AN: I was watching the Advance generation again and I fell in love with Advanceshipping once again (I've been getting a lot of inspiration to write about Ash and May)! There is bit of A-CS, so be cautioned.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
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An Advanceshipping Two-shot
Author: wubbzy
Count: 1109
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Half of My Sun
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The First Half: With a trinket that could possibly represent everything they stand for…
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If May had words to describe what she was feeling right now, it would be of despair and an ache in her back. She hunched over taking rather large intakes, groaning when she exhaled vehemently. The rocky path filled with gravel was quite troublesome. She had been walking for hours and was in need of rest. The soles of her feet were burning and sore from the heat when she trudged along. May was not having a good day.
She had just gotten back from a contest – a contest with Drew participating in it as well.
She had lost.
May sighed in annoyance, gritting her teeth fervently. He had beaten her and he gave her a rose, as if it would make her feel better.
It did, actually – the scent anyway. She was calmer than before with the rose working its aroma therapy, she guessed. She still loathed the thought of losing to him again. She didn't want a damn rose, she wanted to win.
Drew and May were rivals forever, and that was something that was never going to change. Any romantic feelings she ever harbored for him were just like the roses he gave her: temporary before they withered away into desiccated petals, left to eventually decay into the brown dirt.
Yes, she felt enamored every time he gave her a rose; her face would heat when he did because she knew it symbolized love. The scent had intoxicated her more than a few times, and she would always love the simplicity of a single rose. She found it quite romantic. She pulled out the rose knowing the heat and the sun's noisome rays would kill it faster than usual. She sighed, knowing there was nothing left to do then to drop the only thing left of it onto the floor.
There goes another one.
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May had come to realize something on her journeys. She often pondered over the roses Drew gave her on lonely nights after the contest and weeks passed. She wondered what it meant when the poor rose died away, buried forever in the ground.
At first she tried to salvage the red, soft petals of her rose. Now she realized how useless it was. She was accustomed to it now. She found herself twirling it in her slender fingers, staring deeply into it as the small petals, one by one, fell off. It was just like any other plant without supply to water or nutrients: it would die away. Her face would be something of nonchalance – no feelings of attachment or sentiments towards the rose. It wasn't like the special feeling she would get when holding other treasured items her friends gave her.
May would often look at the gifts her friends generously gave. May grinned when she would read into the little recipe book Brock had wrote since he knew she would need to know how to make the pokemon food that would suite her pokemon well. They were used to Brock's amazing cooking – not to mention their trainer aswell. May giggled whenever she thought of the prospect. Brock also imparted her a lot of assistance through her travels in Johto. He had even given her a list of special herbs and berries that would help her pokemon, whether it was healing them when she was nowhere near a pokemon center, or giving them the energy to win a contest. She'd always keep this particular item in her little bag where it was always in hands reach. She was thankful to the boy for being so caring and taking the time in doing such a thing for her.
May would usually stare up to the moon on nights when she camped out. She would beam happily, taking her half of the terracotta ribbon out her pocket. She stared upon it, feeling as if she were staring into the brightness of the sun itself. The moonlight made the ribbon shimmer in the night brightly, captivating her sapphire orbs.
There was nothing compared to her ribbon. The roses Drew gave were like any other rose: a dark burgundy that lingered in her nose for some time but would eventually disappear.
Her ribbon, however, would always be treasured. She took it everywhere, and she made sure it looked as new as the day they won it. She wondered if he did the same. She wondered if he held it on long nights and stared at it whilst thinking of her as well.
Looking at the ribbon, she couldn't help but compare it to the sun with its physical attributes. It was only half, but she remembered when it was whole. It was her sun, and represented Ash and May's friendship more than anything. It gleamed brighter than anything.
The sun was a star. Like the brightest red star, it would last for more than years, more than a life time – the sun that reminded her of their relationship. No matter what happened, no matter how scared she'd feel, she'd smile knowing the sun would rise again.
It would often remind her that she couldn't give up, quelling any anxieties. Their ribbon instilled confidents if she ever felt tense or nervous. It held sentimental value, and it represented much more than any rose would. Sure, a rose represented love, but the ribbon represented much more: their love for each other, their relationship – better noted as a friendship at the moment. It gave off the memories of not only the day they separated, but how much they've grown along the way, how so in synched and connected they are.
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Euphoria permeated through her as she took the ribbon from her pocket, raising it above her head to see it glimmer in the rays of the sun.
It was perfect…
She clenched the small ribbon to her chest, her heart pounding.
And she looked straight ahead. Determination was etched in her eyes, excitement evident as well.
A grin adored her face, staring up to the small board with a poster, showing information on the next contest.
"Fourth ribbon, here I come!" she shouted, felicity ringing through her voice. Her lack of energy was almost nonexistent when she sprinted down towards the next town.
No matter how distant, they could still find themselves looking at the same sun, the same moon, the same sky. She didn't know if he looked at the ribbon as well, nostalgia filling his head as it did hers. She raised it to the air and watched it shimmer. Just like their connection, she could somehow tell he was gazing at it too.
They both held half of the sun in their hands.
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AN: Okay, who agrees with me that both Ash's and May's Terracotta (meaning brown-red in color. It's kind of ironic how terra can mean Earth or soil, when it's shaped like a sun) ribbon looks like the sun? That is how I got the inspiration to write this on closer inspection of the ribbon (I read too much into things) : D Well, hope you liked it. Feedback is welcomed and loved! Bye for now! :D