The sun was beginning to rise over the beautiful metropolis of Petalburg City. One of the sun's rays beamed down into the home of the Maple family, more specifically into the room of May Maple. As soon as the room filled up with light, a sleepy figure quietly yawned.
May stretched her arms and yawned one more time as she rose from her bed. She then looked down next to her bed to see that her blunette friend was no longer sleeping on her guest futon.
'Hmm, Dawn must be downstairs already,' May thought as she hopped off her bed.
After taking a quick shower and a change into her clothes, May stood in front of her mirror and examined herself. Deciding that she liked the way she looked, the Top Coordinator moved over to her nightstand, where her prized possession laid. May grabbed her half of the Terracotta Ribbon and smiled.
"I can't believe he actually came to spend a week here," May said to no one in particular as she examined the ribbon in her palm. She sighed in pleasant content, something that the brunette did not have the pleasure of doing in for the past few weeks.
May placed the Terracotta Ribbon back on the nightstand and went downstairs where everyone was in the kitchen.
"Oh, good morning, sweetie," Norman said to his daughter, standing up from his seat. "I'm going to go train in the gym today. I've got to practice just in case someone decides to challenge me today."
Norman stood up and kissed his family while also waving goodbye to Ash and Dawn before he left the kitchen. The Top Coordinator said good morning to her mother, who was busy washing her frying pans.
May moved over and sat down at the table, which had three plates of bacon, eggs, and pancakes on it. Ash was busy stuffing his face with pancakes and bacon while Dawn was shaking her head in disappointment. Pikachu also shook his head right after he finished the last of Dawn's homemade Poffins.
"Yawn. Good morning," the sapphire-eyed coordinator stated wearily with a smile.
"Morning," Ash replied with his mouth full of bacon as he reached for his cup, causing Caroline to laugh. It was nice to have someone who really, really enjoyed her cooking.
"Slow down, Ash," Dawn scolded her childish friend. "Honestly, if you keep eating like that, I'm pretty sure you're going to choke one day."
"Sorry, Dawn," the Pokémon trainer apologized and gulped down the large glass of orange juice. "It's just that May's mom makes some of the best food I've ever eaten! It's maybe even better than Brock's cooking."
"Thank you, Ash," Caroline laughed at the boy's praise while placing a plate in front of May. "Help yourself to more if you're still hungry, Ash."
"Awesome, thanks Caroline!"
"At least save some food for the rest of us, Ash!" the blunette pleaded as the auburn-eyed boy helped himself to more food.
"Hey! It's not my fault that you're as slow as a Slowpoke!" Ash yelled out while shoving some more pancakes into his mouth. Ash and Dawn started their antics again while May kept laughing as she filled her own plate with the remaining food, leaving none for her fellow coordinator.
Caroline smiled as she poured herself a cup of freshly brewed tea from the stove. The sight of May smiling and laughing with her friends warmed her heart. For the past few weeks, Caroline and Norman were getting really worried about their daughter. They were surprised when May's excitement about winning the Johto Grand Festival did not last long. Now that she was happy again, Caroline was able to relax.
Placing her cup of tea down, Caroline placed a basket full of fresh fruit on the table and grabbed her purse.
"May, I'm going to go to the grocery store today. You three can just leave your dishes in the sink and I'll clean it up when I get back home," Caroline said. "Have fun today, you three; and try not to stay in the house all day."
Caroline waved goodbye to the three friends before heading out the door. After she left, Ash finished up his breakfast and rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. May did the same as Ash and laughed when she saw glanced at Dawn, who pouted after finally noticing that there was no more food.
"May, I asked Ash to save us some food, but you were the one who ended up eating it all!"
"Sorry, Dawn," May giggled at the expense of her other best friend. "Like you said last night; I have the stomach of a Munchlax."
The blunette crossed her arms at first, but sighed in defeat. Her two friends stood up and placed their dishes in the sink.
"Anyway, what's the plan for today?" Dawn asked, reaching for an apple from the fruit basket and biting it.
Not a moment sooner, Pikachu's ear perked up in response to the sound of plates banging in the sink. The electric mouse was still tired from the day before, so he hopped onto May's lap and made himself comfortable.
"Pika…"
The brunette smiled at the softness of Pikachu's fur and petted him. "I suggest that we do something relaxing today. After all, Pikachu is still tired from your guys' trip from the Sinnoh region."
"Actually May, we won't be bringing Pikachu along with us," Ash said with a smile. "I have something else in mind today, and I know that Pikachu wouldn't want to come along."
"Wait, what is it Ash?" Dawn asked.
"Today, we are going on a giant shopping spree."
Ash laughed nervously when May and Dawn looked at each other in surprise after hearing the words he never thought he'd willingly say.
"Did you just say that we are going to go… shopping?" May asked in utter disbelief with her jaw dropped.
Dawn had a similar reaction, choking on her apple and trying to clear her throat. Ash never wanted to go shopping with her when they traveled together through the Sinnoh region; and she was pretty sure that he refused to do so with May when they traveled together considering the brunette's stunned reaction.
"Yeah, May. I said we're going to go shopping." Ash chuckled at his two friends and rubbed the back of his head.
"Wait, are we going to go shopping at that place?" the sapphire-eyed girl questioned, her excitement growing in anticipation.
Ash nodded at his best friend, who then started to squeal in joy like a kid who just entered a candy shop.
"Ash, where are we going to go?" Dawn started, confused at what was happening.
"We're going to go to the Petalburg City PokéMall," Ash replied with a smile. "It's one of the largest malls in the entire Hoenn region."
"I haven't been there in forever since I started my contests in Johto, but I know for sure that it's bigger than the Lilycove City Department Store!" May babbled on.
"Really? Whoa," the blunette raised her eyebrows in delight.
It had been months since Dawn last had the opportunity to go on a shopping spree. The company of another girl and a willing Ash (to hold all her stuff of course) made Dawn even more excited. "It looks like we get to start early on our shopping plans, May!"
"Well we better get going now," Ash said as he stood up and took Pikachu from May's lap. "I'm going to leave Pikachu in Max's room." Ash walked out of the kitchen to place the sleeping electric mouse on the bed.
"I'll be right back too!" May said quickly and ran out the kitchen up to her room.
When she entered her room, the brunette grabbed her fanny pack from her bed and was about to rush back down, but a shiny object caught her eye. She moved over to the nightstand and put her good luck charm in her pocket. Even though the contests in Johto were over now, May still liked to bring it with her out of habit. It made her feel safe and protected like some kind of charm. She went back downstairs and saw Dawn and Ash waiting for her.
"Are you ready to go, May?" Dawn asked as she fixed her beanie.
May nodded and the three friends set out for heart of the enormous Downtown Petalburg City where the mall was located.
"Ooh, this is so exciting! It says here that the mall has six levels of stores and a whole floor dedicated to contests!" Dawn said as she looked at the information of the PokéMall using her Pokétch. She had been searching for information on the mall as soon they started walking. "Which store are we going to go to first? How about the ones on the first floor, or maybe we should go––"
"Calm down, Dawn," Ash interrupted while sweat dropping at his friend. "We're going to be there for as long as you guys want."
"I know that, Ash, but I need to make a plan! There are so many stores to go through!"
"She's right Ash," May chimed in on the conversation. "Don't you remember how big the PokéMall is? The whole thing takes up 48 city blocks."
"Wait, how many times have you gone to the PokéMall, Ash?" Dawn questioned.
"Just once back in the old days. Brock, May, Max, and I went there after I got my Balance Badge from Norman," the trainer explained. "May and Max wanted to go there badly, so we went there but only stayed for 30 minutes since it closing time."
"But this time we get to spend the WHOLE DAY! I just love shopping," May replied with a content sigh.
"Both of you love going shopping," Ash said with sarcasm and rolled his eyes. "But I'm the one who ends up carrying all your bags."
"Great minds think alike," Dawn giggled with May joining in on the laughter.
The younger coordinator's eyes moved over to a large figure in the background. Her eyes widened as they came into closer to the gigantic complex.
"Guys, look!" Dawn exclaimed with excitement. "I think that's the PokéMall!"
"You're right, Dawn. That is the famous Petalburg City PokéMall," Ash said with a laugh.
"Oh my Arceus, that place is freaking huge! I can't wait to start shopping; let's go!" Dawn yelled as she sprinted toward the mall.
"Dawn! Wait for us!" May called out and ran after her. She turned around to the boy and playfully winked. "Come on, Ash!"
"Right behind you!" Ash replied as the two friends tried to catch up to their crazed friend.
When Ash and May got inside, the two were stunned in awe. The mall had six levels of amazing stores and shops. The first floor was filled with food shops and miscellaneous kiosks. The next five floors were for clothing of all people, battle items and accessories, Pokémon items, contests, and on top, a newly opened restaurant that looked fairly popular. The Petalburg City PokéMall was a sight to behold.
"Well, it looks like we lost her, May," Ash said sheepishly as he turned his head side to side in search of the blunette. "I guess it's just going to be you and me for now. How about we start on the second floor first?"
"Sure thing, Ash," the Top Coordinator smiled.
Ash and May shuffled through store after store in a calm pace while talking casually. Unlike Dawn, the two friends were in no hurry to go through the entire mall. May was pleasantly surprised when the two of them started shopping. Unlike those other times they went shopping together in Hoenn and Kanto, Ash was patient with her and smiled whenever she turned around to see if he was bored. He even offered to hold her shopping bags, which really surprised the brunette at first.
"Wow, Ash. You haven't complained once yet. That's probably a new record," May giggled as she currently shifted through racks of clothing. The young trainer was off to the side of May, holding onto a few of her shopping bags.
"What kind of best friend would I be if I started complaining?" Ash responded unexpectedly with another smile.
This startled May as she turned to see her smiling friend. He hadn't changed much from the boy she met in Littleroot Town long ago, but his maturity level now was much high than the old Ash's level. She couldn't help but blush afterwards and turned away to hide it. The words he said to her and the way he smiled at her was just too out of character for Ash, who probably didn't know the impact of his words.
"May, are you feeling okay?" a concerned voice interrupted her thoughts.
Ash was confused by May's weird reaction. Did he do something wrong? She had been getting really red lately, but the densest boy alive chose to let it go and speculated that May might've had allergies or something.
"O-of course, Ash," May stuttered, trying to find an excuse. "I'm just… having a hard time finding a nice outfit in this store."
'Phew! He bought it!' May thought as Ash turned his head sideways in curiosity. Instead of dropping the situation, Ash went next to the rack of clothing. It was May's turn to wonder in curiosity as she watched him rummaged through clothes after clothes.
After a couple of seconds, Ash pulled out a nice blue and white blouse and quickly moved over to a box of hair accessories to look through it. He was in such a hurry that the Top Coordinator didn't see what was already in his hands. Ash finally found what he was looking for and smiled in satisfaction, pulling out a beautiful bandana with a Pokéball symbol on it. The bandana matched perfectly with the blouse that he found.
"Here you go, May," Ash said as he presented the items in front of her. "You said you were having a hard time finding an outfit, so I found these. But I'm not sure if this blouse is your exact size."
May was surprised at the boy's gesture at first and, with trembling hands, took them from Ash's.
'Ash… picked out clothes… for ME?' May hysterically thought. This day was becoming too weird too fast.
"Try it on, May. I'll wait for you."
The girl nodded absentmindedly as Ash grabbed her shoulders and pushed her towards one of the fitting rooms in the store.
When May went inside the room and locked the door, she hesitantly put on the clothes that Ash chose for her. She remembered when, a long time ago, Misty showed her a picture of Ash dressed up as a girl to get into the Celadon Gym. His fashion sense was not the greatest when it came to girls.
When she finished changing, May turned around to the mirror and gasped. She hated to sound conceited or anything, but May thought that she looked great. The blue blouse fitted tightly in a good way; making the curves of her body stick out more instead of making her look fat (which would have been a total nightmare). It was the perfect size.
The blue bandana on May's head matched perfectly with her new shirt. But what stood out the most was that May's brilliant sapphire eyes shone even brighter than before. May did a little twirl just to make sure that she liked her look and stepped out of the room to show Ash.
Ash smiled warmly at May when came out of the room. "That looks great on you, May."
"Thanks, Ash," May replied with the same smile. "I didn't know that you had such great taste! I'm going to have to take you with me more often whenever I shop."
"Hehe, umm, no thanks May," Ash nervously laughed, not really expecting such praise. "But I'm glad you like the clothes. I thought that you'd like something like that since you love wearing these types of clothes."
"Oh, you're right, Ash," May laughed when she realized how similar it looked like her other two outfits. "I guess you know me really well."
"How about we finish up here and then go to the fifth floor? That's the one that specializes in everything contest related."
"Sure! Give me one second," May hastily said and ran back to the fitting room.
After changing back into her old clothes and paying for her clothes, Ash and May went up to the fifth floor, which was already packed with Pokémon Coordinators of all ages. All around the floor, Coordinators were talking with one another and buying various items; others were laughing and telling one other of their adventures. Unlike the other floors, this one was more of an open market rather than a multi-shop complex. Besides being at an actual region Grand Festival, this place was a Pokémon Coordinator's paradise.
A middle-aged coordinator was walking towards the elevator of the floor, when suddenly he dropped all his bags in shock when he saw the two teens standing just a few feet away from him.
"HOLY ARCEUS! LOOK EVERYONE! ITS MAY MAPLE!" the man screamed like a little fangirl.
A deafening silence swept through the entire fifth floor of the PokéMall with every face turning towards the elevator.
"Whoa, that's the May Maple! The Princess of Hoenn and winner of the Johto Grand Festival!" A young man's voice broke out from the silence.
"She's also the daughter of our gym leader Norman!" the voice of a middle-aged woman echoed.
May was very frightened as all eyes were upon her. She loved it when people recognized her, but ever since she won the Grand Festival, fans constantly mobbed the Top Coordinator. She didn't like it when that happened; however, May wanted to please all the fans who cheered for her, so she never complained. But still, these people were insane! They would do anything for an autograph, ANYTHING.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, the horde of people ran towards the girl and boy.
"Ms. Maple, sign my issue of Coordinators Weekly!"
"Can you give me some tips on coordinating first, Ms. Maple?!"
"Take a picture with me before that, Ms. Maple!"
May closed her eyes and prepared herself to be practically ripped apart by the fans. However, she felt a hand grab her own and tug her. May opened her eyes to see Ash in front of her and shielding her with a protective stance. He held a Pokéball in his other hand as the mob suddenly stopped in place.
"Leave May alone," Ash stated with a calm and mature voice. "If you don't, I'll be forced to use my Pokémon on you. And they won't hold anything back."
"Who's that?" A voice came from the crowd.
"Wait, he looks like the guy who won the Sinnoh League!"
"Crap, that is him!"
"No way! Can I get his autograph too?!" More voices yelled out.
"Didn't you hear him? He's going to send out his Pokémon on us!"
Ash did not budge as a dark expression crossed his face; he wasn't playing around. After a few rude grumbles from the gigantic crowd, the horde of fans dispersed and went back to what they were doing before.
Ash smiled in satisfaction and turned towards May. "I guess they're not going to bother you now, May."
May returned the smile and sighed in relief. "Phew, what a relief! I thought that they were going to mob us."
"Yeah, no kidding," the trainer chuckled, but noticed a sort of fearful look in May's eyes. They were staring straight at the Pokéball in his hand.
"Oh, don't worry about what I said earlier, May. I would never use my Pokémon to hurt people; it was more of a bluff," Ash reassured.
"That's good to know; you were such an awesome hero back there," the brunette playfully teased.
"Tch, I'm always awesome, May," the Pokémon master responded with the same playfulness as May, unconsciously squeezing her hand.
The two laughed again, but then suddenly May's eyes widened and she turned her head around.
"What's wrong, May?" Ash questioned with confusion.
The girl quickly glanced at the boy and then at his hand.
Ash then remembered that he was holding May's hand tightly and immediately let go. The auburn-eyed trainer began to blush just as much as May was and picked up the bags he had dropped earlier in order to help the brunette. "Eh… S-sorry about that."
'Ugh. My face feels like an oven again. Why does this keep happening to me?'
"Don't worry about it, Ash," May broke the boy out of his thoughts. "Thanks for protecting me back there."
"No problem, May," Ash replied as his face cooled down. "I hate it fans do that. After the Lily of the Valley Conference ended, this happened to me almost every day until Dawn and I left the Sinnoh region. I'm just glad people here didn't recognize me so quickly."
"Yeah," the brunette giggled. "At least we can continue in peace now."
As soon May finished, her eyes spotted a glistering item in the glass compartment of a counter across from them. May's legs moved by themselves as she stared at the alluring object and stopped after she arrived at the counter.
"Look, Ash!" May finally said. "It's the newest version of the Pokétch! And it's blue, too!"
"You're right, May," Ash replied as he bent down to get a closer look at the glass compartment. "Whoa, 10,000 Pokédollars! It says here that it's a special edition Pokétch. I think that it even has more apps installed on it than Dawn's."
"Ahh, hello there," a voice said as an old woman approached from the opposite side of the counter. "How can I help you today?"
"Hello," May returned the smile. "I'm just looking at this beautiful Pokétch that's displayed. It's very lovely."
"Why yes it is," the old woman replied. "Would you like to try it?"
"That would be great! Thank you!"
The old woman smiled and unlocked the glass compartment. She took out the blue Pokétch from its stand and handed it over to the excited coordinator, who hastily put it on her wrist.
"Wow! It's so light and feels really durable," May exclaimed as she modeled the Pokétch and turned to Ash. "Not to mention that it looks super cute!"
"That looks good on you, May," Ash said. "I like it. Hmm, it even matches the color of your eyes. In fact, your eyes look brighter now."
May smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Ash."
"Excuse me?" the old woman interrupted. "Do you happen to be May Maple?"
"Y-yes," May replied nervously. She was hoping that this sweet lady wouldn't turn out to be an obsessed fan too.
"Don't worry, I'm not crazy like those other people from earlier today," the old woman assured with a smile. "I'm just honored that the daughter of Norman came to my stand. In fact, I'll lower the price of that Pokétch from 10,000 Pokédollars to 6,000 just for you, sweetie."
"6,000? I'm sorry, ma'am, but that is still too expensive for me," May sadly sighed and removed the Pokétch from her wrist. She extended her hand to the woman and proceeded to give it back. "Thanks for the offer anyway…"
"Actually, she'll take it," Ash interrupted firmly and nodded to the smiling older lady, who nodded back and gently took the Pokétch from May's hand so that she could ring up their purchase.
"Ash, what are you doing?" May quickly whispered to Ash. "I can't afford that!"
Ash smiled at May in response and took out his own wallet. "Don't worry, May. I'll be the one paying for it, not you."
To the Top Coordinator's surprise, Ash handed over the large amount of Pokédollars to the older woman. The sweet lady handed Ash the blue Pokétch, who in turn, handed it to the wide-eyed May.
"Ash, this is really expensive! You shouldn't be spending that kind of money for anyone but yourself," May scolded her friend, who started chuckling.
"Don't worry, May," Ash calmly replied. "Getting the title of Pokémon Master wasn't the only thing I won after the Sinnoh League. Please keep the Pokétch, okay? This is just something to you to remind you that I really care for you. A lot."
The Top Coordinator's face grew slightly red again after hearing Ash. This was just another unexpected thing that Ash did.
"Thank you, Ash, but you didn't have to buy this to show me that you care. I already knew that." May sweetly said as she gave the raven-haired teen a hug.
"You're welcome, May," Ash replied with another smile. "How about you put it on now?"
May placed her Pokétch back on her wrist and turned the old woman, who watched the entire scene between the two teenagers.
"Thank you for lowering the price, ma'am. This is such a beautiful Pokétch!"
"Sure thing, dear. Thank you for shopping at my stand. By the way, you and your boyfriend make a very cute couple."
Both Ash and May blushed heavily at the smiling old woman.
"A-actually, we're not a couple…" May stuttered as she tried explaining herself.
"Really? You two look so great together," the woman winked at the blushing pair. "He's such a generous boy. And he already looks like the perfect match for you, sweetie."
"Umm…" Ash started stiffly. How would he be able to respond in such an awkward situation?
"W-we have to go now. Thank you for the Pokétch, ma'am" May quickly said. She wasn't sure how red her face was at the moment, but she knew that it felt hotter than Blaziken's Overheat attack. The girl could only imagine how Ash was responding to their predicament.
The two teens said goodbye to the nice old woman and walked away from the stand to continue their shopping.
"Phew! I'm exhausted now," May said as she fell into a plush seat on the large fifth floor of the PokéMall. It had been a couple hours since Ash and May continued their shopping on the fifth floor. May literally shopped 'til she dropped.
"Why are you the one who's tired?" Ash irritably frowned. He was currently holding quite a lot of shopping bags in one of his hands; all of which belonged to the sapphire-eyed girl. "I'm the one holding all the bags."
"Well you were the one who offered to hold my bags, did you not?" May giggled as the boy sighed in defeat and sat down next to her.
"We better find Dawn soon," Ash wearily stated. "It's already way past lunch time. I'm starving."
"I don't know, maybe she's in––, wait a second. I think I see her!" May stood up from her seat to get a better view. "Yeah, that's her!"
Ash looked around and saw a blue haired girl with a ton of bags in her hands admiring the windows of a Poffins shop.
"Hey Dawn!" Ash yelled out to catch the attention of the coordinator. "Over here!"
The blunette looked around in confusion before finally noticing Ash and May. She happily ran towards her two friends and smiled at them.
"Hey guys," Dawn smiled. "How come you two left me earlier?"
"We didn't, Dawn. Remember, you were the one who ditched us," Ash reminded her as a vein on his head popped from anger.
"Oh yeah, sorry," Dawn apologized with embarrassment. "Hey, let's go somewhere to eat. I'm really hungry since you guys didn't save me any food this morning."
"Sure thing, Dawn," May replied. "There just happens to be a really popular restaurant on the sixth floor that opened recently. Its named after my dad; Norman's Barbeque & Grill."
After making Ash hold all of Dawn's bags in his other hand, the three friends made their way to the elevator an up to the sixth floor. When they got there, all three of them were amazed at the view of the restaurant. It was a nice, big restaurant filled with local and tourist diners. The layout of the semi-sophisticated restaurant was similar to that of the Seven Stars Restaurant in Lake Valor of the Sinnoh Region.
A friendly waitress came up to the teenagers and welcomed them. After recognizing the daughter of Norman Maple, the waitress quickly seated them to table with a beautiful view of the downtown area night skyline. After placing their orders and receiving them quickly, the three friends talked about the long and amazing day they had.
"That was great!" Ash burped and sat back in his seat. He ordered so much food that could have easily satisfied a family of four.
May smiled, but then unexpectedly burped too. She also ordered a lot of food. In fact, May had to stifle a laugh when their baffled waitress asked for a reconfirmation of her order earlier that day.
Dawn sighed at her friends. Although this happened practically every day with Ash, the blunette was still surprised at the lack of table manners from her best girl friend. She never thought she'd meet a girl who could match – and maybe even surpass – Ash's hunger.
"Let me show you guys what I bought today!" Dawn stated as the waitress came and took away their dishes. She placed her shopping bags on the table and showed her findings to her friends, which were mostly new dresses for the upcoming Sinnoh Grand Festival and accessories for herself and her Pokémon.
"Those dresses look so cute, Dawn!" May happily said to her friend. "You have try them on and show me later!"
Dawn grinned and nodded. "It's so nice to hear another girl's opinion instead of listening to Ash complain all the time."
"Actually Dawn, Ash didn't complain once when he was shopping with me," the brunette giggled. "It was really surprising. He even offered to carry all my shopping bags!"
"Really?" Dawn stared at her friend before frowning. "He never did that for me once."
"Me neither until today!" May continued giggling. "For the densest Pokémon trainer alive, he can be really sweet sometimes."
"Hey, I've done nice things before for both of you! And what do you mean I'm the densest Pokémon trainer alive? I'm the best Pokémon trainer alive."
Dawn sweat dropped while May sheepishly laughed.
"Never mind, Ash. Anyway, what did you buy today, May?"
May took placed her own bags on the table and showed the blunette what she purchased. The Top Coordinator also bought new dresses (in case she wanted to complete in the Sinnoh contests), other clothes, and more contest-related items. Her eyes spotted the great outfit that Ash picked for her, so May picked it up to show to Dawn.
"Wow May, that's a super cute blouse! And that bandana is adorable too!"
"Thanks, Dawn. Ash picked these out for me," May replied with a smile. Dawn raised her eyebrows; did she just say that Ash picked out that outfit?
"I didn't know that you had a great fashion sense, Ash," Dawn turned to the trainer, but then immediately began to pout. "Hey! How come you never helped ME pick out super cute outfits?"
"Sorry, Dawn, but this was a one time thing," Ash nervously scratched the back of his head.
May laughed again and placed her hand over her mouth. The blunette stopped her pouting as soon as she saw a shiny blue object sparkling on the wrist of her friend's arm.
"Whoa! Is that a new Pokétch, May? It's so beautiful!"
May stopped her laughing and smiled at the blunette. "Why yes it is, Dawn. I got today on the fifth floor. This one is a special edition of the latest Pokétch. It was originally 10,000 Pokédollars, but the saleswoman lowered it to 6,000."
"I think I read about those editions in an old issue of Coordinators Weekly. They did a whole article about them," Dawn replied, her eyes remaining on the watch. "You must have made a ton of money after winning the Johto Grand Festival."
"Actually Dawn, Ash bought it for me…" May said quietly with a blush forming on her smiling face.
Dawn's eyes immediately shot up and stared at May in disbelief, and then shifted to the boy, who smiled in return.
"Are you serious? Ash bought you a Pokétch a 10,000 Pokédollar?"
"Well… yeah but remember the price dropped to 6,000. I told Ash that it was too expensive, but he insisted anyway," May replied with the blush still on her face, now turning to him. "It was very sweet of you, Ash."
The Pokémon Master laughed in embarrassment. "It was nothing, May. I wanted to buy it for you."
"Awww, that's so romantic, Ash!" the blunette yelled. She loved a good romance story, and this was already starting to sound like one. "May's so lucky that she has you."
In response, May became redder than a Shiny Gyarados while Ash stared at Dawn in confusion.
"Romantic? What are you talking about, Dawn?" the boy demonstrated his denseness.
"Oh, nothing," Dawn replied through her fits of giggles.
"H-how about we head home now? It's getting late," May stated quickly. She decided that she did not want to get any more flustered for the day.
The three friends paid for their meals and started towards the Maple household. Today was a long day.
It was already 11:28 P.M. when Ash, Dawn, and May arrived back at the house. Norman and Caroline were already sleeping at the time.
Dawn quietly waved goodnight to her friends and headed straight for May's room so she could admire the results of her hard shopping efforts.
"Thanks for taking us to the PokéMall today, Ash." May tiredly said to the trainer as they walked up the stairs. "It was great that we got to spend more than 30 minutes there this time."
"No problem, May. I'm glad that you and Dawn enjoyed yourselves," the trainer replied as they stopped in front of May's door. "Anyway, I don't really know what we're going to do tomorrow."
"That's okay, Ash. As long as we do something together, it'll be fine."
"Hehe, you're right. I'll think of something and tell you tomorrow after you wake up. Good night, May," Ash said as he turned towards his own room.
"Wait!" May blurted out hastily, causing Ash to stop moving. "Thanks for buying the Pokétch for me today, Ash. You really didn't have to though," May timidly smiled.
Feeling bold, the Top Coordinator leaned up and placed a quick kiss on Ash's cheek to show her appreciation.
"Good night, Ash," the brunette hurriedly said and rushed into her room.
May closed the door, leaving a stunned Ash frozen in his place. He reached up and touched and the cheek that his best friend just kissed.
'That felt really… nice?' Ash thought to himself. He wasn't quite sure how to describe what he was feeling, but he found himself oddly wishing that he could feel her lips on his skin again. It was a sensation he had never experienced before.
Deciding that it would be best to not over analyze a small, yet unique gesture, Ash turned towards his own room to succumb to sleep – a goofy smile gracing his face.
