Dawn had knocked on May's door at least 4 times by the end of the night. After the third time she'd stopped counting and learned to block the sound out. She couldn't face Dawn's questions now- she just wanted the night to herself. She thought that perhaps thinking would help, that maybe she'd have some clue, but she was still as lost as before when she heard her friends entering their separate rooms to sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, tried her best to focus on a book, anything to distract her, but nothing worked. Almost an hour after everyone else had retired to bed, May decided her best option would be to get some sleep. She lay in the dark, her eyes wide open, for what seemed like hours, trying her best to settle, but her mind whirred and worked, and tears threatened every so often that she had to choke back.

When May finally found sleep, it was a brief relief. She woke 25 minutes later, drenched in her own tears. I was crying in my sleep too?

She sat up, feeling her pillow was wet where her face had been. For a moment, she sat in the dark, her knees drawn up to her chest, and stared forward into nothing. She was exhausted, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was scared, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was upset, but she didn't expect that to end any time soon. It had been almost a week now since Ash had last spoken to her, and now it was beginning to tear her apart. I need air…

She jumped up and headed out, ignoring the fact that she still wore her sleep shorts and a t-shirt, being careful to stay quiet as she crept down the stairs and out the main entrance to the gardens. The sky was pitch black, but the moon illuminated the path enough for her to see where she stepped. In her mind, she picked a random direction and headed in it, wondering what she would find at the ends of the garden other than hedge. She continued to walk, past the flower beds and fountains, until she reached a steep slope. The bottom seemed to flow into a sea of trees that stretched as far as she could see. So maybe there's no boundary on this side?

May stepped, her bare feet enjoying the softer feel of the grass. The fresh air was helping to calm her, but she swore to herself she wouldn't go much further. The house wasn't too far behind her, but it was the middle of the night, and she had no idea what Pokémon would live in these woods. After a few moments she took a step onto the slope, but her foot failed to find solid ground. Instead, the soil crumbled beneath her and she lost her balance, letting out a scream. Slipping down the 25 foot slope she would almost certainly hit her head, and who knows how long it would take people to find her. She braced herself as her body left the ground, and waited for the impact. As the ground just began to scrape her heels and bare legs she felt a hand quickly clasp around her own, and she was suddenly dangling above the fall. With her heart in her throat, the pain in her legs was masked by fear, and she desperately clutched for the hand, that slowly pulled her up. Her breath still heavy, she flung herself against the person beside her and began to calm down as their arms wrapped around her. The smell was familiar. She jumped.

"Does it hurt?" Ash asked, the first words she'd heard from him in a week. Suddenly, the hug meant more to her, and the fall was pushed to the back of her mind.

"N-no, I'm okay, thank you," she said into his chest, and wondered whether she should move away. Ash didn't let go of her. "Ash?"

"Sorry," he said, pulling away. She looked up into his face and choked back the urge to throw herself against him again. "I was just really worried about you there. Come on, you're gonna have to get back and wash the mud off."

He started to walk away, and May tried to follow, the confusion growing by the second. As soon as she placed weight on her foot, a sharp pain spread throughout her leg and she fell to the floor, wincing. The ground was cold, and she felt pathetic as she tried to force herself back up before Ash noticed. By the time she had even begun to lift herself, he was by her side, looking down upon her.

"Put your arm around me, I'll help you," he offered. She noticed that there was something different about his tone now, as if he were permanently sad or concerned.

"I don't think I can rise…"

"Don't strain yourself," he spoke, leaning down towards her. "I'll carry you inside, I mean, if that's okay."

His arms were suddenly underneath her bare legs and behind her back as he lifted her against her chest. The warmth from his skin spread along her legs and she relaxed against his chest, her face burning red. Losing any cares in the world she lay her head against his chest and let herself enjoy the feeling of being beside him. She wanted to stay there forever, and enjoy the moment, but quickly drifted off to sleep.

She woke again in her bed, lying flat above the covers. She winced as she sat up, rubbing the back of her head painfully. The bathroom door was ajar, with light filtering out, and the sound of water running echoed.

"Ash?" she asked, trying to stand again. The pain shot through her leg as her weight landed on it and she shrieked, crumpling back down. Ash was suddenly at the bathroom door, peering out.

"Don't try to walk."

"Okay… what's happening?"

"Look at your legs and your hair," Ash answered. "If you don't fix them people will ask you what happened and you'll have to explain."

May glanced at herself in the mirror. Her bare legs were covered in mud and scratches, and her hair was a tangled mess, filled with twigs and small stones from the ground. She sighed. "Thanks, Ash. You can go now, you should get some sleep."

"Alright." Ash emerged from the bathroom after turning the tap off and glided towards the door. He began to pull it open but May called out again to stop him.

"Wait," she muttered loudly. "How am I gonna get in?"

Ash blushed profusely. "I hadn't thought about that. On second thought, maybe I should get Dawn to help you. Wait here."

"Dawn can't carry me." May was just as embarrassed as he was with the whole situation, but perhaps if she could get him to stick around for a little while, she'd be able to draw an explanation from him. The atmosphere was growing less tense by the moment, but May couldn't let him leave now that they'd begun to talk again. The fear that he would begin to ignore her again was too great. Ash was her best friend, and she knew she could be comfortable around him no matter what. After the first kiss, there was an unusual tension between herself and Ash that she couldn't help but feel, even when they weren't talking. Part of her wanted him to stay facing her.

"Turn around for a sec, close your eyes."

Ash did as she said, turning away and closing his eyes. May pulled the sleep shirt over her head and removed her shorts. She stared down at the leg she'd fallen onto, underneath the mud she could see a gash. She sighed. "Alright, turn around and walk towards me, don't open your eyes."

Ash turned awkwardly and walked aimlessly forward, too nervous to hold out his hands, just in case. He followed the sound of her voice, until he felt her hand on his arm. She guided it to her, and his hand rested softly on her bare side. She lifted her arm and wrapped it around his neck, and placed her weight on him as she stood, wincing. As he helped her to the bath she kept her eyes on him, watching his facial expressions as his arm gripped her tighter. May climbed carefully into the tub as Ash stayed with his eyes closed by the side, waiting to be told he could go.

"You'll have to be my eyes and guide me out," he chuckled nervously.

"No…" May spat awkwardly, drawing her knees up to her chest in the bathtub. "Stay. You can sit for a minute… on the side of the tub, just keep facing away."

"Oh… okay."

May took hold of his hand and pulled him back slightly, carefully guiding him to the edge of the bathtub. He sat slowly, finding his balance, and opened his eyes, keeping his eyes on the wall opposite him. The tension in the room grew further, but May's heart was pounding, and she'd not felt this good in days. This was what she wanted.

"What do you think is gonna happen now?" May asked, rubbing the water gently over her legs, her hands trembling still. "We can't just be sitting ducks here forever."

"I'm sure your mom is sorting it out," Ash spoke, his voice shaking a little. May caught the quiver in his voice and looked down, a smile creeping onto her lips.

"They'll take you away eventually," May waved her hand around slowly in the water. "When they find your parents. You'll get to go home."

"Meh," Ash began, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head. "This place isn't so bad, I hope it's a little while yet."

"Me too…" May muttered, dropping her hand and wrapping her arms around her knees, covering her chest and leaning against the back of the tub. "Me too."

"It feels as though it's been months. It's passed so quickly, I don't even think the reality of everything has sunk in yet. Last year I was spending all my time bickering with Misty and Brock in that place, thinking water and fire types should stay away from each other, then I met you, a fire type, by the lake, and all of this happened, and now we're out, and sitting here together… and we're best friends too."

"Imagine if we hadn't started talking? I don't think any of this would have ever happened, I'd still be stuck there right now… But then I'd get to leave, and we'd never have met for sure."

"Ah, you can't know that." Ash smiled and shrugged. "Maybe one day we would have."

"You're right." May sighed. "We have too much of a connection for our meeting to have been coincidental, huh?"

Ash fell silent. May's heart began to pound against her chest again as she stared up at him, hoping to get some hint as to his feelings. She hugged her knees tighter against her chest, her stomach twisting at the thought that she'd said something wrong. After a moment, nervously she muttered his name. He shifted, and she began to open her mouth to tell him he could leave her now. Suddenly, Ash turned to face her. May's mouth caught open, she froze, her heart missing its next beat. Her mind barely had time to register that he was looking at her, her cheeks barely enough time to begin glowing red, before he leaned down towards her. His lips met hers once again, and May melted into him, feeling his hand on the back of her neck. She dropped her knees, raising her hands, still wet, to place behind his head and pull him closer to her, and they continued to kiss deeply. May's stomach was sick with butterflies, and her face burned, but the feeling in her heart was overwhelming. She wished she could pull him even closer to her. She moved to kneel in the tub beside him, leaning into his kiss more. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel that he was smiling as they kissed. She felt as though her heart would explode. After a long few seconds, Ash removed his hand, and began to pull away. May stayed leaning beside him, forgetting herself, but Ash's eyes remained closed, and he raised his hand op over them, chuckling nervously. May shuffled back to her position that covered her chest, her breath heavy and her heart still racing. Her whole body tingled. Ash moved his hand, opening his eyes, and May opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.

Ash rose, beginning to walk away. "Make sure you clean the wound on your leg well May, it might get infected."

With that, he pulled the door shut behind him, and left May trembling in the bathtub, her eyes staring forward, unable to process what had just happened to her.

The next day started slow. May woke groggy and sore, her legs aching her heart racing as soon as the memories from the night just passed returned to her. She'd paced around her room despite the pain in her legs, unable to leave the room in fear she'd see him and freak out. There was, of course, also the issue of Gary, who May was now engaged to. She desperately wanted to tell Dawn to get it off her mind and better understand why Ash was doing this, but she was so afraid of being judged. She knew she was doing wrong, but she desperately wanted to understand Ash.

After hours of wasting time in her room, May finally forced herself to dress. She found a pair of black tight jeans in her drawers, and pulled them on to cover the scratches down her legs. She pulled a large jumper over her head and pulled the sleeves over her hands, wanting the comfort. She didn't know what her plan would be if she saw Ash, she just knew she had to leave her room eventually. She left her room and was greeted by the sound of giggling from Dawn's room, and Paul's deep voice carried itself down the corridor. She almost smirked, until she heard Gary's voice too, and figured the group was in there. A wave of relief hit her, and she quickly strode to the stairs, beginning to take them two at a time, when she heard her father's voice from the hall. Her mother must have returned, and she hadn't had the chance to speak to her father. She stopped, crouching and listening.

"It's our responsibility now to make sure they're where their parents want them to be, Norman."

"I know, I just want to make sure they are all safe after this. I made it clear to you years ago how I feel about that place. It's savage. Locking kids up for 18 years, if not their whole life."

"I don't disagree with you, I just know we need to give their parents the option, it's only right, and that's why I did it."

He sighed. "Alright, what did they say?"

"Dawn's mother wants her to stay here. She doesn't have the resources to keep her safe at home when this all comes to a head. I can't find any details on the parents of the boy, Paul. Serena's mother said the same as Dawn's."

"And the other boy?"

"His brother almost insisted that we should hand him back immediately. Because I am a fire type he thought it okay to accuse me of keeping him from them deliberately and being snakey for not telling them right away."

"It's best not to argue with them darling, they're unreasonable. I suppose we will have to tell them later then. Do you think they are close friends, the boy and May?"

"I haven't seen them speak much since they arrived here, but I can't help but feel they are when I'm not looking. They certainly have seemed close a couple times."

"Hmm." Her dad stopped, May could hear him move a little. "I see. Well, I have to take care of some things, so I have to leave. They're getting worse, and I fear if I don't do something there's going to be major trouble. I'll let you tell them later."

May shot up from her place on the stairs, hand over her heart, her throat closing, and bolted up the stairs for Dawn's room, almost tripping as she rushed. Once she reached the door she fumbled with the handle, forcing it open and barging in, aware that the tears were already streaming down her face by the time the door opened, and her friend's all turned to her, including Ash, who rose to come to her. She choked on her words, and almost managed to say as Ash approached her, when her mother's voice rang down the corridor.

"May! Bring your friends down please!"

Her mouth closed, but her lip continued to tremble, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Ash took her into his arms, aware Gary was watching, and began to stroke the back of her head while her friends looked on in concern.

"What is it?" Ash asked her softly, and for a moment she felt like everything was okay. After the last kiss, he wasn't ignoring her. With that, and him holding her like this now, it almost felt as though they were together, but she was so confused. Then her mother called again.

She rubbed her eyes harshly, pulling away from Ash. "We should just go down," she choked. Her friends reluctantly began to head past her as she watched them pass, with her heart tugging violently against her chest. Once they passed, she began to follow, and Ash took hold of her arm.

"I…" he began, looking away, almost in shame. May could see his face was beginning to glow crimson. "Never mind." He shook his head and let go, walking past her suddenly. Confused and still upset, May wanted to tell him to stop, but followed him down to where her mother was waiting.

Her friends were already sat on the sofas in the vast living room space, and Ash sat by Serena, as far from Gary as he could. May hurried over to sit beside Gary, and he placed his arm around her shoulder. She tensed slightly, but quickly relaxed again.

Caroline stood before them all, wringing her hands together behind her back. "As you probably expected, it hasn't been easy since you all escaped. We just wanted to let you know that we have contacted your parents if we could reach them and we are more than happy to keep you here where we can protect you until things settle down. We fully intend to keep you and prevent the Arena from taking you back like they're trying to do." She paused and released a sigh. "Ash, your parents feel like they can protect you within their own home, and they want you to be reunited with them right away, so we arranged transport for you there tomorrow. Luckily, they live in Hoenn too."

May's heart continued to break. She turned to Ash, who's face was twisted in confusion. "Surely they would agree it would be better here with the big house and all the protection you can afford?" She spoke up.

Caroline shifted to face May and seemed to be studying her for something. She gave a soft smile. "Well no, May." She faced Ash again. "Ash, your mother was the water leader." May's heart seemed to fall to the floor.

"What?" Ash asked, standing suddenly.

"Your older brother was released 9 years ago and took over the title, so you aren't first in line, but your brother insisted we send you back to them. They moved here from Kanto just a year ago."

Ash fell silent, his head dropping. "I see. I'll go to sort my stuff." He turned to leave, and May stood, beginning to follow him.

"May, would you stay for a chat?" Caroline asked. May stopped, still watching Ash climb the stairs, her heart aching, telling her to run after him. She stayed. Her friends began to move out of the room, the atmosphere dreary. Caroline sighed and sat, gesturing for May to join her.

"May, this whole thing is about to become a whole lot messier. The arena want you back, you and your friends, they say we're breaking the law by keeping you from them, which I think is ridiculous. From what I'm hearing, the public have differing opinions. I could see violence breaking out, and that's why it's so important that we send your friend back to his parents. I know that he's your friend, but having his parents against us too would be too much. We need them to work with us for this to work."

"How is it… out here? Do people still think fire and water types shouldn't talk?"

"I was extremely surprised when he showed up with you. Truth be told, it depends who you're talking to. Some people don't care anymore, others do. I've seen water and fire types getting along, but it's still rare. None ever marry, that is frowned upon, and that's all that's set in stone."

"I see…" May rose, leaving her mother sat. "I understand."

May rushed upstairs, her mind numb. When she reached the top, Dawn was waiting for her.

"May, are you okay? I noticed you were limping a little earlier."

May smiled as well as she could manage. "I'm fine. I twisted my ankle a little."

"Huh, I'm sorry May. I know how you must feel about Ash having to leave."

May couldn't think of how to respond to her friend. The situation was far worse than Dawn could have knows, especially with Ash behaving the way he had. She couldn't deny she felt a tension between her and Ash whenever they were close, like she could feel his presence beside her, and it made her want to be closer to him- as close as she could possibly get. She needed to know how he felt, but she was also scared, both of the situation with him and the situation overall. She opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly her mother appeared again at the top of the staircase, her face like thunder.

"May, Dawn, go to your rooms please. There's a dangerous man visiting, I don't want you coming down, okay? Just for a little while." She forced a smile and ushered the two towards May's room. May's heart began to race in terror. She glanced back, and Caroline was gone again. Instantly, she rushed towards Ash's room. Dawn followed behind her. Part of her wanted Dawn to go back to her own room, but she also knew Dawn would be scared too, and she wanted to keep her friend safe. As they passed Serena, Dawn warned her into her room. When they entered his room, Ash was sitting on the edge of his bed, seemingly doing nothing at all. He looked up at May, and she looked right back, and felt something she had never felt before in her life. It was as if her whole body was on fire, and her knees began to feel weak. She swallowed hard and looked away, biting her lip.

"Caroline told us to stay in the rooms. She says someone's come to visit that we shouldn't go near." Dawn sat by Ash, but May stayed put, suddenly feeling very awkward. She was only stood a second before the door flung open again and Gary entered without warning, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked, looking into her eyes. His concern was so genuine it sent a pang of guilt through her.

"I'm fine." She smiled. She placed her hand on top of his and he seemed to relax. May felt the guilt rising in her stomach, and suddenly felt so sick she couldn't bear to stand. She quickly moved her hand to her head, swaying back a little as her whole body became dizzy. Dawn shot up from the bed and placed her arm around her.

"May?" She asked, concerned. "May, what's wrong?"

"I feel sick." May shook her head. "Just… let me sit down for a minute."

Dawn kept her arm firmly around May, and Gary joined her too on the other side. May could feel Ash's eyes on her, but she couldn't bear to look up. Dawn and Gary set her down on the bed but she never moved her hand from her head. "Thank you, Dawn-"

The sound of the shouting rang through the room suddenly, and the group froze. May's head shot up. The sound came again. Caroline shouting for them to run. She bolted up, fighting past Dawn, not knowing whether they were following or not, and raced down the stairs, feeling the warmth in her chest again as her power built up, and her palms burned. As she reached the bottom, she spotted a man by the door, who shouted something to the living thought her palms shot out, sending a bolt of fire in his direction. She sprinted to the living room, skidding through the door, the second fireball leaving her hands as she shouted, colliding with the back wall. She saw her mother in the corner of her eye, escaping the grip of the man that had held her.

"May!" Dawn screamed from behind, and she whirled, meeting the eyes of a man she'd never seen before in her life, and froze. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a dark look that sent a shiver down her body. He was dressed differently from the rest, who were dressed the same as the guards had been in the Arena. This man was dressed up in a fine suit, and was now wearing a smirk on his face too. He stepped forward and she stumbled back.

"You really have been a pain to work with," he spoke, his voice deep and gravelly. "But you're gonna come back with me."

"Who are you?" She asked, venom in her tone. He laughed, and it boomed and echoed through the room.

"I am leader of the company that keeps dangerous people confined where they should be; where you should be. I am the only one trusted enough to oversee everything. You can call me Giovanni."

He held out his hand, taking hold of May's hand with a tight grip. She winced, her eyes burning into him with hatred. "You'll come with me now."

"I don't think I will," she spat. He laughed again, and tightened his grip, and began to pull on her. She focused her energy she felt burning in her chest on her wrist and he yelped, dropping her arm. She ran for the door, when a chair shot past her, shattering into pieces against the wall. She turned, watching him lift his arm and send another chair flying towards her. She threw herself to the side, rolling as she hit the ground and found her feet again, wincing and the almost unbearable pain shooting through her legs. She focused her energy within her hands, building up a fireball, and jumped, firing it towards him with as much force as she could muster. It collided with the wall beside him, sending him flying to the floor, cursing. She glanced to the side, where Dawn was trying desperately to hold back guards trying to enter from the main entrance. Ash was by the living room, holding back the many guard that had already been in the living room. She was alone.

Giovanni was back on his feet and ran towards her. She shouted, scrambling back, but he held out his palms, and she felt a force against her chest push her back until she crashed into staircase, yelping. Her mind whirring, she snapped suddenly, remembering the small object within her pocket. She grabbed for it quickly and pressed the small button in the middle, throwing it into the air. Blaziken emerged, towering over Giovanni and he cursed, backing off. "Blaziken, flamethrower!" She called, and her Pokemon fired the flamethrower towards him. It would have connected, had Giovanni not blocked it. The smoke cleared, revealing his own Pokemon, Nidoqueen. Blaziken looked back towards her and nodded, firing up another flamethrower and jumping. May rose, running to her right as Blaziken and Nidoqueen began to fight. The room was filled with smoke, but she could still see his shadow. As she ran she held out her palms, firing in his direction again, screaming out. Giovanni held out his own palms, blocking the flames, but the force sent him back into the wall behind his Nidoqueen. As he landed, Blaziken landed a Sky Uppercut, and Nidoqueen crashed beside him. May collapsed, her whole body drained by her last attempt to take him out, and fell to her knees, her hands on the floor in front of her. She did not know where Ash or Dawn were, and the smoke around them made it impossible for her to see. As the black began to gather in the corners of her eyes, she saw guards huddling around Giovanni, lifting him up and taking him away. May opened her mouth to call something out, but the black took over her eyes and her body fell limp to the floor.


I know it seems odd for Giovanni to be Psychic type given his choice of Pokemon, but I promise there is a reason behind it yet to be revealed :3