Hello everyone! So this is the first story I'm putting up on FF and I'm really excited to share it! I've been crafting this story in my head for years now and I'm determined to fully animate it in text. I know it may be a little OOC with the characters in all, but this is how I have conveyed the characters throughout my life :) I really hope that you enjoy it. This might sound super corny, but I hope this is a story that people can think of as wonderfully memorable. I'll try my hardest to complete it. This is an AU fic, but it still contains Pokémon and battles and stuff. I made up the Region of Aria :) Please read and enjoy!

11/19/2013 - This is an updated, edited version of Chapter 1! :)

Ship: Advanceshipping (Ash X May) xD

Ages of Characters so far mentioned:

May Maple - 16

Max Maple - 8

Caroline Maple - 38

Norman Maple - 41

Chapter 1: The Boy in the Tree

Midnight painted the sky, settling its opaque navy palette upon the gentle-moving clouds. Seas of stars embellished the dark blue shade and created what looked like a glitter-scattered canvas. The environment was hush with a cool breeze whispering in the night and carrying verdant foliage away from the enormous trees surrounding the valley.

The car ride had been tumultuous. The family van had been packed to a maximum with enormous luggage and bags containing precious objects. In the front of the middle seats was a heavy cooler and on either side of it was a large piece of baggage. The ride would have been met with more respite if the incessant blabbering of Max's voice along with the millionth replay of the same DJ Mary track didn't all ring in May's ear at once. She tried hard to focus on the scenery before her eyes, but was interrupted by another declaration from her brother.

"If he had opened up with a surf move, then that Wartortle would have easily beaten that Magmar in one move!" He insisted eagerly. Max, a small, yet surprisingly outspoken and intelligent boy was indeed the embodiment of a true know-it-all with his constant voicing of opinion and a pair of oversized glasses on his tiny frame. Despite his cute youth, May couldn't help but sometimes feel the desire to push him into a lake.

"But he still won, didn't he?" chimed in a syrupy voice. May and Max's mother, Caroline turned her head from the frontal passenger's seat to smile at them. Always reliable, Caroline's kind personality was only catalyzed by her lovely heart-shaped face and cinnamon curls. It was a nice perk to know that May would one day resemble a beauty such as her.

"A win is a win Max, you can't argue with that!" laughed her husband, Norman, who drove the family van through the lush valley. Norman's large build and handsome face complimented his wife's beauty, along with his upbeat and humorous demeanor; he was a great role model and father to May and Max.

"Yes he can…" May scoffed. He stuck his tongue out at her and continued to go on about the battle tournament. She sighed with annoyance as she rested herself upon the arm of her seat, trying hard to block everyone else out of her mind.

May Maple was a bit more than the average sixteen-year old girl; she had light brown hair that reached a little above her shoulders and striking eyes of a lapis shade. Despite her age, she was a bit more petite than other girls and often viewed as 'cute' rather than 'gorgeous' or 'sultry', much to her dismay. She was dressed comfortably in a fitted red shirt and black shorts, accompanied by a smooth white mini-skirt. The outfit was topped off with her trademark bandana. It was literally something she had just 'thrown on' as she had been dreading the particular car ride for quite some time.

May continued to stare outside of her window dismally, wishing she had never set foot in the family van. It was one thing to ride in a car for nine hours with Max, but she couldn't get the prospect of driving away from her former home; her house; her friends. The only other thing good about the drive was the big sack of Poke Balls placed in front of her. Unfortunately, the Pokémon had to stay put for the ride due to the lack of free space what with the entirety of luggage and travel items. Caroline frowned as she noticed the dreary look on her face.

"Are you still upset, May?" she asked, hopeful for a more positive answer. May flicked her gaze to her, but said nothing and just looked straight ahead again.

"I know moving is hard, but we'll go and visit," her mother tried to reassure her, but to no avail. I don't want to visit; I want to go back… She thought painfully in her head. She began to trace the reasons for their subsequent move; she didn't see one good thing about it for her. She looked down at the sack in front of her and so longed to let out at least one of her Pokémon. If only there wasn't such limited space.

The Maple family drove on to a new home. They had formerly been long-lived residents in the city of Petalburg. May and Max had grown up in the delightful city and their father had been the notable gym leader until one fateful battle had left Norman with major injury. Albeit his recovery, he was unable to fully meet his duties as the gym leader as he used to. Battles and training became strenuous, and it was becoming more apparent that age was finally settling on the once-vivacious Gym Leader. Despite the protests and examples of other much more aged Gym Leaders, May ultimately couldn't convince her father of staying in the city. Both she and Max knew their father's future intentions of seeking a quieter life with his wife and kids; however it was often dismissed as a common fantasy. In the end, their ultimate decision was to move out into the quiet countryside. The move was understandable to both May and Max; they knew they had to comply with what was best for the entire family.

Max had a shockingly amiable disposition about moving to a more forested environment; his detailed reasoning dealt with the fact that he would gain access to several types of new Pokémon that he couldn't observe in their old home. It was like him to see it in such a way. May however, was the most affected by the prospect of leaving Petalburg. She had lived there longer than her brother, and there she left her closest friends, including her boyfriend. She disliked every aspect of moving: A new house, a new setting, and not to mention having no one to talk to or spend time with other than her family and her Pokémon. It wasn't fair; she didn't see any appeal of living out in the countryside, in fact, it seemed like a downgrade from her former life.

Norman seemed to have picked up on his daughter's disappointment.

"A move may be hard, but sometimes, change can be the best thing, and besides, what have you got against the old country? Doesn't a ranch sound fun? We'll be getting in tons of new Pokémon," he beamed. May rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think the countryside is a little…boring? I mean, what about shops and restaurants and movies? Does the country have that?" she asked, hoping to win the argument.

"Actually, it does!" Caroline grinned.

Suddenly, the outside view changed as the van turned into a clearing with a big sign that read "Aria Town". The outer image soon showed dimly lit chained shops and restaurants, just as May had referenced, however these were much smaller and barren than what had made up Petalburg City. It was immensely tiny; the only truly notable thing about the town was a black, limestone fountain with lit up lights in the interior, making the water appear as if it were glowing. Caroline and Max marveled at the sight as opposed to May who only rolled her eyes again.

"Not really…" May sighed again, feeling even more discouraged by the pittance size of Aria Town.

They soon continued out of the town and back into the rich valleys of Aria, where flourishing summer greenery vividly appeared in sight. The vibrant green against the dark reminded May suddenly of the love she had left behind back at Petalburg. She couldn't get the somber image of her long-time boyfriend, Drew Rose, out of her head; he was by far the thing she missed most about her former home. She began to reminisce about the joyful times spent with him: The time when they had both ridden up the tallest hill in Petalburg together and viewed the sunset, the time in which they trained their Pokémon hard together and defeated a rival couple, and especially the time in which they had kissed under a full moon on her birthday. As she traced back to yesterday night, she remembered his faring words to her:

"Hey, come on, don't be sad about this. Remember, we'll still be together, distance makes the heart grow fonder," he smiled as he put his arm around her. She looked up from a crumpled tissue.

"Since when are you so deep?" she demanded tearfully. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, you're right. We're pretty much screwed," he chuckled. At first she looked at him deeply hurt, but couldn't help a creeping smile as she began to laugh with him.

"Nah, I'm just kidding; we'll be alright, your family did say you'd visit, and we still have phone calling." He assured her. May sniffed a bit as she nestled into his arms further.

"What if one of us forgets?" she asked.

"That'll probably be me, but I'll make sure to call you at least three times a week…Or maybe two…One?" he asked. She laughed again and laid her head against his shoulder.

"We'll stay strong, don't you worry about a thing…Even if you do become some old country bumpkin…" he grinned, sustaining a punch in the arm from her. The two huddled closer together, observing the sky above with pangs of hope.

May looked down sadly as she remembered. He was the best thing in her life; the two had practically grown up together, catching and training Pokémon and traveling to new areas. Leaving him back home was the hardest thing for her, but she was intent on calling him within the week; that at least gave her something to look forward to.

"Hey, what do you know? We're already here!" cheered Norman. Everyone looked outside eagerly to see their new home, and May found herself utterly astonished at what she saw. Her previous vision of their new house was a shack of a barn with crumbling walls and debris surrounding it and beds of straw everywhere, but the dwelling before her was almost the complete opposite.

Before them stood a magnificent, log-cabin like, two-story house with a sturdy looking build and enormous driveway; the house stood in between chromatic flower beds and sat upon the cobblestone-strewn front yard. Leading up to the house was a stone stairway to a long porch and embedded on the side of the large house was a rocky chimney that practically lived in the clouds.

"Wow!" Max exclaimed. His eyes were wide with awe as he took in his new home. Even May was intrigued by its less-than-average appearance. Behind the large cabin house was a long lining of a wooden fence that seemed to be endless either way. The backyard had to be walloping, it WAS a ranch.

"W-what happened to living in a tiny barn house?" May asked. Norman laughed as he drove up into the clearing.

"I never said anything about living in a barn house; in the land of Aria, ranches are pretty much estates for humans and their Pokémon to grow. It's common to see homes like this these in this here. Now you're excited about this place, huh?" he said. Max nodded energetically while May just held her mouth open, dumbfounded at the true wonder of Aria.

"Let's unpack the luggage! Thanks to the movers, we'll settle in nicely with our furniture already moved in!" Caroline piped excitedly as she began to pull suitcases out one by one.

"I…guess so…" May said slowly, reaching over for her own luggage. The sack of Poke Balls suddenly caught her eye again then.

"Since we're here, I should let them out, they've been cooped up for so long as it is." she smiled for once, grabbing the sack.

"Come on out!"

With a down-fall of shiny Poke Balls and beams of light, seven of May's Pokémon emerged into the night, giving the atmosphere even more of a lift. There stood Blaziken, Beautifly, Skitty, Munchlax, Glaceon, Venasaur, and Wartortle, stretching and happily basking in the warmth of the outdoors.

"Good idea, May! They've been resting for quite a long time, and they'll certainly be helpful with unloading." Norman smiled as he released his own Pokémon, Slakoth, Vigoroth, and Slaking. They all quickly began to unload the cramped car, pulling out various belongings and heading straight for their new home. Venusaur, Slaking, Vigoroth, and Blaziken took much of the larger items whereas even those as tiny as Skitty pulled their share by dragging along the trash bags of food from the trip. Max and Munchlax helped one another lifting his duffle bag of belongings into the house as well as Caroline and Beautifly taking turns with coolers and blankets.

As May stepped along the cobblestone driveway dragging along her suitcase, she couldn't help but notice the true vastness of their new land. It was even more enormous than their gym and greenhouse combined, not to mention that the front lawn was already landscaped to a beautiful sea of anemone flowers and rose bushes, topped along with giant oak trees and hanging wisterias around the windows and doors of the cabin, or pseudo-mansion. Even so, a pretty yard and big house couldn't replace what she had back in Petalburg. But it was a nice perk.

The inside of the house was an even more rewarding sight after such a monotonous drive. Her mother was right about the furniture; everything had been preset and looked simply astonishing. The front door led directly to a wide open living room space with dark colored, hard wood flooring. There was a long, crimson colored suede couch in the middle with a matching loveseat and a brown leather arm chair accompanying it in a square-shaped setting. The seating framed the lovely pine-green carpet with a rectangular glass coffee table in the center and an enormous flat-screened television back up against the wall in front of the setting. Underneath the television was a toasty-looking fireplace already packed up with an assortment of wood. The living room was so large, that different hallways could be spotted and a stair balcony peeked out from the top. The kitchen barely stood out as the rest of it was a hall away, but a small pub-like portion stood out, making it convenient for a night of leisure and movies.

"Oh cool!" Max cried as he ran around their new home. Norman flicked on the lights as the Pokémon followed and they all began to set the luggage and packages down. May too set aside her suitcase and widened her eyes at the sight of their new home, drawing in its beauty and oddly enough…warmth.

"It's gorgeous! I knew this was a keeper, Norman," Caroline gushed lovingly as she stared at her new house. The two walked off to explore together towards the kitchen, some of the Pokémon in hot pursuit while the others dashed about to see the place. Soon, May stood alone in the foyer with the surplus of luggage.

"Am I the only one who actually misses home?" she scowled to herself. She sighed sadly and then turned around, stepping back outside. She disliked the notion of her family liking this place better than Petalburg. This wasn't home.

"So it's pretty and big, but it's nothing compared to Petalburg…nothing…" she said to herself doubtfully as the night sky slowly overtook the setting. It was a nice night. Drew was probably asleep by now, so calling him wouldn't be a good idea. She glanced back at the house to see even more windows light up; they were probably checking out all of the rooms. She sighed again, and found herself walking towards the backyard, following the small path of stones leading out to the enormous pasture.

May couldn't help but widen her eyes again at the view. Their backyard was three times the size of the battle field back at the Petalburg gym. The field was endless with a sea of night-shaded grass and framing brush and wood. In the far right corner, May noticed a small pond glistening against the moon. The place was almost perfect. Almost.

She stopped walking and just stood there, taking everything in. A new place, a new life; it all seemed so unfair; to leave everything she loved behind and start over in a brand new place. The new house was definitely a positive point; however, she couldn't stop thinking about being alone. That was the one thing she resented most: Being alone. Her mind began to sift through thoughts on her friends and what they would be doing tomorrow. Drew, Solidad, and Harley would most likely go out for more training. Brianna was sure to tag along. May pouted at the thought of Brianna drooling over Drew. If only she was there now…

Suddenly, she heard a loud rustle of leaves, breaking her thoughts. May looked around the field in alert, yet there seemed to be nothing in sight. It wasn't windy, and the sound had been abrupt. She turned back around to see if any of her Pokémon had followed, but there was nobody there. She gasped lightly as she heard the rustling sound again. There was definitely something; it was coming from above. She looked up slowly, finally noticing the enormous oak tree little ways behind the fence just cutting their vast acre of land off from the next grand portion. The tree was massive, with several twisting branches and huge extending limbs at the top.

May gazed in awe at the tree until she heard the rustling sound again. She whipped her eyes up to see a small, yellow creature dashing up along the numerous tree branches. Her heart settled upon realizing that it was just a Pokémon, however, she had never seen one like it back at home. It was a bit hard to see its distinct features in the dark, yet she made it out as it crawled up and finally settled upon the largest and longest branch on the tree, however, it was not alone. The yellow creature sat contently beside a large dark figure of what looked like a person, whom lied against the tree trunk with their hands clasped behind their head in a relaxed manner. May stepped back a bit, trying to make out the two figures. She was sure the larger one was a person. Her heart began to race. Whoever was in the tree could be dangerous. May bit her lip, wishing she had brought one of her Pokémon along with her.

The figure shifted a bit, causing her to jump back.

"Don't jump out of your skin," someone chuckled suddenly. It was the person in the tree. It was definitely a boy, judging by the sound of his voice. He sounded fairly young, but his voice was husky and calm. May settled down a bit, but glanced up at him questioningly. What was a boy doing in a tree so late at night? What was that Pokémon perched upon his head? Who was he?

"Pika!" the yellow figure squeaked. It sounded excited. The clouds suddenly began to unmask the night's full moon, emitting the silvery light to pour over the vast grassland, including the giant oak. The light now revealed the dark silhouette of a boy and the Pokémon. From what she saw, he had a sturdy build and wore a baseball cap.

"Beautiful, isn't it? He spoke again. May broke from her trance-like stare upon him and blinked in confusion.

"I…" she stammered. He chuckled again, but continued his gaze upon the sky.

"You can never get tired of Aria's full moon," he paused and then shifted his glance over to May.

"You're from that new family, aren't you? Nice to finally have a neighboring ranch. It's been a while. I'll tell you this, there's no place like Aria." He smiled. She could now make out his eyes, but that was it. His eyes were a fiery amber color, full of youth and valor. She didn't reply, but just watched him intently.

"Huh, I didn't think you'd believe me, after all, what's in the countryside?" he laughed. May narrowed her eyes. Who was this guy? He was pretty perceptive.

The boy sat upright suddenly and looked back up at the sky again.

"Hm, it's late. I'd better head on back," he then glanced back at May, "'Til next time…I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other." he said. In a matter of seconds, he leaped out of the tree and disappeared into the dark.

"Pikachu!" the yellow Pokémon waved farewell to May and then scampered off after its master. May just stood there for a while, staring after the boy and his Pikachu. Was that boy her new neighbor? Norman had said that they would be moving in close to a neighboring ranch as a partnership, but she didn't think much of it other than believing they would be an elderly couple. Looking back at the oak, it was massive. It was so immense in size that it towered over both sides of the fence despite it being rooted on the other side.

May furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. Who was that boy anyway? He didn't even introduce himself or ask for her name. Then again, it was late at night and their meeting was accidental, consisting of his stargazing in a tree while she wandered aimlessly in her new backyard. But if he was her new neighbor, they were bound to meet again at some point. As she walked back over to the house, she decided she would reprimand him for not introducing himself formally the next time they saw one another.

The luggage was unpacked and brought into the house by the time May arrived back at the house. Her father and Max were seated at the round table in the kitchen, sipping on water and nibbling on the rest of the leftover snacks from the ride. Caroline was busy stowing her china sets and the rest of the dishes into the fresh cabinets.

"May! Where were you? Did you see your room?" Norman smiled as she took a seat at the table.

"Not yet, I was just checking out the backyard. It's not bad," she said as she grabbed a poffin from a box on the table.

"You ought to! They're all pretty big in space, and your mother and I even had a sitting window installed. You can see the entire ranch from it!" her father exclaimed. May smiled weakly.

"I love this place! Can you imagine all of the different types of Pokémon we'll see?" Max piped up as he gobbled up a fudge cookie.

"Not to mention my new granite countertops," Caroline sighed dreamily as she ran her hand across the smooth, golden countertop of the kitchen counters.

They all broke into conversation over the provisions of their new home, all except for May who just sat there quietly. Her mind was racing through thoughts; thoughts of Petalburg, thoughts of Drew, and thoughts of Aria. She then thought back to her meeting in the yard. Everything was different now. She knew she had to accept what was to come. It seemed that everyone else had come to terms with the move; she had better pick up her pace. May slowly shifted her gaze to nearby window, seeing the giant oak again. She was suddenly curious; curious about her new home, the people she would meet, the land, but most of all, she was curious about the boy in the tree.

That's it for now, I definitely have more coming! I know it was a really slow opening, but I hope you guys continue to read it! I'm going to make it the best I can for my readers! Thanks so much to anybody who reads and reviews. I'm going to try my best with this story. I already have many of my future chapter drafts written out, I just need to process them :)

Thank you everyone, I'll update ASAP! 3