How to Change a Life
When May awoke, it was about 9:30am. She really hadn't meant to sleep this long, but the training session must've worn her out even more than she'd originally thought. Quickly, she got dressed and brushed her hair before putting on her signature bandana, having already showered right after the workout.
May then made her way downstairs, her stomach grumbling. She really hoped there was still some food left as everyone in her family was quite the early riser. Breakfast usually took place in her household at 8:30am, so she was an hour late.
When she entered the kitchen, May noticed that everyone else was still there, seated around the table. They all said their greetings before May addressed her mother.
"Please tell me you saved some food for me..." The pleading tone of May's voice made everyone chuckle.
Caroline nodded her head at her daughter's words. "Of course, dear. It's in the fridge on the middle shelf."
With this new found information, the hungry brunette walked to the refrigerator and opened the door, hoping to find the food quickly. May saw the food almost immediately, but paused before she went to grab it. She cocked her head in confusion as she noticed that there were two plates, piled as high as they could be with breakfast food, present in the fridge.
May turned around, still holding the refrigerator door still open, and addressed the others. "Why are there two plates in here?"
As she spoke, she noticed Ash stand from his seat and start walking over to her. She watched as he got closer, coming to a stop right next to her, in front of the fridge.
Ash then looked into May's eyes and addressed her. "The other plate is mine. I didn't want you to have to eat alone, so I waited for you."
Ash smiled as he spoke to the brunette, who was slightly stunned at the man's words. This might not seem like a big deal to most, but with May perfectly understanding Ash's love of food, this was certainly a significant event.
May got over her shock quickly, her face now plastered with a wide, bright smile. She looked at Ash with an immense amount of appreciation in her eyes. Just the fact that'd he'd thought of her made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
And because she knew how hungry Ash had to have been when breakfast was first served, him deciding to put off eating until she was there was an incredibly thoughtful gesture, especially considering just how hard it must've been not to eat with all of the food right there in front of him.
May couldn't wipe the smile off of her face as she watched Ash reach into the refrigerator and grab both plates of food. The raven haired trainer then walked over to the microwave and placed one of the plates inside of it. He then set the timer and started the machine.
As he turned around, he was engulfed in a soft hug, immediately recognizing the person with their arms around him to be May.
Still in the embrace, May looked up to meet Ash's gaze, the smile from before still on her face. Though now, it was much softer.
"That was really sweet of you, Ash. Thank you so much for thinking of me." May spoke softly and sincerely, earning a smile and a nod from Ash in response. "Now let's get that food heated up! We've got some serious catching up to do!"
The two chuckled and released from the embrace after May'd said these words.
While May was serious about not rushing into things, she simply kept finding herself in situations where she wanted to embrace Ash more than anything else in the world. And since it could be considered an innocent enough gesture, May didn't see a problem with the frequent hugs the two shared. And not to mention, Ash very much enjoyed them as well.
After a few minutes, both plates of food were reheated and ready to be eaten. Ash and May brought their food over to the table, sat down, and ate like mad. Despite each of them only having one plate of food this morning, that plate was stacked up about as high as it could go. All in all, May and Ash were more than satisfied once they were done with their meal.
May's mind was actually focusing on something other than food, despite her still ravaging the meal in front of her. This was the last full day that Ash and Brock would be here. Truly, there was no more time to waste at this point. May knew that tonight, she had to ask Ash if she could travel with him.
If Ash was feeling anything like May was, then she could understand why he hadn't asked her yet. The fear of rejection was very real and the thought of slowing the other person down and being a nuisance to them was still in the back of their minds.
May would be lying if she said that she wasn't a little saddened by the fact that Ash hadn't asked her to travel with him as of yet, but she had no idea that Ash was feeling similarly. They both knew that their fears were mostly irrational, but they were still enough to make them hesitate. For as much as Ash had matured over the past year, it seemed that he still had room to improve. And the same could be said for May.
Once they finished their food, May steered her mind away from the topic. She wasn't planing on bringing this up until after dinner, so there was no need to stress out about it as of yet. For now, she wanted to focus on having fun with her two best friends as regardless of if she was going to travel with them or not, this was their last day in Petalburgh.
Now that the food was gone, everyone started chatting, the conversations being relatively menial. That being said, everyone enjoyed each other's company and what was being shared between them.
"Unless I'm mistaken, this is your last day here, isn't it?" Norman asked May's two friends. He thought that tomorrow was when Ash and Brock would be leaving, but he wasn't entirely sure.
Both Ash and Brock nodded at the older man, with the latter responding verbally. "Yeah, that's the plan. As long as nothing happens to change things, we're going to be leaving sometime in the mid-afternoon."
Norman nodded at the man's words. It was then that Caroline wanted to ask something.
"So, any big plans for your last day in town?" Caroline asked, a hint of excitement in her voice; she was just so happy that May was having such a great time with her friends.
May, Brock and Ash looked at each other, with the former two shrugging their shoulders. Ash on the other hand, held a knowing smirk on his face, clearly indicating that he had something in mind.
Seeing that his friends were waiting for him to say something, Ash spoke. "There is one thing I think we should do today..."
Everyone noticed how Ash was speaking cryptically, causing the interest of his two friends to grow.
"What do you have in mind?" May questioned, very curious as to what Ash could possibly be hinting at.
Ash's smirk only grew at the woman's question. "Sorry May, but I'd like to keep this one a surprise. But I know for a fact that you're going to love it."
"Oh come on, Ash. Please tell me..." May pouted, putting on her world famous puppy dog look.
Ash mentally recoiled slightly at the sight, noticing just how cute May looked at the moment. It was almost enough to make him relent and give up the surprise right then and there, but he stayed strong in the end. He truly thought that this was something that she would appreciate even more as a surprise, otherwise he would've just told her outright.
"Sorry May, but that look isn't gonna work on me, no mater how cute it is." Ash spoke, not really thinking about what he'd just said.
May's puppy dog look morphed into a simple smile as her face reddened just slightly. Both Brock and Caroline noticed this and smiled discreetly at the sight.
Though, May quickly got over this and put on a fake angry look before she crossed her arms and made a 'hmph' sound, which made everyone laugh.
"I promise May, you're going to absolutely love this. You trust me, don't you?" Ash asked, pretending that he didn't already know the answer to this question.
May dropped her act, put on a soft smile and nodded her head, wanting to respond nicely to the question. "With my life."
May's words caused everyone around her to smile, including Ash, who returned her soft smile and gave her a look of appreciation.
The group had fallen into a temporary silence, which gave Brock the opportunity to ask what was on his mind. "So, when do we get to see find out exactly what this 'surprise is, Ash?"
Ash shrugged at the question before responding. "It's something we can do pretty much anytime, but I was thinking we could go at about 1 o clock or so. Does that sound good to you guys?"
Ash received head nods from his two friends; it wasn't like they really had anything else to do that day anyway.
"But now the question is, what do we do until then?" Brock asked no one in particular.
"We can just hang out. It's not like we have to be doing something at all hours of the day. We can watch movies, play games, pretty much whatever." May suggested, feeling that being lazy for a few hours would be nice.
Both Ash and Brock nodded in agreement before Norman stood from his seat, garnering everyone's attention. Noticing this, he spoke. "I have a challenger in about half and hour. I need to go make sure that my pokemon and the gym are battle ready."
Hearing this, Max instantly stood to his feet as well, his face covered with excitement at the prospect of seeing his dad battle again. Norman had challengers pretty much everyday, and Max watched nearly all of the battles, but the frequency at which he watched them clearly didn't detract anything from his excitement over seeing pokemon battles.
"Okay, sweetie. Have fun and good luck!" Caroline said, standing up and giving her husband a short kiss.
Before anyone could response, Max scoffed and crossed his arms, a confident look appearing on his face. "Please mom, dad doesn't need luck. He's gonna kick some serious butt today!"
Mot everyone sweatdropped at Max's comment as they remembered what Norman had said to Max the other day about having way too much overconfidence in his father. Though, everyone also let out a chuckle as the knew that Max was a smart kid and even though he still had unwavering faith in his dad and his abilities, he would never again react like he did the day before.
With that said, the two walked out of kitchen and out of sight.
Caroline, whom was still standing up, then addressed her daughter and the two boys still left in the room. "Well, I have some work to do around the house. You three have fun! I'll be sure to whip up some lunch at around noon.
The trip nodded at the older woman's words before she too walked out of the kitchen.
Now that they were the only ones left, May Brock and Ash were all thinking about what to do next. Just going with the first thing that came to mind, May spoke. "Let's just go hang out in the living room. We can put on a movie and play a game or something."
Content with the idea, both men immediately agreed and followed the brunette into the living room.
It was particularly nice for Ash and May as it seemed they both enjoyed the exact same movies, even though they weren't typically avid movie-watchers. The two really did have quite a lot in common, and both were glad at that fact.
During this time, May let Torchic out of her pokeball so that she could play with Pikachu. Also, Ash had told Pikachu of his surprise and asked if he wanted to come along when it was time for them to go, but Pikachu made it clear that he'd rather stay here with Torchic and relax for the day, which Ash noted and said was perfectly okay.
May decided on an admittedly forgettable comedy, but that didn't really matter as the trio decided to play a few card games while the movie was on in the background.
With Ash's competitive nature, the game became pretty intense very quickly. And Ash's competitiveness really boosted May and Brock's as well, which made the games much more fun.
Before they even knew it, hours had flown by and it was coming up on noon. The games the three were playing got so intense that they hadn't even noticed when the movie ended. By the time they realized that it was almost lunch time and decided to stop, May came out on top, having won five games, to Ash's four and Brock's 3three
"Sweet, sweet victory!" May spoke happily, making sure to teasingly rub her win in the faces of her friends.
Brock simply chuckled, but Ash huffed and pouted jokingly before looking at May and speaking. "You may have one the battle, but I will win the war!"
May smirked competitively. "We'll have to see about that, now won't we."
The two glared at each other competitively for a few more seconds before they burst into laughter. Once they calmed down, they heard sounds coming from the kitchen, each knowing that this meant Caroline was more than likely beginning to make lunch.
With this in mind, Brock stood to his feet and addressed his two friends. "I'm gonna go see if I can help with lunch."
Both Ash and May nodded before Brock turned and entered the kitchen. Now, that left Ash and May all alone.
Ash didn't know what they could do until lunch was done, but May had an idea. Something that'd been swimming in her mind for a few moments.
Ash noticed May stand to her feet and reached her hand out to help him up. "Come on, I wanna test something out."
Wondering what May could possibly be wanting to test, Ash took her hand and stood to her feet, releasing it once he'd done so. Ash then followed May as she walked up the stairs and into her bedroom.
May was still slightly embarrassed about having a boy in her room, especially since it was Ash and he was alone this time, this was the only place where she could test what she wanted to. Plus, she was an 18 year old woman, having a boy in her room really shouldn't be that big of a deal, and she knew this.
Once the two entered the room, Ash walked over and took a seat on the edge of May's bed. "Now this test does't involve any physical harm, doest it?"
May laughed at Ash's joking comment before shaking her head. "No, you should be safe. I just want to see if we have anything else in common. I mean, we know that we have a lot in common already from the type of movies we like and how we eat food. I just want to see if there's something else I have a feeling about."
Ash cocked his head, wondering what exactly she meant by this. "What do you mean?"
May walked over to her dressed, which Ash noticed had a CD player sitting on top of it. May opened a drawer and pulled out a specific CD case while she addressed Ash's question. "Are you a big music fan, Ash?"
Ash shrugged at the question. "I guess I like music, but I don't really get to listen to it that often while out on the road. I'm definitely more of a casual fan than anything."
May nodded as she went to put the CD into the player, not yet pressing the play button. "Me too, actually. I don't listen to music all the time, so I'm definitely just a casual fan as well. Though I do have a few favorites. What are your favorite bands or singers?"
Ash thought over the question, thinking back to when he listened to music more frequently, remembering the names of his favorites.
"Well...my number one favorite was always the band 'The Kabutos', but I also really like Diantha's stuff as well as the band 'The Dex Holders'. That's probably the order of my top three. Do you know any of them?" Ash questioned, knowing that other than Diantha, the two bands he listed were't as mainstream as many others and weren't all that widely known.
May was smiling wide when she heard Ash list off his favorite artists, her test proving to be a great success. "Know them? Ash, you just named my three favorite artists, in order."
Before Ash could respond, or even really react, May hit play on the CD player behind her and a song, which Ash recognized was by 'The Kabutos', began playing.
Ash's eyes widened as he realized that himself and May had another thing in common. As the song played, May tossed Ash the case for the CD she was currently playing. Judging by the cover, it looked like this was a custom disk that May'd made some time ago.
Ash then flipped the case over and looked at the track list on the back. Running his eyes over the list, he noticed that literally all of the songs on the CD were by the three aforementioned artists.
May was still smiling at Ash as he read over the CD case, still finding it hard to believe just how alike herself and Ash were; she'd never found somebody who had this much in common with her, especially her love for food. While having similar interests in music and movies was great to May, nothing could compare with the fact that she'd found someone else who ate exactly like she did.
Plus, as May knew the type of person Ash was, she knew that they also shared many of the same values. From having the desire to protect others, to being kind to all that deserve it, it was clear that the two friends shared a lot of the same beliefs
Once he was done reading, Ash looked up at May with a smile of his own. "Wow, we really do have a lot in common, don't we?"
May smiled softly before responding. "Yeah...yeah we do."
It was then that a thought popped into Ash's head, causing a soft smile of his own to overtake his feature. Noticing this, May paused the song and waited for Ash to speak.
Seeing that May was waiting for him to say something, Ash said what was on his mind. "I was just thinking, this just really cements the fact that us meeting that day was fate, not that I doubted it before. I believe we were always destined to meet that day, in the way we did. And I truly think that I was supposed to fall off that cliff...though I could've done with out that part."
May laughed at Ash's last comment before allowing her face to return to holding a soft smile once again, warmth and happiness radiating from her body. They'd talked about this plenty of times before before, but being reminded of it was always a nice feeling. Plus, May truly believed this as well. There was just no way in her mind that herself and Ash could've connected as deeply and as quickly as they did without fate playing a hand in it.
"You're definitely right about that one." May started sweetly. "The one thing I'm still trying to figure out though is how I got so lucky."
Upon processing May's words, Ash stood up and approached May before encompassing her in a hug, which May eagerly returned. As she was typically the one who initiated the hugs between the two, she was ecstatic when Ash would be the one to embrace her first.
Whilst still in the embrace, Ash spoke. "At risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, I think I'm the lucky one here. The friendship we've built...it means the world to me. I feel like a broken record, but I'm so thankful that I got the chance you."
May's smile widened as she continued to rest her head on Ash's chest, her arms wrapped firmly around his torso. After a few moments, the two broke apart.
May met Ash's gaze before speaking brightly. "Let's just say that we're both lucky and leave it at that."
Ash chuckled at the brunette's words and nodded her head in agreement. Ash was about to speak only to be cut off by the sound of Caroline yelling for them from downstairs.
"May, Ash, lunch is ready!" They heard Caroline yell.
Having gotten hungry since breakfast, both Ash and May's eyes lit up at the prospect of food. The two quickly rushed to the kitchen, in a hurry to start eating once again.
They reached their seats in the kitchen in record time, blazing past Norman and Max, whom were both coming back from the gym. The father and son duo could only laugh at how excited May and Ash would get about food.
Caroline decided it best to serve everyone else before Ash and May so that they would technically all be eating together, even if the two friends finished within seconds of receiving their food.
May took this time to look at Ash, her eyes holding a teasing glint. "You know Ash, if you would've ran as fast as you just did when we were racing this morning, you might've actually had a chance of winning."
Ash immediately huffed at the comment before retorting. "I'm sorry, did you say something, May? I tend not to listen to cheaters!"
Ash really emphasized the last words, causing May to gasp in an exaggerated way. The two then locked eyes and began chuckling.
While this was going on, Caroline, had served both Ash and May, and the two had just noticed this. Immediately, they began wolfing down their food at breakneck speeds. It wasn't long before they'd finished, both being content with what they'd gotten.
Now that the two would be able to talk again, Norman asked something that'd been in his mind for a few moments.
"Hey, May?" Norman started, gaining his daughter's attention. "What was this 'race' you were just talking about?"
Upon processing her father's words, May realized that her parents hadn't know that she'd trained with Ash in the morning. With this in mind, May went to answer his question.
"You remember how Ash told us that he trains every morning, right?" May questioned. Seeing her father nod, she continued. "Well, after seeing him training yesterday, I wanted to give it a try. So I trained with sh this morning. We did so many exercises, I'm not sure how I'm not more sore than I am. And we ran a couple of miles as well, which is where that impromptu 'race' took place. A race that I won, I might add."
May finished her sentence proudly, her nose stuck high into the air in a pompous way.
Ash could only scoff at this. "And they say cheaters never win..."
Everyone laughed at Ash's comment before Brock decided to speak up. "So, you think you're gonna continue training like how Ash does?"
May noticed Brock's knowing tone, making her grin. "Actually, I think I might. Well...probably not with the same intensity...And I think I'm gonna pass on doing the training at 4:30 in the morning. I just don't think my body could handle it. But other than that, I really had a great time and it felt amazing being so productive so early in the morning! Plus, even doing that workout just once or twice a week would keep me in incredible shape."
"Yeah, me doing it everyday is admittedly a bit much. But hey, if I want to be the best, then I have to do things others aren't willing to do." Ash said, causing those around the table to nod.
Max's eyes lit up before he addressed Ash. "You gotta teach me some of your workout methods. I mean, you're jacked! I want to have a body just like that when I'm older!"\
Everyone chuckled at Max's excited tone and Ash nodded at the boy, telling him that he'd be happy to share some of his secrets.
May then looked at her brother, a disbelieving look on her face. "Yeah, I don't think you can ever get a body like Ash's because that would actually require you to pull your head out a book for more than a minute."
"Oh May, be nice." Caroline said to her daughter, though it was clear that she was giggling at May's teasing of Max. Everyone else simply chuckled at the two siblings.
Max crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his tongue out at his sister. Though in the back of his mind, he knew that his sister was right. Even if he had all the knowledge in the world about working out, Max doubted that he'd ever have the level of dedication that Ash did on the topic.
Once this exchange was finished, the group of people fell into a comfortable silence. Though, that didn't last long as another conversation had started up almost immediately after they'd gone silent.
This continued throughout lunch, all the way until the last person had finished their food. Much like they had during breakfast, Norman and Max left to go to the gym as Norman had another challenger to prepare for.
Once the father and son had left, Ash looked to oven clock, noticing that it was 12:45pm. He decided that now would be a good time to get going; it wasn't exactly 1:00pm as he'd planned, but that was really just an arbitrary number he'd come up with on the spot. They could really go whenever they wanted.
With this in mind, Ash stood to his feet, gaining the attention of the others at the table. "Come on, guys. We gotta get ready to go so I can show you the surprise"
Both Brock and May perked up at Ash's words, instantly standing to their feet so that they could prepare to go. Before they left the kitchen however, they all turned to Caroline and addressed her.
"Thanks for the food, Caroline. It was fantastic. You too, Brock. Thank you." Ash thanked the older woman, as well as his oldest friend, both of which waved it off and said it was their pleasure.
Before Caroline could respond, May addressed her next. "Yeah, thank you for the food. It was great as always."
Caroline smiled warmly at the two, happy to have provided them with food. "Of course! I'm always happy to cook, especially when I have Brock's help as he makes it much easier, and a lot tastier too!. You all go have fun now!'
Ash, Brock and May smiled at the woman, the latter of which going up to her and planting a kiss on her mother's cheek before they began walking toward the stairs. As they arrived at the base of the stairs, the three friends paused their strides.
"So what do we need to bring, Ash" Brock questioned.
Since they didn't know exactly where they were going or what they were going to be doing, some direction in what they should bring and wear would definitely be helpful.
Ash answered the question immediately. "Pretty much just grab everything you'd bring out on a typical day around the town. You'll both be fine dressed in what you are now, just make sure you have everything else you think you'd need like your wallet and such. Meet back here at the base of the stairs as soon as you're ready."
Both May and Brock nodded at Ash's words before the two proceeded upstairs; neither of them had their wallets on them at the moment, with this being the only thing they needed to grab before they were ready to leave. Ash went to the family room so that he could grab his wallet, as well as to say goodbye to Pikachu and Torchic and let them know that he'd be back later.
The two pokemon were just lounging on the sofa and barely even acknowledged Ash's appearance, which made him chuckle. Caroline had given both Pikachu and Torchic quite a bit of ketchup just before she'd served lunch and it seemed that they were both in a bit of a food coma because of how much of it they'd eaten.
Ash grabbed his wallet and rubbed the two pokemon on their heads before returning to the base of the stairs, noticing that Brock and May were already there, waiting for him.
Ash smiled at his two friends before opening the door, allowing the others to exit before him. "After you."
Ash'd used his fake regal voice when he'd said this, which caused May to act jokingly in turn with her curtseying before she exited the house. Even Brock got involved in the joking, thanking Ash in what was admittedly a terrible accent of his own.
May and Brock followed Ash as he was the only one who knew where they were going. Both May and Brock were full of excitement over what Ash's surprise could possibly be.
"I've got to admit Ash, I'm actually pretty excited to find out what this surprise is." Brock told Ash as they continued down the street.
Upon processing Brock's words, Ash couldn't help but chuckle nervously, which both of his friends noticed.
"Ash..." Brock started slowly, not liking his friend's reaction. "Why are you laughing like that...?
Ash rubbed the back of his head, not turning around to face his older friend as he spoke. "Well...this surprise isn't really for you, Brock. I still want you to come along, but I think May is going to appreciate this a lot more than you will."
Brock became slightly saddened by the news as he actually had been excited about this surprise. That being said, he didn't let it ruin his mood as he simply continued along, now curious more than anything as to what the surprise could possibly be.
May on the other hand, couldn't help but smile and blush slightly as she discovered that Ash'd tailored this surprise solely for her. He wondered why he would do that, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, she simply allowed the happiness she was feeling flow through her. She was even more excited now than she had been before.
The three chatted for a while until they finally reached their destination. They'd seen the building from a while back, but neither Brock nor May thought that Ash would be leading them here of all places.
But once Ash stopped in front of the doors and turned to face them, Brock and May realized that this was in fact where Ash had meant to bring them.
"Ash...?" Brock started, his tone full of confusion. "Why did you bring us to the mall. You hate shopping."
May knew of Ash's distaste for shopping as well, so she too was confused and curious about what Ash's response would be.
Ash once again found himself rubbing the back of his head before addressing his two friends . "I did say that this was something May was going to appreciate a lot more than you or me, Brock."
As she processed Ash's words, May's eyes lit up as she realized that she was more than likely going to get to go shopping. Though, she still had some questions for Ash.
"But why would you bring us shopping, Ash? Like Brock said, we know you really don't like it." May inquired.
Ash smiled warmly before answering May's question. "Well...I was just really proud of what you did last night, how you found the courage to tell your parents the truth. I thought that taking you shopping would be a nice way to show you how proud I am that you were able to do that since I know you love it. Plus, I thought I might be able to help you get some things that might come in handy during your journey. And I'm happy to buy you some clothes too. I'm paying for everything today, and don't try to argue that!"
May went beet red at Ash's explanation. She had to pull her gaze away from Ash as she didn't think she'd be able to control herself completely should she be looking into his eyes at the moment.
What Ash was doing for her was so incredibly sweet. May knew full well how much Ash hated shopping, but he was willing to go through it just to show her how proud he was of her. May's heart was beating madly as she felt many powerful emotions build up within her.
Still looking away, May locked her hands behind her back and fiddled around timidly. "Ash...you don't have to do that. You hate shopping and it's your money. Don't waste it on me."
Ash didn't miss a beat as he responded immediately. "I know I don't have to do this, but I want to. I know how hard doing what you did last night was for you, so I just want to reward you for it You deserve it. And spending my money on you isn't a waste at all! I don't spend very much of it on myself and I can't think of a better way to use it than to show you how proud I am of you."
Just as Ash finished speaking, May shot forward and enveloped the taller man in a hug. Even though Ash was constantly doing incredibly nice things for her, this still surprised May quite a bit.
May already knew how proud Ash was of her for finding her inner courage, but him doing this was just so kind and thoughtful. And for him to go through something he hates just so that she could be happy made May feel amazingly important and cared for.
The two stayed like this for a while. People both entering and exiting the mall noticed the pair embracing and would smile at them, some even recounting with their romantic partner about young love.
Bwhile this was going on, Brock simply crossed his arms and smiled softly at the pair. He had a strong feeling that it was inevitable that Ash and May would get together, it just had to be. Though with Ash, there was no telling when that could be.
Brock knew full well that to most, this act would appear to be something that a guy would do for a girlfriend or a girl that someone was trying to get with romantically. But with Ash, he knew that it was likely that he didn't mean it like this.
Ash had always been a very giving person who was happiest when he was doing things for others. And because May was such an important person in his life, and because he truly was very proud of her for her bravery, Brock knew that Ash did this for her simply because he wanted to show her these things and show her that she was important to him.
But Brock was almost certain that this was it. That there was no ulterior or romantic motive behind it. That being said, he'd been wrong before...
Though what Brock didn't know was that May realized this as well. She knew Ash as well as anyone at this point and she knew how he functioned. She knew that she couldn't look at this as a sign that he had feelings for her as it was impossible to tell with Ash.
That being said, this act did show May just how much Ash cared about her, how much he wanted her to be happy, which was more than enough to make her heart burst with joy.
Not wanting the embrace to last an uncomfortable amount of time while in public, the two pulled away from one another, with May finally looking into Ash's eyes.
May smiled warmly at Ash, the amount of appreciation she was feeling evident in her gaze. "Thank you, Ash. Thank you so much. This really means a lot to me."
"Of course, May! I know how much you love shopping, so I thought it'd be a perfect reward!" Ash spoke happily, immensely glad that May was happy with the surprise.
May simply smiled and nodded at Sh words but in her mind, she was saying something else entirely. "This means so much more to me than just a fun shopping trip. Thank you Ash for caring about me so much. You have no idea how much I care about you."
As was happening more an more often, May knew that her feelings for the raven haired trainer had grown once again. This simply made her even more adamant about asking to travel with him later that night. But for now, she was simply going to enjoy this shopping trip.
Now that the sentimental moment was over, Brock was hoping on changing the mood to one that was more lighthearted. "If we're here so May can shop, why did you bring me?"
Ash smiled as if the answer to his question was obvious. "Well...Someone has to carry all of May's bags."
Brock deadpanned at his best friend's word, causing Ash and May to break out into a fit of laughter. The two continued to chuckle for a few moments before Ash addressed Brock once again.
"Oh, lighten up, Brock. I was just joking around. I'm going to be the one carrying the bags. This was my idea, so I'm happy to take that responsibility." Ash comforted Brock, making him sigh in relief which in turn, made Ash and May giggle once again.
While May very much appreciated Ash's willingness to do this, she did want to save him some trouble. "I appreciate that Ash, and I'll definitely take you up on that offer. But until I run out of hands, I'm okay with carrying my own bags."
Ash simply smiled and shrugged at May's words before he lead the way into the mall.
The first thing that the trio noticed was that it was pretty empty, especially for it being such a big mall. Though, it was a weekday and at a somewhat odd time, so they supposed it made sense. There were still a good amount of people, but the mall was just so big and the people were so dispersed that it didn't seem like there were many there at all.
May was bursting with excitement, having not gone shopping since weeks before she was going to start her journey. Ash and Brock noticed this, causing them to shake their heads an chuckle. They truly didn't understand how some women could have such an obsession with shopping.
Seeing that they weren't yet headed anywhere, Ash addressed the brunette woman beside him. "We're following you, May. Wherever you want to go, we'll follow."
Ash's words caused May to squeal in excitement and hug Ash quickly once again. May also hugged Brock for a quick moment as she was just so pumped for what was to come.
And with that, May started walking briskly toward the first store. Before catching up to her, Brock and Ash looked at each other and sighed before putting on a smile and quickly catching up with May.
Since May had been here many times before, she knew where most of her favorite stores were. She found the first one she wanted to look in quickly. This particular store had a lot of casual clothing that she liked to wear, including the type of clothing that she would mostly be wearing while traveling.
May tried on a number of different outfits, asking for the opinions of Ash and Brock on each one. May was a beautiful girl, and she truly looked fantastic, regardless of what she was wearing, and the two men made sure that she knew this.
Of course, May appreciated Brock's compliments and opinions but for obvious reasons, Ash's just meant so much more to her. As she'd never had feelings for a boy before Ash, May'd never really tried to 'dress to impress'.
May liked dressing up and wearing nice clothing, but she never did this with the intention of impressing anybody. And while she still did enjoy dressing how she did, there was now the added bonus of wearing things that she thought would impress Ash.
Ash told her that she looked great in everything she tried on, but May'd quickly figured something out. While she knew he was being entirely truthful when saying that she looked amazing no matter what, his eyes would sparkle slightly when he saw her in something he really liked. It was those clothes, along with a few others, that May decided to purchase.
After a while of shopping at this store, May told her two friends that she was done here and ready to check out. Once the clothes were totaled up, May instinctually reached for her wallet, only to be stopped by Ash's hand.
May looked at Ash, only to see him smiling. "I told you, I'm paying for you today."
May knew that protesting would be futile, so she simply smiled appreciatively and gave Ash a quick side-hug. Once Ash paid for the clothes, May grabbed the bags and the trio was off to the next store.
The group of friends went to a few more stores that were similar to the first one with May buying clothes from some of them, while not buying clothes from others.
At one point, May'd almost lead them into a specialty woman's bathing suit shop. Though once she realized what she was doing, she froze in her spot, confusing both Ash and Brock.
At first, May'd wanted to go into the store and find another nice bathing suit for her journey, even though she had just recently purchased a new one that she already adored. Though, when she thought about trying on the type of bathing suit that she preferred, two piece bikinis, in front of Ash, she became incredibly embarrassed.
That being said, May would have been lying had she said the thought also didn't excite her. With how much she admired Ash's physical appearance, she truly did want Ash to look at her as she looked at him a lot more often. She knew that Ash though her to be very beautiful as he'd said multiple times and when he'd stolen glances at her earlier in the morning during training, she'd been incredibly happy.
As her mind ran for a few moments, May found her thoughts becoming slightly sexual. When this started to happen, May did her best to snap herself out of it; the mall was not exactly a great place to get turned on.
In the end, she decided not to stop at the swim suit shop. Ash and Brock were going to question why May'd frozen just moments ago, but ultimately dropped it when May cut off Brock whilst he was asking about it.
They continued walking until they passed a store that was specifically catered toward pokemon trainers and those who traveled around the pokemon world. May remembered Ash telling her that there were some things she might find helpful for her journey in stores like this, so she decided to stop in and see what they had.
Ash and Brock advised May to buy a few things such as potions, burn heals, and other things of the sort. Even though she wasn't planning on having Torchic battle, there were still chances of things happening that would make these items come in handy.
May fully trusted their judgement and grabbed all of the items that they'd advised her to. As they were walking to the register, May stopped in her tracks as something caught her eye. There, in a nice display, was a small, technological device.
Ash and Brock also took notice of the piece of technology, with Ash, much like May, having never seen something like this before. Brock on the other hand, had done a small amount of research on this particular item. That being said he didn't know much more than the name of the device and it's most basic functions.
"That's a PokeNav. It's a fairly new piece of technology that does a whole bunch of different things." A new voice as heard, causing the trio to jump slightly in surprise.
Turning around, they three saw that an older man who clearly worked at the shop was the one who'd spoken to them.
"Check out this list right here." The store employee pointed to some text that was just above the display. "This explains everything the PokeNav can do. It really is a cool piece of technology!"
Brock nodded his head in agreement before adding his two cents to the conversation. "I've heard about this thing. From what I know, it sure sounds like it would come in handy for those out on the road all the time."
With this being said, May's interest was piqued and she was considering purchasing it as she was willing to try anything that would help her thrive on her first journey. Though, there was one question she still had about the product.
"How much is it?" May inquired, still looking at the device. Ash's eyes were also still locked on the item.
"Well, they're quite new, so they're not cheap. The price is 1500 pokedollars." The worker revealed, causing the three friends' eyes to widen in surprise. "I know it seems like a lot, but all the experts are saying that this is a device that is going to make traveling a great deal easier and less dangerous."
Processing the man's words, Ash looked to May, who noticed this and brought her gaze to meet his. "Do you want it?"
May shrugged at Ash's question. "I don't think I can really afford to spend that much on something like this. It would be helpful, but it's just not in the cards right now."
Seeing that she had slightly misunderstood him, Ash spoke again. "No May, I mean do you want me to get this for you?"
Even though Ash'd told her that he would be paying for this trip, she didn't expect him to offer to pay for something so expensive. And while she very much appreciated the offer, this just seemed like too much to ask for, especially with how much he'd already gotten her.
May smiled softly at Ash. "I really appreciate that Ash, but I'm not gonna let you do that. You've gotten way too much for me already. This is too much."
"But I really don't min-"
"No, Ash. I'm not going to let you spend that much money on me. I'm not relenting on this." May spoke a bit more forcefully, though she was still clearly very appreciative for his willingness to do this for her.
Knowing that May had a similar stubborn personality to his own, Ash had no choice but to sigh and nod his head.
With that being cleared up, May turned to face the employee. "Thanks for telling us about the PokeNav sir, but we're going to pass on it today."
The older man nodded his head in understanding. "I understand. It is a lot of money to lay down right on the spot. But I'd be happy to ring up those other items you have if you'd follow me to the register."
Ash, May and Brock all nodded their head at the man and followed him to the register. This time, it was Brock who payed for the items. He'd said that he wanted to contribute something more to the day than just his presence, which amy very much appreciated.
Once that was payed for, they walked out the store and began walking once again. Ash took notice of how the store they'd just left was right next to a men's restroom. Forming an idea in his mind, Ash followed as May and Brock turned a corner, now out of sight of the store.
"Hey, guys?" Ash started, causing May and Brock to stop and turn to face him. "I really need to go to the bathroom and I think I saw one back there. I'm gonna go take care of that real quick."
Both May and Brock saw Ash fidgeting around as if he really had to go to the bathroom, which corroborated his story. And while they did find it slightly strange that this'd come on so quickly, they didn't question it.
"Okay. We'll just take a look around this store until you come back." May said to Ash, pointing toward the store they were standing directly in front of.
It was a gift shop type store that sold trinkets and such. Neither Brock nor May were planning on buying anything from here, but it would give them something to do while they waited for Ash to return.
Ash nodded at his two friends and handed off the few bags he was carrying for May to Brock before rushing off back around the corner from whence they came. After checking to make sure that neither Brock nor May had followed him, Ash walked passed the bathroom and reentered the store that they'd just previously been in.
Immediately, the employee rom before recognized Ash. "Hey there! Welcome back, young man."
Ash smiled politely at the worker and approached him at the counter. "Hey. I actually am going to buy one of those PokeNavs."
The older man smiled and nodded at the raven haired trainer's words. He noticed that the two others he'd been with before were no longer with him, which lead him to believe that he wasn't buying this PokeNav for himself, and that he didn't want a particular person to know that he was buying it.
"So you decided to get one after all." The man said casually as he reached below the counter and grabbed a brand new PokeNav. "You're a lucky guy. She's quite beautiful. Your girlfriend must be really special if you're willing to spend this much money on a gift for her."
Ash smiled as he registered the latter part of the employee's statement. "Yeah, she's definitely special to me."
Though as soon as he finished speaking, Ash's eyes widened and he put his hands up in defense. "Oh, but we're not...I mean she's not...ugh, you know what? Never mind. Thank you, sir."
Ash stumbled all over his words and eventually, just gave up on trying to form a proper response and simply payed for the device.
The employee handed Ash the device before the raven haired man began walking out of the store.
"Have a good day!" The employee stated, causing Ash to respond in kind.
Once he was outside the store, Ash took the PokeNav and placed it in his jacket pocket where surprisingly, it fit comfortably, even in its packaging; he was confident that neither Brock nor May would be able to tell that he was hiding anything.
Happy with what he'd done, Ash rounded the corner and entered the store that Brock and May were currently in, only to see them listening to a woman he could only assume was an employee of this particular store..
May and Brock noticed Ash wave to them over the worker's shoulder. Seeing him, the two walked away from the woman who'd been speaking to them after saying they had to go very quickly.
May and Brock walked right past Ash, confusing him slightly. Though before they were past him, both Brock and May each grabbed once of Ash's arms and dragged him along.
"We need to go." Brock said with urgency.
Ash quickly became concerned over what was happening and once they were out of the store, he addressed this.
"What's going on? What's wrong?" Ash asked worriedly.
Brock and May were clearly relieved to be out of that store, and the former of the two was about to explain exactly why that was.
"That woman...she wouldn't stop talking. From the second we walked in, to the second we walked out. I swear, she tried to get us to buy every item in that store at least three times." Brock said, in exasperation.
May was in a similar state, but she was able to speak as well. "She said she doesn't get many customers, so she jumped us like a jungle cat."
Ash didn't react immediately after hearing their explanation but after a few second, he burst out into a fit of laughter.
Now that Brock and May were out of the store, they could see the humor in this situation as well and began laughing along with Ash. After a few moments, the three friends calmed down.
"Glad to see that you two can still have fun without me." Ash teased, causing May to stick out her tongue at him in response. This caused Ash to chuckle once again.
With that said and done, Ash decided to ask May what was becoming quite the familiar question.
"Where to next, May?" Ash questioned. Once he spoke, Ash reclaimed the bags that he'd given Brock to hold while he 'used the 'restroom'.
May took a few seconds to think over where to go next. After a couple of moments, she remembered a particular store that she'd been in once a few years ago. A store that sold a particular style of clothing that she thought she might possibly need at some point. And even if not, she still very much liked dressing up in this type of clothing, even if she decided that she wasn't going to buy anything.
"I forget what the name of it is, but there's a store at the very back of the mall that sells fancy dresses and suits. Let's go there next!" May spoke, excited at the prospect of dressing up.
Ash shrugged at May's suggestion while Brock looked to addressed his raven haired friend.
"That's actually perfect, Ash." Brock started, causing Ash to look at him curiously. "You need to get your own suit."
Ash pouted at Brock's words. "Why? You know I hate wearing those things."
"Remember the party and all of the other formal events that were held after you won the Indigo League? How you had to borrow a suit from Richie? Well, Richie isn't going to be here if you win the Hoenn League to lend you a suit. Plus, the people at the Indigo League said that it's likely that there will be another party that we're invited to sometime this year. You need to get your own suit." Brock listed out all the reasons, knowing he was definitely correct on this one.
Ash was about to retort, but decided it best to simply sigh and nod his head. Brock's reasoning was infallible, and Ash knew this. Going to these formal events was sometimes part of the territory of being a successful pokemon trainer, and Ash understood this. Plus if they were going to this store anyway, he supposed he could find a suit of his own.
May simply smiled at the exchange. "Awesome! Let's head there now!"
With that said, May led the charge toward the store. Although May couldn't remember the name of the shop, she clearly remembered the location, which allowed them to reach it quickly.
The storefront was nicely decorated and the look of the store was much more elegant than any they'd others that they'd seen in the mall.
When the trio entered, the woman working behind the counter called out to them. "Hello! My name's Samantha. Welcome to our boutique! Can I assist you with anything?"
Hearing the woman's words, the three friends looked to her. The woman working the counter was a pretty, dark blue haired woman in her mid to late 20s. She was dressed more formally than employees of other stores in the mall, but they supposed that this only made sense considering the type of things that were sold here.
Ash, May and Brock smiled at the woman, with the brunette responding. "My name's May, and this is Brock and Ash. We're just looking around for now, but thank you."
The woman nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Okay! If you need anything, just let me know! It's been a pretty slow day, so I'm more than happy to help! Plus, I actually went to school for fashion, so I like to think I now what I'm talking about." The woman chuckled at herself, causing the others to do so as well.
Before they started looking around, Ash addressed May. "You can try on some dresses first and then I'll find myself a suit.
May nodded and began looking around. There were so many beautiful dresses here that it was hard to pick which ones she wanted to try on. She was looking for a dress that she would use for formal events, which would pop up from time to time, especially with her dad being a gym leader. She really wanted the dress to be elegant and classy, but also still youthful and fun.
Having a hard time deciding on any of the dresses after a number of minutes searching, May decided to take Samantha up on her offer and have her help. Since she said she'd gone to school for fashion, May thought that she'd certainly be able to aid her in finding the right dress for her.
"Excuse me, Samantha?" May started gaining the woman's attention. "Would you mind helping me find the perfect dress for me? Everything is just so beautiful that I don't know where to start!"
Samantha smiled warmly at the younger girl's words and approached the three friends. "Of course! That's what I'm here for."
Before they went back to looking, Samantha took this time to take in the appearance of the three in front of her, May especially as she needed to get a base so that she could decide what would look the best on her.
It was immediately clear to her that May was a very beautiful girl. She also took note of the fact that she had a larger than average bust and would have to take that into account when searching for the perfect dress; May's chest was more than large enough to make finding a strapless dress to be extremely difficult, which Samantha accounted for in her mind. All in all, she didn't think she would have any problem finding a dress for her as she was certain to make most anything look good.
She then looked to Brock, noticing his squinted eyes first, which she found intriguing. He just looked very interesting to her and he just gave off an aura of wisdom that she appreciated. She actually did find him to be pretty attractive overall.
Finally, she looked at Ash. Taking in his appearance, she was slightly taken aback by how attractive he was. She also thought that he looked kind of familiar, but couldn't place where she might have seen him before...
"Are you the one that said you're going to be looking for a suit?" Samantha asked the raven haired trainer, who smiled and nodded his head in response.
Samantha then gave Ash another once over, taking in the appearance of his whole body. She could clearly tell that he was tall and well toned, with a good-looking face to cap it all off.
Her analyzing gaze made Ash just the slightest bit uncomfortable, but he didn't let it show. May also became slightly annoyed by how she was looking at him, but rationalized that she was simply looking him over so that she could get an idea of what might look good on him. And this was the truth.
Well, mostly...
Once she met Ash's eyes again, Samantha smiled warmly and spoke. "I think we can definitely find the perfect suit for you. But first, let's focus on you, May."
With that said, the two women began sifting through the tremendous amount of clothing all throughout the store. After about five minutes of searching, Samantha made an 'ah-ha' sound, drawing everyone's attention toward her.
"This is the one. I can already tell." Samantha said whilst holding up the dress that she was talking about.
May fell in love with the look of the dress as soon as she saw it. It was a red dress with thin shoulder straps, and it was strategically accented with shiny silver jewels. Just by the look of it, May knew it would be form fitting, which was what she was looking for when it came to a formal dress.
"I need to go try this on, right away!" May spoke eagerly, snatching the dress out of Samantha's hand.
May's two friends chuckled at her level of excitement while Samantha was proud that she was able to find a dress that she May'd liked. And she had a good feeling that she would like it even more when she had it on.
The three people watched as May entered the dressing room and began changing. It was a few minutes before they heard anything from the lovely brunette.
"O-Okay. I'm coming out." May spoke with an odd timidness in her voice.
Everyone was confused by her tone, but May knew the reason. She absolutely loved the dress and how it looked on her but now, she was desperately hoping that Ash thought that she looked good in it. She'd always been one to dress nicely for herself but now, she also really wanted Ash to like what she was wearing.
Ash, Brock and Samantha all waited patiently as May slowly opened the door to the changing room and walked out.
What they saw astounded them all.
May was standing shyly, which only added to how cute she looked at the moment. She'd also opted to take off her bandana as she wouldn't e wearing it whilst at a formal event.
The dress hugged her body tightly, accentuating her fit body and showing off an enticing amount of cleavage, just enough for it to still be considered classy. It was like this dress was made specifically for it to be worn by May.
Samantha reacted immediately, becoming excited at how good May looked in the dress. "I knew it! You look absolutely incredible!"
May smiled timidly at the woman's words as she awaited reactions from Brock and Ash. May couldn't help but have her gaze locked solely on Ash, whom she noticed was starting at her with a blank look on his face, his mouth slightly agape and his cheeks just slightly red.
"You really do look fantastic, May." Brock added. May tore her eyes off of Ash for just a second to acknowledge Brock's words.
It was clear to Brock and Samantha that May was eagerly, yet nervously awaiting Ash's reaction. But at the moment, Ash was simply still just staring at her, his eyes wide.
Not being able to take the suspense any more, May managed to speak. "W-What do you think, Ash?"
May addressing him finally seemed to break Ash out of his stupor. Once he was back in control of himself, he let an amazed smile cross his face.
"May..." Ash started, trying to find the right words. May waited eagerly for what he would say next. "You look...beautiful. More than beautiful, actually. I really don't think there's a word that encompass just how amazing you look right now. It's like that dress was made just for you. You're always beautiful but that dress, it just...it makes you look absolutely perfect, May."
Ash finished, telling May what he was thinking, allowing exactly what was on his mind to flow through his mouth as he was known to do. He truly did believe all these things and Ash didn't think it would be hard to believe that May could possibly be one of the most beautiful women in the entire world at this moment. He'd never seen something so close to perfection, which both surprised and excited him.
Immediately after processing Ash's words, May's timid look morphed into one of complete and utter joy, along with her face going nearly as red as her dress. She was still feeling shy, but for a completely different reason. Though that feeling was greatly outweighed by the immense amount of happiness she was feeling at the moment.
The way Ash was looking at her right now, May never wanted him to stop; it was making her melt. It was like Ash saw nothing but her at this moment, and this filled her with a tremendous amount of hope for the future. Hope that one day, Ash might actually return her feelings.
May also couldn't control the stupid grin that overcame her features. Ash's words even managed to make May's eyes water slightly as they were simply exactly what she didn't know she wanted to hear from him.
After a few moments of simply looking into each other's eyes, May spoke. "T-Thank you, A-Ash."
May really didn't know what to say other than that. In all honesty, she really wanted to confess right there on the spot and run up to Ash and allow him to take her first kiss, but she knew full well that she couldn't do that. She was really did want to take things slowly, but Ash was just making that so damn hard.
Both Brock and Samantha couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange between the two. They'd both found Ash's words to be incredibly sweet, as well as how much what he'd said clearly meant to May. This also lead Samantha to insinuate that the two were together, though she refrained from saying anything about that for the time being.
Ash simply nodded, his eyes still locked on the lovely brunette. Though she was still not fully over what she was feeling from what Ash's said, May turned her gaze toward Samantha as she had an important question to ask regarding the dress.
"How much is i-"
May started to ask her question, only to be cut off by Ash. "Don't even ask, May. I don't care what the price is, I am buying you that dress, and there is no way you can talk me out of it."
May was initial surprised by being cut off, but smiled as she took in what Ash'd said. She could tell how adamant Ash was about this, and that made her feel even more amazing than she did before, and that was really saying something.
Even though Ash'd said that the price didn't matter, Samantha still wanted to inform them of it. "Normally, this dress would go for 2250 pokedollars but because there is no way any other person could even dream of looking as good in it as you do, I'm willing to give it to you for 1250."
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, first because of how expensive the dress was, and second because of the immense price cut Samantha was offering them.
May was about to comment on the fact that Ash shouldn't spend that kind of money on her, but the look Ash was giving her told her that he was going to buy it whether she liked it or not. So instead of trying to argue, May simply smiled gratefully at Ash. Though, a simple smile would never be enough to tell Ash just how thankful she was, and not just for buying the dress, but for everything.
"She'll take it." Ash told Samantha enthusiastically.
With that out of the way, May went back into the dressing room to change back into her regular clothing. Ash wasn't exactly proud of it, but when May turned around to reenter the room, he'd have been lying should he say that he didn't check out her rear, which was framed perfectly by the dress.
While May was changing, Samantha addressed Ash. "Now that we've gotten that taken care of, it's time we find you a suit.
Ash nodded at the woman's words, ready to just find a suit and buy it as quickly as possible. Before anyone could say anything else, May returned from the changing room sporting her usual garb.
"Okay, so, what are your measurements?" Samantha inquired. This information was imperative to finding the correct shirt, jacket, shoes and pants that would make up his suit.
Upon processing the woman's words, Ash rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly before responding. "Hehe...I'm not exactly sure..."
"Okay, not a problem! Just follow me over here and we can take them." Samantha stated, leading Ash and his two friends to another part of the store.
Quickly, Samantha took measuring tape and began taking all of Ash's measurements. It wasn't five minutes later that she had all of the necessary information.
"Okay, so now that we've got that covered, we can get to looking! To start, do you have any color preferences?" Samantha questioned.
Ash immediately looked to his two friends and shrugged his shoulders, hoping they would have an opinion. Brock simply wasn't sure and May knew that he would look good in any color, so the decision was really up to him.
Ash looked back to Samantha before responding. "I guess just classic black with a white dress shirt."
This was the type of suit that he'd borrowed from Ritchie all of those months ago for the formal party held in his honor after he'd won the Indigo League, so at least he already had an idea as to what it would look like on him. This was pretty much the sole reason he'd picked this color.
Samantha appeared satisfied by the choice and immediately went to work looking for the perfect pieces of clothing that would ultimately make up the suit. This process had taken slightly longer than it had when they were looking for a dress for May because there were so many different articles of clothing that went into creating a full suit.
Though after a while, Samantha came back holding all the articles of clothing he would need, appearing to be very satisfied with her choices.
"I think these will be perfect." Samantha started, handing the clothes and the pair of shoes to the taller man. "Go try these on and then let us see!"
Ash smiled and nodded appreciatively as he took the clothing from the older woman's hands and entered the dressing room.
"Thank you for finding that dress for me. It really is perfect." May expressed her appreciation for the woman's work while Ash changed.
Samantha smiled at the young woman. "I'm glad that I was able to help." She then let a smirk overtake her features as she motioned with her head toward the dressing room door that current housed Ash. "It certainly caught his attention."
May blushed at the woman's words, but also couldn't help but smile as she remembered Ash's reaction to seeing her. The best part was that while he obviously thought that she looked amazing in the dress, Ash saw her true beauty in who she was as a person. She could be wearing anything at all and Ash would find her beautiful, and May knew that well; this was something she absolutely adored about Ash..
Just as this quick conversation had wrapped up, Ash was heard through the door. "Okay, here I come."
With that said, Ash walked out the door and revealed himself to the three people waiting on the other side.
Ash was wearing the simple black suit that he'd pictured. He had on a white dress shirt, a black blazer, black pants, black dress shoes and a red tie. In fact, it was the same shade of red as May's dress was, which wasn't a coincidence. He also had a pocket square in his breast pocket in the same shade of red as the tie and the dress, which accented the outfit nicely..
Ash was fidgeting with his tie when he walked out of the dressing room, and was still doing so even after he'd came to a stop in front of the three; he clearly hated wearing it. Brock chuckled at this.
Samantha and May on the other hand had different reactions. Samantha's eyes were wide, her mouth open while smiling as she took in his appearance.
She'd seen plenty of attractive guys come into this store and try on suits, but she'd never seen any of them look as good in one as Ash did. Though despite her intense physical attraction to the man, she was a professional and she was going to try her best to act like it.
"I've done it again!" Samantha cheered for herself. "That looks so amazing on you. I don't think it even needs to be tailored, it's a perfect fit all around!"
Ash smiled and nodded in thanks at the compliment. He then looked to Brock and noticed he was giving him a thumbs up, which he acknowledged.
Ash then looked to May, whom currently held an expression very similar to what his had been when she'd first revealed herself in her dress. The only thing she added to the expression was the darker blush that appeared on her cheeks, something she was getting very used to.
It was well established that many women found men to be most attractive while in a suit, and this seemed to prove this ideology to May. From the moment she met him, May'd found Ash to be one of the most attractive people she'd ever seen. And here, seeing him dressed in a suit, May was certain that she'd never been so attracted to anybody in her life, nor would she ever be after this point.
After a number of moments, May managed to break out of her daze, her blush reddening even more as she realized how intensely she'd ben staring. She was also slightly embarrassed by the thoughts she was currently having, which certainly didn't help the redness on her cheeks.
May went to look Ash in the eye but when she tried to do so, she began to feel faint. So instead, May was forced to look slightly off to the side, with her stealing dozens of small glances at his entire body.
"Y-You look...very handsome, Ash." May muttered, mentally hitting herself for not saying more. Ash had said so many nice things to her, and she wanted to do the same.
With this in mind, before Ash could respond, May took a deep breath and continued on. "For as good as you think I look in that dress, I think...I think you look ten times better in that suit!"
Ash was surprised by May's words and his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. He knew that May found him to be attractive, but he didn't know at just what level this attraction was. A lot of the time, Ash didn't like the attention he would sometimes get because of his appearance but with May, for some reason, he very much liked it. It made his heart beat faster and caused happiness to spread throughout his body. He had no idea what it was that was causing this, but he welcomed it none the less.
"Thank you, May. That really means a lot to me." Ash thanked the brunette softly, conveying just how much he appreciated what she'd said. "Even though I hate this dang tie!" Ash tugged at his tie as he said this.
His lighthearted tone immediately made May much more comfortable after what she'd said; it also made Samantha and Brock laugh.
May quickly realized that this was a big step for her; May never expected that she'd ever have the guts to say something like that to someone so directly.
"But seriously May, I really appreciate what you said, but there's no way I look even a fraction as good as you, no matter what we're wearing! I can't even hold a candle to you in that regard." Ash said, chuckling at himself.
May very much appreciated the lighter tone of the compliment as it made her less embarrassed than it would've had he said it softly and sweetly as he was known to do. She'd only just regained the ability to look Ash in the eye without feeling like she was going to faint, and that feeling would've almost certainly come back had Ash said what he did like he had earlier.
May was about to respond to Ash and tell him that he was wrong, but Samantha beat her to it. "Ash is right. For as amazing as you look Ash, and you do look absolutely amazing, trust me..." Samantha paused and gave Ash another once over, very satisfied by what he was seeing. She then turned her attention back to May. "You're a very beautiful young lady and in that dress, I don't think anyone could beat you in terms of appearance."
While her appearance had always been something she prided herself in, it was never something May was overly concerned with. In her mind, who she was as a person was much more important than what she looked like on the outside, just as Ash did. That being said, being complimented on her physical appearance did feel very nice and she was glad that they found her to be so beautiful, Ash especially.
"See? Told ya!" Ash added, causing everyone to chuckle. He then decided to ask a question he already knew the answer to. "So, do you think I should buy this one?"
Everyone immediately nodded, with May responding verbally as well. "You better! Because if you don't, then I will!"
Ash chuckled at May's 'threat' before retreating back into the changing room. And much like Ash'd done to her, May couldn't help but let her gaze fall to Ash's toned rear, the pants he was wearing accentuating it nicely. Actually, Samantha had allowed herself to take a look at this as well.
Brock noticed what the two were doing and sweatdropped. "Does Ash have to take the attention of all the girls? He could leave some for me..."
Despite Brock's thoughts, he wasn't bitter at all and he knew that he would eventually find the perfect girl for him. Plus, if anyone deserved to have this much female attention, it was Ash, even if he didn't exactly like it all the time.
As Ash was changing, Brock excused himself to the front of the store to look at a few suit jackets, leaving the two females alone.
"You're a lucky girl, being with a man like him. He seems like a great guy...and he's got one hell of a body." Samantha said to May as the two simply stared at the door to the changing room.
May's eyes widened at the woman's words before she tried to correct her. "Oh, no we're not...together. Just...really close friends."
Samantha chuckled at May's lame response. "Is that so? Could've fooled me."
Forming an understanding smile on her face, Samantha met May's gaze. "I get it. Give it time. He'll come around. Guys can be painfully slow in the head sometimes."
It was clear to May that Samantha had figured out that she had feelings for Ash by her words. Instead of saying anything, May simply smiled softly, hopefully, and nodded her head in appreciation for her comments.
"And whether you're together right now or not, he's lucky to have you too, May. That much is clear to see." Samantha added, causing May's smile to grow. Samantha then started walking toward the register. "Come on, I'll start ringing you up."
May followed the older woman to the counter and just as she placed the dress down for Samantha to scan, Ash returned from the dressing room and approached the counter before placing all of his items on it as well.
Samantha happily scanned all the items and told the two their total, which was pretty high. May was slightly worried that Ash might have trouble paying for all of this but after seeing Ash not appearing fazed by the total in the slightest, she calmed down.
Ash payed the woman, who then bagged up all the clothes and handed them to Ash.
Both Ash and May, as well as Brock who'd returned to their side, all smiled at the woman behind the counter.
"Thanks again for all your help, Samantha." May expressed her appreciation tot he woman.
"Yeah, thank you. Without you and May being here, I somehow probably would've ended up in a lime green suit that was two sizes too big." Everyone chuckled at Ash's joke.
"Of course! It was my pleasure! I'm just glad that you two found exactly what you were looking for. And I mean it when I say that I've never seen a dress more perfect for someone than that one is for you, May." Samantha said to the brunette, whom smiled in response. The older woman then reached below the counter and grabbed a small card and handing it to Brock. "Here's my card. If you guys ever need something, a new dress or suit, or if you need something Brock, don't hesitate to call. I'd be more than happy to help you guys again!"
Brock took the card and placed it in his wallet before the three friends smiled and nodded at the woman, acknowledging her words.
With their business here being done, Ash, May and Brock walked out of the store after saying goodbye to Samantha.
A/N: And there's chapter 21! Sorry for the wait, school and baseball have just been kicking my ass as of late. But I made sure this was an extra long chapter for you guys! I know not a lot of major things happened this chapter, but there was definitely a good amount of fluff, which I feel like was needed. But if that's not your thing, don't worry, next chapter will have quite a few events
Also, happy belated Advanceshipping day! Two years ago on that day, I began writing "We All Want What We Ain't Got", my first ever oneshot which I am very proud of (it's so crazy to me that I wrote that two years ago). If you haven't already, please go check it out. If you like this story, then I'm positive that you'll like that one as well. I actually just recently went back and edited it, something I'd been meaning to do forever, so the story is in its best ever form for your viewing pleasure!
Another note, on December 15th, I finally start my winter break, which means almost an entire month of no school and no baseball. I' really hoping to get a lot of writing done during that time, so you guys can look forward to that! I really want to get "Facade" up and running again as I'm incredibly excited for where that story is going. If you haven't checked that story out, I'd urge you to do so. It is quiet different from my other stories, but has gotten a very positive response. It includes Advanceshipping, Amourshipping and Caveliershipping, and is an AU story. And while it might seem like your typical high school fic at first, I promise you it is anything but. Just a few more chapters and you'll see what I mean ;).
Anyway, I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter and thank you for sticking with this story. I'm having so much fun writing right now, and your feedback just makes that love grow. So please, leave a review as those are what keep me going as an author. Also make sure to follow and favorite! See ya!