I probably shouldn't start another fanfic when I still need to finish Sea Breeze, but I've never seen a role reversal au and it just had to be written. I hope you guys like this ! just so you know what little changes I made, I figured I'd list them out here.
Ash is a coordinator and May is a league trainer. They're both still from Kanto and Hoenn, respectively, but they decided on different paths than in the anime. Drew is still May's rival, but he is also a trainer (also he's not a total dick in this, I promise.) This is set pre-SM anime, but Alola is still a region that exists. Neither Ash nor May have ever disliked Pokémon even though it's a huge part of May's original character arc. I thought it'd be best if they had each grown up with a love for Pokémon so yeah! That's all I've changed so far, but I'll keep y'all posted on any updates to these character arcs !
Happy reading guys! -AJ
May Maple sat in Lumiose City, drinking her coffee in Café Soleil as the muted TV screen displayed the final battle of this year's Sinnoh Grand Festival. A familiar boy was calling out a command to an even more familiar little yellow Pokémon. A beautifully executed Iron Tail slammed into the opponent's Aggron, sending the heavy Pokémon back a few feet.
Despite the type disadvantage, the electric type clearly had the upper hand, Pokémon in sync with coordinator. One more silent shout from Ash Ketchum and the battle was over with the sparks of electricity flying from Pikachu's cheeks. The Hoenn native smiled brightly as her best friend was declared the winner of the Grand Festival, and then the screen cut to Malva as she continued with a follow up report on last night's contest battle.
"Hey May!" Drew called, catching the attention of the brunette as he entered the café. "You ready to practice for the conference tomorrow?" Nodding, the trainer rose to her feet with a sheepish smile. "I had almost forgotten, but yeah, I'm ready!"
"I don't blame you; Ash has come pretty far, huh?" Drew comments, holding his arm out for his friend to take. Rolling her eyes, May playfully linked her arm with his and beamed. "Of course he has! I'd be so lucky to win this conference like he's won his last few Grand Festivals!" she says, exiting the building with her rival and traveling companion.
The green haired trainer chuckled, leading her to the Pokémon Center's practice field. "Don't expect me to go easy on you though! I know we traveled together this time around, but I'm not going to let you win!" he tells her, letting go of her arm to pull a Pokéball from his belt. With a bright smile to match Drew's confidence, May pulled her own Pokéball from her fanny pack.
"I don't expect you to! Just don't cry when I beat you this year!" May retaliates with a smile, tossing her Pokéball into the air. A large red Pokémon flips before she lands on the dirt, fists flaming for a moment. "Blaziken!" she cries, the mega stone fastened around her wrist shining in the sunlight.
"I figured you'd bring your Mega out for this battle!" Drew smirks, releasing his own Pokémon. An Absol appeared on the field, a mega stone glistening on the necklace around his neck. "So how about we give this our all?" he suggests, eyes burning with determination.
"I wouldn't dream of anything else." May grins, calling out her first command. "Blaziken, Mega Evolve! Let's get this battle started!"
Ash Ketchum stared at the Ribbon Cup as it sat on his bedroom dresser. He still couldn't believe he had done it again. The Sinnohan trophy seemed to stare back at him as it sat next to the Kantonian one he had won only a year ago.
"Ash, dear?" he heard his mother call from downstairs. Shaking away his thoughts, the coordinator jumped to his feet and bounded down the staircase. "Yeah Mom? What's up?"
Delia Ketchum pointed to the TV screen with a smile. "With the Lumiose Conference starting up tomorrow, Saffron City News Network will be replaying the best battles with exclusive interviews from the contestants. Stay tuned for this fun filled weekend! I'm Carl Anderson, and this has been your international update!"
As the next segment of the show started playing seamlessly after the end of the last, Ash raised an eyebrow at his mother. "The Lumiose Conference is all the way in Kalos, where they don't have Pokémon Contests." he says, wondering why his mom was so ecstatic.
"Yes dear, I know. But do you remember who's currently in the Kalos region?" Delia pushed, raising an eyebrow of her own. Her son only furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and his trusted partner had been the one to speak up.
"Pi Pikachu!" the electric type called out, and then realization hit Ash like a ton of bricks. "How could I forget that May was earning the Kalos badges? She had called me when she beat the Snowbelle Gym!" the raven haired teen recalled, looking at his mother expectantly. When she nodded, he knew that he had guessed correctly.
"What about it though? I won't be able to make it for the first round, even if I left tonight. I guess we'll just have to watch the reruns." he says, albeit dejectedly. "Well," Delia started, catching her son's attention. He looked up, almost afraid of what his mother had planned.
"What if I told you that you and I were leaving for Kalos in about an hour?" she mused, and Ash's jaw would have hit the floor if it hadn't locked up when he opened it. "What? Mom, that's impossible! When did you find the time to get plane tickets?"
"A mother never reveals her secrets." Delia teased, before ushering him away. "Now go get a backpack ready. I made sure to pack you enough clothes for the next few days already." Before he bolted up the stairs, Ash ran to his mother and held her tightly.
"Thank you Mom. You have no idea how much this means to me." he whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek before heading to his room at the speed of light.
Smiling fondly, the woman felt her eyes water as she watched her son move with newfound determination. "Trust me dear. I think I have some sort of idea." Reaching up to wipe her eyes of the stray tears, Delia hurried around the house to make the last minute preparations.
The plane took off about two hours after Ash had left the house, and suddenly he was being whisked away to see his friend compete in something she'd been working for all year. The coordinator stared out the window intently, as if willing for the plane to speed through the air. The sea was calm beneath them, and the Kantonian trainer could see Gyarados and Wailord if he squinted hard enough.
Somewhere between Saffron City and Lumiose, Ash had fallen asleep to the low hum of the engines. His mom shook him awake once they had landed, the sunset illuminating the sky a beautiful orange hue. "I should have one of my Pokémon mimic the sunset in my next contest." he yawns, earning a laugh from his mother. "Oh Ash, always thinking about contests! We're here to support May, so be sure to leave some room for her in your thoughts!"
"Yeah, yeah.." Ash mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he trudged down the steps to exit the plane, Pikachu curled up in his arms. His mom pulled both suitcases until Ash managed to get a proper hold of Pikachu with one arm, and then the two were off for one of the many Pokémon Centers in town.
Yawning and mumbling incoherent contest ideas, Ash nearly collapsed on the bed as soon as he entered the room his mother had rented. "Now Ash, I know you're jetlagged and need your sleep, but I think giving May a call would be a good idea." Delia reprimanded, making her son groan. "Moooom!" he whined, his face buried in a pillow. "I'm tired!"
"Ash Ketchum! Get up and go call your friend!"
Sighing tiredly, the teenager forced himself to his feet, sliding his jacket off of his shoulders before he left the room. Feet shuffling heavily against the floor, the coordinator plopped himself down by the video phone after telling Nurse Joy who he was trying to contact. He held the phone up to his ear and yawned again, almost choking on air when her face appeared on the screen.
"Hey Ash! Long time no see!" she says brightly, blue eyes twinkling. "Congrats on your win! I knew you could do it!" May adds, before confusion flashes in her eyes. "Isn't it really late in Kanto right now?"
Chuckling in spite of his tiredness, Ash beams at his best friend. "Yeah, but I'm actually not home right now."
"Oh? And where has the wind blown the great Ash Ketchum today?" May snorts, amusement in her voice.
"The Pokémon Center on South Boulevard has a great view of the tower." Ash notes teasingly, peering out the window as he spoke.
Sapphire eyes widening along with her smile, the Hoenn native couldn't contain her excitement. "Does that mean you're here? In Lumiose?"
Nodding his head with a laugh, Ash resisted the urge to close his eyes and nap. "Yeah. I'll be cheering you on tomorrow!"
"That's wonderful! I'm so excited; I feel like I'm gonna cry!" the trainer exclaims, before taking note of Ash's fourth yawn since the call started.
"Okay, okay. We can catch up tomorrow sleepyhead. Go lay down and rest up. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow." Ignoring his look of confusion, May continued. "I'm showing you around as soon as the tournament is over!"
"Okay," Ash laughs. "Goodnight May. I'll see you tomorrow. Tell your Pokémon I say hey."
"Will do. Goodnight Ash."
The call ended and Ash slowly but surely made his way to the room he was sharing with his mother. He unlocked the door with the room key, rolling his eyes as he caught sight of Delia passed out in one of the beds. Not bothering to change, the boy flopped down on the other and passed out almost immediately.
Not even his dreams could compare to what the future had in store. With a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, Ash Ketchum slept peacefully before his next big adventure.