Chapter 10

Ash and May were slowly making their way to the port to get a ride to Twinleaf Town, the first town of the Sinnoh Region. Pikachu was riding on Ash's shoulder as they walked down the clear, dirt path away from Pallet Town. May was slightly leading the way, eager to start the new journey with her friends.

It took a few days after the incident for May's leg to properly heal and for her to walk without feeling any pain. And even though she could travel again, the teens mostly spent their time with Delia at the house. There were days where Ash invited his mom and May to a late-night walk, but he didn't ask too often. As he promised, he wanted to spend as much time with his mom before he left.

May enjoyed every moment she spent with Ash and Mrs. Ketchum. She thought it would be something she could get used to if her friendship with Ash ever changed to something else. Her face would blush at the occurring thought, so she would try focusing on coordinating to regain her composure. She told herself she was not enamored with Ash, just really loved the idea of she and Ash becoming more than friends, which May believed to be different meanings. This idea, though, and coordinating were the reasons she was very eager to get to the Sinnoh Region.

"Hurry up, you guys!"

"We could've spent more time with my mom before we left, you know?" Ash told the brunette as they walked. She was practically dragging him to port with the way she was hurrying him. "We still had plenty of time before we had to leave—we still do!"

May pouted. "Since when are you so laid back to get to another region with new badges and Pokémon. Besides, your mom was already getting tired of us."

"I didn't hear her complain…"

"Of course she's not going to tell you, Ash—you're her son," she said before focusing on the path again. She clasped her hands together in anticipation and stared at the clear sky. "Ooh, I can't wait to register for the Pokémon Contests and start my training to win the Grand Festival there!"

Ash merely sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing now as they were only a few minutes away from the port.

"So…you're going to be dressed like that the entire trip?" May said, changing the subject.

"Huh?" Ash quickly glanced at his clothes before looking up to May. She was probably referring to his nicely fitted black shirt with a large, yellow thunderbolt in the middle and not his blue jeans, hat, or trainers. "Mostly," he replied. "I did buy a jacket that I'll use when we head north—it tends to snow up there."

"Oh," May said lowly. She was glad and disappointed to know he would be staying like that. Glad that she would get to see his aspects, as she put it, but disappointed that every other girl would, too.

Ash noticed her expression and decided to cheer her up. "Hey, you're the one who didn't want me to wear the sweater I wore when I first got home," he said in a playful tone. It worked as May smiled and crossed her arms.

"I was not going to travel with you wearing that ridiculous sweater," she stated sternly. "Your arms didn't even go all the way through the sleeves!"

"Pika pika kapi pi pi!" Pikachu chimed in from Ash's shoulder and laughed.

"I didn't look that bad, Pikachu," Ash defended.

"What did he say?" May asked curiously.

"He said I looked like a Banette with big legs…"

May laughed as she pictured the image. "I knew you looked like a Pokémon! I just couldn't figure out which one!"

Ash let his two friends laugh for another minute before stopping them.

"As much I enjoy being made fun of," he said to get their attention, "we better get going before the Beedrill wake up."

XxXxXxX

When the trio arrived at the port, they saw the docks were empty apart from a couple of ships. Ash explained to May that Pallet Town, for most people, was not a very popular destination. The people that did come to the small town were either on business or knew of its serene atmosphere to vacation to. He then continued by saying the ships that did dock in Pallet Town arrive from other cities, which can be from either Hoenn, Johto, Sinnoh, or other cities of Kanto. May was surprised at first, but she thought it made sense.

They found their ship and quickly boarded it, so they would be on the vessel when the time came to depart. They had time to look around the docks, but May didn't want to the risk it and wait until the last minute to board the ship. The group searched the boat for a while before settling on the railing towards the front of the ship.

Five minutes later, the horn rang loudly across the port and slowly began making its way into the ocean.

May closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to take in the fresh ocean air. She exhaled slowly, opened her eyes, and smiled.

"This is going to be an amazing journey…I can feel it…" she said happily, still staring at the ocean. She then turned to Ash who seemed to be in deep thought. Her expression turned to a curious one. "Is everything alright, Ash…?"

Hearing May interrupted the trainer's thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, May," Ash said blankly. He noticed the expression she was giving him and knew she didn't believe him. He smiled as he replied. "Don't worry, May. I'm just trying to figure out what we're going to do when we get there."

"Oh," she responded before smiling back. "Well, there's no need to worry about that right now. We have a few hours before we get there, so we'll think about it when we're closer, yeah?"

"You're right," Ash agreed. He grabbed Pikachu from his shoulder and put him down. "We do have a lot of time…I'll go check the buffet to see when it opens, so we can get there early. Okay?"

"I'll go with you!" May said rather quickly, which startled her two companions. She flushed in embarrassment as she realized what she did. "I-I mean, I can go with you, maybe." Her confidence slowly faltering.

Ash regained his composure and smiled at his friend. "It's okay, May. I'll take Pikachu with me while you search the rest of the ship—you know, just in case we have to wait for the buffet to open we can relax somewhere."

"Okay, that sounds great!" May cheered.

"I heard there's a small battlefield at the back of the ship on the lower deck. How about I meet you there when we're finished?"

May giggled. "Only you would know that this ship has a place to battle on," she said knowingly. "Okay, but after we eat we'll come back to this spot…I like the view and want to see what Twinleaf Town looks like when we're close."

"Deal."

Ash called Pikachu and they began making their way into the ship to search for the restaurant.

May watched them disappear into the ship and sighed.

"All this time I've spent with him and I'm still not confident around him," she thought to herself. She stared back to the ocean as she continued. "I couldn't really make any advances since we were with Mrs. Ketchum most of the time, but we'll be spending a lot time alone together in Sinnoh, so—well, I'll have to wait and see what happens…" May then began to think of her other important quest. "I will do my best to win this Grand Festival…I won't lose this time."

XxXxXxX

"Nothing yet, buddy?"

"Pikachu."

Ash and Pikachu found the restaurant five minutes after searching for it. They were told by a waiter that it would be open in about thirty minutes. After the duo left the restaurant, they began to look for Team Rocket. Ash and Pikachu both knew they were on the ship and knew they were going to make a dramatic scene at some point. It was the reason why they met Dawn before. What the two heroes could not decide is if they should stop Team Rocket now or wait for them to show up on their own. They had been searching for about fifteen minutes when the trainer asked Pikachu.

"The least we can do is find them," Ash concluded. "You know, so we know we at least know where they are on the ship."

Pikachu nodded.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find them. We just have to look for the only woman with long red hair, only man with short blue hair, and only kid-like person with whiskers and a fake mustache."

Pikachu snickered. "Pikapi, pika chu pika pi."

"Yeah, we weren't too bright back then."

They searched for another five minutes before giving up their search.

Ash sighed in frustration. "I think we should head back with May, buddy," he stated. "They always find us anyways. That won't be any different than before."

Pikachu agreed, and they began making their way to the battlefield on the ship.

They were walking when Ash spoke to his friend.

"I hope there's some strong trainers on board, Pikachu," he stated hopefully, rounding the corner to the field. "We didn't do this last time, so I'm hoping it will be fun. Do you think we should go—,"

"Pika!" Pikachu interrupted shockingly, which caused Ash to look at him concerningly. The mouse merely pointed to the field.

Ash looked towards the field—thinking there was a match Pikachu was impressed by—but nobody was battling. The trainer looked passed it and spotted May and quickly understood what Pikachu was talking about. Ash's eyes widened in utter disbelieve.

"Pikachu, is that…"

"Pi…"

They duo saw May uncomfortably leaning on the railing of the ship talking with the green-haired coordinator, Drew.

XxXxXxX

"Wow, this is amazing!" May exclaimed as she saw the battlefield below. She leaned over the railing taking in the view. "Ash was wrong when he said this was a 'small battlefield.' This looks like something my dad would use for his gym battles."

The field was established by most of the lower deck. There were tables and chairs around, so people can watch the battles on the same level. However, they could also stay on the upper deck and watch from above. And most people stayed on the upper deck believing it would give them a better and safer view of the battles.

Nobody was battling at the moment, so May decided to go down the stairs and search the lower deck. Many people were sitting around the tables or taking in the view of the ocean. She decided to do the latter as she wanted to know if she could still see the docks of Pallet Town. This would let her know if they had traveled far since the ship set sail. She walked to the railing and peered the ocean once more.

"I don't know why, but I seem to be staring at the water a lot today," May admitted to herself. She tried to see if she could spot the docks and noticed they were hardly visible. "Well, I guess we've made some progress already." She continued to stare mesmerizingly at the ocean water as she began to wait for Ash to return. On occasion, a few Goldeen and Seaking would jump out of the water and make splashes. May was enjoying herself when someone spoke closely behind her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

May immediately broke out of her trance as she recognized the voice and quickly turned around.

"Drew?!" She exclaimed.

Drew simply smiled and flicked his hair. "Well, at least you haven't forgotten my name these past few months." He pulled out a rose and gave it to May as he comfortably positioned himself next to her. Drew then stared at the water like she was a moment ago. "It's calming to look at the waves…they're steady and easy-going…"

May was still in disbelief when she accepted the rose. "Drew, what are you doing here?" She asked curiously. She noticed he did not changed his apparel, but he did seem a little taller. "I thought the Pokémon Contests in Johto started a while ago. Shouldn't you be there competing?"

"I didn't go to Johto, May," Drew said blankly. He then turned to face her and slowly smiled. "I'm going to compete in the contests in Sinnoh."

"W-What?!" May stuttered. She did not expect him to change his mind and travel to Sinnoh. She thought she would be starting something new, making new rivals in this new journey. May wanted to know what changed his mind. "I thought you said you were gonna go to Johto with Harley and Solidad…?"

Drew smirked and flicked his hair once more. "I was, but then I realized that you were my biggest rival…if you weren't going to be in Johto, there wouldn't be any competitors good enough to face me."

"What about Solidad?" May questioned. "She beat me, so shouldn't she be the one you want to beat now?"

"Solidad is great—I'll admit it—but she doesn't challenge me like you do, May…"

"O-Oh, okay…" May's cheeks flushed after hearing his statement. But, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the conversation, so she decided to change the subject. "So why are you on this ship? If you are going to Sinnoh, I would've thought you'd want to arrive early to prepare for the contests."

Drew sighed in irritation. "I did," he said. "I actually left yesterday. This ship makes few stops before arriving in Sinnoh…something I wish they would've told me before I bought the ticket. The last stop it was going to make was just right now in Kanto."

There was an odd silence before any of the two spoke up again.

"I had a feeling you were on the ship, May," Drew stated. "I searched for a while when I first got on, but stopped when I didn't see any sign of you."

"Oh, we just got on from Pallet Town," May said, which made her think of Ash and Pikachu. She then realized something odd. "Wait, how'd you know I was going to the Sinnoh Region? I didn't tell anyone where I was going."

Drew smiled warmly. "We're friends, May," he said lowly. "I had a really good feeling you would be choosing Sinnoh over Johto so that you could find Ketchum and travel with him…I went with my gut, and I was right…I also had good feeling I'd find you first, so I could convince you to travel me through Sinnoh."

"Drew, you know—,"

"Hear me out, May," he interrupted. "I know Ketchum helped you in the beginning, but maybe it's time to go in a different direction. I could help you and you could help me. So, before you get there and go looking for Ash," putting emphasis on the trainer's name, "maybe you can give some thought about us traveling together…?"

May knew Drew meant well and knew it would help in a way to travel with him, but she really wanted to travel with Ash. "Besides, I already decided this a while back, and I'm with Ash right now." For some reason, this thought made her smile brightly.

The green-haired coordinator smiled, interpreting May's expression to be good for him.

"Thanks, Drew, I—,"

"Pika!"

The two coordinators turned around and saw Pikachu running towards them. In a quick instance, he jumped into May's arms which caused her to giggle.

"Is that Ketchum's Pikachu!" Drew glared at the Electric-type.

"Sorry, we're late," Drew heard Ash say from behind them. "We kinda got lost on the way back."

"So, this is what she meant when she said, 'we got on from Pallet Town.' I thought she was talking about her and Pokémon—specifically Eevee. I guess it makes more sense since she did get on the ship in Pallet Town and not Petalburg." Drew breathed in slowly to regain his composure and flicked his hair. He knew how to deal with the trainer easily. He turned around slowly and spoke. "I thought that was your Pikachu, Ketchum. I could tell by how slow it wa—," he stopped when he viewed the person who he called 'Ketchum.'

Ash could tell Drew was surprised by his physique and size as the green-haired teen kept staring at his body thoroughly with his eyes wide. This was making Ash feel uncomfortable, so he coughed to get Drew's attention.

"Uh, Drew, my eyes are up here," Ash said, pointing to his face.

May covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

Drew, on the other hand, was getting angry. However, he didn't want to show May that Ketchum was getting the better of him, so he merely crossed his arms and smirked.

"Sorry, I was just little surprised by how much you've changed in so little time, is all," he stated. "Though, I'm not surprised that you chose brawns over brains. It was only a matter of time before you figured out which category you belonged to…"

After hearing Drew's statement, May suddenly felt angry. She was not sure if Ash understood what the green-haired teen meant, but she did and knew it was not very nice. She was going to respond when Ash responded first.

"Oh, so I guess you've chosen neither, huh?" He said sympathetically. "It's okay, Drew, you still have friends that like you for who you are."

"How is he able to get the best of me?! He's an idiot!" Drew gritted before responding. "Action speaks louder than words, Ketchum," he grinned, thinking there was a better way to handle this argument. "How about a 'friendly' battle to settle this little dispute?"

"What would a battle prove?" May interjected.

"It would prove that brawns and power aren't everything," Drew said, never taking his eyes off Ash. "I know I can best him in a battle while humiliating him in front of May. My strategies are far better than his are."

Ash simply shrugged. "Alright, I accept."

"Alright." Drew turned to May and continued. "This shouldn't take long, May. I'll be back quickly, so we could finish talking without any interruptions." With that he began to walk towards the battlefield.

May then paced with Pikachu still in her arms over to Ash. The trainer was calm and smiling as she stood in front of him.

"Don't take Drew lightly, Ash," she warned. "He might be a coordinator, but he knows plenty of strategies to do good in a battle."

"No need to worry, May," he replied, still smiling. "I take all my battles seriously. This one won't be an exception. Just take care of Pikachu for me, please. I'm not going to use him in this match."

May nodded and watched Ash walk towards the opposite side of the battlefield. She sat down with Pikachu at an empty table and waited for the match to begin. She wondered what would cause Drew to challenge Ash so suddenly to a battle. She continued to ponder the reason as she saw her friends stand on the opposing ends of the ship.

People from both the upper and lower deck noticed Ash and Drew position themselves on the field and waited with anticipation for the battle to start. It would be the first one since the ship took off from Pallet Town. Judging by the looks the two challengers were exchanging, the passengers knew this was going to be a good match. Before Ash and Drew held a Poké ball in either of their hands, they had a massive audience already watching them.

"How many Pokémon do you have with you, Ketchum," Drew yelled across the field.

"Without Pikachu, I have two with me," Ash replied.

Drew smirked. "It figures you would only have three Pokémon in total. Fine…we'll make this a two-on-two battle. Is that alright?"

"I'm okay with that."

"Good, and like I said power and brawns aren't everything. It won't be that simple to beat me, Ketchum. Besides, just because you got stronger, doesn't mean your Pokémon did, too."

Ash grinned. "We'll find out right now, won't we?"

Drew gritted his teeth. "Alright, let's begin! Go, Flygon!" He pulled out a Poké ball and threw it the air. The Mystic Pokémon landed loudly on the field ready to fight.

"RARR!" Flygon roared towards Ash.

"Hmm…okay, I choose you, Totodile!" Ash threw his Poké ball and out came the small Johto starter.

Totodile appeared with its jaw clenched shut and arms to the side. It glared intensely at Flygon, surprisingly intimidating the Dragon Pokémon with its look. The audience, and Drew, also did not like the way the Water-type's appearance was. It seemed somewhat menacing. Totodile then slowly made its way towards the middle the field before raising its arms and closing it eyes, which creeped out the crowd furtherly its weird actions. All of the sudden, Totodile broke into a large smile and began dancing happily in front of everybody.

The people on the upper and lower decks, who initially feared the small Pokémon, were now enamored with it. They began making "aww" and "so cute" remarks to Totodile. Some passengers even took pictures of it with their cameras.

Drew, who seemed slightly frightened by Totodile at first, was now laughing at its ridiculous actions.

"That's one strong Pokémon you have there, Ketchum," he said sarcastically.

"I know," Ash responded, noting and ignoring Drew's tone. "But I'm tired of talking. Let's begin."

"Idiot," Drew thought. "Flygon, use Sandstorm!"

"Rar!" Flygon called out before flapping its red-trimmed wings fiercely, causing the field to be covered in a sand stream.

Everyone, with the exception of Ash and Totodile, shielded their eyes from the sand being thrown around.

Totodile was still dancing excitingly as nothing had occurred.

"Now, Flygon, get in and use Steel Wing!" Drew commanded.

Flygon flew rapidly towards the dancing Pokémon to connect its attack. When it was close, the Dragon threw its wings back and launched them towards Totodile. However, without breaking character, Totodile easily dodged the Steel Wing. Flygon turned around and continued a barrage of Steel Wings to collide against the moving opponent. Unfortunately, Totodile was too fast and dodged all of them with ease.

"At this rate, Flygon will be too tired to do anything else," Drew concluded. "Use Flamethrower at close range!"

Ash knew it was time to act. "Use Water Gun to counter!"

Totodile finally opened its eyes and fired the strong water move.

"DILE!"

The two attacks collided, pushing the two Pokémon away from each other. And after a few seconds, the Flamethrower began faltering to the Water Gun. Drew knew he had to change tactics.

"Break it off and fly up!" Flygon obeyed and quickly did as it trainer said. "Now use Dragon Breath!"

Flygon sent the powerful attack to Totodile, who had started to dance again when they stopped the previous moves.

"Use Hydro Pump!"

Totodile stopped and fired its powerful attack to intercept the Dragon Breath heading towards it. The attacks clashed and caused an explosion on the field. The strong wind caused by the impact made the Sandstorm disappear. When the dust finally cleared, everyone could see Flygon in the air and Totodile on the field dancing.

"I'm tired of seeing that little thing dance!" Drew clenched his fists. "You're not going to beat me by countering, Ketchum! Flygon, get in and use Steel Wing!"

The Mystic Pokémon somersaulted in the air before rapidly approaching Totodile. Its wings, once again, turned metallic and sharp as it headed to its opponent. When Flygon was a few inches away, Ash exploited the opportunity.

"Totodile, jump and use Ice Fang!" He commanded.

Drew's eyes widened when he heard the move. "Ice—what?!"

"To-To!" Said the Water-type while dodging the Steel Wing. It was able to jump on Flygon's back and hang on tightly as it flew in the air. Totodile's sharp teeth then became engulfed in ice, preparing the Ice Fang. Each tooth looked like a small icicle. "Dile!" Said Totodile as it launched the attack on Flygon's neck.

"RARR!" The Dragon yelled in pain. It could not maintain itself in the air and crashed harshly on the ground.

Totodile jumped before it could crash onto the ground with its opponent.

"Finish it with Water Gun!" Ash yelled.

The water attack directly hit Flygon on the back, causing it to cry in more pain. When the attack finished, everyone could see Flygon on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"To-to-to-to-to-dile!" Totodile said as it jumped and danced, which caused the audience to cheer.

Drew saw his Pokémon on the floor unconscious and returned it in its Poké ball. He could feel his anger rising as he saw Totodile, once again, jumping and dancing excitedly. He took in a deep breath to try and calm himself.

"I have to stay calm," he told himself. "If I start to get angry, I could lose focus on the battle…I still have a chance to comeback."

Ash thanked Totodile for the match and quickly recalled it into the Poké ball. He then pulled out another one before he spoke to Drew. "We can stop now if you want, Drew," he suggested. "The first battle was really good that we could just end it here. What do you think?"

Drew smirked and flicked his green hair. "I know you're afraid I'll comeback, Ketchum, but we said this would be a two-on-two battle, so we'll keep it that way." He then withdrew another Poké ball and threw it in the air. "Go, Absol!"

"Sol," said the Dark-type Pokémon.

"Absol, huh. I thought he would've used his Roselia," Ash thought. "You're right, Drew. We did say this would be a two-on-two match and that's what'll be. I choose you, Infernape!"

"A what?" Was all Drew could saw.

"Infernape!" Roared the Pokémon as it flexed its body.

The Sinnoh starter appeared on the field ready to fight. The fire on its head was burning brightly, and its yellow symbols on its shoulders, hands, knees, and chest stood out from its white and brown fur across its body.

Some of the passengers—those most likely native to Sinnoh—in the audience recognized Infernape and were anxious for the match to start. They knew the fully evolved Pokémon would make it a good battle with powerful moves against Absol. However, they also pondered if they knew the trainer. Not many people have Sinnoh starters that do not make it to the Sinnoh League. They wondered if he ever competed before.

I've never seen this Pokémon before," Drew admitted frustratingly. "But, I can tell it's a Fire-type which gives me the advantage by using Absol." He thought of a quick strategy before calling out to his Pokémon. "Alright, Absol, let's start by using Flash!"

Absol's eyes glowed brightly red and performed the attack. "Ab-SOL!"

A bright light covered the entire field, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Infernape turned its head away while covering its eyes from the Flash attack, as well.

Drew knew this was his chance to attack. "Use Water Pulse!"

"Sol!" Absol yelled as it fired the ball of water to Infernape. The Water Pulse bolted across the field and landed directly against its target, which caused an explosion.

Drew smiled. "He probably doesn't even know what happened just now," he thought cockily. However, his expression turn to one of disbelief as he saw Infernape still standing in the same position. On the contrary, the Pokémon did not even appear to have taken damage and seemed ready to launch its own attack. "I-I think I've underestimated Ketchum this time," Drew admitted angrily. He thought of the previous battle and how the little Totodile was able to overpower his strong Flygon. "I don't know what he did these past months, but he's not the same…I'll have to stall him while I come up with a strategy."

Ash could tell Drew was thinking deeply and decided to wait before calling an attack. "What's the best you can come up, huh?" He whispered to himself.

The coordinator thought the best strategy was to continue with what he knew—coordinating. "Absol, send a barrage of Water Pulses into the sky!"

Absol scattered the attacks in the air and waited for the next demand.

"Now jump and use Iron Tail on all of the them!"

"Ab-sol!" Absol exclaimed as it jumped and its metallic tail destroyed all the Water Pulses. With every Water Pulse that was hit, water started to pour on the field. It looked like it was raining with the sun still shining brightly. Absol looked glorious in the middle of it all.

"That should give me few moments without Fire moves," Drew concluded. He quickly glanced at May and saw she had a look of admiration for the display that just happened. Drew also noticed the audience had the same look as well, which caused him to smirk. "I can't say I'm surprised by their reactions…come on Ketchum—do your worst."

Ash grinned. "Smart move, Drew," he called out.

"I know." Drew flicked his hair. "What can I say? I can make battling look beautiful and make you Pokémon's moves useless. Are you ready to lose?"

"I was actually thinking the exact same thing," Ash commented. "Alright, Infernape end this with Close Combat!"

Drew's eyes widened when he heard the move. He had never of it, but it sounded very powerful. His suspicion was right with what happened next.

Suddenly, Infernape began sprinting rapidly towards a shocked Absol. When it was within arms-reach, Infernape launched its fists against the Dark-type's face and body. The Fire Pokémon was pulverizing Absol badly that the audience could hear each fist that collided. Infernape threw its right fist across the body once more before Ash spoke up.

"Finish it!"

With its final impact, Infernape introduced its leg to Absol's body, causing Absol to crash harshly against the ground.

"Infernape!" Said the Pokémon when it finished the attack.

Everyone could see swirls in Absol's eyes and knew the battle was over. They all clapped towards Ash and Drew, thanking them for a great match.

Drew, on the other hand, was still in utter shock. He could not believe the speed and power Ash's Pokémon displayed against his Pokémon. He had never witnessed his Pokémon get hit so badly before. Drew was upset, but he decided now would not be the best time to let it out. He recalled Absol and walked over to Ash, who had already thanked and returned his Infernape. The coordinator showed a calm look as stood in front of the trainer.

"You surprised me today, Ketchum," he said coolly. "I'll admit I underestimated you, so you may have gotten lucky, too."

Ash chuckled his stupid remark. "Yeah, probably…"

Drew quickly looked passed the trainer and saw May slowly making her way towards them. He decided to do something rash but hoped it might work. "You know I can do more for May in her contests, right?" He said honestly.

"No, but I'll see where this is going." Ash had a feeling he knew what Drew was going to ask but wanted to be sure. "Maybe…what are you getting at, Drew?"

"Why don't you let May travel with me through the Sinnoh Region?" He suggested in a friendly tone. "She can learn more traveling with another coordinator than she would a trainer. What do you think?"

Ash sighed. "I can't tell her what to do," he replied. He was not too fond of the male coordinator, but Ash knew he was a part of May's life before and did not want to change that.

"Then why don't you let me talk with her?" Drew continued in a whispering tone as May was getting closer. "Just give me a few minutes to talk with her alone so that I could try and convince her."

Ash was reluctant but knew he had to let May make this decision on her own. "Okay, Drew."

"What's 'okay,' Ash?" May said, walking up from behind him.

"Oh," Ash said, turning around and seeing May. He knew, however, how to respond. "Drew just wanted to know if he could get a rematch later. I told him we could, but it would be later when I have a few badges."

"Is he blackmailing me into another match?" Drew decided he would talk to him about it later. He turned to May. "Uh, yeah…I told him I hadn't trained in a few days, so I was a little out of it."

May was suspicious because Ash had not trained for an entire month, so a few days for Drew should have gave him the advantage. But, she thought it would be best to let it go.

"Okay," she cheered. "I'd like to see that rematch!"

Drew then quickly glanced at Ash, notifying him to make his exit so they could talk.

Ash reluctantly nodded. He grabbed Pikachu from May's arms and began to make his way. "Thanks, May…well, how 'bout I leave you two alone to catch up, huh?"

"Wait!" May quickly responded. "I thought we were going to get something to eat…?"

"We could go eat if you want, May," Drew suggested. He thought eating at the restaurant would be the perfect place to talk with her. "Besides, it looks like—,"

"Excuse me…"

The trio turned around to see who politely interrupted their conversation. They noticed a girl around their age standing next to them. She had long, brown hair that came down her shoulders and was wearing a green summer dress with a pair of green sandals that complemented her light, green eyes—maybe on vacation, the trio thought. She was a very beautiful girl. She was standing with her hands behind her back with shy expression on her face.

"Um, I was wondering if you would like to battle?" She shyly asked Ash.

Ash was slightly surprised at first, but he regained his composure and smiled. "Uh, yeah…sounds like fun," he replied nicely. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"O-Oh, my name is Andie." Her faced flushed with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry I'm just little nervous, that's all…my friends encouraged me to come talk you," she said, smiling towards Ash.

May, suddenly, felt something in the pit of her stomach. She was not sure what it was, but she did not like the way it felt. "How about we wait for you to finish so that we could all go eat?" She asked Ash.

"It's okay, May," Ash reassured. "You and Drew go on ahead…I'll catch up with you both after I'm finished. And like I said it'll give you guys time to catch up."

"Great," Drew interjected while grabbing May's hand. "Come on, May, let's go get a table and wait for him there."

May slowly began walking away from Ash, leaving him with the beautiful stranger named Andie. She saw Ash say something to the green-eyed teen which made her giggle and blush. May felt the feeling in her stomach stronger than before.

"Am I…am I jealous? No, I'm probably just hungry, maybe…" She thought as she saw Ash lead the blushing teen to the battlefield. "Maybe not…"

Alright, that's the end of Chapter 10. I'm already working on the next chapter already, and I should be posting it up in two weeks (three weeks at most). I'm on vacation, so I do have a little more time than I did before.

I hope you all enjoyed this one. You can tell me what you think, tell me if you like the way it's going, or not—I can take criticism. I'm hoping it's only getting better, though. For those of you that follow my other story, which isn't a lot of you, the next chapter will come up after I post up the next one for Timeflies. I can't seem to find the right direction for that one, so I'm figuring it out.

Okay, I hope to hear what you all think.

-RedHood06