Hello everyone and welcome to my new fic! I started writing this one, thinking it was going to be a one-shot, but as it progressed it kind of got out of hand. So I'm not entirely sure just how long this fic will run but I hope you stick around for the ride.

For anyone wondering, I will also be posting a new fic tomorrow as well as I've really caught the writing bug. It's sort of going to be a rewrite of The Betrayed Champion, but be taken in a completely different direction with a basically whole new story, so if you're interested check that out tomorrow around 1pm pacific time.

I also haven't forgotten about Katana, but for the time being I'm putting my focus on these two fics but I will come back and finish it. Believe me I have plenty of ideas for that fic that I'd love to get out there, but I want to take this one step at a time before I give Katana my full undivided attention.

Now without further ado, here is, The Bonds we Once Shared

"Man it feels so good to be home."

May sat at her usual place around the dinner table, enjoying a nice home cooked meal as her family enjoyed their daughter/sister finally being back in Petalburg.

"And it's great to have you home May, your father and I missed you terribly," Caroline, May's mother exclaimed, not having seen her daughter in months.

"Especially your little brother, not that he'd ever admit it," Norman added, taunting his youngest child.

Max nearly choked on his food, turning red from his dad's words, "As if!" Max cried, sticking his nose up in the air, "I enjoy being an only child thank you very much!"

May giggled at Max's refusal, "Missed you too you little brat," she joked, knowing full well how much she missed her brother.

"So how was Sinnoh honey? Having seen some of the covers of the tabloids, I'd say you had a pretty good time," Caroline mischievously implied.

Almost spitting her water out, May had to try and regain her composure. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Well it's just that your father and I saw you on those covers with that Drew boy and…I mean my goodness May, he's like a magician the way he pulls those roses out of thin air."

"Do I need to have a conversation with this Drew, teach him what happens when he gets near my princess," Norman sternly added, punching his fist into his open palm to add extra intimidation.

May's face had gone completely red by this point, wanting more than anything for this conversation to end, "Drew and I are just friends! The tabloids take one rose and turn it into a whole story about how we're dating, or how I'm suddenly pregnant-"

"You're pregnant!?" Norman slammed his fists against the table, wanting to wring the green haired coordinators neck.

"Have you even been listening!?" May shouted, putting her head down while she looked at the door, tempted to make a run for it.

Max saw his sister in a bit of a predicament and decided she had suffered enough, "Hey May, did you see Ash came in second place in the Kalos region?"

May instantly perked her head up hearing that name, "He did? That's awesome! I'm so proud of him." Although it wasn't the first place she knew Ash had always dreamed of, second place wasn't something to scoff at.

Seeing that this was the first May had heard about it took Max aback a bit, "I can't believe you hadn't heard about it earlier, when was the last time you two even talked?"

May took a second to remember the last time she had called him, or he had called her. That one second turned into a few as May had suddenly realized just how long it had actually been since she had been in contact with her former traveling partner.

"I guess it has been a long time…" May's voice trailed off, feeling like a terrible friend for letting so much time pass by since she last heard his voice.

'I guess I just got so caught up with my contests and him with his dream of being a pokemon master, that I hadn't realized just how much time had actually passed,' May thought to herself as the reality of it all started to hit her. A part of her wondered why Ash hadn't called, but she knew she was just as much to blame.

Norman recalled his battle against the trainer, "Hell of a trainer that kid is, I'm surprised he didn't take the whole damn thing."

"Yeah," May solemnly replied with her head down, thinking about Ash and the bond that they shared, getting weaker with each passing day.

Caroline noticed her daughter's cheerful mood had gone away, seeing May with an expressionless face as she just toyed with her food, "Is everything alright May?"

Hearing her name took her out of her head and brought her back to reality, "Yeah definitely, sorry was just thinking about…Sinnoh and what a great time I had."

"Hopefully not too great," Norman stoically replied, cutting off a piece of his steak and furiously chewing it.

"You really don't have to worry dad," May said with a smile as she got up from her seat, "but I think I'm gonna go for a walk around the city. It's been a while since I've been to some of my favorite places in Petalburg."

"Are you sure May? You usually eat much more than that, I mean you're barely on your fifth plate," Max was shocked to see his sister not surrounded by an army of empty plates, wondering if she was on a new, strict, five plate diet.

May looked down at her half eaten plate, but just didn't have it in her at the moment to eat another bite, "The food was delicious mom, thank you. But I have to hurry before all the shops close!"

"But May, it's only 1:30," Caroline plainly said.

"Exactly! With how little time is left I'll barely have any time to finish my shopping! Thank you for being so understanding," May quickly replied as she started to run out the door, "I'll see you guys soon bye!"

Slamming the door on her way out May had finally made her escape, "Well she certainly was in a hurry," Max proclaimed.

"Better not be running off to see that Drew kid," Norman said with crossed arms.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Caroline uttered to herself, having her mind on a different boy.

May walked around the hub of Petalburg, taking in everything her home town had to offer, looking at all the stores that lined down the streets. She had wanted to do some shopping to distract herself from all her troubles. The way her dad had freaked out over her and Drew, those dumb tabloids, and a friendship she felt she was starting to lose.

Her prize money from all the contests she had won were more than enough to cover the cost for all the cute clothes she had bought. Walking down the sidewalk she could barely carry it all, struggling to maintain balance while trying not to run people over. She knew she had gone overboard since her field of vision was almost entirely obscured, but she was past the point of no return.

Summoning all of her strength, she knew she would be able to make it back home in perfect condition with no worries! The Princess of Hoenn would not be denied!

…That was until she tripped on her shoelaces, sending her tumbling straight to the ground, the countless bags of clothes finding a new home on the dirty pavement.

May quickly realized that the concrete sidewalk, contrary to popular belief, was not in fact a very comfortable place to lie. Just as she was about to push herself up, she saw a hand reaching down from above.

"Are you okay," May looked up towards the concerned voice, unable to make out a face with the sun in her eyes.

"I've had better days," May joked as she took her hand and was quickly brought back to her feet. The female duo swiftly picked up May's fallen clothing, not missing a single piece of her new wardrobe.

Having picked up all of her clothing, May could finally relax and take a deep breath, "Thank you so much for your help, my new tops would have been ruined without you here." Finally able to take in what this girl actually looked like, the first thing May's eyes darted to was her short, honey blonde hair. Followed by her slightly taller than average height, her blue eyes, and finally her cute outfit.

The girl felt embarrassed accepting such praise, "Please, it was the least I could do. Plus I could never leave a girl to struggle like that, especially one with such good taste in fashion.

May blushed upon hearing such high praise, "I'm glad someone around here has an eye for good taste, you wouldn't believe some of the boys I've traveled with! Jorts! To a fancy dinner! Not even formal jorts, not that those even exist but still."

The girl couldn't help but laugh upon hearing May's plight, "You have my sincerest apologies for having to go through such a traumatic experience. By the way, since I have you here, you wouldn't happen to know a good place to grab some food around here would you? I'm kind of new to Hoenn in general and I'm completely starving."

Hearing the mention of food reminded May's stomach just how neglected it had been back at her home. "You know, I could grab a bite as well, if you don't mind me tagging along of course. I know a great sushi place nearby that I could show you."

The girl quickly embraced that idea, the idea of some company in this new foreign region sounded wonderful to her. "Absolutely! I'd love if you tagged along…" the girls voice trailed off, realizing that she had never gotten her name.

May quickly picked up on that and extended her hand out for a handshake, "May! That's my name, in case you were wondering," she said with a smile.

The girl met her hand with May's, shaking her hand, "It's nice to meet you May, my name is Serena."

The female duo could finally sit down and relax as they made themselves comfortable in the sushi restaurant. Sitting across from one another having just ordered, Serena and May continued their conversations.

"So what brings you to Hoenn anyway Serena? You mentioned earlier how you were fairly new to the region," taking a sip of her water, May was curious to learn more about her new acquaintance.

Excited to talk about her passion, Serena began speaking with a sense of glee. "I actually came to Hoenn to compete in these amazing contests I've been hearing so much about! Flew all the way from Kalos to train and compete!"

"You certainly have the right attitude for these contests that's for sure," May replied, giggling at how eager Serena sounded. "Having seen pictures of Kalos though, it seems like such a beautiful and romantic region, I have a friend who was just there." May's mind going back to a conversation she had had earlier in the day.

"Well I'm sure your friend had a great time there," Serena said with confidence, taking pride in her home region. "Do you know anything about the contests here in Hoenn though May? I'm sort of more used to the showcases back home."

"Well, I suppose you could say I dabble in contests here and there," May stated, being very modest about her experience. "So if you ever need some tips or any kind of advice I can definitely lend a hand."

Serena squealed in excitement, completely grateful for any help that she could get. Seeing her start her Hoenn journey sent May's mind back to when she was just a rookie, beginning for the first time.

"You know, I was completely lost when I first started my contest career," May began to say as Serena listened intently. "Scared and totally lost about where to even begin. It wasn't until I met my friend, the one who went to Kalos, that I started to gain the confidence I needed in order to get to the place I am today. That's something I'll always be grateful for."

"Your friend seems like an amazing guy May, you talk about him with such passion that I almost feel like there was a history between you two," Serena said with a sly grin, seeing her new friend's face get as red as the bow tied around her head.

May nervously rubbed the back of her head as she was quick to refute those claims, feeling her face getting hotter, "Just friends! No history there, none at all."

Serena giggled as she could see just how embarrassed May had gotten, "I'm just giving you a hard time May, besides your secret is safe with me."

Before May could deny what Serena had implied, the young performer continued on, "Funny enough, I know a guy who sounds just like your friend. Helped me get through the Kalos region and helped give me the strength I needed to overcome the same obstacles you just mentioned," Serena could still see that guy's face in her mind, looking down at her as she rode the escalator.

Now it was May's turn to start insinuating, "Sounds like you really liked this guy."

Serena slightly blushed for a moment as she chuckled, "Yeah, I really do."

May was taken aback by her quick confession, pouting in response, "it's no fun when you just admit you like the guy."

Feeling as though she had lost this round, May forged on, "I'll say this as well about my completely platonic friend, he's an amazing trainer. Did extremely well in the Kalos League Championship from what I heard."

"You mean the Lumiose Conference? Couldn't have done better than my friend!" Serena said with emphasis, ready to boast about him, "he came in sec-"

Just as she was going to what place he came in, the waiter came around with plates of sushi in hand.

"Sushi!" May exclaimed, her eyes locked onto the delicious plate she had ordered, having to stop herself from drooling all over the table, "this is what I've been dreaming of my whole life…Or maybe just the last fifteen minutes, but who really is counting?"

"You really love your sushi don't you," Serena snickered, watching her new friend fall in love with the dead fish on her plate.

Fearing for his life being in the presence of a very hungry May, the waiter quickly left the plates of sushi on the table and ran off before May's hunger could consume him as well.

Placing her napkin over her lap and grabbing her chopsticks, May was completely ready to dig into her meal. But paused, remembering she had completely interrupted her new friend.

"I'm sorry Serena, I got so lost in my food I kind of interrupted you," May said, embarrassed by her poor table manners.

Serena opened her mouth to continue speaking, but quickly stopped herself, "Ah just forget it, it'd be unusually cruel of me to keep you from your beloved sushi."

"You have my sincerest appreciation," May happily replied as she began to chow down on her sushi, with Serena very slowly following her lead.

"Wow May you weren't kidding, that sushi really was amazing!" Serena exclaimed as their empty plates were taken away and the check having just been taken care of.

"Thank you! Believe me this is just the tip of the iceberg, there's so many other places I could show you in Petalburg."

"I have a deal for you May," Serena began, preparing her offer, "you help me practice for the contests in Hoenn for as long as you're in Petalburg, and I'll pay for lunch after every training session. Do we have a deal?"

May pondered it for a moment, her head tilted with her hand on her chin, "You certainly drive a hard bargain Serena, I accept these terms."

"Yes!" Serena proudly exclaimed, her journey to Hoenn off to a great start.

"How does tomorrow at noon sound? We can meet up at the Petalburg gym and go from there."

May had mentioned her dad was the gym leader so this all seemed perfect for Serena, "I'll be there!" Getting up from her seat, she was ready to go back to her room back at the pokemon center and get some much needed rest, "It was a pleasure meeting you May."

"You as well Serena," May said with complete sincerity, feeling a strong connection to her friend.

"Well I'll see you tomo-" Serena paused her sentence abruptly as phone began ringing and vibrating in her pocket. Pulling it out she looked at the screen and her eyes immediately widened with a smile to follow.

May looked at and immediately smirked, knowing it most likely the boy she had mentioned earlier, "I'll let you two have your privacy."

Serena mouthed the words 'thank you' as she answered her phone.

"Hey, it's really nice to hear from you again," Serena spoke in to the phone.

May tried her best to quickly grab all of her bags of clothing, but with so many it wasn't going to be the easiest challenge she had encountered.

"…"

"Yeah the flight to Hoenn went by smoothly. I got into Petalburg last night and already made a new friend, not too bad of a start huh?"

"…"

"Yeah, apparently she competes in contests and she's the daughter of the Petalburg gym leader! I don't think I could've met someone who can help train me as much as she can."

May felt a little awkward hearing her praises sung like that, but she had finally collected all of her bags, turned away from Serena and towards the door, ready to leave.

"Hello," Serena said into her phone, having been greeted with silence from the other line, "earth to Ash, are you still there?"

Ash

May's eyes instantly widened hearing that name, the name she couldn't get away from all day. Her body was full of anxiety as she slowly turned and looked back at Serena, 'No, it couldn't possibly be…'

"…"

"Her name? It's May, why does that matter and why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?"

May dropped all of her bags in the middle of the sushi restaurant and began to slowly walk back towards Serena, she knew now without even hearing the voice on the other side of the phone, she knew now that it was Ash.

"…"

Serena and May's eyes locked up as Serena finally began to understand the situation that was unfolding before her. Her smile had faded away, staring at May straight faced as she tried to comprehend this all. "You'd mention a May that you traveled with from time to time back in Hoenn, I just can't believe we're talking about the same May."

Hearing that Ash would bring her up even all the way in Kalos put a smile on the young coordinators face, though it just reminded her again how she had neglected to call him for so long. Not sure of what to do, May decided the best course of action was to make her quick getaway out of the restaurant and call Ash the very next day.

Moving a lot quicker than earlier, May swiftly grabbed all of her bags and scurried off to the exit, her hand moving ever so closer to the door knob.

"Hey May!"

She could easily hear Serena's voice across the somewhat busy restaurant, cursing herself for not being just a second quicker. Taking a deep breath, May turned her head and braced for the worst, ready for the penance she deserved for being such a terrible friend.

Her worries were quickly put to rest though, as Serena stood in front of her, her hand outstretched with her phone sitting in the palm of it.

"I'm still not entirely sure what's happening, but Ash would like to talk to you," Serena spoke with a smile, but it wasn't as vibrant as it had been earlier.

May gulped as she stared right at the phone, beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow. She felt as though her body had been completely frozen over, while her brain screamed at her to just pick up the damn phone and talk to him.

"Don't be so nervous, Ash really wants to talk to you," Serena's reassuring words were exactly what May needed in that moment, she could see the sincerity in Serena's eyes and felt completely relieved.

"Thank you," May sputtered out as she grabbed the phone out of her hand, slowly bringing it up to her ear.

"Don't even mention it. I'll be waiting outside so I can get my phone back when you're done," Serena very quickly said as she made her way out of the restaurant, leaving just May and Ash.

With Serena's phone pressed up against May's ear, all she had to do was say something, anything, to hear the voice she hadn't heard in over a year. She couldn't believe how she had gone from being so casual and nonchalant with him, to where she was now, afraid to even talk to him. So much time had passed since she had last called him, did he just want to talk to her to tell her off and say just how terr-.

"Hey May, sorry I could hear your breathing so I figured I'd just break the ice," there it was, there was that voice.

May clasped her hand over her mouth and nose, not realizing her deep breaths had given her away. But hiding behind that hand of hers, was a smile as a big as it had ever been. Hearing his voice after so long, she hadn't realized just how much she had missed it.

"Hey Ash."

And that party people, was the first chapter of The Bonds We Once Shared. I know this chapter was seemingly heavy on advanceshipping, look at it from more of a friendship perspective than one of romantic feelings. Now I'm not saying those feelings are completely nonexistent, especially when Serena's feelings are quite obvious, but just stick around and see, you might like what I have planned.

Tell me what you thought of this fic as well! Any comment or question I'll be happy to answer. This fic is different for me in that I don't have very much thought out, so let me know how you're feeling about it and feel free to submit ideas about where this fic should go. I'm all ears.

Once again, stick around for tomorrow because I really think you'll enjoy my sort of but not really rewrite of The Betrayed Champion, should be some interesting stuff.

Thank you reading everybody, don't forget to review!