Ash breathed in the distinctive, salty air of seaside Hoenn. He was on a weeklong vacation to the region, and had just gotten off of the ferry that had transported him all the way to Kanto. His shoulder felt lighter than it should have been; and Ash remembered with a twinge of guilt that while he was having fun on vacation, Pikachu was back at home in Kanto, struck by a severe illness. Most of his team was at home with the sickness, actually, and Ash was practically worried sick himself. Still, he had to remember to let it go, and have fun. After all, he was on vacation, right?
The boy dug his Pokegear out of his pocket, scrolling through his contacts until he got to May. Cool! I'll be there to pick you up when your ferry arrives! :) read the latest sent message, and Ash smiled, remembering his friend. Hopefully he could find her as soon as possible, he thought, scanning the crowd, when suddenly - there!
"May!" He called out cheerfully, spotting his friend's distinctive hairstyle across the bustling pier, apparently talking with a boy who sported an odd spiked beanie. After a few second with no response, he shrugged and tried again, assuming she hadn't heard him over the chatter of the gathered crowd. "May!" He called again, weaving around suitcases and sunglass-wearing tourists.
Finally, after lots of bumping into people and hurried apologies, he reached her. Panting from speed-walking through a crowd of people, he tapped her on the shoulder. May whirled around, her deep blue eyes wide with surprise. "Hi May!" Ash greeted her with a friendly wave, "It's been a while, hasn't it! I'm visiting Hoenn for the week, so I figured I'd drop by and say hi. How have the contests been going for you?"
May furrowed her brow in obvious confusion, and the boy beside her gave a muffled cackle, his red eyes glittering with mirth. "Uh, I think you've got the wrong person, pal," She finally stated, sapphire eyes flickering hesitantly to his own. Ash took a small step back, shocked; had she always spoken with such an accent? And - were those fangs?
The boy chuckled, and slung an arm around her shoulders, still snickering. Ash felt a white-hot fury bubble inside him - who did this guy think he was, touching her so intimately?! "Yeah, the day she participates in contests is the day swinub fly," He stated, May sticking her tounge playfully out at him in response. "I, however, would be happy to show you my fabulous contest skills!" The noirette continued, releasing his grip on May and practically sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Uh, no, that's okay," Ash mumbled awkwardly, turning to May. "May, are you sure you're feeling alright?"
The girl huffed hotly, exposing those odd fangs again when she spoke. "My name's not May!" She snapped indignantly, fists balled at her sides and eyes flashing. "An' I don't participate in none of those sissy contests, an' I don't know ya!"
Ash held his hands up in front of him, "Woah, okay, I'm sorry! I was meeting up with a friend here, and you look just like her…"
The girl bared her fangs at him again, but unclenched her fists when the boy put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Sapph, calm down. It was just a misunderstanding."
The girl - Sapph? - sullenly crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, but huffed out an angry, "Fine, but I'm leaving." She made good on her words, and turned to walk away off the pier.
The boy gave her a fond little half-smile as she left, and then turned to Ash. "Sorry about that," He apologised. "She has a bit of a… short temper."
"It's fine," Ash smiled, with his usual oblivious friendliness. "I'm sorry too, although she really does look like a close friend of mine." He blinked for a second, and then got an idea. "Oh, wait, I have a picture of May on my Pokegear…" The young boy set his bag down, and began rummaging through it, all the while trying to ignore the stinging hurt he felt from the confrontation. Even if that girl wasn't May - which was seeming more and more likely due to her odd attitude - it still pained him to hear such harsh words from someone who looked just like her.
The boy lounged elegantly with his back pressed gingerly against a wall for the few moments until Ash found his Pokegear, and then strode forwards, eyes gleaming with interest. "See?" Ash exclaimed, showing him the photo - it was actually his Pokegear background - that he took of him and May, when they were touring Hoenn together.
The boy's eyebrows lifted in obvious surprise. "Wow, that's super wierd," He stated, almost in a whisper. "They're the splitting image of eachother!" He paused, noting May's open mouth, and then added in an amused tone, "She doesn't have Sapphire's fangs, though."
Ash laughed lightly, a little awkwardly, and then asked, "...Where did she even get fangs, anyways?"
He shrugged languidly, "Who knows? Years of being a barbarian out in the jungle, maybe?" Almost as if on cue, a loud shout rang out across the platform, causing everyone present to glance in the direction of the noise.
"RUBY IMMA BE IN THE FOREST!" Sapphire (Ash was assuming, based on the fact that she was standing at the base of the pier with her hands cupped around her mouth) yelled. Ruby (again, Ash assumed that was his name) looked like he wanted to die of embarrassment; his cheeks had flushed as red as his eyes and his hands were covering his face.
Sapphire didn't wait for a response, and seemed not to notice the gawking crowd, instead springing off into the distance, presumably towards the nearest forest. Ash chuckled a little awkwardly, and Ruby groaned once more in dismay. "Oh, what public humiliation!" He cried dramatically, "How will my beautiful Pokemon shine in contests when I, their showcaser, have such a tarnished reputation?"
Ash gave him a hesitant half-smile, and patted him lightly on the back. "There, there?" He tried, "It can't be all that bad?"
"You're right," Ruby nodded, standing up to his full height, all prior grief apparently gone. "My Pokemon can shine on their own, without my help! Thank you for the encouragement," He nodded to Ash, taking on a heroic stance. "And now I must follow that barbarian into the possibly muddy forest, all in the name of love."
Ash raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Love?"
"FRIENDSHIP!" Ruby corrected himself hurriedly, striding off into the distance, "Goodbye! I hope you find your friend!"
The boy with the odd white cap strode off into the distance, leaving Ash standing on the pier with a considerable amount of remaining confusion.
A/N: Haha, probably wasn't what you were expecting! Or maybe it was, I don't know. Anyways Sapphire is 100x better than May, and Pokespe should be the anime. You can't change my mind.