(A/N): Max does not exist in this story as I don't feel he is necessary for character development. So May is also an only child. Sorry Max fans.

Chapter 3: Family Outing

Ages

Ash: 10

May: 9

Standing in a long hallway with a huge crowd on either side, a man with spiky, jet-black hair, wearing a black tuxedo was standing next to a man with similar build and hair, only brown instead of black. At one end of the hallway, a woman with brown hair that reached her shoulders and wearing a long, elegant, silk-white dress, was standing, waiting patiently for the man. The building was in complete silence, despite the huge crowd, until a voice gradually gets louder and louder. Ash… Ash… Ash…

"Ash!"

The whole image shattered abruptly, replaced by a completely new and distinct one. This new image consists of a simple bedroom surrounded by emerald coloured walls, though the image was still blurry. The loud noise woke Ash up. Rubbing his eyes in a rather rough manner, the image began to get clearer and clearer.

"Mum! Today's Saturday! Can't I get some sleep?"

Delia shook her head. Seeing an argument as pointless, Ash put his head back on the pillow. She knew her son was stubborn and forcing him out of bed by force was not her method so she placed her thumb on her forehead, thinking of a way. A few moments later, an idea formed. A surefire way to get Ash out of bed with minimum force. She gets closer and closer to Ash and positioned her mouth so that it was next to his ear. With her soft voice, she whispered. "Breakfast."

In a blink of an eye, Ash was nowhere to be seen, with the door wide open and loud footsteps were heard near the stairs. Delia smiled to herself, the plan was always a success. She closed the door gently and walked downstairs to the dining table.

Ash was devouring his breakfast, nothing was out of the norm. Having finished his meal in seconds, he couldn't help but to think about his dream. Those two men. That woman. They look very familiar but I can't figure out who they are. But I feel something strange about the dream. It's like it's somehow connected to me.

"Ash, take a bath and change your clothes. We're going out in an hour."

Ash cocked his head in confusion. Neither of his parents have told him of any plans of going out. After a tiring school week, he was planning to spend the weekend at his bed, reading books or watching TV to unwind, but it seems those plans have gone down the drain. He could only hope that what his parents were planning would be exciting.

"Where? What are we going to do?"

"You can always trust your mother, Ash. I'm sure you'll going to like it." Delia smiled at Ash, trying to convince him. "Yesterday, Caroline called me and invited the three of us to join them for a day together. You know what that means, Ash?"

Sparks could be seen in Ash's eyes, he could finally understand where this was heading to. Delia couldn't help but continue smiling, she could see that her son was finally getting excited. "That means that you can get to play with May." Ash jumped to his mother and gave her a bone-crushing hug in gratitude. Having been on the receiving end of such hugs from a certain brunette countless times, he has learnt how to give one himself.

Meanwhile in the Maple household, May was walking around the house in a quick pace. She can't keep still. Seeing their daughter in this hyperactive state, Norman sighed while Caroline was squealing, knowing the reason behind May's actions.

"Be patient May. I know we're going to be with the Ketchums for the whole day, which includes you-know-who, but you should keep your energy until later."

Seeing the logic in her mother's statement, May sat patiently on the couch while watching the television. At the very least, she was attempting to stay calm. It was the first time she gets to spend the whole day with her crush. And no school works to bother them either. It will be a day of only fun. She couldn't wait for the hour to end when the Ketchums will arrive at their doorstep.

An hour later a knock was heard in front of the door. Without thinking, May rushed to the door, already having an idea of the people on the other side of the door. She opened the door to see Delia, Giovanni, and Ash, just as she had expected. She gave a regular greeting to both Delia and Giovanni, but gave Ash her style of greeting, to be exact the oh-so-familiar hug. Seeing the sight, Giovanni muttered Young love. May politely gestured for the three of them to come to the living room and sit.

As Norman and Caroline noticed the presence of Giovanni and Delia, they exchanged friendly hugs, though it's the soft and gentle one, unlike May's hugs. As soon as they finished exchanging hugs, all 6 exited the house and entered Giovanni's car. Giovanni was in the driver's seat while Delia sat next to him, Norman & Caroline were content to sit in the middle row while Ash & May were more than happy to be at the rear.

The park they were heading to was slightly far from Littleroot Town so the trip took about 2 hours. The 4 parents were rarely making any noises, simply enjoying the view. They were conserving their energy for the time at the park. However, the same cannot be said about the children. There were only 2, yet from the amount of noise they made, an estimate of at least 5 children would not be unreasonable. The giggling May made when Ash cracked a joke, the manic laughter Ash made when May mercilessly tickled him. They couldn't limit their volume when they're telling each other stories about interesting things that happen in their lives. Strangely, most of their stories involve their experiences with each other. Their parents couldn't help but overhear their conversation. Giovanni muttered Young love again, but this time, Caroline joined him.

When they arrived at the park, Giovanni found a parking space and parked there. He went out of the car in a normal pace. So do Delia, Norman and Caroline. However, the same can't be said about May and Ash. The pace in which they went out of the car was breathtaking. This unbelievable pace could be attributed to the seemingly infinite energy associated with youth, combined with the fact that both of them were with their favourite people.

Delia and Caroline laid the mat while Giovanni & Norman took the foods out of the picnic basket. There was enough food to feed 10 people, despite having only 6 people in the group. Both Delia & Caroline have made sure to bring an excess supply of foods & beverages, as they have known that their children's appetite could rival a Snorlax. This was another consequence of limitless energy.

May & Ash failed to notice the mat and basket as they immediately chased each other playfully. Unlike the chase that happened 5 years ago, May now had more difficulties in chasing Ash.

The baskets have been almost emptied, with the contents on the mat instead. Delia was enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature while slowly sipping a warm cup of tea while the other three parents were happily engaging in a conversation with each other.

"So Norman, how did you and Caroline met?"

"It was 15 years ago, when we were about May & Ash's age. I was rushing home after school because my favourite show was about to play. Caroline was carrying some glassware and as I was running I didn't take notice about my surroundings. I bumped into her and you know what happens next. Not a very good first impression, eh?"

Caroline decided to continue Norman's story from here onwards. "Of course, I was outraged. I yelled to him, demanding that he do something to atone for his mistakes. So he asked where I bought it and he went there to buy it with his own money. After that, I thanked him and we introduced ourselves to each other."

Giovanni was listening intently to the story but Norman wondered why he was asking a question like that. "Not to be rude or something, but why are you asking that?"

Giovanni let out a small chuckle before answering. "Two reasons. One, I was just curious. Two, I want to tell you how I met Delia. So, it was my first day of school. I can't put into words how nervous I am. My mother has to carry me to school. When I was inside the class, my teacher made me sit next to Delia. She calmly introduced her self while I'm not sure if she can hear what I was saying, I was stuttering and shaking. We spent the day chatting with each other. She wasn't very much of a talker, but it doesn't make it any less fun."

Taking a deep breath, Giovanni continued. "There is one reason why I want to share my story with you. Do you know why?" Both Maples shook their head. "It's Ash's first day of school five years ago. He was also very nervous, all though not as much as me, he walked by his own. There was only one empty seat so he sat there, May was sitting next to him. Both me and Delia left the class afterwards so I don't know what they did."

Norman noticed the similarities between Norman and Ash's story and he had an idea. "Wait, why does your first day & Ash's first day sound almost identical?"

"Exactly! What I've been trying to say is what if both of them end up like me and Delia?"

This earned a laugh from Norman. What was the possibility of both father and son marrying their childhood friends? "Don't you think that's a little far-fetched?"

"Not exactly. Sure it is not certain that they're going to be married in the future but look at them now."

Norman looked at both Ash & May. They were lying on the grass, gazing at the sky, with their heads brushing against each other. They were taking a short break, after chasing each other. Smiles were visible on their faces, either from looking at the sky's beauty or the presence of each other. The day was slightly cold, so they held hands to share their body warmth. There were no words exchanged between them but none were necessary to show that they were very comfortable with each other. Norman's sight was interrupted by Giovanni's voice.

"Do you see what I mean now? If I hadn't known them any better, I would've thought that they're a couple. Look at them holding hands! Too bad they don't know what it means."

Norman looked at his watch. The watch shows that it was lunchtime so he yelled so that May & Ash can hear it. They stood up right away and hurried to the picnic mat. As always, they gobbled down their food while their parents were eating slowly, enjoying their food. Everything went well until there was only one more sandwich left and the facial expression of both children showed they both want it. This was a very familiar scenario for parents. Two children fighting over an item. They would yell at each other and a physical fight was possible. In any case, the parents were ready to break the fight. However, to their huge surprise, the fight never came. Ash took the sandwich without any resistance from May and instead of eating it, he gave it to May. The surprise doesn't end there. May split the sandwich into two parts and handing Ash one of them. Both of them showed their gratitude to each other and they were genuinely smiling. Giovanni & Norman scratched their heads. This behaviour was atypical of kids. They usually haven't learnt the customs of sharing yet these two were treating it as if it were normal. On the other hand, the enthusiasm displayed by them at the beginning of a day was just like a little kid. The fathers were wondering whether their children were still a child or not. Caroline was squealing at her daughter's behaviour while Delia was smiling, she was delighted by her son's maturity. Several minutes later both children burped simultaneously, signaling that they have had enough, and ran to the field to resume playing.

While drinking a cup of coffee, Giovanni said. "I said earlier that if I hadn't known them, I would've thought they're a couple. Now, even when I know them, I'm starting to doubt that they were only friends."

This earned the interest of the other parents. Caroline agreed with Giovanni's statement. "I don't know about Ash but May admitted she has a crush on him. This morning she was very excited about today that she couldn't keep still. So have Ash confessed to either of you?"

Delia and Giovanni shook their heads. "I'm not saying he doesn't have a crush on her but no, he hasn't told us. Although from how he acts around her, I'm sure he has. When I asked him about school, somehow May was always involved in his stories. This could either mean two things. Either Ash was hiding it or he just doesn't realise it yet."

Meanwhile, May and Ash were at the top of a hill located at the park while the parents were at the bottom. May was at the edge of the hill and while she was walking, she accidentally hit a rock. She was about to fall of the hill and yelled in reflex. All 4 parents were alerted by her yell and stood up, preparing to help her. However, before they could even move, Ash came to her rescue and grabbed her hand. Once she recovered from her shock, she sat on the grass and Ash did the same.

"Thanks for saving me Ash!"

"What kind of friend am I if I didn't save you?"

May went closer and closer to Ash before pecking him on the cheeks. This has the immediate effect of turning his face red as tomato and impairing his speech.

"W-wh-what was t-that f-f-for?"

"Your reward, my hero" May said in a seductive voice never heard before by Ash. He could only shiver at the foreign tone his friend used.

Down the hill, Giovanni saw what happened and he was stunned at what he saw. "Norman, Caroline, I believed you when you said your daughter have a crush on my son but that was one bold move! It was different from Delia and me. She was a little shy so I had to make the first move and that was when I was 12 or 13 while your daughter did it at 9."

Caroline was squealing in her head. That's how you do it, May! Norman has no comment for his daughter's behaviour while Delia was happy for her son. Someone has a crush on little Ashy. That is very cute!

A few hours later the children's activities have toned down. They were just engaging in a conversation with each other while sitting on the grass. Their conversation was interrupted by the voice of their parents.

"It's time to go home!"

Both were slightly disappointed that their day was over but they have no other choice but to obey their parents. They walked down the hill and then went inside the car. The seating arrangement was similar to the earlier arrangement, except that Norman and Caroline were switching places with Delia and Giovanni. The trip to the Maple's house was almost silent. This time there were no loud noises, or any noises for that matter, from the two children, a huge contrast from the earlier trip. Giovanni was curious so he turned his head to the back of the car and found them sleeping, with their heads resting against each other's shoulders. Outside, the sun was setting. Giovanni considered waking the two so they could see the beautiful view but quickly decided against it, thinking a nap after a long day as more important.

As soon as the car arrived in May's house, Caroline woke her up. May wanted to say goodbye to Ash the usual way but seeing Ash sleeping, gave him another peck on the cheek. Even if Ash was unconscious, a smile formed on his face after the kiss. May giggled after seeing his reaction before entering her house.

When Ash was woken up after arriving home by his mother, he felt something on his cheek. Something feels warm on my cheek, but when I touched it, I felt nothing. I wonder what it is.

Today was one of the best days in Ash's life. It was a simple day, a day at the park. But he gets to spend the day talking and playing with his best friend. He couldn't wait to see May again when the new school week starts.

In May's house, May was sleeping on the couch peacefully, exhausted after one of the most enjoyable days of her life. She was now dreaming of standing near a podium, wearing a beautiful wedding dress, while a slightly tanned man with jet-black hair was standing in front of her.

Caroline walked past her to see a huge smile on her face. She could also hear her daughter mutter I'm finally getting married to Ash! I'm so happy!