"Didn't you know? Chocolate is the gateway to all things bright and beautiful."


Meeting You

By: KrystalClear101


"Where do you learn this stuff?"


Chapter 11

The closing of the fourth battle found May seated on that same bleacher, staring forlornly into her empty popcorn bucket while keeping a close eye on Bulbasaur and Pikachu who seemed to be ignoring her depressed state. Ash had left about a minute ago to use the restroom. A sigh escaped her lips while her eyes landed on the field below where Harley was prancing about the area, obviously satisfied with his victory.

And as if it couldn't get any more awkward, he threw his arms around his unsuspecting partner who looked repulsed at the idea of being paired with him let alone hugged. All in all it was quite amusing almost to the point where she nearly forgot about her sugar craving for the moment.

Even when they first met Harley always had this thing about him that caused May to go into awful fits of laughter. She supposed that's why he first began to resent her. Eventually they simmered down into tiny chuckles here and there. But his resentment only got worse when she continuously bested him in contest after contest after Grande Festival. He managed to one up her just once but even that wasn't enough. No one likes to be considered a joke to their rival.

She never thought he was a joke…ok she did but it was a quality that seemed to suit him. Especially since he wore all his emotions on the sleeves of that God awful Cacturne jacket he adored so much. He was easy to read, predictable, yet able to come with elaborate schemes to discredit her. But they somehow always managed to fall through in the end leaving him feeling bitterer and her feeling strangely entertained.

Because, as weird and deranged as it sounds, he was one of the reasons why she continued to compete in contests. No matter what she went through, she could always count on Harley to make things awkwardly interesting. There was never a dull moment with that guy and part of her was looking forward to whatever plot he was devising now. Harley is always up to something.

Ash soon returned looking rightfully refreshed and relieved. He literally dashed to the toilet, even forgetting Pikachu in his frantic state. May spared him a glance and resisted the urge to punch him as he plopped down next to her, sighing heavily with his head thrown back.

"Ouch!" he flinched.

"Resistance is futile." She muttered quietly to herself, staring at her fist strangely. Ash cocked a brow at her random act of violence. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she had to go and make herself all complicated again.

"Harley won his match." She said. "There's a high chance that we will be facing him in the final round."

"Yeah? We'll just have to give it our best then!" May looked over again and this time she had to resist smiling. He wore this pure look of determination on his face and it was a close tie between admirable and adorable. Very close.

"I love this optimism of yours." She said. He looked over with a cheeky grin before their names were called to come down to the field for the beginning to the second round. Pikachu hopped to his usual spot while May scooped up her grass type as they made their way down the steps. Of course, who else did they meet on their way down but Harley and his sulking partner.

"Hello there Ash and May! Funny seeing you two here!" he called with the fluttery wave. Ash instinctively recoiled behind the smiling brunette as lavender haired fellow approached the pair.

"Hilarious." She replied, laughing on the inside at his twitching left eye. She chanced a glance at the guy behind him and an apologetic look developed on her face. The poor soul looked absolutely miserable and a tad angry. She felt bad for the guy. But apparently Harley noticed her staring and got a little defensive.

"I see you've noticed my fabu partner here. Don't get any ideas now, this one's all mine!" He said, placing his hands on the guy's shoulders. The latter flinched away, his face turning an odd shade of green before he grit his teeth in frustration.

"Quit touching me!" came the surprising shout. He huffed, rightfully embarrassed before turning to May and a slightly put off Ash. "He tricked me! He said there were no single matches! I don't want to be partnered with this guy but I won't forfeit!"

"Yeah! Never give up!" Ash piped up, suddenly pumped up by the guy's mini tirade. He approached him with his hand held out and a wide grin on his face. "Ash."

"Orange." The gesture was complete, leaving the two of them smiling and looking like they were in their own little world while May and Harley were stuck in the role of being spectators. Which didn't last long as Harley loved being the center of attention and always somehow managed to get May tangled up in his ridiculous messes.

"Oh he's exaggerating! I just made a simple mistake, anyone could've done it." He said, feigning innocence.

"I'm hurt, hun." May said in a mocking gesture. "We've know each other for so long and you still think me to be this gullible?"

"Why, of course not! Never in a million years, May darling." He replied and May was rightful satisfied by the way he played right into her waiting hands, taking the bait like a starving Magikarp.

"Thought so. Come on Ash, our match is starting." And she left him with his mouth wide open, eyes watching her retreating form as she patted Orange on the shoulder, muttering something along the lines of 'Stay strong'. It wasn't until she was out of site that he threw a tantrum that would be a Loudred to shame.

"Ugh!" the tissue was a plain sight and he was biting it like it was his job. Orange backed away even further, completely disturbed by the fellow and how they'd be battling together in the next match. But part of him was happy since he'd found a decent opponent in Ash.

"We are going to destroy them! Understand?" he said, hands on his shoulders again.

"Finally we agree on something." He rolled his eyes, excitement building. He didn't know about the destroying part but he was definitely looking forward to facing off against the raven haired boy.

"I thought I told you to stop touching me."


Ash and May went off onto their respective battle against an elderly couple who used Donphan and Altaria. It was a pretty good match up considering everyone had some kind of type advantage and disadvantage. But the couple was obviously seasoned battlers and even with the type advantage it was promising to be a difficult battle.

May used Bulbasaur mostly on defense, making good use of protect but also relying on Vine Whip to dodge and attack. Donphan used mostly close range attacks like Rollout and Slam, making good use of its uniquely designed body. Even if May did have the plus of Bulbasaur being a grass type, its lack of grass type attacks were proving to be bit of a hindrance.

Ash, on the other hand, was having a ball while still being under the attack of this flying-dragon type. He also had the advantage but attacks like Dragon Pulse were giving him a real run for his money. Not mention Pikachu had to keep it distracted enough from attacking Bulbasaur who was having trouble all on its own. Things turned around in their favor when Altaria became paralyzed by one of Pikachu's electric attacks.

"Hey Ash," May called. "Let's take down Donphan while Altaria's paralyzed."

"I have a plan. Leave it to me!"

May followed his lead while Ash commanded Pikachu to switch opponents. Donphan was just about to roll Bulbasaur's way in the middle of a Rollout when May called out a strong Vine Whip which prompted Bulbasaur to intertwine its two vines into what looked like a rope. While this was happening, Pikachu was coming in fast with a quick attack. Bulbasaur used the vines to cross Donphan's path, propelling it upwards and right into a smashing Iron Tail, courtesy of Pikachu.

Donphan was out of commission but their victory was short lived once an unexpected Aerial Ace from Altaria knocked Bulbasaur back a few feet. May quickly called for Synthesis while Pikachu went on the offense but often missing due to Altaria's tricky flight patterns.

Ash grit his teeth in frustration. It was easy to win a battle when the odds were on your side but it was frustrating when you couldn't land a hit. But he supposed it was the need for quick thinking that made battling so exhilarating. You never know the outcome and someone with the disadvantage could easily turn things around in their favor.

"No turning back now. Pikachu use quick attack!" he said. May stood off to the side, watching Ash and thinking of a way to defeat the cloud like pokémon. Any number of attacks from Altaria could easily knock Bulbasaur out, type advantage or not. So there has to be a way to overcome that and end up on top.

"Altaria, Sky Attack!"

"Such intensity." May said. Sky Attack is known strictly for its sheer power. It's the strongest flying type attack yet and truly a sight to see. Absolutely perfect for contests. But in this setting, it is to be feared.

"I've got this May, don't worry."

"You sound so sure." She said.

"Pikachu has a history of taking down big birds. Even when the odds were against us, he always pulled through." He said. And the way he spoke about his pokémon made May believe in his battling abilities just a little more.

Altaria was glowing brightly, charging up for what promised to be a devastating attack should it hit. It was clear who the real target was so Pikachu was stationed protectively in front of Bulbasaur, gathering huge amounts of electricity in his cheeks. Soon he was cloaked entirely in static, stationed on all fours and ready to attack. Ash called a combination of Quick Attack and Volt Tackle just as Altaria was cruising down.

Pikachu shot off at a blinding speed, electricity quickly building up and surrounding him completely, leaving nothing but a trail of static in its wake. Its opponent was veering in close and soon they would collide. At the last second, Pikachu propelled himself upward, ramming itself right into Altaria, feeling both the brunt of the Sky Attack and his own tackle. Luckily, Bulbasaur was able to catch his soaring form just in time to save him from further damage.

Altaria wasn't as lucky, hitting the ground hard as it struggled to raise its body. The efforts were in vain for it soon became slack signaling the end of the first battle in the second round. May gave a sigh of relief while Ash cheered loudly, running onto the field to praise both Pikachu and Bulbasaur. They were plenty worn out by the match but were obviously happy with the results.

"You two make a pretty awesome team." Ash commented while they were on their way to the healing booth for the second time that day. May nodded in agreement while Bulbasaur gave off a face of bashfulness. Pikachu just rested silently in Ash's hair, enjoying its softness and anticipating the healing he would be getting pretty soon.

"How'd you get your Bulbasaur, May?" Ash asked as they handed over their pokémon. May hummed thoughtfully before twirling a lock of her hair.

"I was travelling with Brendan at the time when my Skitty suddenly let itself out. And then this Skarmory came out of nowhere to attack. It kind of kidnapped me and dropped over this huge wall." She said.

"Kidnapped?"

"Yeah, it was all very strange. Turns out that wall was like a boundary surrounding all this land reserved specially for a grass type pokémon who weren't all that fond of people. Just as I was let down, Bulbasaur was about to fall off a cliff and I saved it." She explained.

"I remember that place. It's on the way the Fortree, isn't it?"

"Yeah, if you're going in that particular direction, it is. Anyway, these angry pokémon came out of nowhere and just started attacking me but Bulbasaur was able to stop them long enough for me to get away. It was all real freaky and surreal. I had never been attacked by pokémon like that before."

"…"

"Ah but then Brendan kinda sorta came to my rescue. He begged with the Park Ranger guys to let him inside so he could find me. It took him a whole day and by that time any normal person would've gone insane. I was hiding for the most part, using Torchic for protection and secretly getting berries from Bulbsaur. By the time he found me, I was hysterical but I didn't want to leave Bulbsaur behind so it came with me."

"Ah that's so cool!" Ash replied.

"What? The part where I was kidnapped? Or the part where I was attacked?" it was an honest question but Ash was still struggling with her bluntness.

"Uhm, none of those. I was talking about you and Bulbasaur. Seems like it really cared about you." He smiled.

"Loving is how I would describe Bulbasaur. And it makes sense, you know? There's a spot shaped like a heart on its forehead!" she said, poking in the space between his eyebrows. He flinched a bit at the surprising gesture but smiled all the same, amused by her quirkiness.

"You're so weird." Ah, that wasn't supposed to come out. And judging by the look of shock on her face, she wasn't expecting that either.

"I…I had no idea you felt that way…" she answered, tone suddenly sad and eyes downcast.

"You're not fooling me this time, May." She quickly straightened and turned her back on him.

"I'm going to buy more kettle corn." And she stalked off, leaving Ash to watch her retreating figure. He sighed, scratching his head awkwardly. He really hadn't meant to call her weird, it just slipped out on accident. Part of him felt like she wasn't really affected by it but another part knew, somehow, that she was.

"What is wrong with me?"


A/N: It's still Friday, isn't it? I'm really sorry guys. I hope no one was waiting in anticipation for this but it's here now and that's all that matters!

So let's see, what happened in this chapter? May assesses her relationship with Harley and comes to terms with being unable to resist punching Ash. Let's be honest guys, hasn't there been a person who you just want to punch sometimes? Not because they're a jerk but…whatever!

I must apologize to Shiny Gengar for pairing your OC with Harley. No one, real or not, should have to deal with that fool. I'm sorry! Don't hate me! DX Next you get another battle from me. From my experience in playing pokémon, old people are tough to beat and they like cruises. This is a combination of the two. I shortened the battle to just descriptions kind of see what you guys thought of this style. Let me know which is more readable.

Thank goes to: DavidShawnMichael, Nauran, MAD- The Awesomeman, The Shiny Gengar, Katherine Loves Kisses, PAS-15, gaffro, Midnightmoon602, Ayatane Elemia, Lady Lauren, Pure Arua, and DarthWill3.

Next chapter with be the final match of the Tournament as well as the addressing of May's insomnia and some ground breaking advanceshipping. You really don't want to miss it. It'll be great! Lastly, I've done some fanart for this wonderful pairing and you guys should check it out if you have the time. It's on deviantart and my user name is the same. That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you in 12!

Krystal