WOW. ITS FINALLY DONE.
Not too much needed here. But I have a longggg note below. :)
Deep in a lush, thriving forest lays a large purple crystal.
The forest? It's name…Farina.
The crystal? It's name…Jirachi.
Many great scientists from all over have tried to research the mystery and workings behind the Wish Maker. Even the great Mossdeep City Science Research Center, the best set of laboratories in the world, had an entire branch of research dedicated to the research of the mysterious crystal. However, most theories have been proven false, and most people don't even ever see the crystal firsthand. But still other theories were proven true.
Yet there was one of these theories is completely wrong.
People thought Jirachi went dormant while in it was in its crystal form. They couldn't be more wrong. Jirachi couldn't supply the energy it absorbed from the Millennium Comet to Farina if it did. And it couldn't grant wishes either.
There are everyday happenings that most people attribute to sheer luck or pure coincidence. Things like spilling coffee, a bad wind storm, even an unlucky game of cards. These are all actually small wishes granted by the Psychic Type. While it lays in its home, it keeps an eye on the world. Jirachi wants what's best for the world, and it always uses its power to grant wishes. Now Jirachi can't make things appear out of thin air, so it had to teleport things every now and again for large wishes. But for simplistic yet important ones…like wanting a sibling to stay home for an extended period, asking for the funds to buy your first Great Ball, the ability to go to a five-star restaurant that night...things like that, Jirachi could make those happen by small chain reactions. Jirachi had an enormous amount of power. Even in its weakened state, it could unleash a Doom Desire powerful enough to take out a large, evil, unstoppable "Groudon." All the while having a smile on its face, like it was just an exciting little game.
However, Jirachi also knows it can't grant these amazing wishes while awakened, because it uses its power to stay awake and absorb culture firsthand. And sometimes, it can make a very close friend along the way. So it empowers a random entrepreneur somewhere in the world the ability to come up with a new "wishing" item every year before it wakes up. That way, when it goes to sleep, it can sense what people want while it was awake. And there is something to be said about making a real wish after deep thought. Jirachi knows this makes people more honest and contemplative in their wishing, having them come from their heart. Jirachi's true eye did more than just absorb power from a comet; it also could see into people's hearts.
Jirachi knew there was one girl who wanted her wish more than anyone else, and he was uncertain about granting it for various reasons.
So he saved her's for last.
May smiled as she hung up the phone with Ash.
"Bye Ash! It's been nice talking to you!" She spoke with a smile and a glimmer in her eyes.
"Alright, I'll check ya later. Good luck with meeting Jasmine. I hope she's still fairing better these days…she's really nice if you give her your heart."
The last picture before the screen blacked out was Ash putting on that reminiscent smile she absolutely adored. He could be so humorous yet so cute with that daydreaming expression.
She stared at the last frame from the video on the screen, absorbing his last few words.
Of course you would be able to reach your heart out to a worried soul. You're Ash. I lost count of how many times you've done it.
His image lingered on the screen in the back of her mind for a few moments. However when it finally dissipated from her view and it dawned on her she was once again alone, she frowned. Because she was once again…well, alone.
She had kept in contact with Ash throughout her journey in Johto. However now that the contests were over, she didn't know what to do.
She made it to the finals in the Johto Grand Festival. It was an odd tournament. She somehow by pure coincidence never faced Solidad, Harley, or Drew. Harley somehow beat Solidad in the first round.
Now THAT was a shocker…but I guess he has gotten good. Like, REAAL good
Drew expectedly beat Harley in the quarters. But Drew lost to some 8-year-old newbie in the semis. Funny thing was, May lost to her too. It was a surprise to everyone. Normally May would be fuming about losing to someone so much less experienced than she was, but she had learned while on her journey in Johto that experience honestly has about as much to do with winning in the Grand Festival as a fruitcake has to do with winning in the Johto League. Everyone who has earned 5 ribbons obviously has enough experience to win. On the big stage, it was a test of a trainer's bondage with their Pokemon, and their ability to maintain a momentum. Once an underdog got rolling, good luck trying to stop it.
Besides, May would think, aren't I so much less experienced that Solidad, Drew, and Harley? And pretty much 90% of the other coordinators at that... So why should I complain? This girl did exceptionally well. How the hell she managed to get a couple Pokemon and train them to be so strong before she was 10, now that's the wonder.
So right after that she called up her long time crush Ash Ketchum.
Well crush was such a bad word now. She more or less thought she loved him. But she had never kissed before, and she had never known what it felt like to love someone, so how could she know what love really was?
So she stuck with crush.
During her talk she really didn't pay attention much to what Ash was saying. I watched from blahblahblah you did well blahblahblah just more training blahblahblah. She was too mesmerized by his comical hair, his fantastic smile, and his amazing ability to just…be. He could simply BE, as in live and love and eat, and make others smile and feel good about themselves. Besides, she was used to his words of comfort by now. She loved to hear him speak, and it's not like she was used to hearing the same shpeal every time, because he always had something new and insightful to say. Something to cheer her up.
But when it's around the one billion and oneth time you are comforted, you start to just appreciate the voice of the other person, and you start to like the thought of them giving advice more than listening to the advice itself.
May might have stood there thinking about Ash for days and she wouldn't notice her stillness. Well, until her stomach growled at the very least.
But suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. She freaked out and turned around so fast she almost fell out of her seat. She saw the confused and worried face of Nurse Joy looking her in the face with her arm outstretched in the air on the spot where she had touched May.
"You alright?"
May took a deep breath while looking at the ground with closed eyes, forcing herself to think about the present…not the daydream.
"Yeah. What's up Nurse Joy?"
Joy smiled at the reassurance and spoke cheerfully, "I got a call from the Olivine Center saying that your rendezvous will be arriving in town in a day, so you should hurry over as fast as you can."
May smiled and nodded. "Ok, thanks for the heads up Joy."
Joy tilted her head to the side and put on that closed-eyed, bright, smiling expression she was known for. "Of course! Anytime May. And congratulations on being runner-up!"
May beamed back at Joy. She then got up and closed her duffel bag. "I think I'll be heading out now. Bye, and thanks for everything Joy!"
The Ecruteak City Joy waved at her as she left the center. "It's been good having you over!" she called out as the coordinator left the building.
May walked down the route that eventually led to the MooMoo Farm where she had stopped by for a day way back when while she was on the road to the Olivine Port, where she took the ferry to the Wallace Cup.
The owner instantly let her in when he saw her back then. His family gave her a seat by the fire, rushed to give her a cup of hot chocolate, and started fanning her. May was flattered, but equally confused. After sweatdropping and laughing sheepishly, the family explained that they had followed Ash everywhere he went since he had stopped by to help out their sick Miltank. They felt deeply in debt to him so they felt treating her like a super important guest was the least they could do. They instantly recognized her as the famous coordinator who was always cheering him on in his battles from the stands. May smiled and explained that Ash was super kind to just about everyone, and to "not sweat it" since Ash probably wouldn't want them to do anything in return.
His family jaw-dropped at hearing this. "You must be sooo lucky to have met him! He must be the coolest kid ever!"
Boy, did I blush hard then I bet.
As May left the city she noticed the sign. "You are now leaving the ancient and nostalgic city of Ecruteak!"
She walked over to it and thought for a moment. Then she brought out her Glaceon. She called for her Pokemon to use a light Sheer Cold (Her Glaceon was apparently the first ever to somehow learn it…wow. Just…wow) on the sign. Her Glaceon obeyed and the icicle parts that covered her body glowed a sparkling white. Her eyes turned a light blue, and she unleashed an aura of a fast-spreading blizzard-like wind from her mouth. It expanded quickly and gave off aurora-like colors—quickly changing between each color of the rainbow. It was much more toned down than usual, but it was still the most beautiful thing ever. It hit the sign and made it shine brightly and look a lot more attractive than its current state. It looked like it was made of ice, and that the Northern Lights were being reflected off of it. May smiled at her work, and moved on. The sign showed no sign that anything happened.
This special kind of action was common for her. Without Ash to stand by her and give her 24/7, always present, smart-critiquing help, she had to find a way to admire and hone her work on everyday object one could find on the road.
See, Glaceon learned Sheer Cold because of May's sadness.
Right after arriving back in Olivine from the Wallace Cup, May cried. Not overdone, not powerful, but with as much emotion as an ordinary cry with these qualities. Glaceon along with the rest of her Pokemon walked up to her and comforted her. Glaceon felt her cold emotion, and had an idea. She decided to cool off May's eyes to make the crying more pleasant. So it breathed a breath of fresh air on her. It smelled of ice and pine trees, was as refreshing as mountain air, and was as cool as a glacier. However, this action made May angry. She wanted to be left alone to wallow in her misery, and shot Glaceon a harsh look. Her face returned to her lap, shielding her eyes from her Pokemon. Rash, angry, careless defiance. Wow…sounds a lot like a certain someone she knew well, hmm?
Glaceon refused to give up. The Ice Type blasted an ice beam at her hair to try to shock her out of her crying. May jumped, and froze for a second; eyes wide open from the external brain freeze. She ran around shouting "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" Glaceon smiled, but the smile quickly vanished as May came up in Glaceon's face, eyes full of fury. But sadly, the tears had also returned. She shouted at Glaceon, using some choice words that made her loyal Pokemon want to cry herself. Her other Pokemon stared wide-eyed and shocked at what went on, feeling sorry for Glaceon.
When May stormed off into the woods, Glaceon stood there stunned. However, she quickly shook away the emanating tears and walked after her. May's other Pokemon started to follow, but Glaceon quickly shot back and fired an Ice Beam at the ground in front of them. She stared at the Pokemon with a look. It could have been interpreted as anger. Possibly insanity. But the others interpreted it exactly as it was.
They saw it as determination.
They nodded and backed off, allowing Glaceon free passage. The Fresh Snow Pokemon smiled and nodded, appreciative of the allowance. It's eyes sparkled as it stared back for a brief second. Then it continued on its way to May.
As it walked May started running faster and faster and faster. Glaceon just kept up pace, becoming more and more determined to help May. As it ran, it slowly started leaving a faint trail of snow in its stepped. The snow became more and more solidified. May looked back and saw the Pokemon that she had somehow started assuming to be the source of her problems. Somehow, in that rash, harsh, upset, depressed mind of hers at the moment, she had turned Glaceon into her enemy. She pulled out her Pokeball and chucked it at surprisingly fast speeds for a girl. It hit Glaceon square on the head an emanated a blue aura on Glaceon, leaving a harsh bruise where it hit her head.
May had just released Glaceon.
Glaceon stared at her trainer, her aura slowly starting to fade, tears wanting to burst though so badly it took more willpower than any non-Psychic Type should be able to muster to hold them back. But it saw May smirk and stick her tongue out at her, and it recalled a similar experience when May was playing with her as an Eevee. Glaceon remembered all the fun times that she had with her trainer, and remembered with it that this was temporary. It had to fight harder than May. It started gaining its fight back, and continued on. It may be technically wild. But it was May's Glaceon. Her's, and only her's.
And it would fight her way back into May's arms.
May started running. She looked back and noticed that pesky Pokemon still following her. She frowned and started running faster. Glaceon was running so passionately, is left an aurora trail behind it. She ran and ran and ran without noticing the cliff right in front her.
Glaceon did, and started picturing only the worst images and outcomes. It panicked and started to stutter. But then it knew it had to do something or May would fall to her death.
Glaceon had no move that could make a platform strong enough to maintain the weight of a human. The only thing close was Ice Beam, and that would shatter under May's weight insantly upon contact, not even slowing her down. But it had no choice. This was life or death. If the Ice Beam platform she was about to make didn't work, then at least she tried.
Glaceon thought of all the fun times with May. All the contest wins…all the fun times with Ash…all the practice sessions…all the playful moments…it all combined created a want for life in Glaceon so badly that when it took a breath in to unleash Ice Beam, her main sources of power glowed. Her icicle-shaped ears and tail glowed a beautiful white color. Her eyes glowed a light blue color of will. Glaceon was making a Final Stand. This proved it.
Then she thought of all the hard times. All the loses…all the times Harley tormented the coordinator…all the times that May cried from the loss of Ash…all the times that May threw a fit…it all collectively created a sense of passion so strong that when she released Ice Beam, she put more force into it than she had ever used. It grew 3 times in size, and it increased in speed. The concentration dissipated over a larger expanse of area and snow started developing instead of ice. In other terms, her Ice Beam transformed into a powerful and unstoppable blizzard. In the Blizzard's tracks was an aurora. The entire attack looked like it was made of Rainbow Ice.
Glaceon just used Sheer Cold.
The most powerful Ice move known to this date.
It created a platform below a screaming May, thinking she had just fallen to her death.
Instead she landed on a soft snow. Compact snow, but soft nonetheless.
May looked up to find Glaceon and saw the beautiful aurora emanating from her. She thought about her actions. She thought about Glaceon's. She thought about Ash.
She was ashamed.
Ash would never have done this, or would have wanted her to do this.
Besides, Glaceon learned an impossible move. That's how much she loved her.
Then Glaceon collapsed from exhaustion, and May, in freak panic, rushed to the woods, spending the next hour finding the Pokeball to her Glaceon.
May came back and apologized to the unconscious being, then kissed her sleeping savior on the head. May touched the Pokeball to the Fresh Snow Pokemon, and reclaimed her beloved Eeveelution. She turned back to go and find her other beloveds.
May smiled at her Glaceon, remembering that occasion.
She thought about stopping by the MooMoo Milk Farm to say "Hi." She sighed, not sure if she could take any shower of praise from the Ash-addicted family. They would probably talk about how her achievement in the Grand Festival was all because of her training with Ash blahblahblah and how it was because Ash was so amazing blahblahblah and how proud Ash would be blahblahblah.
May didn't know if she could take it. So she decided to take a shortcut she learned a while back to get to Olivine faster. Unfortunately, it evaded the Milk Farm. But May didn't think it would be good for her sanity to stop by the caring family.
Little did she know there was a powerful force brewing a good distance away from Johto.
A longgg distance away.
Back when her brother made a special connection and friendship with a small yet powerful Pokemon.
Jirachi had made his decision.
He was a kind soul who wanted to grant May's wish more than anything. But he didn't know if she was old enough for the wish to be granted, if she was mature enough to handle the results of it, and most importantly, if she was honest to herself enough to believe in it.
But Jirachi could sense things. He knew the pain inside May's heart. She had even made a special wish straight to him not too long ago if he would make her wish come true even though she missed the last night.
He now knew that May had forgotten to wish the last night not because the day was too hectic, but rather because she was more concerned for a certain boy's health and well being. At first Jirachi thought it was just her little brother, his best friend. But he recently discovered there was another. She wanted to either die with a different boy, or survive with him. He was too distracted by the Groudon back then, and did not listen carefully to what her choice last words were before being swallowed by the gooey evil being that was feigning a Groudon. Jirachi used all the might he could muster to replay the event in his mind.
What he heard from May shocked him.
So going with what he heard he smiled and closed his eyes. He thought of Max, the boy who had befriended him closer than any other being before. He thought of Butler, the man who had salvaged his mistake. He thought of Dianne, the woman whom Jirachi had granted her big wish. He granted her wish for the real Butler to come back, and to let them get on with their lives. He thought of Ash, the brave boy who had now saved the world…gahhh why bother counting how many times.
Finally he thought of May. The passionate girl who just wanted a wish. She would give up her life as a coordinator for that wish.
So with a final breath before returning to a long, long rest, he summoned a power within him. He used Doom Desire the way it was meant to be used. Not to harm, but to help. He used it to change the future. He made Jasmine cross paths with Ash in the middle of her journey by a series of "chance" ear-splitting thunderstorms and unusually clear and hot days. And there was that one unfortunate incidence that made Ash miss a ferry by sleeping too late from a "mysterious sleep inducement" in his previous night's hot chocolate, and another incident that involved Jasmine getting caked with mud. No details needed.
Basically, the chance of their paths crossing was one in a million. But he did it anyway to help May.
Jasmine would return early, and speak to May. More natural phenomena, more unfortunate cases…this included making May's rivals all lose in the Grand Festival before she could face them…more BS that really Jirachi shouldn't have done.
But May deserved it. She would talk to Jasmine and her wish would be granted.
So as he closed his eyes and opened his true eye to absorb energy from the flora around him, he smiled and thought of May's final words before being swallowed by Groudon.
"I wish that Ash Ketchum and I, May Maple, would love each other with a kind, passionate, romantic, and…no…no descriptions…I wish we would love each other the way we do now. That we would treat each other above all else. Because I know Ash is the kindest person ever to me. If he loved me, that would be heaven and a half. I love you, Ash Ketchum. I love you, I love you, I love you."
4:56
May was just on time.
She was swimming against traffic. She pushed through a crowd of at least 1000 people trying to find one specific person she had never met in her life. She was searching left and right, up and down. She was cursed at, shoved around, and even pushed off the dock by anxious and feisty passengers cramped and tired of the long, 2-week ferry from Sinnoh.
She was about to give up while she was struggling to get out of the murky sound she was pushed into.
Why do I even bother? Why am I so impatient? If I wait on a higher ground location, or at the gym, I'll eventually find her. Now I'm wet and tired and…
She didn't get to finish her thought. A hand came out of nowhere to help her out. She gratefully accepted the offer, not even looking at her helper. She was busy wringing the water out of her hair.
"Thanks. A lot. I'm kinda busy looking for someone, and for some reason I'm all impatient today, so I apologize for running out on you, but I kinda need to find…"
She was interrupter by the laughter of a very confident sounding voice.
A more soothing one followed.
"May, you are exactly how Ash described you. Pleased to meet you. I'm Jasmine, the Olivine City Gym Leader and caretaker of the Glitter Lighthouse. Lets get you back to my place so we can get you cleaned up. You look tired…and not to mention filthy!" She giggled at herself by the sound of her own unintentional rudeness. "Sorry. But Ash described you as this beautiful girl…and here I get one that is sopped, speckled in mud, and splotched in sweat. She gave her the classic closed-eyed smile with her head tilted to the side. It was Nurse Joy's original trademark, but in the last century or so, it picked up speed on the planet of Pokemon. It was an act and symbol of cheerfulness.
May couldn't help but detect two things.
One, the voice of Jasmine was certainly as soothing as a silver bell, but…there was something else. May couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was in the leader's voice that sounded…old. Like it had been the results of old instances in her life. Like the soot layer that covered the remnants of an ancient ruins.
Two, ASH CALLED HER BEAUTIFUL?
OMG WTF?
That's all May thought for the next few minutes.
Apparently Jasmine was a patient person, because she took the gape-mouthed girl in front of her by locking their elbows together and started dragging her to the home. She smiled, and didn't care about the peculiar no-response May was giving her.
She weaved through the crowd like an expert, and avoided collisions like it was her day job. The coordinator lost in thought behind her didn't seem to slow her down, as she just kept moving. The gym leader was agile, smooth, and quite efficient in her every move. Maybe it was her youthfulness, but in truth Jasmine was just that awesome.
May finally shook herself out of her trance about ¾ of the way to the house. The sun was setting and beautiful colors from all over the front end of the rainbow spectrum dazzled and lit up the surrounding area. It made the sun look like it was melting into the ground while the smoggy city air reflected the yellows and oranges everywhere. The metallic parts of buildings and machines sparkled and looked stunningly attractive.
But to May, all she could see when she came back down to the planet was the beautiful gym leader right in front of her.
Jasmine dressed in simple attire. She had a simple teal dress that went from the top of her chest to her knees. The last few inches were a translucent material that looked like the stuff made in the bridal veil. It hugged her waist, but wasn't tight around her chest and legs. It was like a dress that given the proper tightness could have made a girl look like a slut, suggesting many things with the way it was worn. But Jasmine's dress was different. It was light and slightly puffed out. Also, the young leader wore a top that only was the length of the upper half of her body. It was a snowy white, and went up her arms to just above the elbow. It was supposed to serve as a suggestive piece of clothing, but Jasmine had it tailored specifically to loosen the way it hugged her breasts so as to not suggest anything. The final compliment to her outfit was her orange bow that was tied in a puffy fashion at the intersection of her white top and her teal dress. It added coverage so as to not reveal anything in her upper body, and drew a looker's attention to her face.
And as if her body wasn't beautiful enough, her face was downright gorgeous. Her whole skin was a perfect cream color and shone beautifully in the sunset light. Her eyes glistened with beautiful colors of extremely faint orange. But her irises were the exact same color as her hair—a light, milk chocolate-colored brown. She had on a permanent smile that radiated confidence and kindness. Her hair was done so humbly, but it looked gorgeous all the same. It was let down completely except for two simple, large, orange beads holding parts of her hair in the air in a fashion that looked like the cute tuff of hair on a Torchic's head.
In the sunset, it looked like you could coat Jasmine up to down in the most hideous, purple-green, disgusting mix of sludge and vomit ever concocted, and she would still look like a contender for Miss Johto.
Jasmine stopped for a second to admire the sun. Her face had a mixed feel of power and beauty. She stood with her right heel slightly off the ground to allow her right knee bend in towards her left one slightly. She held both hands behind her back. The wind kicked up and lifted her hair with it making it flutter like a butterfly. This cuteness should have contradicted the beauty and power exerted by her face. But the girl again pulled off an unlikely combination in such a way each part complimented the other.
May must have been gawking a bit too obviously because Jasmine looked over at her and instantly freaked out, trying to mess her hair up so it looked ugly. She smiled large and sheepishly at May.
The coordinator was unmoved. Jasmine just looked beautiful all the same.
But the action made May break out of her silent streak and laugh.
Jasmine pouted and demanded an explanation.
Through clenched teeth, May smiled and said, "It's nothing Jasmine. You just look so beautiful, I wonder why you don't have guys falling to their knees proposing every two seconds!"
The leader sighed and replied, "If only that weren't true. Things were just so crazy today no guy had a chance I bet."
May blinked twice then stared in awe.
"Ahhh, Bibarel!" Jasmine swore, "You just started talking and I went and Klinked it up."
May was surprised at the words the steel leader used but she just smiled and said, "No you didn't. As far as I'm concerned, you haven't Klinked anything up in your entire life! Besides, I'm here to talk with you, not stare at you like a jealous wannabe with my jaw scraping the ground."
Jasmine giggled and nodded her head. "Couldn't agree more."
They continued on to the house, making final introductions about and to each other. Then when they were about 2 minutes from the house, they started talking about the foods they liked, how they were both voracious eaters (they got a good kick outta that) and how much their Pokemon loved it. When May mentioned Ash was the same way, she saw a brief look of sadness across Jasmine's face.
May was stunned and confused. They walked the rest of the way in silence.
When they arrived, Jasmine was greeted by an electric shock. May was frightened and reached to help her, thinking it was a dangerous, rouge Pokemon, but Jasmine called her off with a smile on her face. She shouted out out,
"HEY MAGNETON! COME OVER HERE BUDDY!"
A Magneton that had an extreme look of glee on it descended from nowhere and dashed around Jasmine, sending slight jolts of electricity to select ticklish spots of the leader. Jasmine tried to resist and fight back. She lunged out unsuccessfully time and time again at the Magnet Pokemon. She finally caved in and doubled over laughing uncontrollably. She started slapping the ground, tapping out. Magneton stopped and circled in close to her.
Jasmine started looking like she was in pain in her stomach. Magneton started panicking and worrying almost instantly. It looked over Jasmine, trying to figure out what it did wrong, probably apologizing in its own language too. Jasmine suddenly smiled slyly and tackled the Pokemon. She was rewarded with a strong electric jolt. Magneton glared at the trainer, then helped her up. The two embraced for a brief second, then let go. Jasmine introduced the Pokemon to May.
"May, this is one of my most trusted home keepers, Magneton. It's a tough battler, but I needed someone I could trust to look over the house while I was gone."
May remembered a question she had wanted to ask from the start.
"Why were you on a journey in the first place?"
Jasmine's smile faded and she her eyes clouded. She nodded to Magneton, and it levitated away. She turned to May and sighed.
"I was afraid of this question May, so I'm sorry for my reaction. I think we should go inside and I should explain while the night is young. No sense spoiling the end of the beautiful Olivine night, so I should get this topic out of the way first."
May clamped her hands to her mouth as her eyes widened with fear that she just did something horribly wrong.
I'm always Klanking everything up.
"Whoops…Jasmine don't elaborate if you don't want to. You know what, forget I asked the stupid question." May tried to smile.
It didn't work. Jasmine just frowned deeper, and her face darkened more.
"No."
May looked at her inquisitively. "Why not?"
Jasmine looked in the distance at the sun, which now was barely peeking over the horizon. "I need to tell someone. Any you'll soon find out why you would be the best person to tell it to. Come inside. I'll fix us up some smoothies."
May hesitated, but finally agreed and went in with the Steel master.
May sat in silence as she waited anxiously for Jasmine to come out. Even though it had only been 4 minutes, it felt like 4 hours. May was so nervous she was tapping her heel impatiently in a very fast rhythm, and was searching the room for something for her eyes to latch onto and stare at for a brief moment before swiftly detaching themselves and searching for the next distraction. When Jasmine came out, her expression was still one of upsetness. She carried a tray with two cups of fresh, Lum Berry smoothies. She set them down on the coffee table, and started to slowly sip her own while avoiding May's gaze. The coordinator absolutely refused to take it, despite her parched mouth telling her otherwise. She was so anxious for the explanation, keeping her body hydrated was a second priority.
Finally Jasmine set the cup down and spoke with a low somber voice. There was still a faint trace of that something May detected earlier.
"I was very unhappy once. I used to put on fake smiles on a daily basis and cry myself to sleep more often than not. I have an Ampharos that lives in the Glitter Lighthouse…you know what and where that is, right? Ok good…and he was incredibly sick. I couldn't stop worrying about him. I have never lost a Pokemon before, and I didn't exactly plan on expanding Lavender Tower. I was sunken, desperate, and depressed. But then Ash showed up."
Jasmine took a moment to take another swig of her special smoothie. During this May realized something. That thing in her voice…it's a pain of sadness! It's a recollection of how she felt back then. That's why it felt so faint and ancient…
"He challenged me to a battle. Originally one of my trainees accepted his challenge and used her Onix with…unorthodox and illegal methods. I had to barge in and call off the battle like a total jerk. I called the trainee, Janina was her name, to my office to discuss her need to travel. She had to get away from the gym. I went out to meet this rash boy. This first thing I ever thought about Ash was 'Who can possibly be dimwitted enough to think a girl Janina's age was a gym leader?' He tried to explain things to me, but I was already biased against him. But I also was patient and humble, keeping my fake smile on. I informed him and his two friends that I could not accept his challenge and give a proper battle in exchange. Ash took this surprisingly well. The girl, not as much. She tried to argue for the boy's case. Brock? Well…he just seemed smitten over me when I think about it. I hadn't even talked to him yet and he was already proposing to me."
The Iron-Clad Defense girl snickered at this thought.
She continued, "I thought I had rid myself of them once and for all, and that I wouldn't see them again for a while until after Sparky, the Ampharos, felt better. But Ash found a way to find me. He climbed to the top of the lighthouse. At first I was annoyed he was coming up to try and persuade me to battle him, but he didn't. He just wanted to see how my Ampharos was doing and to see if he could do anything to help. He is such a kind person…"
Jasmine drifted off there. May had to literally 'snap' her back to reality.
After a hard sweatdrop and deep blush, Jasmine went on. "He offered to go to Cianwood City for me to retrieve the special Secret Medicine. It could cure Sparky in an instant. So he battled the harsh sea route to get there. When he arrived, he sent Janina back with the bottle, promising he wasn't far behind. Well sure enough, the medicine worked like a charm. Sparky was back in top form, and I went out of my depression. But there was something else…for some reason I couldn't stop thinking of Ash."
May thought, Boy, doesn't that sound familiar." She just nodded to confirm she was still paying attention.
"So I started counting the days it took for him to arrive and I waited on the banks of the port continuously for an hour every day from then on. I didn't know what drove me to do so, but I did. Then, he did arrive. Of course, Team Rocket attacked them in an instant. But this time, they were much more prepared. It was looking bad for Ash, but he wouldn't give up. This made my heart skip a couple beats. I had to interfere, so I did. Naturally Team Rocket ended up in the atmosphere somewhere of course."
May couldn't help but laugh. Team Rocket is just three extreme cases of goofballs.
"We made our introductions. It was clear I was a lot more confident and happy from last time. I didn't tell him, but most of my happiness was because he was finally at the doorstep of my gym. I had been training for our battle for forever. We battled hard, and as usual Ash found himself in a rough corner. And also as usual, he fought of it. That evening…it was a sunset much like tonight's…when I gave him his badge, his fingers brushed my palm as he took his well-earned badge. I probably didn't show it since I'm good at hiding things, but I blushed big time."
May looked confused. "But what does this have to do with why what I asked hurt you?
Jasmine smiled at May's impatience. "All in good time."
"Now, after he left I had a sudden surge of confidence. I was super excited for each new challenger, and I couldn't lose. I won 31 straight after Ash left. However, I soon started losing my lust for the battle. I felt like I was missing…something. I didn't exactly know what, but I started slowly but surely slipping into a state of depression. Something was missing in my heart."
Jasmine teared a little at that comment. She still had a smile on, though, and she gracefully wept away the tear in such a way that May couldn't help but remember her mom when she found out dad actually wasn't cheating on her with Nurse Joy.
The Defense Queen went on. "So after about 6 months after Ash had beaten me and about 2 months after he finished in the top 8 in the Johto conference, I made an executive decision. I was going out on a journey to find myself again. I knew this time I was not getting upset because of something at home in Olivine City. So I figured I had to rough it on a journey to figure out what was eating at me. So I made a note to my highest colleague to look after the gym, packed my stuff, said my goodbyes, and left the town. I say, I remember the day I left like it was yesterday…everyone cheering for me at the city limits and wishing me the best of luck. It made me feel warm inside. Not quite happy, but at least it was a feeling other than sadness."
May understood what Jasmine meant. When she was in north Petalburg with Ash quite a few months ago, she was still immature. She had everyone absolutely adoring her, and she let that get in the way of her feelings towards Ash. Ash was obviously tired and had beaten about 80 straight.
Everyone told me I could do it. That I was the best ever. I told Torchic to use Ember and I missed…but I ended up barbequing Ash. Good thing he was used to Charizard's flamethrowers, or I would have felt extremely heartbroken had I known I hurt Ash pretty badly.
"I traveled for days on end. I left Johto and trained world-wide to attempt and hone my skills. I spent most of my early days in Kanto. When it was clear that was getting me nowhere, I tried a crack at Hoenn. I was still offered love notes and hit up for dates and training sessions by guys throughout both regions. I was starting to get used to it, I'll be honest."
Jasmine took a moment to catch her breath. "I would pay attention to the news by tuning into radio and the TV at local Pokemon Centers. I started noticing my training was getting me nowhere. Then I had a sudden hunch. Almost like an epiphany, just I didn't know if I was right or not. I noticed I was paying attention to everything Ash was doing, and that his news made me jump in my skin and start paying attention to the news that he was on instantly. It was then I had an idea. I knew Professor Elm's number so I called him. The professor said he knew Ash, but didn't have any of his contact information. Ash had his, but he neglected to get Ash's. He referred me to Professor Oak. I had to wait 2 days before he responded to the Lavaridge Center. He called Joy, asking for me. It was a good thing too. I had just gathered all my belongings to move on and figure out a different way to contact Ash. Oak was more than happy to give me the number and location of Ash's current hotel/Pokemon Center."
May gave Jasmine an inquisitive look. "But why did you want his number?"
Jasmine sighed and didn't respond. She went on, "I had found out that even age doesn't separate my heart. We weren't that far apart, but it was a difference nonetheless. May, I had fallen in love with Ash."
May gasped. She quickly tried to cover her mouth to hide her noise, but she was unsuccessful. Not only that, but her eyes were so wide, they probably gave away her reaction by themselves.
NO. PLEASE, NOO!
Jasmine raised an eyebrow and smiled, amused at the coordinator's reaction. "Don't worry May. I know what you feel right now, and don't worry."
May was confused. "You don't mean I…"
Jasmine shook her head and ignored May for some reason. Probably to keep on with the story.
"When I finally got ahold of Ash, he was sincerely surprised to see me. I went through the normal introductions. I tried not to blush when I saw him smile, but who's to say I didn't?" Jasmine giggled at that. "So I kept in contact with him as I went through my journey. Slowly but surely my confidence came back. I rose back up to my former self, and soon left that self in the dust. I became stronger, wiser, and more elegant than ever. I even competed in some contests to attempt to learn the whole spectrum of battling. I won 3 ribbons in Sinnoh. Not enough to compete in the Grand Festival, but who cares? I won! I did well, and I learned. All because I kept in contact with Ash."
May had calmed down and absorbed every word Jasmine said.
That sounds like Ash, all right.
Jasmine got up and walked over to the window to stare at the night sky. "But I needed to see him. I needed to tell him how I felt. I needed to get it off my chest so when I stopped keeping in consistent contact with him I could stay strong. So I cooked up a strategy to meet up with him at Sunnyshore City. And sure enough I timed it right and met up with him there. But there was someone with him. An elite four member, Flint."
May nodded, completely sucked into the story.
"See I had reached a road block in my training—Ash. I stopped becoming stronger because I was using him as a crutch without him knowing it. So if I wasn't as strong as an Elite Four member yet, I had to let him go. Flint had a close battle with me. He still easily beat me, but I hung with him much better than even a good gym leader. I was proud of myself."
May cringed, knowing where this story was going. Are Ash and Jasmine a….couple?
Jasmine kept going. May couldn't read her expression, and therefor had no idea what she was feeling. And she never was good at reading aura like Ash…
"But then Dawn asked me a question. About love. Well, not directly, but I'm pretty good at detecting this sort of thing. So when I was answering I realized something. You should put your loved ones ahead of your own dream. So I promised myself to tell Ash that night."
May was starting to cry.
"But as I was going to tell him, I saw him holding something. See as I was talking to him throughout my journey, he talked wondrous things about this girl named May. At first I thought it was nothing, but that night changed everything. I walked up and asked him something….."
"Hey Ash, how ya doing?"
Ash turned around, startled by the sudden interruption. "Uhmm uhhh…?"
Jasmine giggled, "Caught up in your words huh? I didn't know I was thatgood looking."
Ash laughed at that. "Still have the same sense of humor I see Jasmy."
Jasmine blushed. For some reason Ash started calling her that nickname. She had no idea why, but she guessed Jasmine was too long for Ash to say.
Ash continued. "So how's your training? You looked solid in your battle today."
Jasmine nodded. "Yeah. I thought I did extraordinarily well, especially considering I was at a type disadvantage."
"Well you did really well. One piece of advice I could give you was to force Infernape into a physical move and close range combat since that's where Steelix's defense shines through."
Jasmine just smiled at her bad luck and shook her head to herself. "Well, well. Looks like the trainer is teaching the gym leader, huh?" She winked at Ash at that one.
Ash laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
Jasmine was distracted by a glint and saw his right hand holding a ribbon of some kind. "Um, Ash?"
Ash raised his eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Jasmine pointed to his right hand. "What's that?"
Ash looked down and freaked out seeing he still had the ribbon in his hand. He started spasing out and tried to hide it. "Uhh, what ribbon? Hahahah…"
Jasmine chuckled at that. "I didn't even ask if it was a ribbon Ash."
Ash sighed and pulled it out. "It's special to me." He stared at it in awe and silence at the way the light reflected off it.
Jasmine kept pushing. "What about it?"
The raven-haired boy hesitated. He looked at Pikachu on his shoulder. The mouse nodded and instilled courage into Ash. "Jasmy, you've became a really close friend of mine while I've been traveling here in Sinnoh. But Brock and Dawn don't know about that for understandable reasons."
Jasmine giggled while having her eyes closed, thinking of how much Brock would bother Ash about her and how much Dawn would poke at him about whether Ash liked her or not.
Ash took a deep breath and finally asked a question. "So can I trust you to keep a secret that no one else in the world knows?"
Jasmine was surprised by the question. She nodded.
"That girl I've been talking about May? Yeah. I think I like her."
Jasmine was surprised. Her thoughts around this time were something like NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
"Well this ribbon is my closest connection to her. He raised it up."
Jasmine wanted to curse him out. She wanted to call him some choice names for leading her on. She wanted to tell her May was worthless, oh how'd she love that….
But then she saw his smile. His smile at the ribbon. But it had something infused in it. Longing.
Jasmine thought back to how she felt when she was depressed in Olivine. She thought back to when she was struggling on her journey. She thought back to how much she wanted him.
He looked much the same.
She remembered her words to Dawn. She remembered her realization. She remembered how much she'd grown this journey.
Ash deserved this girl.
Jasmine knew that in loving Ash she had to let Ash go. She wanted Ash to have the best in his life. Besides, there were other out there for her.
At that moment, The Defense Girl let go of Ash. She still loved him all the same, but she was okay with not having him. She smiled and put her hand on Ash's shoulder. She gave him a surprising peck on the cheek. She said, "Go find her Ash. She'd really appreciate that."
And with that, Jasmine walked off. She would see Ash in the morning, but only as a leader-trainer relationship.
But she vowed to keep in contact with him. Their friendship was above this.
And Jasmine felt on top of the world.
Jasmine took a deep breath. She turned to face May with a huge smile on her face. "I'm fine now May, really. And while I was talking to you today, I couldn't help but see how much you love him too. So go after him May. Do what I didn't, and chase him. Get him to love you before he finds someone else. Don't end up feeling regret like me."
May stared at Jasmine for a second. Then she smiled and gave the Steel Type Leader a huge hug.
"Thank you so much Jasmy…you don't mind if I call you that, right?...this talk has taught me so much. I will do exactly as you say. I'm finding Ash right now. Oh, and here's my Pokegear information."
Jasmine took the paper May had scribbled on and smiled. She pulled a card out of her pocket and put her number on the back.
"Here. This is the number to the gym, and to my house." She winked at May and went over to the door and opened it.
May smiled and dashed out the door. She turned around and called out, "Again, THANKS SO MUCH! I owe you one Jasmy!"
And then she was gone.
Jasmine looked at the paper in front of her. She walked over to her home PC and plugged in the information. She looked over at Magneton in the kitchen as it came out. It had a skeptical look on its face and inquired where the guest went.
Jasmine looked at the floor for a second. Then she raised her face and spoke, "She went to go be a better me. Now, about that food…"
Jirachi felt the conversation that had just unfolded at the Jasmine Resident's. He smiled in his sleep, knowing he was successful in his mission.
May. You deserve this. I hope you accept my wish granting.
Ash wiped his brow. He was traveling home from the Sinnoh League, and boy was successful. Maybe he lost to Tobias, yes. But he became not only the only trainer ever to beat his main Pokemon, Darkrai, but he also beat his second Pokemon. Pikachu deserved a major serving of his mom's food when he got home. He started thinking about his mom's food. He started watering at his mouth and his stomach grumbled. He and Pikachu looked at each other. They shared a laugh.
But there was another sound. Another laugh.
And this one was a lot lighter and higher.
He turned around to see May heading his way. He blushed and started stammering. "Uhmm, uhh, uhhh"
May laughed and walked up to him and pulled him into a sudden kiss. It was sudden, but it was real. It lasted for a good amount of time. May held Ash in close to her, not ever wanting to let him go again. She felt his surprise and confusion in his lips, but she also felt relief and love. She embraced this and held the kiss for what it deserved.
When they pulled away, Ash looked at May, babbling like an idiot. May giggled and took his hand.
"Walk with me. We have much to talk about."
Now you know why I took so long to upload! 9 THOUSAND WORDS! I MUST BE CRAZY! ...well yeah I guess I am ^^'
I want to make a point known...When I described Jasmine's dress get up, if you have read p1 of my Caitlin trilogy you notice there are many similarities. This is on purpose. They have the same fashion! I think I would like Jasmine more if she was more featured in her episodes. I love her from my story, and I would be a LightHouseShipper if Jasmine was in enough Pokemon episodes. But she's not. So I don't know where I stand on it.
Speaking of LightHouseShipping...even though the chances of one of you few shippers read my fic, I'm sorry. However, I will be making an alternate ending for LightHouseShipping as a separate fic. Or as another chapter. I have no idea. I don't know why, but the three gym leaders ship Ash with (well really two, but Jasmine is close) are the best looking young girls in Pokemon, and they all show solid hints in their episodes. Jasmine not as much, but I like her all the same.
Another point...This story was very drabble-based and wasn't as focused on ADVS as it was on plot buildup. I did this on purpose. The way the story developed, it made more sense to focus on Jasmine's journey with Ash and how she went through heartbreak. But she made the most of it, and brought Ash and May together. An interesting OneShot, I know. But the next one will be more focused on Ash, so keep an eye out for that ;)
Also, I won't be posting ch.2 for My major ADVS story that is p2 of my Caitlin Trilogy. I have less inspiration to write that, and it will honestly be crappy compared to what I am capable of. So instead I will write what I have inspiration to write - Raimei.
Read my profile for info on Raimei/RS
It will be a mini story, not to the extent of my Caitlin Trilogy. But my Raimei and Snowball stories will be good and numerous. Who knows. Maybe one day I'll make a great trilogy involving Elesa, Candice, and Jasmine! ;)
R&R as always.
-Px
