Letters
By: S. Muffin
X X X
'Dear Ash…'May sighed as she lowered her chin onto her palm, tapping her pencil impatiently against her notepad. She'd been sitting in the lobby of the Pokemon Center for at least half an hour, and she still couldn't think of what to write.
Why can't I think of anything? She frowned, looking down at the lined notebook paper in her lap. There were smudges at the top, and she could still see the outlines of the words she had erased. With a small growl, she ripped the page out of her notebook, crumpled it up, and tossed it aside. It was the third wrinkly ball in the pile.
She and Ash had went their separate ways months ago, and she felt that it was about time one of them made some sort of attempt for communication. Since Ash was probably caught up in training for a gym battle, she decided that she would write him a letter. She had thought about calling him, but then decided that a letter would be more...personal. Just her talking to Ash, with no one else interfering.
The problem was, she didn't know what to say.
'Dear Ash,
How've you been? Are you well? How're the gyms in Shinou? I bet you've won a lot of badges already...'
Nononono. She growled again, furiously erasing at the paper. Wrongwrongwrong, so completely wrong.
She leaned back against the couch, tipping her head to look at the ceiling. Why was it so hard to write him a letter? She had traveled with him for years—it wasn't like they had ignored each other the entire time. He was the closest friend she ever had, so why was a simple thing like writing a letter becoming so difficult?
Maybe the heading's wrong... She looked down at the paper. 'Dear Ash' was a little too formal for a letter between friends. That might've thrown it off.
'Hey, Ash!'
There, that's a little better. She started tapping her pencil against the paper again. Now all I need is the rest of it.
She sighed disappointedly. She had written letters before: to old friends, her parents, grandparents and various other relatives. It wasn't that hard, except for the occasional hand cramps. But writing a letter to Ash...
She closed her eyes and tried to picture what he looked like now. He was most likely taller than her now. His face probably looked the same, and she had no doubt that his hair was still spiky and unruly. But what about Ash in general, the Ash she admired and cared for? Was he still the same proud, happy-go-lucky boy she knew?
She snickered. I miss Ash a lot...
She looked down at the paper once more, the wheels in her brain slowly starting to turn.
Maybe that's what I should write. I could talk about my feelings. I could talk about my travels, she thought. My contests, and Max too.
Feeling inspired, she worked her pencil over the paper again.
'Hey, Ash!
How've you been? Are you well? How're the gyms in Shinou? I bet you've won a lot of badges already...'
She decided she'd stick with that.
'...Well, Max and I have been doing really well in Johto. I won two contest ribbons, and I'm competing in my third contest tomorrow. I've run into Drew a couple of times, but thankfully I haven't seen Harley (yet). I think Max is grateful for that too. Speaking of Max, he misses you all, especially Pikachu. I can tell he's getting bored of watching my contests all the time, but he's going to start his own Pokemon journey next year, so he's really excited about that...'
She paused and looked over what she had written so far.
A grin broke out on her face. Yes, yes, yes!
'...I'll admit, traveling with just Max was weird at first. I'm still trying to get used to it. I guess I was just used to traveling in a large group for a long time. But it kind of reminds me of when we first started traveling together, just the two of us. When I heard that Shinnoh had contests, I was a bit disappointed, since I already had my first Johto ribbon. Maybe I should've gone there instead. Now that I think about it, maybe taking a break from my usual rivals could've made things more interesting. But I really wanted to compete in Johto by myself, and have my own experience. I'm glad that you respected my decision. Hey, next year, we'll find a region and we'll go together. If you're up for it, that is...'
Would he be up for it? She tilted her head thoughtfully. He was usually up for going anywhere if it brought him closer to his dream.
'...I'm not sure when you'll get this, but when you do write back as soon as you can. It'd be great to hear from you after such a long time. I really miss you, Ash. Traveling without you is another thing that I'm trying to get used to. It's pretty tough. Sometimes, before I fall asleep, I think I can still hear your snoring!'
She giggled and drew a small smiley face next to that sentence.
'...Say hi to Brock and Pikachu for us!
With love,
May...'
There. A smile spread on her face as she folded the letter neatly and placed it in an envelope.
She began filling out the information on the front of the envelope when she heard Nurse Joy call her name.
"Is there someone named May Maple here?"
May looked over her shoulder at the pink-haired nurse. "I'm May."
Nurse Joy smiled as she walked over to her, something clutched in her fingers.
"There's a letter for you," she said, handing May the white envelope. "From someone named Ash Ketchum."
"Ash?" May's eyes widened as she looked at the envelope. Just as Joy said, the letter was from Ash.
As Joy left, May eagerly tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter, reading it over as quickly as she could.
'Hi May!
It's been a while since we last talked, huh? Sorry I didn't write sooner. Pikachu and I have been training really hard here in Shinnoh. I can't wait to get to the new gym, but I wanted to write to you first.
Brock and I met up in Shinnoh and we also met a coordinator named Dawn. She's traveling with us now. She just started out this year, and she's not that bad for a beginner, but in all honesty you're definitely the best…'
May blushed, smiling softly. He's too sweet. He probably doesn't even realize it.
She was about to continue reading, but she suddenly realized that she couldn't. There wasn't anything else written on the paper!
That's...odd. She turned the paper over, but there was nothing on the back. Curious, she picked the envelope up again and looked. She was expecting to see something else inside, but just like before, there was nothing.
"Did he forget to finish it?" she thought aloud.
"Not exactly."
May gasped, jumping in her seat. She looked over her shoulder to find out just who exactly had scared her.
Her mouth dropped open. "A-Ash?"
The boy smiled. "Yep."
Her eyes widened. He still looked somewhat the same, a bit more mature maybe, and he had a new outfit, but his voice had gotten so much deeper. No wonder she hadn't recognized him!
"What-what are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought that—"
"I couldn't think of what to write, so I just decided that I'd come and find you," he said with a shrug. He walked around the couch and took a seat beside her.
May turned her body so she could face him. "Where's Pikachu?"
"He went to find Max," Ash replied.
May continued to stare at him bewilderment. She still couldn't believe that he was actually here, sitting right next to her and talking to her. She didn't dare blink. She was afraid that if she did, he'd disappear and the whole thing would've been her imagination.
And I thought writing a letter was bad...
Ash noticed her staring and laughed. "What? Are you still shocked to see me?"
May's cheeks reddened slightly. "No...no, I'm fine." She looked down at her hands, noticing that they were now clutching the end of her shirt.
The two friends fell silent, neither of them knowing what to say to start up a conversation.
"So, uh..." Ash started, "how've you been?"
May looked up again. "I've been good." Inwardly, she was feeling a bit of the opposite. She finally managed to get this all written down on paper, and now she couldn't bring herself to say it to Ash's face. "And you?"
"I'm doing all right," he said.
A small silence followed before he suddenly spoke up again. "You look different," he stated. "You, uh...look older and stuff."
May giggled. "You sound older."
He rubbed his arm, a bit embarrassed. "Yeah I do, don't I?" He laughed quietly. "So how are the contests here?"
"They're good," May replied. "There are a lot of strong coordinators, but I managed to win two ribbons. I'm competing in my third contest tomorrow."
"Really?" he asked with excitement. "Then I'll come and cheer you on! I miss seeing you compete."
May blushed. "Well, I did improve a little. I miss your support, though."
Ash nodded. "Yeah...me too," he agreed, his voice softening.
"So how are the gyms in Shinnoh?" May wondered. "Are they tough?"
"Some are," Ash said with a shrug. "But I'll manage."
Another silence formed between them. They glanced at each other, and then looked away. May fumbled with the hem of her shirt as Ash played with his gloves.
"You know, May, I thought this would be a little easier in person," Ash said suddenly
May's eyebrows drew together in curiosity "What do you mean?"
"It took me two hours to write that letter, and it's not even finished." He sighed. "I thought it'd be easier to talk to you face-to-face, but it's kind of..."
"Awkward?" May finished, a small smile pulling on her lips. "I think I know how you feel."
Ash returned her smile. "I really missed you, May."
Her eyes softened. "I missed you too."
He scooted closer to her, looking down into her deep blue eyes. "No I mean...I really missed you. A lot."
May blushed again, staring back at his chocolate colored orbs. "Ash..."
Slowly, unsurely, he placed his arms around her in an attempt to hug her. May gasped at the affectionate gesture. She could feel her heartbeat speed up, and she could hear the thumping vibrating in her ears. This was definitely something different.
"I know it sounds selfish, but I really wanted you to come to Shinnoh with me," he said quietly. "I didn't know it would feel so weird without you."
Ash... She rested her chin on his shoulder and returned his hug. "When I'm done competing in contests, Max and I will come travel with you for a while. And then after the Grand Festival, we'll go somewhere together." Her voice was just above a whisper, something that surprised her a little bit. Since when did Ash have this kind of effect on her?
"And if we can't?" he asked, sadness reflecting in his voice. "Then what?"
"Then..." She pulled her head back so she could look up at him, placing her now trembling hands onto his shoulders. "We'll just...have to find a way to keep in touch." She gave him another smile. "Unlike you, though, I finished my letter."
She picked up the letter she had written and held it out for Ash to take. "I finally managed to write a decent letter before you came barging in. All that hard work for nothing!"
Ash grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." He took the envelope from her and tucked it into his back pocket. "I'll read it later. Right now, why don't we find Max and Pikachu and go out for some ice cream."
"Sounds good," May said happily. "You're paying though!"
"Fine, fine." He pulled away from their embrace, only to take the girl's hand. "So, let's go find them."
May looked up at his face, a bit stunned, as the two of them stood up. She hadn't realized how tall he was compared to her now. He smiled down at her, squeezing her hand. Holding Ash's hand was something she'd only done once, and that was when they were being chased by grass pokemon in Hoenn. This time the gesture was much...sweeter.
Nervously, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to the boy's cheek, closing her eyes. She was still for what felt like an eternity, not noticing the deep, red blush that spread all over Ash's face. She didn't know what exactly made her want to do it. Something inside her told her to do something bold, something that was a spur of the moment, and kissing his cheek just felt right.
She pulled away, an uneasy smile on her face. Blushing, she lowered her gaze to her feet.
Ash blinked a few times, trying to process what had just happened. He'd been kissed on the cheek a few times years back, but never had he expected for May to kiss him. A goofy smile found its way onto his face.
"Uh...guys?"
Ash and May looked back to where the voice came from. There stood Max, with Pikachu on his shoulder.
"I thought we were going out for ice cream?" he asked, raising an eyebrow behind his large glasses.
May's eyes widened. "Max! How long have you been standing there?"
The young boy smirked, chuckling. "Long enough."
"Pikapi!" Pikachu agreed.
May blushed furiously, while Ash stuttered, "Max, uh, well you see we were...uhm, well we—"
"You were just flirting with my sister," Max finished for him. "I saw the whole thing, Ash. Don't bother covering it up."
Ash's face reddened even more as he laughed with embarrassment. "I guess you're right."
May glared at her younger brother as he brushed past them. Stupid Max! He just has to ruin everything!
"Well, we should get going then." Ash tugged on her hand, offering her a sympathetic smile. "Still in the mood for ice cream?"
May's glare lessened as Ash led her out of the Pokemon Center, seeming to forget about Max's teasing. Well, if he could ignore it, then she figured she could too.
"After we get ice cream, I'll let Max play with Pikachu for a while," Ash whispered into her ear when they met up with the two outside. "Then you and I can catch up."
May nodded, her good mood returning. "Sounds good."
Trying to write a letter was hard, she realized, but look at where it got her! All's well that ends well, I suppose.
X X X