"...and that's how you're going to do it." Gary finished with an air of confidence.
Ash, on the other hand, was nearly asleep. Gary had spent the past thirty minutes explaining his "master plan" to Ash.
"So lemme get this straight..." Ash began, "you want me to go to her house, completely uninvited, and ask her to lunch. Of course she'll accept, given the fact that she hardly knows me and I don't know her, and she'll love the little date you– oh, sorry– I'VE set up for us."
Gary nodded proudly on the other end. "Yup."
There was a silence of about thirty seconds before Ash hung up, saying nothing.
Seeing as it was nearing 8, and Ash hadn't had dinner yet, his stomach demanded immediate attention.
He checked his fridge, sighing to himself as he backed away. "I don't want to eat here, though..."
His house was bland to him now. Nothing interesting had seemed to happen. And with his recent lack of writing skills, it had become more of a prison for creativity. Gray and tasteless, instead of the normal palette of color it normally was.
He sighed. He really could make things over-dramatic.
Still, he put on his blue jacket and shoes, grabbing his wallet. Making sure he wasn't broke yet, Ash made his way to the door.
"Pikachu?" He called out. The reply was an adorable squeak from under the kitchen table.
"I'm gonna be gone for a while. See ya when I get back." With that said to the rodent, he left into the Kanto sunset.
His feet felt lighter than normal. Despite recent events, it felt as if a small weight was lifted from him. Maybe it was the idea of shutting down the sheer ridiculousness that was Gary's "genius" plan.
Ash's functions were now controlled by his stomach, almost dragging him like a ragdoll to the nearest restaurant.
It'd kill his wallet. It wasn't your simple MooMoo Café or Tauros King. This was no chain. This was the best Kanto had to offer.
This was Oak's Place.
The building was made as an homage to the famous Professor Oak, a staple of the town who had put Pallet on the map with his numerous Pokémon discoveries. Owned by Oak's niece and Gary's older sister, Daisy, it was a home-funded, hometown style place for good eatin'.
And it was good.
Ash slowly entered the diner, bell ringing as he entered. The sun had reclined behind him, leaving the sky purple and majestic over the mass ocean.
"Well, look who it is." Came a feminine drawl. Ash turned to see a honey-blonde woman at the bar of the diner, wearing a white apron and a smile.
Ash grinned. "Hello Daisy."
Ash had been a regular to the diner when his writing had been flowing like the nearby Viridian River. He'd sit down in the mornings, order pancakes, and Daisy would give them to him, as time went on eventually giving him more than he paid for. He didn't mind.
She put her hands on her hips, right hand still clutching a washing rag. "Now what brings you back to my diner?"
He couldn't help but feel upbeat around his friend's sister. "Oh, just feeling hungry."
"Took ya long enough." Her southern accent twanged, giving her a distinction from her yuppie brother. She scowled playfully along with this.
Ash's grin fell. "The writing stops, and so do I."
He sat down at the bar, across from her. She leaned on it as she poured him a coffee. "So I'm guessin' it's back now?"
He shook his head. "No. Guess not."
She frowned. "Well I'm sorry to hear that."
He nodded. "Yeah. I'll find it somehow. But you never know. Maybe one of your Tauros beef burgers will do the trick."
She smiled before entering the kitchen of the diner. "Ash Ketchum, I'll never know what to do with you. You go on strike from me for nearly a month and then you come back acting like everything's fine, wanting a burger."
He laughed, leaning back. "Some things never change, Daisy."
"Guess not." Came the voice from the kitchen. "You get a girlfriend yet?"
He sat up straight. "You get a husband yet?"
She marched out, hands on her hips again. "Ash Ketchum. I swear you keep jokin' with me like this, you'll never get anywhere."
As she returned to the kitchen, Ash took a sip of the coffee. He realized he never asked her for it. Smiling at the thought of her remembering his favorite, he reclined into the chair again.
He heard the sound of the door open. Any other time of the day, it wouldn't have been unusual. But at 8:07 PM, it seemed just the smallest bit awkward. He turned.
Standing in the doorway stood a certain brunette, hands clutching her camera tightly. She looked around for a place to sit. There were a few booths open, but of course, she eyed the seat next to Ash's.
She spotted him and grinned, walking up towards the author.
"Hello stranger." She greeted, sitting next to him.
Hearing the bell, Daisy walked out of the kitchen. Seeing the new arrival, she smiled.
"What'll it be tonight, honey?" She asked.
May smiled. "I just need a coffee, thank you."
"Decaf? Black?"
"Cappuccino should be fine." She ordered.
Briskly walking to the counter in front of the wall, covered with different coffee machines. Daisy skillfully crafted a cappuccino within seconds, handing the white mug to the girl. As she did, Daisy carefully eyed Ash.
Ash looked at her confusedly, as if to say "What?"
May smiled. "Thank you. Uh, how much is it?"
Daisy smiled. "Tonight it's free, honey."
"Thank you." May thanked before taking a sip. She relished in it, loving its taste and texture.
She turned to him. "Funny I'd see you here, Ash."
Ash realized he'd been staring. "Uh, yeah. I used to come here all the time, but then I got caught up in writing."
"Writing?" May asked. "You write? For the newspaper?"
"No," Ash answered. "as much as I'd like to, I write stories. Like novels and books."
"Interesting." May sipped her drink again. "So then why'd you get caught up in it, if I may ask? I mean, if you were able to come here before and still write, then..."
Her face contorted into a genuinely interested and adorable face. Ash took a second to answer.
"Ideas just sort of stopped after I published my first book." He answered.
"You've published a book? Is it any good?" She asked, eyes brightening.
"I don't know," he stated, taking a sip from his own coffee, "you'd have to ask the reviewers. I don't think four stars is that bad."
May looked off, thinking. "Wow. You must've been good. So you just used up all your ideas on that?"
Ash nodded, Daisy reappearing with his burger. "So that's what I've been up to for the past month."
She grinned, placing her hands in a ball underneath her chin as Ash paid the ten dollars for the burger. "I'd like for us to learn more about each other, since we've been kinda bumping into each other a lot."
Ash laughed. "I'll say."
She took another sip. "I know! How long have you lived here?"
He thought for a second. "I grew up in Pallet, but I went to college over in Viridian for a language degree. I studied writing, got my degree as a junior, and moved back to Pallet when I was 20."
"Hold up." She set her drink down. "You were a junior and graduated? Not even a senior?"
He felt a pride balloon in his stomach inflate. "Yep. They called me a prodigy."
May grinned. "So is Mr. Prodigy too good to eat his burger? Cuz' I'll gladly eat it."
"No." Ash said, mocking a dark tone. "Mine."
He accentuated this by taking a big bite.
She giggled, folding her hands under her chin again. "Well, let's see here. I'll explain more of my situation, since I didn't explain much earlier when you fell down the cliff."
Ash's face burned.
"Let's see. I took a Petalburg Community College course to major in photography. Petalburg is where I used to live."
Ash nodded. Petalburg was the capitol of Hoenn.
She continued. "I looked for a job there, but only found small ones for colleges. I found a job eventually, but it was a hundred miles away here in Kanto. So I packed up and sailed here."
"Are you staying here indefinitely?" Ash asked.
"If I don't get fired." May answered, giggling. "I was hired as the paper here's head photographer."
"Yes I know." Ash nodded. "Is it difficult at all?"
"I wouldn't say as difficult as writing sometimes," May thought aloud, "but it is fairly difficult sometimes. It's hard to find good photographer nowadays, they said."
Ash finished his burger and turned back to her, just as she finished her coffee. "Wanna talk more?" He asked.
"Sure. I need to learn more about this place." She answered, folding her hands under her chin again.
They'd talked for a while, May explaining that she knew hardly anything about Kantoean culture. Ash had said it didn't matter. May then explained that she was single but loved how big Gary's old house was. Ash explained that the house used to be his best friend Gary's.
May, after learning about Gary, laughed out loud.
Then, after they were the only ones left in the diner and felt Daisy's eyes boring into them, they left. That's when May asked Ash to walk her home.
He humbly accepted. She was his neighbor, after all. They'd be walking home together whether they liked it or not. Might as well get something out of it.
The purple sky was now black, slight gray wisps of clouds hardly visible on the skyline. The trees, instead of feeling imposing and malevolent like they usually did at 9:30, seemed protective, almost like they were Sudowoodo using their limbs to protect the two.
As they walked down the sidewalk leading into the neighborhood, May talkatively explained her family to the listening man.
"My dad is Norman Maple. He works as head executive at Petalburg's zoo. My mom, Caroline, works at a clothing firm." She said.
Ash listened. "You have any sisters? Brothers?"
"Yep. Max. He's kind of a jerk. And a nerd." She stated annoyedly, prompting a laugh from Ash.
The two arrived at May's house, the girl now starting to finally show signs of tiring.
"Thanks for walking me home, Ash." She noted, yawning. "Tonight was pretty fun, even if we didn't mean to meet up."
"Yeah," Ash nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.
There was a long silence, making the two feel awkward until May spoke up.
"We should do it again."
Ash's mouth dried. "Sure. When are you open?"
She thought. "Well, tomorrow I've got something with the paper in the evening, but lunch works. How about that?"
He nodded. "Where? Does the diner sound good again?"
She shook her head. "No. I haven't had anyone over yet, so I might as well have you over."
Ash nodded. "Sounds good."
The silence returned, May staring at her shoes while Ash began staring into the night.
"Thanks again Ash." She thanked before walking inside her home. "Bye."
Ash found himself unable to speak for some reason. He waved instead.
The door shut unusually loudly. Ash stared at the door for a few seconds before walking home.
His thoughts ran rampant. "I'm getting a date for tomorrow, huh? Never thought Gary was right. I guess I am getting to know her more by asking her to lunch at her house."
He sighed as he opened the door to his house. Pikachu was fast asleep on the couch.
He grinned before going to bed. "Gary, you are a freaking psychic."