a loud roar above him and looked up to notice a giant grey dinosaur-like Pokemon with dark purple wings fly through the sky above his head. It was an Aerodactyl, and it had May in its grasp. Ash gasped, but somehow this made him more determined to save May.

"Don't worry, May! I'm coming to save you!" Ash called. With this, he started to grab up a tree beside him and when he got to the top, he could see the Aerodactyl coming towards him. Without a second thought, he immediately jumped and grabbed hold of the Aerodactyl's leg, where he could see May being held tight. As soon as May saw Ash, she started to smile.

"Ash!" she exclaimed, extremely happy to see him. "Don't worry, May. I'm here. I'm going to get you down." Ash said, doing his best to reassure May. He then started pulling at Aerodactyl's claw hoping to get May loose. Aerodactyl looked down to notice Ash and started to shake its legs violently in an attempt to get Ash to let go.

"Ash, be careful!" May warned. Ash nodded in agreement, but then he realised that his fingers were starting to slip from that violent shaking and then he fell loose of his grip of Aerodactyl's leg, causing him to plummet down to the forest while May watched on in horror.

"Ash!" May cried as she watched Ash plummet, and all Ash could do was watch as Aerodactyl flew away with May...

Ash then sat up in terror and struggled to catch his breath as he looked around to find himself back in his room. He then sighed in relief, knowing that May was still asleep in the other room. As he climbed out of his bed and looked out the window again, everything started to fall into place in his head. The nightmares he was having were a result of his own personal fear; he was afraid that he might not always be to protect May, that there would be a day that he might not be able to save May and he could possibly never see her again.

'What if those fears are true? What if I'm really not able to save May, that I might not come through for her when she needs me most?' Ash thought, as tears started to build in his eyes. He then immediately closed his eyes, as his tears threatened to leave them. After a few seconds, he then headed out of his room, slowly closing the door behind him, and started to rush out of the house. As he was running, his cap shielded his eyes as he left tears flowing out of them. He didn't know what to do, and he had no idea of what to do about it.

Back at the house, May was peacefully asleep in her room. But then she got up to look out the window and she could see Ash running from the house. "Where's Ash going?" May asked herself. She then started to head out, hoping to find out for herself.

Ash then stopped when he came to the cliff overlooking the river; this was the place where his adventure fully started, back when he was being chased by the Spearow. He sat down on the edge and looked up at the night sky; the stars could be visibly seen and the moon was full. He then looked down as he started to think about his nightmares, and what had happened in each of them.

"In every nightmare, I see May in danger and I can't do anything to save her. What if that becomes a reality? That could be a living nightmare for me, because I won't be able to do anything." Ash said. He then buried his face in his arms and started sobbing quietly. Nearby, May had come out looking for Ash.

"Ash? Ash, where did you go?" May asked. Just then, she could hear quiet sobbing from nearby. "That must be Ash." May said to herself. Sure enough as she got close, she could see Ash sitting at the edge of the cliff and he was quietly sobbing. As she came closer, Ash looked up to see her and he had tears visible in his eyes.

"May?" Ash asked, his voice visibly showing his sadness. "Ash, there you are. I was wondering where you had gone off to." May said, as she came over to sit down next to Ash. Ash then looked away from her, which she was surprised to see; it wasn't like Ash to not avert his attention. She then looked up at the night sky and smiled.

"Wow, the night sky always looks beautiful, doesn't it?" May asked. She then looked over at Ash and noticed that there wasn't a response from him, causing her smile to fade. "Ash, what's wrong? You've been acting like this for the past few days. You've been keeping yourself hidden in your room, and you rarely talk to me now. Why is that?" May asked. Ash looked at May as he listened to this; he had to admit that she sounded like his mother right now, but he decided not to mention that to her. He could see what his distance was doing to her; she was wondering why he was feeling this way and not giving her his full attention, and he hadn't told her why. With this, he sighed and looked over at May.

"May...over the past few days, I've been having nightmares. In every one of them, I see you in some form of danger. And no matter what I do, I can't save you. So...now I'm afraid that I might not be able to do the same thing in reality. I'm scared that you could be in danger, and I won't be able to save you." Ash explained. May gasped silently at the sound of this; she didn't have any idea that Ash feared something like this. She always knew that he was able to save her in the past, but she never suspected that he was afraid that he might not be able to do it.

"Ash, I'm sure you'll be able to. You've been able to do it before." May explained softly. "But what if I can't?!" Ash yelled immediately. May nearly jumped at Ash's emotional outburst, but she decided not to say anything for the time being.

"Don't you understand, May?! What if I'm not able to do it?! What if I let you down when you need me most, and I could never see you again?!" Ash yelled. He sounded more desperate than angry, but he didn't seem to notice. Tears visibly streamed down his cheeks, and he didn't plan on stopping until he let everything he was feeling out.

"Think about it, May. What if I can't save you? I might not be there when you need me, and you could be gone from me forever! What would I do then?!" Ash cried. May remained wordless as she listened to this, but she decided to let Ash finish before she said anything.

"I don't know what I'd do. I don't know how I'd be able to do it, because I'd always feel like it was my fault. I'd feel like I could have done something, but I didn't do it! I don't know what to do, May. I just don't know..." Ash closed his eyes and started sobbing, unable to hold in his emotions any longer. He had never felt this helpless before, but now he felt like there was nothing he could do. He had never felt this desperate and this hopeless for a long time, but now for the first time he didn't have any idea of what to do.

May could feel tears build in her eyes as she listened to Ash's emotional breakdown; she had no idea that Ash actually felt like this. Now she was seeing him at his most vulnerable moment, and she had to do something to help him. But she was afraid he couldn't be convinced, that he'd think he couldn't be helped. After a few seconds, she looked down. "Ash...you're right."

Ash looked up at May, hearing this simple response. "W-what?" May then looked over at Ash.

"You won't always be able to protect me, and there could be a day where your fears might happen." May responded. Ash then looked away; that didn't help matters at all. But then, May gently place her hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her.

"But, you don't need to worry. It won't happen anytime soon; that's one thing I know for sure." May said. "How do you know that?" Ash asked.

"Because I won't let it happen. Ash, you should know that I'll be able to protect myself when you can't. I'll always be safe, and you'll always be able to save me, no matter what happens." May explained.

Ash could feel tears in his eyes again, but this time they were out of immense happiness. He found himself unable to say anything, but after a few seconds, he threw himself into May's arms and started sobbing yet again. He had never felt so relieved, and that was because May was here with him.

"May, I'm so sorry. I've been such an awful boyfriend to you..." Ash sobbed. May then started to smile as she listened to Ash, and she held him close.

"Ash, everything will be all right. You've just been having emotional distress. But it's okay; I'll always be here." May said, as she tightened her embrace around Ash. Like Ash was always there to save her, May was now here to save him. She was his angel and saviour.

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