Ash moved anxiously about in his mother's living room. It had taken several hours for May, Delia, and even May's parents to explain to him exactly what a college was and furthermore, what went on within one. He had stood slack-jawed throughout the whole explanation, gasping time and again. He was stunned when he found out that he not only had to go back to school, but had to attend this one for a minimum of four years. After a while, he stood in silence and let his family continue to explain about this 'college'. He couldn't find the words to express how he felt about the situation when they were done.
"I can't believe this!" Ash said as he continued to pace back and forth in the room. Delia, Norman, and Caroline were all empathetic about the situation, while May, who kind of expected that they would have to attend college some time down the road, was more sympathetic towards Ash. But that sympathy quickly went away as she started to get a headache.
"Ash, honey, please calm down." Delia said.
He abruptly stopped pacing and about-faced to face his mother. "No, Mom! I won't calm down! I can't calm down! I can't believe this is the first time I'm hearing about this so-called 'college'."
May began rubbing her temples. "Ash, really, it's not that big of a deal."
"Oh, yes it is! And how is it you knew about this and I didn't? I never even heard you speak about this college once!"
"I always knew there were colleges, Ash. I just didn't think we'd have to attend one."
"Of course you have to attend, May." Caroline said. "Every trainer has to attend, everyone knows that."
"I didn't!" Ash spat out. "I didn't even know there was a such thing as a 'college' up until a couple hours ago."
"Ash, sweetie, do you honestly think you can become a Pokémon Master without a college degree?" Delia asked.
"I did up until you said that."
"Honey, everybody has to go to college before they start their career. In fact, the only ones who don't go to college are those few individuals who aren't educated. And those are the ones who are missing out on life—the ones who don't learn."
"Are you saying that I'm not educated?"
"No, honey! Oh, I would never…"
"What she's saying, Ash," Caroline cut in. "Is that all the big names you hear out there like Wallace, Drake, Lance—they all had to go to college before they became who they were, whether it be Gym Leaders, Elite Four Members, Champions, whatever. They all had to go to college."
Ash began flouncing around the room.
"Ash, sweetie, this really isn't as big as you're making this out to be." Delia said calmly.
"No, Mom, I suppose it isn't. But this is definitely news to me."
"Ash, honey…"
"You said the purpose of this 'college' is to educate me. Well isn't that what the trainer school is for? Why do I have to go to college?"
"Ash," Norman said. "Trainer school is just to teach you the basics about being a trainer. Now that you are one, a very good one at that, the next step is to go to college, which is where you broaden and deepen your knowledge and develop higher-order skills. It's just another stage in the educational ladder after trainer school and before entering the working world or going to graduate school."
He stopped pacing. "Whoa, Whoa, back up. Graduate school? What is that?"
"Don't worry about it, Ash." May said. She continued rubbing her temples. Her headache was getting worse.
"Hold the phone, May. You're telling me I have to go somewhere else after I finish this…this college?"
"No, baby. You don't have to. You don't even have to go to college if…"
"Wait a second! If I don't have to go to college, then what is this whole argument about?!" Ash fumed.
"I give up." She got up out of her seat and headed towards the kitchen, much to Ash's dismay.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Ash," Delia cut in. "Honey, if you want to be a Pokémon Master, you're going to have to go to college. Trainer school isn't enough to make it. I remember when I got my Bachelor's…"
Ash looked steadily at Delia. "Wait a second, you have a degree? Since when!"
"Since I moved here. I had to finish my education, sweetie. Since I didn't live in Johto anymore, I couldn't finish my last two years in UG. I had to transfer to the University of Viridian. It was difficult because you were born soon after I moved. I had to drop you off by Prof. Oak most days just to make sure you were taken care of while I was away. That's how you met your friend Gary."
"Yeah, we're real good friends." He said dryly. Even though the two of them had buried the hatchet and stopped being rivals years ago, there was still something about Gary that got under his skin. Maybe it was that retched nickname he kept insisting on calling him.
"The truth is dear, I was barely making ends meet as it was. I couldn't take care of you and I thought I'd have to put college on hold for a while. If it wasn't for Prof. Oak taking you in and paying for my tuition, I don't know how I would've made it." A tear rolled down Delia's cheek. She quickly wiped away and looked at her son. "But I'm getting off the subject. What I'm basically saying Ash is that college is just the next step after becoming a trainer. That's it. Like Norman said, it's nothing more than another step in the educational ladder."
Ash once more began pacing the room, this time with his arms crossed. "Okay, I guess I kind of get the gist of what you're saying, but I still don't understand how I'm getting all these letters. I didn't apply to any of those colleges. You have to apply to these sort of things, don't you? Isn't that how I was enrolled in trainer school?"
Caroline folded her hands. "Well, Ash, you're a well-known public figure. Those colleges probably see you as an asset to their school."
"So why should I go if I'm just a fix? A name they can have on their records?"
"You don't have to, sweetie. That's when it's you call. You can either reject or accept the invitation."
He stopped pacing. "Okay, one more question: Homework. In trainer school I got piles upon piles of homework almost every day. Do I get any while I'm in college?"
"Yes, I believe you will," Norman said. "But then again that depends on your professor. Homework is just practice—something to make sure you understand the concepts of what you're being taught. I'm not sure whether it's piles and piles or loads of loads you will be getting, but back in my day, it really wasn't so much to make a case out of it."
"There's also the fact, dear, that you're going to have to study—a lot." Delia said. "I wouldn't say college is hard but it's definitely not filled with bird courses. You have to study, take notes, research, experiment, everything."
"Oh boy. Okay, so it's not hard?"
They all exchanged glances again. Caroline took this one. "I guess that depends on the student and perhaps your professors. Some of them are lenient, some are strict. And the way you, as a student, processes it and acts on it has a lot to do with how well you will exceed in that course. But I believe that if you just do what you've been told, ask questions, and be diligent, then you won't much have a problem with college."
Wringing his hands, Ash nervously began looking around the room.
"Ash, sweetie, please calm down. College really isn't something to get so worked up about." Delia tried to reassure.
He let out an exhausted sigh. "I guess not, Mom. But…this is just not something I had planned in my future. I mean, trainer school was some of the hardest work I've ever done, and I barely passed as it was. Now I have to go to college, doing work that's harder and even more rigorous. It just seems so demanding. Why do I have to listen to some professor tell me if I am a good or bad trainer to even be considered to be a Pokémon Master? I'm not even sure if I want to be that anymore."
"College isn't all that bad, Ash." Norman said. "It has its perks."
"Such as?"
"Freedom." Delia said.
"I already have freedom."
"Parking." Caroline said.
"I don't have a car."
"Okay, Ash." Norman said. "One of the best things about college is your schedule. In college, especially as you move along in years, you are usually required to ask to take certain classes. In addition to that, you can pick the time and the days of the week you want to attend. You can make you schedule to accommodate your lifestyle. College is also where you can make some lifelong friends as well. Another perk about college are the sororities and fraternities. And I suppose the best thing about college would be graduating. The good thing about this is that you will be able to say that you were a hard enough worker to hang in there until the very end. And on graduation day your mother will cry with joy." He shot a glance over at Delia who nodded in agreement. Just the thought of her Ashy graduating made her eyes well.
"You're also lucky to have the freedom that you have right now. But you must to keep in mind that you and May are public figures. The paparazzi will be everywhere. You will have absolutely no privacy. That's where you have to be careful."
Ash chuckled dryly. "Believe me Norman, I know. Me and May had our share of experiences with the press."
"Then you should be prepared for anything. Really Ash, college is not the end of the world. You'll get by."
Sighing once more, Ash took his favorite red cap off of his mother's coffee table, tracing it, before placing it back on the table.
"I think I'll go see if May's okay." He said, heading into the kitchen to find his upset fiancée.
Norman let out the sigh he had had been holding for so long. "That went better than I expected."
"At least he's calmed down. I think it'll be easier to explain to him the rest tomorrow." Caroline said, picking up her purse and heading to the coat rack to pick up her coat. Norman helped her put it on.
Delia joined the two of them at the door. "I think it'd be best to let May explain to him the rest. She may be able to put it in better terms than we can."
"Agreed."
Meekly entering the kitchen, Ash saw May leaned up against the kitchen counter. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was looking out of the kitchen window. He slowly made his way behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." She said, giving into the embrace.
"You still mad at me?"
She turned around and rested her head on his chest. "It wasn't you I was mad about."
"Well, you sure fooled me." He tightened his grip around her waist and held her firm against his chest as he had done most times when he was comforting her. "What were you mad about?"
"An accumulation of things."
"Like?"
"The wedding, the acceptance letters, stuff like that."
"Okay, I understand the letters. Why are worried about the wedding? That's still a year off." He pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes.
She lifted her head off of his chest. That's when Ash noticed her wet cheeks.
"Are you crying?"
She wiped at her face with her hand, sniffling while she did so. That's when Ash grew concerned. He cupped her face. "May, what's wrong? What's the matter?"
"It's nothing." She continued to wipe away her tears.
"Something's bothering you. Something's hurting you. Something's making you cry. What's wrong? Tell me."
"Ash, really, it's nothing." She forced a smile on her face. Ash still wasn't convinced.
"May, tell me what's bothering you. What's worrying you? Is it really planning the wedding? If that's the case, I'm sure I can get someone to help out; something to ease your stress. I'll even go with you to…see Harley if you want me to."
"No, no." She took his hands off of her face and held them in her hands. "The wedding planning is fine, even though I virtually gave Mom total command to take over the plans for the wedding."
"Is that what's bothering you?"
"No." She looked him in the eyes and gave another weak smile. "This is my wedding, Ash; my day to shine. I'm taking control back, guaranteed. It's just like I said earlier. It's an accumulation of things."
"What's accumulating? I heard you say the letters were bothering you as well. You scared about going to college too 'cause I know I am."
She chuckled. "You're scared?"
"Yeah, a little bit. I can admit that. But that wasn't the question."
She sighed. "I'm not scared. I just wasn't expecting to go."
"Me either."
She rested her head back on his chest. Ash started rubbing her back. "I mean, I guess I kinda did but I was hoping not to. That's why I was crying."
"You were crying because you didn't want to go to college?"
"Not in the sense you're implying it." She looked him back in his eyes. "I was crying because I didn't like the thought of changing my future. Our future."
"What are you talking about?"
Again she sighed. She felt like crying all over again. Ash continued to rub her back as she went on to explain.
"Ash, I didn't want to change my lifestyle. I didn't want to change my plans for the wedding. We were supposed to be pronounced husband and wife next year and we may end up putting that off for another four years until we graduate. It's going to be difficult to plan a wedding when we have classes to attend and work to do. Not to mention the fact that we're going to have to get jobs to help pay for the rent on our house. I'm going to have to make new plans with Harley…I just want things to stay the way they are right now. I know I'm being selfish but that's how I feel."
"May, you have a right to be selfish. I believe we all do. But it may not be as bad as you think."
"Yes, it will. Ash, I want to get married to you so badly. I want so badly to be your wife that sometimes I can't sleep at night knowing the wedding is…or was just under a year away. Now we may have to wait another four years before we can say our 'I do's.' I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't adapt well to change."
"Believe me May, I think the world knows you don't adapt well to change. But that aside, you know I love you, May. I love you so much, it really does hurt sometimes. What does it matter if we wait four years or ten months to get married? It's not gonna change the way I feel about you. We're already living together; we spend like every waking moment together; we practically act like a married couple on the day-to-day basis. I mean, a marriage license is just documentation of our relationship. And if this is about the wedding, it's still going to be the wedding of your dreams, whether we have it tomorrow or ten years from now."
"I know, Ash. Like I said, it's just me being selfish. I really wanted to have our wedding next spring."
"Then we'll have it."
"But our classes…"
"We'll make it work. Like I said, I want you to have the wedding of your dreams. I'm merely there to show up and say 'I do'. Our wedding day is going to be your day. It's your day to shine like the sun. We'll find a way to make it work. I know you said you wanted a spring wedding and we'll get one. And if you want to get married next year, then we will. The only thing we have to put off is the honeymoon, which I believe quite frankly we have every night."
She couldn't help but smile. How true that statement was?
"Okay Ash, you're right. It's not a big deal. I'll amp down about the wedding, at least for now. I can't tell you how much I love you right now."
"No, but you can show me." He said slyly. He puckered his lips, ready for a kiss. May put her finger to his lips.
She whispered. "If you can wait until tonight, I will."
Stepping out of his grasp, she left him almost unable to stand on his own. She stopped at the kitchen door.
"And by the way, it's not every night we make love."
Finding the strength in his legs, he made he his way over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes it is. You can't go on without you're daily dose of Ash-shine." He made his way past her and plopped down on his mother's living room couch.
May tried her hardest to look upset but she ended up smiling anyway.
She couldn't deny it. He was right.