Connected Hearts
A/N: Hi guys another story from me, this one will be a story about May's time in Sinnoh, it will stay through to canon as I write about the thoughts and events during the short arc and any background stuff needed. I'd like to Thank Wings-of-Rain for Beta reading for me.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Pokémon if I did May would be a recurring character of importance.
Chapter 1: Absence makes the Heart Grow Fonder
The warm afternoon sun shined brightly onto the beautiful Pokémon world, making the sensitive Pokémon Milotic gleam with a magical sparkle that captivated the young children watching it. Milotic's trainer, master coordinator Wallace, did his show in the center of the small crowd watching him, working his magic with both grace and power.
Ash stood in with that crowd, watching Wallace's performance with amazement tinged with rememberance.
"Wow that Milotic is so amazing as it performs…hey, kind of like May when she performs when she's on stage," he suddenly realized.
Ash let his mind wonder as he watched the spectacle in front of him. Thoughts of May flooded his mind as he remembered the coordinator he had just parted ways with months ago. During those few following months, he had started a new journey in Sinnoh, meeting Brock once more and as well as a new friend, Dawn who was very much like May when she first started out as a budding trainer. Each time he saw Dawn perform however, Ash would always think of May and be reminded of the great times they had.
May…Those were the Days…
"Blaziken go for it and give it all you got, one last overheat! GO!"
A young coordinator with auburn hair yelled the command at the top of her lungs, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she watched her strongest Pokémon shake off the super-effective Water Gun from its opponent, an extremely menacing Lapras.
"May there's no shame in giving up for the sake of your Pokémon…there's no point in getting your Blaziken hurt any more than it already has!" The beautiful and talented coordinator by the name of Solidad told her opponent in a kind and understanding manner.
But May couldn't hear a word Solidad said, too focused on defeating her opponent in front of her. Eyes focused on her Blaziken, she muttered under her breath:
"Come on Blaziken I believe in you; you can do it."
Sensing the devotion in its trainer, Blaziken steadily but surely stood up, ready to give the final attack. As it stood, a red aura suddenly enveloped its body, signaling the activation of its innate ability 'Blaze'.
Renewed by blaze, Blaziken prepared itself for action, charging up a strong beam with its remaining energy into its mouth; with brutal force, it then fired its most powerful fire attack at the Lapras.
Surprised at the determination of her opponent, Solidad could only stop and stare at the powerful attack coming head on towards her Pokémon. But then, she pushed aside her surprise, the experienced coordinator instinctively yelling out a counter measure.
"Lapras use Protect!"
A beautiful shield appeared magnificently in front of Lapras, protecting it from the devastating fire attack. With practiced and precise skill, Lapras then released her protection in a beautiful array of colors as the fire attack came to an end. The splendid display of colours from Lapras's protect then caused May to lose the remaining of her points.
Ding Dong
May looked up at the scoreboard just for a brief moment before putting her head down in defeat. In the background, she could hear the crowd cheering as well as the voice of the commenter.
"Congratulation to the winner of the Blackthorn Contest, Solidad! We now present her with this Ribbon as a symbol of her win here!
The red haired coordinator accepted the ribbon and waved to the crowd, the announcer continuing to speak behind her.
"With this win under her belt, Solidad is now one ribbon away from being eligible for the Johto Grand Festival! Congratulations!"
May didn't say a word as this took place. Placing her defeated Pokémon back into its Pokéball, May thanked Blaziken for its hard work and quietly left the stage.
The rest of the time passed as a blur. May only remembered bits and pieces…walking back to the changing rooms…picking up belongings…heading to the Pokémon Centre where she would be staying for the night…the whole time, the only thoughts going through her mind was what she could do to improve her contest battling.
Lost in thought as she was, May accidentally bumped into someone while walking into the Pokemon Center.
Her head snapped up. "Sorry about that I wasn't looking at where I was going…oh, Solidad, it's you." May looked up to see her rival and the person she had just lost to standing right in front of her.
"Oh May nice to see you, I just checked in my Pokémon after that battle with your Blaziken…my Lapras could really use the rest. I must admit though, earlier, you almost caught me off guard with that last attack. You are most definitely getting stronger every day," the older coordinator praised.
She then gestured ahead. "Oh, anyway, I was just about to get some lunch, would you like to join me? I heard of this really great Ramen shop that's open around here." Solidad asked the question with her trademark calm smile, knowing how much the younger girl loved ramen.
May's ears perked up at the word 'ramen', her mouth watering at her favourite food, Excitedly, she replied, "Sure Solidad, I love ramen…let me just check in my Pokémon first."
Solidad nodded in consent, and May broke into a run to give her Pokémon to Nurse Joy in order to quickly get to her lunch.
The check-in process took less than a minute and May was reading to leave the Centre with Solidad when a poster caught her eye. It wasn't a very flashy poster that was meant to catch people's attention; it was actually a rather bland one. The thing that caught her eye though was the huge print that read, "Pokémon Contest", followed by a picture of a beautiful ribbon. Forgetting her hunger for a moment, May immediately ran up to the poster to see what it was all about.
Upon closer inspection she saw that the contest was a special one held every year in a different region to honor the Hoenn Contest Master Wallace, hence the name of the contest named the "Wallace Cup". The poster then said that the Wallace cup was going to be held in the Sinnoh region.
"Sinnoh… Sinnoh… Sinnoh," The sound of the region sounded so familiar to her but May couldn't seem to put a finger on it, perhaps because her earlier defeat was still fresh in her mind. Lost in thought, wondering why the Sinnoh region sounded so familiar to her, she almost didn't notice a hand appear in front of her face, moving up and down in a waving motion.
"Hey May you in there? Come on let's go for some ramen now." Solidad said, waving her hand in front of May's blank stare.
At the sound of the word 'ramen', May broke from her trance and answered her friend. "Sorry about that Solidad…I was just looking at the poster over there of this really interesting Pokémon Contest called the Wallace Cup."
"Oh, the Wallace Cup… I actually participated in it last year but didn't win; the level of competition is high because the coordinators come from all over," Solidad said tapping her finger against her chin trying to remember what it was like.
Finally remembering about the ramen she was about to have though, and deciding that they could take more about the Wallace cup over lunch, the two coordinators headed to the Ramen shop. Once they arrived they noticed how crowded the place was. This made May only want to eat those noodles more. The two girls quickly found places in one of the booths, their waiter immediately coming to take their order.
Upon seeing their faces however, the waiter suddenly did a double-take. "Hey aren't you May? The person who helped me back in Saffron city when you borrowed my Hitmonchan to battle with my father's Hitmonlee?"
May smiled suddenly as she remembered. "Oh! Right, yeah I'm May, so that must mean you're Kyle right? How great to see you again! How's the noodle business going?" she asked.
Kyle laughed. "It's great! As you can see, I've even expanded into the Johto region now! Oh, by the way how about the others you were traveling with…like that boy…named, um…oh, right, Ash! Isn't he with you now? And how about your brother and Brock?" Kyle questioned as he finished taking down the girls orders.
A smile appeared on May's face at the fond thoughts she had for the boy who made her into the coordinator she was today. "Oh I decided to travel on my own after my going through the Kanto region. Although, there are times where I do miss him."
May's smile turned warmer , not realizing the slip up she had just made. Solidad sat there in silence as she stared at the young girl, realizing that she had said him instead of them.
"Well that's too bad…it would have been great to see the rest of them too. Well, anyway I best be getting to your food," Kyle answered, then left to bring May and Solidad their orders.
As Kyle disappeared, Solidad turned to May. "So May you really miss Ash huh?" she teased with a wink.
May returned her attention to the older girl sitting across from her, turning a deep shade of red. She stared at Solidad and profusely denied the accusation, "What are you talking about? I miss everyone not just Ash!"
"But when our waiter asked you earlier you said you missed him and since the last time I saw you, you told me how great it was to be free of your brother and I don't think you really miss Brock just as much as you miss Ash," Solidad shot back quickly with extra emphasis on the word 'him' to prove her point.
This in turn only caused May to turn an even darker shade of red.
"Did I really say that? I don't know what I'm saying…um…maybe I'm just too excited to eat the noodles?" May replied with a random excuse, still red in the face as she looked down at the table in embarrassment.
Solidad had a huge grin on her face as she continued interrogating May. "Sure May, sure May…so…where is Ash now anyway?"
That question made May look up at Solidad. She remained silent for a moment before remembering a conversation she and Ash had over the phone a few weeks ago.
May replied, "Oh! I remember talking to Ash a few weeks ago…he said he was in Sinnoh with Brock and travelling with a new girl named Dawn as well…Hey that's the same place for this year's Wallace Cup!" May almost kicked herself for forgetting such a thing.
"Well, maybe you should go for the Wallace cup - if you win the ribbon it can even be used here, and you may even get to see Ash," Solidad answered adding emphasis on Ash's name.
May felt a blush crept onto her face as she thought of her and Ash meeting up in the Sinnoh region. Without giving time for May to respond, Solidad continued, a serious expression replacing her grin before. "You know something May? Sometimes, if you love someone you need to tell them before it's too late, especially now that you're in different regions and the fact that he's travelling with another girl."
May blanched. "What are you talking about Solidad? I don't like Ash…I can't be in love with him…he's like my best friend!" May quickly responded, her face now as red as a tomato.
"Come on May stop kidding yourself! Every time someone even mentions Ash, you either blush or tell us how great he is! You probably didn't notice since you always travelled with him, but now that you're so far apart, your feelings are surfacing." Solidad simply stated.
These words put May deep in thought.
I couldn't possibly like Ash in that way…could I?
May came to a conclusion that the best way to find out was to go to Sinnoh and find out herself.
"Solidad, I'm not sure if you are right about me liking Ash, but one thing that's for certain is that I'll find out once I get to Sinnoh…"
She suddenly broke the thought as she saw Kyle approaching their table with two bowls of steaming noodles.
"Oh! Look, the food's here!"
Pushing her thoughts of Ash and Sinnoh aside, May then turned her attention to her lunch. Solidad laughed slightly at May's reaction before picking up her own chopsticks to enjoy her food.
Soon after, both girls had finished their ramen and were full. As they paid for the lunch, Solidad spoke up.
"You know May, if you really want to go to Sinnoh, the next ferry leaves in about 3 hours! You better pick up your Pokémon from the Centre and get a ticket…oh, and you will probably have to find out where Ash is too. Since you already know that the Wallace Cup will be held at Lake Valor, maybe you can ask him to meet you there."
May sat up straighter at this. "Wait, what? That means I don't have much time left…oh…I hope I still have time to find some gifts…it looks like I have to get going! Thanks for everything Solidad…I'll see you at the next contest and I'll beat you too!" May winked at her friend before jumping up and leaving for the Pokémon Centre to pick up her Pokémon.
Within minutes, May arrived at the Pokémon Centre and immediately headed to Nurse Joy at the front desk to ask about her Pokémon. However Nurse Joy told her it would be another 15 minutes before she could retrieve her Pokémon. Deciding to make the best use of her time, May decided that she would call Professor Oak and find out where Ash was then buy her ferry ticket in the meantime.
With that in mind, May walked to the main lobby of the Centre and went to one of the video phones to make the call.
Ring…ring…ring…
The sound of the phone echoed through the empty Centre, and within seconds the calling screen disappeared to reveal the face of a wise, grey haired Pokemon professor.
"Hello Professor, it's me May, could I ask you to help me with something?" May politely asked the professor.
Smiling at the young girl before him, the Professor Oak quickly replied, "Anything May what do you need?"
"I was wondering if you would happen to know where Ash's current location is and whether or not I could meet up with him in Sinnoh. You see, I'm going to be heading there for the Wallace cup." May answered, glad for the professor's assistance.
Professor Oak smiled knowingly. "Oh, why yes, actually I do know where Ash is right now. He told me earlier that he will be at Lake Valor for a few days because his new friend Dawn will be entering the Wallace Cup as well."
May blinked slightly in surprise. "Dawn? Ash's new friend will be participating too? Well, this trip may turn out to be even more interesting than I thought." May said to herself, a little more excited at how things where panning out. She would get to see Ash and decide whether or not she really liked him, and at the same time meet his new friend.
"That's great to hear May. And since you are going to Sinnoh, I actually have something to tell you about your Eevee. Recently, two new evolutions of Eevee have been discovered but they can only evolve into those forms if they are to train for a short period near these two special rocks located in Sinnoh! Eevee will evolve into the ice type, Glaceon, if trained near the Ice Rock near Snowpoint City, or it will evolve into a grass type, Leafeon, if trained near the Moss Rock in Eterna Forest," the Professor informed May.
May nodded, processing the information. "That's great Professor! Thanks for telling me… I think I'll be heading for Snowpoint City first then before Lake Verity. I've been really wanting for Eevee to evolve and since I already have Venusaur, I don't think I need another grass type." May decided as she thanked the professor for all his help.
"It was no problem May, glad to help. Now, if you will excuse me, if there's nothing else of course, I need to go - it's feeding time for the Pokémon," Professor Oak said with a wink.
May nodded and said good bye to the professor before hastily turning off the phone.
The next 15 minutes felt like they took forever as May waited in the lobby for her Pokémon. The moment the 15 minutes were up, May then rushed over to the counter to retrieve her Pokémon. Once the procedure was completed, May left for the Blackthorn market to buy presents for Brock, Ash and Dawn, especially wanting to do so to thank those two people who had helped her so much at the start of her journey.
The bright afternoon sun beat down on May as she hurried to the market. Before entering, she then released her Eevee from its pokeball, wanting to spend as much time as possible with her before she evolved into Glaceon. The pair had grown extremely close throughout May's solo journey in Johto. Whenever May had any spells of loneliness, she would always call out Eevee and cuddle her as she slept.
The pair was looking through the array of items in the market, stopping at whatever caught their eye. They had stopped several times but nothing seemed to really appeal to them.
"What should I get them Eevee, I haven't seen them for so long…oh look over there! That looks so cute!" May said to the Pokémon in her arms when a small object with a light blue shine caught her eye. Quickly, she dashed over to the window of the shop that held the item.
What caught her eye was a small blue necklace with the face of a Pokémon that she did not know of, although it did look familiar to her. After pondering it for a few seconds, it suddenly dawned on her. It was a Pokémon Ash had showed her over the phone when they last talked - a Pokémon called Piplup and it was apparently Dawn's first Pokémon. Even May herself knew how big of a deal it was. Deciding to buy the necklace, she entered the shop to purchase it for Dawn. May was sure she would love it.
She quickly left the shop after making her purchase, carrying a single bag out of the shop, her trustee Pokémon by her side. May continued on with her shopping, hoping to find a present for both Ash and Brock. Walking along, wiping off beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, May passed by a shop which sold wood carvings of Pokémon. Remembering Ash and how much he loved Pokémon, May went into the shop, the sight of many different Pokémon carved in wood greeting her. After a bit of browsing, a wood carving in particular caught her eye. It was a carving of an Ursaring, and it somehow reminded May of Brock. It reminded her of how strong and how great a job Brock did at taking care of her during her journey, like a mother Ursaring protecting a baby Teddiursa. May swiped it off the shelf and headed for the counter to pay for it, her Eevee following close behind.
"How much for this figur…?" May trailed off as she saw a cute Teddiursa rested atop a beautiful hand carved wooden box. That Teddiursa is so cute…almost like Ash, May thought instinctively. She then realized what she was thinking and mentally kicked herself at the thought.
The shopkeeper followed her eyes and spoke up. "Miss, do you like the Teddiursa? It actually comes with the box underneath it…the Teddiursa working like a key. It is a bit pricey though."
May thought about it a moment, still not sure what she actually felt for Ash. If she bought the box, she could put some very important things in and give it to Ash if she really loved him. But if not, she could always just give him the Teddiursa figurine.
"It's all right I'll take it as well like the Ursaring figurine," May decided aloud as she reached into her backpack to give the shop keeper the correct amount. Her Eevee cooed in agreement.
After paying, May left the shop, seeing the sun beginning to set in the distance. It was a beautiful sight, but it was also a sight that brought distress to May.
"Oh man I'm gonna miss my ferry!" May exclaimed as she broke into a sprint, her bags filled with the gifts for her friends around her arms and her Eevee hot on her heels. After a good 10 minutes of running, May reached the port and by some amazing grace, was able to purchase a ticket before the ferry left.
Boarding the ferry, May let out a sigh of relief. "What a day…maybe I should just head to my cabin and rest… oh, but first we should go eat dinner!" May exclaimed to Eevee standing beside her feet, who let out a squeal of delight at the thought of food.
Both Trainer and pokemon then rushed to dining hall, marking the beginning of her Sinnoh Adventure.
*****
May arrived the next morning at Snowpoint city, the bright, shining sun combined with the cold of the city making the temperature perfect for adventure. Stepping out of the ferry, May basked in the cold atmosphere, glad that she had brought her winter clothing with her. Snuggling into the warm green jacket she wore, May walked to the Pokémon Centre, enjoying the scenery of Snowpoint City. She then immediately checked in with Nurse Joy, asking her to send a message to the Nurse Joy that was in the Pokemon Centre at Lake Valor. Then, after an hour of resting and settling in, May was off to find the ice rock.
Within hours of traversing the icy regions of Snowpoint, May was able to find the Ice rock. She then proceeded to do a little training with Eevee, , and soon enough, May's Eevee had evolved into a beautiful and graceful Glaceon, its shiny blue fur gleaming in the afternoon sun. Both proud of their accomplishment, May and Glaceon walked side by side back towards Snowpoint city Pokémon Centre.
"Glaceon, you are so beautiful, I think I'm gonna use you for the Wallace Cup! We'll do great!" May said happily to her new Glaceon as they entered the Pokémon Centre.
Then, after checking in with Nurse Joy so that she could check up on how healthy May's new Glaceon was, May decided to rest in the lobby where she could watch a little television before going for dinner and settling in for the night.
It was getting dark when May heard Nurse Joy come to her and say, "It's a phone call, from Ash of Pallet Town".
A small giggle escaped her lips as May replied with a bright smile on her face, "Great thanks, I'll go take it right now".
Getting up from her seat on the couch, May made her way to one of the numerous video phones, and on one of the phones was a cheerful but curious face on the screen. It was Ash Ketchum from Pallet town, completely unsure as to why anyone would want him to call him from the Snowpoint Pokémon Centre. However all his questions where answered as May's cheerful face came into view.
"Hey Ash long time no see, how has Sinnoh been?" Just seeing him again made May's heart skip a beat.
"May! Wow, it's so great to see you, but what are you doing in Sinnoh?" Ash responded excitedly.
"Well Ash, I was in Johto when I found out about the Wallace cup and since you are over in Sinnoh I decided to come over! And, truthfully, I've actually been wanting to see you too," May said as she looked down, hoping that Ash wouldn't see the light blush forming on her cheeks.
"Oh, that's so great cause I've really missed you too! And I've been wanting to see you too…so when will you be here at Lake Valor?" Ash asked with a bright smile on his face, completely unaware that what he said had made May blush an even greater shade red.
Still red in the face, May replied, "I should be there tomorrow afternoon around lunch."
Ash nodded at that, then asked May a question that had been pressing on his mind. "Oh, and by the way May I have been meaning to ask…how is Johto?" His voice had turned to a concerned tone.
"It's been fine, but sometimes it does get lonely without everyone," May replied as the beating of her heart became faster.
"Well if you're lonely you can always look at the ribbon we won together as a reminder that wherever you are, I'll always be supporting you," Ash replied with his classic goofy grin on his face.
"Thanks Ash you have no idea how much that means to me…well, it's getting late so I'll see you tomorrow," May said. She could feel her heart beat slow as she said good bye.
"Okay May, I'll see you tomorrow then," Ash said as he turned off the video phone and returned to where Brock and Dawn where waiting for him to reveal the news that May would be coming.
May put down the phone and headed for the dinner area for a much needed meal. As she ate, she thought back to what she had already done in Sinnoh and the conversation she had with Ash. It always amazed her how Ash had a way with cheering her up, whenever she was feeling down or in trouble he would always be there to save her. She had never noticed this until now.
She remembered the time in the grass Pokémon reserve, the time in the valley as she dangled along the side of a cliff, the time Ash had saved the sea temple, and how he had placed her ever so gently into the pod that saved her life.
Thinking back to all these times, May was able to come to the realization that she indeed was in love with her best friend Ash Ketchum.
Maybe absence really did make the heart grow fonder.
Please Read and Review
Chapter 2 should be up within 2 weeks try to be faster if I can overcome writers block