Before I let you read my latest fic I thought it wouldbe a good idea to put a little warning here. If you're a hardcore fan of Advanceshipping, Contestshipping or any fic that ends "Happily Ever After", then leave now. This fic is not for you. For everyone else, here it is.
The Greatest Heartache
It was a beautiful day in Petalburg City. The Taillow were flying about. The Beautifly danced through the skies. The citizens were out going about their daily lives. Everything was perfect.
Except for one house.
A young girl was standing in front of her modest house near the Petalburg Gym where her father was the Gym Leader. A gentle breeze blew her brown hair over her face as she waited for the man that was to come pick her up. However, she was becoming rather agitated.
"Drew's late again," May said. Earlier that day May called Drew, her old rival from her coordinating days, and asked him to spend the day with her. Of course he agreed and told her he'd pick her up in 30 minutes. That was an hour ago and he still hadn't arrived.
"He'd better hurry up," she said as she tapped her foot on the ground. She was wearing a red tank-top and tight fitting blue jeans and red sandals. She was also wearing the gold heart-shaped locket Drew had gotten her for her birthday earlier that year. She was about to head back inside and call him again when she heard the sound of screeching tires. Seconds later the sight of Drew's emerald green sports car came into view. A smile immediately came to May's face as she locked eyes with the driver.
"You're late again," she said.
"Sorry about that," Drew replied. He hadn't changed much over the years. He still had his green hair in the same style and still wore the same clothes he did when he was competing in Pokémon contests against May. Being the gentleman he was he reached over and opened the passenger side door for May. She got in, closed the door and put on her seatbelt before turning to face Drew.
"So, where are going to take me first?" she asked.
"You'll have to wait and see," he replied.
"Keeping me in suspense are you," May said.
"You can say that," Drew said.
"Well then, let's go," May said. But before they left Drew had to know one thing.
"Are you sure that 'he' won't find out?" he asked, motioning at May's hand. She looked own at her hand, or more specifically the ring on her finger.
"Don't worry. He's going to be working late tonight," she said. "As long as you get me back here before he comes home then everything will be alright." Satisfied with her answer, Drew put his sports car into gear and sped off.
It was a busy day for the Pokémon League. The last championship had ended a little more than a month ago and already they were being swamped with requests from the many League Gyms all over the region. For that reason the load was split in two. Lance was to handle all the requests from Kanto and the Orange Islands while the new Pokémon Master handled the ones from Johto and Hoenn. While Lance did his work at the Indigo Plateau Headquarters the rest was handled by the Pokémon Master at the Ever Grande City Branch. However, the Master wasn't concerned with the various requests that were piled up on his desk. He was on his cell phone calling home, hoping that he would get an answer. However, it didn't look likely.
"Come on, May. Pick up," he pleaded. But after waiting for minutes on end he realized that no one was going to answer. He hung up his phone and ran a hand through his unruly jet-black hair. From behind his desk a small yellow mouse Pokémon with black-tipped ears and a lightning bolt shaped tail walked into view.
"Pika Pikachu, PikaPi? (Was she there, Ash?)" he asked.
"No, buddy," Ash replied.
"Pika Chu Pikachu PiPika Pikachu ChuPika, Pikachu? (You don't think May's out with Drew again, do you?)" Pikachu asked.
"That's exactly what I think, Pikachu," Ash answered. He sighed and looked at the ring on his finger. Pikachu's ears drooped. He knew that Ash loved May. That was made clear when he asked her to marry him two months ago. But over the past few weeks the electric mouse noticed things began to change. May almost never wanted to do anything with Ash anymore, saying she was too tired. Ash had always suspected that May was cheating on him but he didn't have any proof to back his claim up.
"What am I going to do, Pikachu?" Ash asked his Pokémon buddy. "I love May, but if she's cheating on me then I don't think I can marry her."
"Pi Pika Chu, PikaPi. (I don't know, Ash.)," Pikachu replied. Just then, Ash's secretary walked in.
"Excuse me, Master Ketchum," she said.
"Janet, I told you there's no need to be formal with me. Just call me Ash," Ash said.
"Okay, Ash. Lance called. He wanted to know how things were coming along," Janet said.
"Everything's fine, more or less," he replied.
"Is everything alright, Ash?" Janet asked.
"I wish," Ash said.
"It's May again, isn't it?" she asked. He nodded. Being Ash's secretary, Janet was well aware of the problems Ash was having at home involving his and May's relationship.
"Listen, Ash. If you think she's cheating on you then just break off the wedding," Janet said.
"But I need proof before I do that," Ash said.
"Well, there's no way she'll come out in the open and tell you," Janet said.
"If only there was some way I could catch her in the act," Ash said.
"Is there someone you could ask to keep an eye on her for you?" Janet asked.
"Not without her getting suspicious," Ash said.
"Well I'm sure you'll figure something out," Janet said. She turned to walk out of Ash office when she stopped.
"You know, I could ask Lance to let you off early if you want," she said.
"Thanks, Janet," Ash said. Janet smiled and left. Seeing that he had nothing else to do Ash sat at his desk and went to work looking over the request forms on his desk.
It was 8:00 that night when Drew's sports car finally returned to May and Ash's house. Both May and Drew had smiles on their faces from their day together.
"Thanks for everything, Drew," May said. "I really had fun today."
"So did I," Drew replied. "Maybe next time we can have even more fun."
"I hope so," May said. She was just about to get out of the car when she saw something that made her more scared than anything. Drew noticed this.
"What's wrong, May?" he asked. May pointed to the driveway.
"That's Ash's car!" she said. "He's home already!"
"I thought you said he was working late! What's he doing here now!" Drew asked.
"I don't know but you better get out of here before he comes out," May said. Drew agreed and quickly drove off, leaving May to wonder what was going to happen when she enters.
"Might as well get this over with," she said. She gathered her courage and walked up to the front door. She grabbed the door handle and, with one last deep breath to help her calm her nerves, she opened the door. However, what she saw surprised her. Even though he was home Ash was nowhere to be seen.
"That's weird. I know he's home," she thought. Being as quiet as she could, May walked through the house and checked all the rooms. Pretty soon the only room left was the bedroom. She quietly opened the door and looked in. Blaziken and Beautifly were sleeping in their corner of the room. May then looked towards the bed where she saw Ash.
"He must be sleeping," May thought. She decided against changing out of her clothes, afraid that the noise might wake Ash, and climbed into bed with him. Before laying down to sleep, May took one last look at Ash.
"That was too close. I'm going to have to talk to Drew about being more careful next time," she thought. She laid down and let sleep come to her, thinking that she got off without anyone noticing. Unknown to her, however, Ash wasn't sleeping. He was wide awake when May got back and had heard her come in and move around the house. He was now almost positive that she was seeing someone behind his back and tomorrow he'd ask May about her day trip.
At 6:00 the next morning May found herself waking up. Almost getting caught by Ash last night was still on her mind. She knew that in the future she and Drew would have to be more careful.
"And speaking of Drew I'd better call him about yesterday," she said to herself. May slowly got out of the bed, careful not to wake up Ash or the Pokémon, and made her way to the kitchen. Once there she took out her cell phone and dialed Drew's number. After three rings he picked up.
"Hello?" he said.
"Drew, it's May," May replied.
"Hey, May. Everything okay?" Drew asked.
"Yeah," May replied.
"He didn't find out, did he?" Drew asked, obviously worried that Ash found out about her being with her yesterday.
"Thankfully no," May replied, "but we're going to have to watch our step from now on. Yesterday was too close for comfort."
"Tell me about it," Drew said. While they talked, they were both unaware that they had an audience. As a favor to Ash, Pikachu had snuck down after May when she got up. As soon as he heard May on the phone with Drew he hid and listened to the conversation.
"So, how long should we wait?" Drew asked.
"Let's give it a few days, maybe a week," May said. "I don't want to head out with you again too soon and give Ash more of a reason to be suspicious." Pikachu growled, angry that May would betray the trust his trainer placed in her. But it was what he heard next that really disgusted him.
"Are you sure about that, May?" Drew asked.
"We've been seeing each other for weeks now. It's about time we took it to the next level," May replied. "You do agree, don't you?"
"Yeah, but what about Ash?" Drew questioned.
"As long as he's kept in the dark everything will be alright," May said. Pikachu had heard all he needed, and wanted to. As quietly as he could Pikachu ran back to the bedroom to tell Ash what he heard.
15 minutes later May was still on the phone with Drew when she heard Ash coming into the room.
"Ash's coming. I'll talk to you later," she said.
"Okay. Bye," Drew said. May hung up just as Ash entered the room, Pikachu sitting on his shoulder.
"Good morning, you two," she said with her sweetest voice.
"Morning," Ash replied.
"Pikachu, PiPika (Good morning, May)," Pikachu said.
"What are you doing up so early?" Ash asked.
"No reason," May said slightly worried that Ash had heard her talking to Drew.
"So, where were you yesterday? When I got home you were gone," Ash said.
"I uh… went… to Rustboro City to… check out that new store that opened up," May lied.
"But your car was still here," Ash said, waiting to see if he could catch May in a lie.
"I… took a cab," she lied again.
"Why? You love driving," Ash said, still trying.
"I… I couldn't find my keys," May lied. Ash grew tired of trying and decided to let it rest.
"Alright. Just let me know next time," Ash said.
"I will," May said. The two shared a hug. May was secretly thanking whoever made it possible for her to get through Ash's questioning without him discovering what she was really doing yesterday.
"I'll be at the Gym, Ash," May said as she walked out the door.
"Okay," Ash replied. Earlier Caroline called and asked May to come by. She had taken up coordinating and wanted May to show her a few things. This gave Ash an opportunity to talk to one of his closest and oldest friends about his recent suspicions of May.
"I hope he's home," he said as he and Pikachu waited in front of the videophone.
"Pi Ka Chu (So do I)," Pikachu said. After a few rings the face of their old traveling companion appeared on the screen.
"Pewter City Gym. Brock speaking," the breeder said.
"Hey, Brock. It's Ash," Ash said.
"Hey man. Long time no see," Brock replied.
"Pika ChuPika! (Hi Brock!)" Pikachu said.
"Hey Pikachu!" Brock said. "So Ash, how you been?"
"Not good," Ash replied.
"What's wrong?" Brock asked. "There aren't any problems with May, are there?"
"In a way yes," Ash replied. "I think she's cheating on me." At that he heard Brock gasp and, though you couldn't tell by his slit-like eyes, Ash guessed he was wide-eyed.
"Ash, those are some serious allegations," Brock said. "You have any proof to back them up?"
"No, and that's the problem," the young Pokémon Master replied. "I know she is but I can't prove it."
"Do you have any idea who she's seeing?" Brock asked.
"Drew," Ash answered.
"Her old coordinator rival?" Brock asked. Ash nodded.
"I know she was out with him yesterday. When I came home early Blaziken and Beautifly were the only ones there," Ash said, "and this morning she was on the phone with him."
"How do you know it was Drew?" Brock asked.
"Pikachu told me," Ash answered.
"Oh man, I don't know what to tell you," Brock said.
"I just wish there was some way I could catch her in the act," Ash said.
"Too bad you can't be where you're not there," Brock said. At that moment Ash started to think. Almost immediately Ash went in to his 'thinking mode'.
"Brock, I think you just gave me an idea," he said.
"I did?" the breeder replied puzzled that he helped when he didn't mean to.
"Yeah," Ash said. "I'm going to need some 'special help' for this one."
"Who?" Brock asked. Ash took some time to explain his plan to Brock and Pikachu. When he was done Brock looked impressed.
"Not a bad plan, Ash," he said, "but do you think she'll know the difference?"
"Not as good as she is," Ash said. "May won't know the difference."
"Well, good luck with it," Brock said, "and I'm sorry things aren't working out for you two."
"So am I," Ash said. He hung up with Brock and made another call.
"Hello, it's Ash," he said. "I need your help with something…"
It had been over a week since Ash almost caught May. To May, things seemed to have returned to normal. Ash didn't question her whenever she went out and didn't let on that he still suspected her. She was sitting in the living room watching a televised Pokémon Contest while Ash was on the phone. Ash soon hung up and headed towards the door.
"Something wrong, Ash?" May asked.
"That was Lance," Ash said. "He needs to speak with me about something."
"You going to be late?" May asked.
"Probably," Ash answered.
"Oh," May said, sounding depressed.
"I'll try and get home as soon as I can," Ash said. "Come on, Pikachu. Lance's waiting." The yellow mouse jumped on his trainer's shoulder and the two headed out. May waited until the sound of Ash's car engine faded before she ran to the phone and called Drew.
"Drew? It's May. Ash left again," she said excitedly.
"Will he be gone long?" Drew asked.
"He said he will. That means we're good to go," May said.
"Alright," Drew said. "I'll be there in…"
"No!" May said. "That's how we almost got caught last time. I'll drive to your house this time."
"Are you sure?" Drew asked.
"Yes," May said. "I'll see you in 30 minutes.
"Okay. I'll be waiting," Drew said. They hung up and May went off to get ready for meeting with Drew. She was so excited that she didn't notice that Ash had left the door unlocked, or that someone had just walked in.
25 minutes later May walked into the living room. She was wearing a knee-length red dress with matching red heels. Her hair had two ribbons, one in each ponytail one the sides of her head. She was also wearing the same locket from over a week ago.
"Okay guys! I'm leaving!" she called to her Pokémon. None of her Pokémon approved of what she was doing, but they were too loyal to May to question what she was doing.
"If Ash calls you know what to do!" she said. She was about to head out the door when…
"Bulba! (Wait!)" May turned around and saw a small greenish-blue lizard with a plant bulb on its back.
"Bulbasaur, what is it?" she asked.
"Saur Bulba Bulba Bulbasaur Bulba! (I can't let you do this!)" she said.
"Bulbasaur, we've been through this already," May said. "Drew and I love each other. And now we'll cement our love by taking the ultimate step any couple can."
"Bulba Saur Bulbasaur! (But what about Ash!)" Bulbasaur asked.
"What about him?" May asked.
"Bulba Bulbasaur Saur Bulba! (You're engaged to him!)" her Pokémon replied.
"I already told you. As long as Ash doesn't find out it's okay," May said.
"Bulbasaur! (No it's not!)" Bulbasaur argued.
"Bulbasaur…look. I don't have time to argue with you," May said. She turned and started to walk away. As she passed by the couch Bulbasaur used her Vine Whip and grabbed May's ankle, causing her to stumble. She caught the back of the couch to keep from falling and glared back at her Pokémon.
"Let me go," she said.
"Saur, (No,)" Bulbasaur said.
"I said let me go," May said.
"Saur! (No!)" Bulbasaur said again. She started to pull, trying to keep May from leaving. May tried to pull her leg free, but that only made Bulbasaur tighten her grip.
"I'm not going to say it again, Bulbasaur! Now let me go!" May yelled.
"SAUR! (NO!)" Bulbasaur yelled back.
"If you don't let me go right now you'll never see Ash's Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's ranch again!" May yelled. Bulbasaur froze, stunned by the harshness of her trainer. She was aware that May knew of her relationship with Ash's Bulbasaur and was shocked to hear that she would put that in jeopardy. Then, with one last yank, May pulled her leg free of Bulbasaur's hold. She walked to the door and opened it. Before she stepped out she glared once more back at Bulbasaur.
"I'll deal with you when I get back," she said. She walked out, slamming the door behind her. Bulbasaur sat there as she heard the sound of May's car speeding off. Then, Bulbasaur began to glow as if it was evolving. When the glow faded, instead of an Ivysaur there was a pink blob.
"Dit to, (It's done,)" the Pokémon said. A 'click' was heard, followed by a blue-haired girl walking out of the kitchen holding a tape recorder.
"Good work, Dits," she said to her Ditto. She put the tape recorder down and took out a cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for a response on the other end. She didn't have to wait long.
"Hello… Yeah, it's me. …She just left. …Yeah. She's going to see him. …Okay… I'll be here. Later, Ash." She hung up and looked sadly at her Ditto, who returned her sad look.
"This is going to be one sad situation when May gets back," she said.
It was a relatively short drive from May and Ash's house to Drew's house on the outskirts of Petalburg Forest. However, May and Drew hadn't been there long. To help get them ready for their 'moment' the duo had spent the entire day in Rustboro City. They didn't return until late in the evening. All of Drew's Pokémon were at the Rustboro City Pokémon Center for their weekly check-up, leaving the house empty except for the two former coordinators. They were currently in Drew's bedroom. Both were in his bed, having just finished their first make-out session. Clothes were scattered all across the room as May and Drew rested in the bed, May resting her head on Drew's chest.
"That…was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced," May said.
"I wouldn't mind doing that again," Drew said. May gave Drew a seductive look before coming out from under the covers. Her body was void of any clothing as was Drew's.
"You're going to have to do better than that if you want me," she said.
"How much better?" Drew asked. May, still with the seductive look, straddled Drew. Drew reached up and grabbed May's thighs. She shivered at his touch, but tried not to let it show.
"You want to," Drew said, smiling.
"I do not," May replied, trying to sound uninterested in him.
"You can't hide anything from me, May," he said. "I know you want to start Round 2" Even though May knew he was right she still wanted to play hard to get.
"Well maybe I'm not ready yet," she said.
"Oh, you are," Drew said.
"Oh yeah? Prove it," May said. She started to crawl to the other end of the bed when she felt Drew grab her foot. She giggled and playfully tried to pull free of Drew's grip, but Drew held on. May rolled onto her back and looked back at Drew.
"You just won't take no for an answer, will you?" she asked. Instead of answering her Drew grabbed her other foot and pulled her to him. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up.
"Like you were going to say no," he said.
"Maybe I was," May replied.
"Then why didn't you?" Drew asked. May responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, which Drew eagerly returned. After a while the kiss deepened. Drew fell back on the bed with May on top.
"Does that answer your question?" May asked when they broke the kiss. Drew smiled at her and the two kissed once again. This one lasted longer than the previous with a lack of oxygen being the reason for them to end it.
"You know, you're making me regret being late more and more," May said.
"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Drew said. He rolled over to where May was on the bottom.
Well, after I took longer than I wanted to finding something to wear I had a little problem with one of my Pokémon," May replied between kisses.
"You're Pokémon?" Drew asked, surprised that May was having problems with her Pokémon.
"Yeah, Bulbasaur didn't want me to come here," she said. "She even went as far as to try and physically keep me from leaving the house."
"How did you get away?" Drew asked.
"I just threatened to keep her from seeing Ash's Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's ranch in Pallet Town," she said.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Drew asked.
"She'll be fine," May replied. "Just give her about a week and she'll…" Right then May got a horrified look on her face. Drew noticed the look and immediately got worried.
"May, what is it?" he asked.
"I just remembered," May said. "I sent Bulbasaur to Professor Oak's ranch earlier this week!"
"Wait! That means…" Drew got up to let May out of the bed. May jumped out of the bed and quickly put her clothes back on. She then grabbed her keys and ran out of the room.
"Wait! May! Where are you going!" Drew asked.
"I think we've been discovered!" May yelled. Drew froze as the what May said sunk in. If what May said was true then there was only one person he could think of.
"…Ash"
May made it back home in near-record time. She didn't see Ash's car anywhere, giving her a slight bit of hope.
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," she thought. However, something told her that she needed to go inside. She parked her car in the driveway and got out. As she approached the front door she could almost feel a presence inside. She quickly shook the feeling and opened the door. As soon as she stepped inside and closed the door the lights came on. A look of fear came across her face when she saw who was waiting on her.
"Ash!" she said. "What are you doing here!"
"I live here, May," he replied.
"But Lance called you," May said. "You said…"
"I know what I said," Ash said.
"You mean…" May said.
"That's right. I lied," Ash said, "just like you've been doing to me for the past month."
"What are you talking about! I've never lied to you!" May said, sounding insulted.
"You're lying to me right now," Ash replied.
"No I'm not!" May yelled.
"Then why didn't you tell me about Drew!" Ash yelled back. May wanted to yell back but Ash's comment caught her off-guard. Instead, she folded her arms across her chest and turned her back to him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.
"Yes you do," Ash said.
"I don't Ash and I'd like to know where you got the idea that I was seeing Drew behind your back," May said.
"Pikachu told me what you and Drew were talking about on the phone a week ago," Ash said. "You know, about taking your relationship to the 'next level'."
"And you believe him?" May asked while giving Pikachu an I'll-get-you-for-this look.
"Of course I did," Ash replied, "although it doesn't really matter now."
"And why's that?" May asked, half playing insulted and half curious to hear what Ash meant.
"I have proof," he replied.
"What proof!" May asked. Ash motioned to someone behind him. May watched as Bulbasaur walked into the open.
"Bulbasaur! What are you doing!" she yelled.
"That's not your Bulbasaur," Ash said.
"What are you talking about! Of course it…huh!" May's reply was cut short when the Pokémon started to glow.
"Is…is it evolving?" she asked. Ash only looked on as the Pokémon's true identity was revealed.
"A Ditto!" May yelled. "But…how did that get here!"
"It's mine," a voice said. May turned to where the voice came from.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Her name's Duplica," Ash said. May didn't like the idea of Ash letting girls she didn't know about into their house.
"What's she doing here?" she asked.
"I called her here to help me find out the truth about you," Ash said.
"What truth?" May asked.
"The truth about you being unfaithful to him," Duplica said.
"I already told you I have no idea what you are talking about!" May yelled.
"I'm sure you do," Ash said.
"Well I don't!" May said.
"Then allow me to help you remember," Duplica said. She took out a small tape recorder and showed it to May.
"Okay? What's the point of the recorder?" she asked.
"I was hear when you left earlier," Duplica said. May's face went pale as she realized what Duplica was getting at.
"Wait…you didn't, did you?" she asked.
"You tell me," Duplica said as she hit the play button.
"Drew and I love each other. And now we'll cement our love by taking the ultimate step any couple can." At that point May knew she was busted.
"Care to explain that?" Ash asked.
"I…well…that could have been anyone," May replied. Ash looked at Duplica and nodded. She pressed the play button again.
"As long as Ash doesn't find out it's okay"
"What about that?" Ash asked. "Are you going to tell me that there are other guys out there named Ash that live in the Hoenn region?" May was left speechless. There was nothing she could say that would get her out of this one. However, things got worse when Ash motioned for Duplica to hit the play button one last time.
"If you don't let me go right now you'll never see Ash's Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's ranch again!" After the last segment Duplica put the tape recorder down. Ash looked at May.
"How could you?" he asked.
"Ash, I can explain," May said.
"I don't want to hear it!" Ash yelled. May was taken aback by Ash's outburst.
"You've been seeing Drew behind my back for the past month, you've lied to my face every time I asked about it and to top it all off you've threatened your Pokémon into keeping quiet about it!" Ash said.
"Ash, please let me explain," May pleaded. But Ash would hear any of it.
"Nothing you can say will make me forgive you for this," Ash said.
"No Ash," May said, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.
"I trusted you, May. I loved you. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you," Ash said, "but now, I don't think that's possible." May gasped.
"Ash, no," May pleaded. "You…don't mean…"
"It's over, May," Ash said. "I can't marry you." Ash turned and walked towards the door with Pikachu, Duplica and Dits right behind him. May was rooted to the spot. She couldn't believe that Ash was leaving her. Just as Ash was about to head out of the door May made one last attempt to save their relationship.
"Ash, wait! I can change!" she said. When Ash stopped she got hopeful that he would stay. But that changed when she saw him motion for Pikachu, Duplica and Dits to go on outside. As soon as they were alone he turned to face May.
"Ash…" she said.
"Please May, don't do this," he said. "I can't marry you knowing that at any moment you'd go jump into Drew's arms again."
"But I can change," May said. "I swear that I'm done with him."
"I wish I could believe you, but I can't," Ash said. He looked at the ring on his finger. That ring was supposed to symbolize the feelings he and May had for each other. But now it's only purpose was to remind Ash of what he and May used to have. There, right in front of May, Ash removed the ring from his finger and placed it on the table near the door.
"Don't do this, Ash! Please!" May begged. The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, May," Ash said. He opened the door and stepped out.
"Please! I love you!" May yelled before he closed. Ash froze, but didn't look back.
"Two months ago I would have believed you." Those were the last words Ash said to May before closing the door behind him. A few seconds later May broke down and fell to her knees. Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Master and the love of her life, was now gone from her life.
Drew, concerned with May's well-being, decided to head out to her and Ash's house to make sure things didn't get out of hand. When the house came into view he not only saw Ash's car, but he saw Ash and another girl he didn't recognize.
"What's going on here?" he said. He watched as Ash helped the girl and her Pokémon, a Ditto, into the passenger side. Afterwards, he and Pikachu entered on the driver side. The car then sped off towards the Pokémon Center. Drew didn't know what was going on but he knew that the girl with Ash wasn't May, meaning that she was still inside. He parked his car in front and ran into the house. Once inside he looked for May. He found her on the floor crying. He ran to her side.
"May! Are you alright?" he asked.
"It's…over!" May cried.
"What? What's over?" Drew asked.
"Ash knew! He knew all along!" May cried.
"He what!" Drew said.
"It was all a setup!" May cried. "Ash knew I was cheating on him and set me up!" Drew was in shock. He thought he and May had everything under control and there was no way Ash would ever find out. But he had.
"It's over, Drew. He called off the wedding," May said. Drew couldn't say anything. All he could do was hold May as she cried into his chest.
"It's okay, May. Everything will be alright," he said. Though, deep down, he knew that was far from the truth.
The next couple of days were hard for both May and Drew. For May her depression had taken over her life. All of May's Pokémon were now living at Professor Oak's place in Pallet Town where she was sure Blaziken and Beautifly had told her other Pokémon what had happened between her and Ash. Drew, along with his Pokémon, had moved in with May after Drew sold his house. He felt as if he had caused the break-up of Ash and May and wanted to do what he could to make it up to her.
"I can't believe he's gone," May said as she and Drew were sitting down in the living room.
"I feel as though this is all my fault," Drew said.
"No, Drew. It's mine," May said. "I was the one who cheated on him, not you." Drew would have argued that he allowed it to happen, but decided against it.
"So, have you heard anything about him since he left?" he asked.
"I tried calling his cell but he never answers," May replied. "I guess he doesn't want to talk to me anymore."
"What about friends or family," Drew said. "I'm sure he must have contacted someone since then."
"Maybe," May replied.
"Well, why don't you try and call them," Drew suggested. May agreed, thinking her life couldn't possible get any worse than it already was.
"Who should I call first?" she asked.
"He probably went home first, so why not Pallet Town," Drew said. May walked over to the phone and dialed the Ketchum residence. She wasn't surprised when Ash's mother answered.
"Hello," Delia answered.
"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum. It's May," May said.
"Hello, May," Delia said. "How are you? I heard that you and Ash broke off the wedding."
"We did," May said. "Things…didn't work out the way we wanted."
"That's too bad," Delia said.
"Speaking of Ash, is he there?" May asked.
"Not anymore," Delia said. "He was hear a few days ago but he didn't stay long."
"Did he say where he was going?" May asked.
"Last I heard he was passing through Pewter City," Delia answered. May almost knew right where he was heading. If he was passing through Pewter City then there was only one place he could be heading.
"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum," May said.
"Be strong, dear," Delia said. May hung up and sat there. After a few minutes Drew walked up to her. He then saw the blank look on May's face.
"What's wrong, May?" he asked.
"He's going back," she said.
"Back where?" Drew asked. May got up and started to walk away. Before she got too far she stopped and said two words:
"To her."
Ash and Pikachu were traveling on a path east of Mt Moon. Thankfully his sense of direction had improved. They hadn't gotten lost once since they left Pallet Town about a week ago. Ash had left his car there, telling his mom that he wouldn't need it where he was going. Though he had gotten over the shock of May cheating on him, the pain was still there.
"Pika Pi Pikachu Chu, PikaPi? (How you holding up, Ash?)" Pikachu asked.
"To tell you the truth I'm a little nervous," Ash said. "What if she doesn't feel that way about me anymore?"
"Chu Pi, Pi Pika Chu Pikachu Chu (Trust me, the feelings are still there)," Pikachu said.
"I hope you're right, buddy," Ash said. They two continued on the path until they came upon a sign. One look was enough to fill Ash with both nervousness and excitement.
Welcome to Cerulean City
A month had passed since May learned that Ash was heading to Cerulean City. Her depression had only worsened since then and Drew was finding it more and more difficult to keep her hopes up that she could get Ash back.
"There's no guarantee that he stopped in Cerulean City," Drew said. "He could have went on through."
"Not without seeing her first," May replied, "and I'm sure that her feelings about him haven't changed, nor have his about her." Drew was about to reply when he heard the mail truck pull away.
"You don't know that, May," he said. He went to go get the mail, leaving May to wonder if he was right.
"It's possible that he doesn't love her anymore. After all, he did propose to me, not her," she thought. By then Drew had returned with the mail.
"Anything important?" May asked.
"Looks like bills mostly," he said. "Oh, here's something from Pallet Town."
"From Pallet Town? Does it have an address?" May asked.
"Let's see…it's from Ash's mother," Drew said. May wondered what Ash's mother would have to write to her about that she couldn't call her and tell her. May took the letter and read it out loud:
You have been invited to the wedding of Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum and Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty Waterflower on February 24. The wedding will be held at Professor Oak's research lab.
May dropped the letter. Her worst fears had been confirmed. Even Drew was in a state of shock.
"May, I…" Drew started to say, but stopped when he saw May get up and leave the room.
"May?"
"Just…leave me alone," she replied. Drew wanted to go after her but he decided to do what she asked. He looked at the letter on the floor.
"This is all my fault," he said.
The day of the wedding came quickly, too quickly for May. Drew had talked her into coming so she could bring things between her and Ash to a close. Upon arriving they couple were immediately spotted by Ash and Misty. Thankfully, there were no incidents during the wedding. Afterwards, May left, not even taking time to visit her Pokémon. She headed to a bench in front of Professor Oak's lab and sat down.
"He's moved on already," she said. Soon, she felt the presence of another person behind her.
"May." She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. Ash sat on the bench next to her.
"I'm glad you came," he said.
"It didn't take you long to forget about me," May said, her voice void of any emotion.
"The original idea was to go there to get her advice on how I should handle the situation," Ash said. "As I got closer I realized that my feeling for Misty never went away. They were only hidden." May listened, not once looking in his direction.
"The closer I got to Cerulean City the more those feeling started coming to the surface," Ash said. "Once I arrived I knew that she and I were always meant to be together."
"So, what about us?" May asked.
"I wanted it to work out, really I did," Ash said, "but while I gave you my heart, yours already belonged to Drew."
"I…see," May said.
"Listen, May…" Before Ash could say anymore May cut him off.
"Ash…could you do one last favor for me?" she asked.
"What is it?" Ash asked.
"…take care of my Pokémon for me," she said.
"What?" Ash asked.
"Please Ash. I won't be able to take care of them anymore and you're the only person I can trust with them," May said. "Besides, you and Misty will be able to take care of them far better that I ever could."
"What are you saying, May?" Ash asked, getting more and more worried with each passing moment.
"Promise me, Ash," May said.
"…alright. I promise," Ash said. Satisfied with his answer, May got up. She bent over and kissed Ash on his cheek. Ash looked at her, not knowing what brought that on.
"Goodbye, Ash…I'll always love you," May said. She went back to the reception to find Drew. Ash sat there for a few minutes until Misty came to find him.
"There you are. I've been looking for you," she said. As she walked in front of him Misty noticed the confused look on his face.
"Ash? Is everything alright?" she asked.
"I…don't know," Ash said. He then told Misty about his encounter with May a few minutes ago. Afterwards Misty had the same worried look Ash had.
"You don't think she'll do something drastic, do you?" Misty asked.
"I hope not," Ash replied. They both had a bad feeling about what May said to Ash.
A few days later Drew was returning home from an errand that May sent him on. Though he agreed he didn't know why May wanted him to go all the way to Rustboro City just for a few Potions and Poké balls when she could have gotten them right there in Petalburg City.
"I'm back, May!" he called as he walked in. But there was no reply.
"May?" Drew called again. But still no answer. By now he was getting worried.
"This isn't funny, May. Where are you?" he called. He searched the house, hoping that she was just in one of the back rooms and couldn't hear him. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. May wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Oh no! May! Where are you!" he yelled. He ran back in the living room and was about to run out the door. However, something on the living room table caught his attention. It was a note. Thinking May left it there for him he picked it up and read it:
Drew.
By the time you read this I'll be beyond reach. Please don't come looking for me. It took me a while to realize, but it finally dawned on me at the wedding that Ash moved on. Unfortunately for me I never did. I told Ash I could never live without him. I won't have to worry about that where I'm going.
You don't have to worry about my Pokémon. They're in Ash and Misty's care now and I'm sure they'll be well taken care of.
Please don't blame yourself for this. This was all my doing.
…And this is how I plan to end it.
Goodbye, Drew.
May
"No, May! I have to stop her!" Drew yelled. He ran out the door and jumped in his car. He sped off towards the Petalburg Gym to warn her parents about what she was going to do.
He was too late…
A week later friends and family gathered at the Petalburg Gym for May's funeral. All the friends she made during her journey with Ash were there. Every coordinator she met showed up. Even Harley, her most hated rival, was there to pay his respects. One by one people said a few words. When it was Ash's turn, both he and Misty walked to the podium.
"I first met May when Pikachu accidentally destroyed her bike," he said, earning a few light chuckles from the people there. "From then on we traveled together, growing closer with every passing moment." Ash looked down at May's body.
"When I became the Pokémon Master I thought my life couldn't get any better," he continued. "When I asked May to marry me I thought it was the highest point in my life. But it didn't last." Misty noticed that Ash was getting choked-up. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Now, I wish I was there for her. If I was, she'd still be with us right now," he said. That was all Ash was able to say as he and Misty went and took their seats. A few more people had some words to say before it was time to lay her to rest. As Ash and Misty watched them lower May's casket he had one last thing to say to her.
"…I forgive you, May."
From that day forward many things changed.
Drew became greatly depressed about May's death. He tried to get back into coordinating in hopes that it would take his mind off her, but all it did was remind him of the days they spent competing against each other. In the end, he disappeared. No one knows where he is or whether he's still alive or not.
Ash went back to the Indigo Plateau to resume his duties as the Pokémon Master, this time taking Misty with him. Though still saddened by May's death, Ash vowed to continue on for both his sake and her memory.
After training her sisters to be able to handle the Gym, Misty went with Ash to Indigo Plateau where she was named to the Elite 4 when Lorelei had to retire. Because of that not many trainers are able to make a challenge for the title of Pokémon Master.
Caroline, May's mother, retired from Pokémon Coordinating shortly after May's death. However, she was able to compete in the Grand Festival, dedicating her performance to May. She didn't win, but she was able to earn a place in the top 4.
The Petalburg Gym went downhill after May's death. Norman was never able to recover and his skills suffered because of it. Trainers either stopped in for a quick battle knowing there were guaranteed a badge or just skipped it for a tougher challenge from another Gym.
May's brother Max continued his journey through the Johto region despite his urge to return home to help with the Gym. His father told him not to worry with the Gym and just to concentrate with his Johto challenge. However, because of his sister's death and the state of the Petalburg Gym he never made it past the second round.
May's death affected many people. Yet in the end it was her that paid the ultimate price. Those that knew her suffered, but it was her that had the greatest heartache of them all.
There it is. This is so far the longest and most depressing one-shot I've ever written.
Now, for those of you who didn't like it I have three words for you: You were warned! I told you that if you were expecting a happy little Advance or Contestshipping fic that this wasn't for you.
Thank you for reading and please review.