I'm either a day early or right on time. Either way, let's kick Advanceshipping Week off right!
Day 1: How They Met
The forest was quiet and peaceful, always tranquil. Disturbance was seldom, though when it did come around, it was significant. One such disturbance happened on a peaceful day, though no one really noticed or cared, except for the one causing the disturbance.
She walked along the well-trodden path, a wide smile on her face. Even though the sun was high in the sky, the surrounding trees kept its wrath off of her so that she stayed cool. Adjusting her old white and black biker gloves, she walked over to a small ledge overlooking the ocean. There were nothing disturbing the ocean: neither boats nor Pokemon. It was completely still, like a painting.
Her mind drifted back six years, when she stood on this same exact spot, a bike in tow. Back then, the sea wasn't quite as peaceful. Back then, there was a boat coming in. She didn't think too much of it then, but that boat ended up changing her life forever.
Er...well...not necessarily the boat itself. It was someone on the boat that changed her life. Normally, boats can't really change your life. But that's none of my business.
She continued walking along, heading for the nearby Littleroot Town. It didn't take her long to get there. The town itself was a quiet little town, but it was known throughout the Hoenn region as the home of Professor Birch, a renowned Pokemon professor who could usually be found studying Pokemon in their natural habitats rather than in a lab, like other professors. This was also the place where aspiring Pokemon trainers came to pick their first Pokemon. While it wasn't the only place to start from, it was definitely the most popular. As a matter of fact, a well-known Pokemon coordinator named May Maple actually began her journey here. Her Torchic, now fully evolved into a Blaziken, was renowned for its beauty and skill. People had a hard time believing that it was originally meant for a trainer as opposed to a coordinator, but May stuck by this story. After all, it was true.
Now, as she walked around the lab, slowly running her hand along the wall, she could feel her heart fluttering as memories flooded her mind. She leaned her head against the wall, breathing deeply as she remembered.
A Pikachu on the verge of exploding…
A boy willing to jump a thousand miles just to save this Pikachu…
A Mudkip who didn't have a lot of respect for a trainer…
Three incompetent criminals who couldn't take candy from a baby even if they tried…
And one barbecued bike, straight off the grill.
"May?"
She snapped out of her thoughts at the sudden voice. She looked up sharply to see a middle-aged man looking at her. "Professor Birch?" she asked.
"Yep! That's me!" he grinned. May took in his appearance. He didn't look too much different, though his hair had started to gray up. His eyes still retained their youthful hue, which didn't surprise her. After all, if you spend all your time outside, it's hard for your eyes to get old.
"Long time no see!" she smiled. "How have you been?"
"Oh, the usual," he shrugged. "Studying, getting chased by wild Pokemon...what are you gonna do?" She chuckled. "How about you? How's the Princess of Hoenn been faring?"
"Just as well as she should be," she said with a wink. "Contests, Grand Festivals...I was actually runner-up at the Sinnoh Festival last year. This year, I'm really feeling like I can win!"
"I look forward to hearing about it," Professor Birch nodded. "Well, anyways, I wish you the best. I have a project I'm working on right now, and I need to get it done fast, so if you'll excuse me." He turned and walked away. May just shrugged.
"He doesn't really mean that, you know."
She turned to see a familiar face staring at her, arms folded across his chest. "Nice to see you too, Brendan," she said, tensing up slightly. "How have things been with you."
"Better than with you, obviously," he said haughtily. "I actually came out on top at the Ever Grande Conference this year!"
"Really?" she gasped in delight. "Well, congratulations! I bet you earned it!" She held a hand out for him to shake.
He looked almost puzzled by this. "What are you doing?"
"Congratulating you," she replied. "What? You're not gonna shake my hand?" He didn't reply. Her smile fell off her face as she put her hands on her hips. "You know, you could indulge me a bit...if just for old times' sake."
"Do you know how hard I worked to earn that trophy?" he asked. "I spent hours each day training my Pokemon. Sometimes I even trained late into the night. How much do you train?"
"If you're implying that I don't work as hard for my contests as you do for your battles, then you're dead wrong," she replied, her voice getting more and more tense. "I work really hard on my technique, too."
"What technique?" Brendan huffed. "The only kind of technique you can use with Pokemon is battle technique."
"Is that right?" she asked, her voice starting to irk because of anger.
"Of course it is. A trainer would never stoop so low as to call your so-called technique equal to battle technique, and if he did, then he would be no trainer at all. He'd be nothing but a phony."
"Who are you calling a phony?!"
The two of them jumped on hearing the sudden voice. They turned towards it, and their reactions couldn't be more polarized. Before them stood a young man, about May's age, with a blue jacket, dark pants, and red sneakers. His hair was black and messy, and his eyes were a mild brown. But it was the red hat atop his head and the yellow Pikachu on his shoulder that made his identity clear.
"Ash!?" May exclaimed.
"Not you again," Brendan muttered under his breath.
The young man walked up to Brendan. Though his expression was unreadable, May knew well enough that he was displeased with her old friend. "If I was you, I'd take back everything you just said to May right now."
"Pft. Why?" he asked, folding his arms again with an air of superiority. "Does it bother you that I'm right?"
"It bothers me that you think you're right," Ash replied. "I've worked with her and seen what she does in a contest. She works hard, almost as hard as you do. And you know what? She does have technique. Unlike our kind of technique, which is battle-oriented, her technique is beauty-oriented. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Gosh, you're an idiot, you know that?" Brendan shook his head. "I can't believe you're siding with her on this."
"Hey, I've been an idiot for years," Ash replied with a smirk. "You think they label me an 'Idiot Hero' on TV Tropes for nothing?"
"Then I guess I'll have no problem beating you to a pulp in battle," he sneered, pulling out a Pokeball.
"Challenge accepted," Ash grinned, pulling out his own ball.
I could describe what happened next, but it's largely irrelevant. Needless to say, Ash mopped the floor with Brendan, leaving the trainer from Littleroot in shock.
"Now get out of here," Ash snapped at him. "I've had enough of you for a day."
Brendan huffed and left after recalling his Pokemon, leaving Ash and May alone.
"Always sticking up for me," she winked at him. "That's you, Ash Ketchum."
"Yeah," he said, putting a hand behind his head and blushing slightly.
"You know, I could've handled him myself if you let me," she said. "You didn't have to do that, but thanks anyways." She went over and hugged him.
"Anytime, May," he smiled as he returned her hug. "Anytime."
When they pulled apart, May raised an eyebrow. "Out of curiosity, what are you doing here? I didn't think I'd run into you here."
He took a deep breath and sighed, staring out at the ocean before them. "I guess I was just feeling a little nostalgic."
She smiled and stood next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, me too."
They stood there for a moment, then Ash perked. "Oh, by the way, I've got something for you."
"What is it?" she asked, looking up.
"Hang on," he said. "I'll be right back. Stay there, okay?"
"Okay," she nodded as he ran off. She looked back at the ocean, a hand over her heart. "I wonder what it is."
"I guess this is a little overdue, huh?"
She turned and gasped. Ash stood before her with a brand new, cherry-red bicycle. "Ash," she breathed. "What...how...why –?"
"Well, I knew your birthday was coming up in a week," he said, "so I figured I'd get you a new bicycle to make up for the one Pikachu destroyed. I wanted your family to hold onto it, but they're away on a trip, so I came to see Professor Birch about it. Turns out that was unnecessary. I can just give it to you now, huh?"
She looked at him with a bright smile, then ran over and hugged him tightly. "You didn't have to do that," she said, "but thank you, Ash. I love it!"
He reciprocated her embrace. "No problem, May," he said as his mind drifted back to that first day. Who would've thought that day would change the course of my life? he wondered.
