AN: Thank you so much for all the feedback! :D I was honestly shocked that so many would be interested in this fic I'm testing out! Bit of a warning, the character's personalities are pretty exaggerated on purpose (genre is humor for a reason). xD I would also like to apologize in advance, because I haven't edited this the way I normally would. I am super tired, but wanted to post this. Enjoy!
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Count: 4100
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Chapter 2:
Evaluation
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Ash turned to eye the boy next to him. Said boy next to him, Gary Oak, eyed Ash right back, smirking. Gary was so confident he knew he would win.
To any of the track and field athletes watching the two, it was just a practice 100-meter dash.
To Ash and Gary, it was much more than that.
They have been rivals since they were kids. They always competed against each other, and today was no difference.
Practice or not, both Ash and Gary took this race very seriously.
"You know I will win, right?" Gary spoke smugly.
"You wish," Ash countered, staring straight at the finish line, knowing where he was going to be very soon, in a matter of seconds. Their PE teacher/ coach brought the flag up.
"On your mark," their coach began. Ash tensed up a bit, his muscles ready to spasm into a sprint with how much anticipation he was holding.
"Get set." Gary clenched his jaw, in wait for when he can and will win. Ash felt his heart racing, adrenaline beginning to run through him as he prepared. There was a pause. To Ash, it felt like a lifetime passed, and he gave this moment complete focus.
"Go!" the coach yelled. Finally, the coach brought the flag down, and they were off, sprinting away. Ash didn't dare look next to him, to see where Gary was – if he's ahead or behind. He couldn't. Ash didn't think of anything but the finish line, in complete concentration and focus. It was necessary, if he wanted to win.
When Ash finished, he looked towards the assistant at the finish line. Both Gary and Ash did, wondering who won.
"Tie," the assistant announced, looking at is stopwatch. He smiled. "The best time both of you two ever had."
"How?" Gary panted, kneeling.
"What can I say? Both of you are my best and on par with each other. Good going. Maybe a little competition will help," their coach said, excited at the prospect. This was their absolute best time. Ash was panting, proud that he made his best time, but a bit annoyed… extremely annoyed. He definitely did not intend on showing his annoyance. He instead decided to smile with accomplishment, staring at Gary rather haughtily.
He had reason to give Gary a smug smile. There was a time where he would lose to Gary in such a horrible defeat. As a child, Gary would laugh in his face at how slow Ash was, or how bad he was at different sports as opposed to him. But now, the tables have turned.
He definitely progressed since that time in his life.
"Just a stroke of luck, Ashy-boy," Gary panted out, smiling just as smugly as well.
Even though he has progressed, Gary still treated him like that same kid that lost to him. This is what frustrated him to no end. Hence, why he wanted to utterly crush Gary Oak, even in little practice races like this one.
Because a tie wasn't good enough for Gary.
And it wasn't good enough for Ash, for that matter.
But he was getting there. And for that, Ash boasted confidence after their tie.
"We'll see about that next time," Ash said as he made his way back to the locker room. "Luck has nothing to do with tying you all the time. Or maybe you're just not as good as you used to be." Ash shrugged, but soon made his way to the locker room. Gary glared, annoyed that Ash was getting the better of him.
The guys gave Ash a high five as he did so, with Ash grabbing his water bottle and gulping it down. His towel hung over his shoulders as he decided to hit the showers before lunch.
During and after his shower, his mind wandered to later today, and how practice will most likely be brutal today.
He recalled that he would meet May again, too.
She found him like he assumed, this time with her friend, Dawn. That encounter was a little more normal than when he originally met May. However, his brain was scrambling to remember Dawn. She had told him that they met before, but he couldn't, for the life of him, recall. She gave him a big smile, waving him off and saying how he didn't need to worry about it, but worry he did.
She did seem extremely familiar.
"This is going to eat at me for the longest time," he said aloud as he dried his hair.
Either way, during their last encounter, both Ash and May agreed that they would meet today for some tips and help with basketball.
Their friends usually would hang out after practice, but today would be different. He had to think of an excuse, so he could keep it a secret, like May asked
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"Oh! By the way-" May had called to him. Ash turned. "Can we keep this a secret? Please?" Ash's eyebrow rose, confused.
"Why?" he asked.
"It's, kind of embarrassing. I don't want people to make fun of me," she lied. In reality, she didn't want Drew to find out, and she knew that Ash and Drew talked every day. She didn't want him knowing she was having extra assistance to cream him.
"Sure, I guess." Ash shrugged nonchalantly, not thinking much of it. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow after school then!" Ash called, waving goodbye. Both May and Dawn waved back, May sheepishly laughing as she waved goodbye.
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Ash nodded to himself as he got dressed, listing all the things he had to do in his head so he wouldn't forget.
The rest of the day was rather normal.
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At lunch, Ash grabbed his food and sat at his usual table with Brock, Misty, Gary, Drew, and Serena. All, except for an always late Drew, were at the table chatting up a storm. He quickly greeted them before devouring his food.
"Hey, so we're all going to hang out after practice, right?" Misty wondered.
"Yes please, I am going to need a long break after racing," Serena said, already exhausted.
"Why don't you just tell your mom you don't want to race anymore?" Brock wondered with concern. Serena tended to put herself in predicaments that could easily be avoided with communication. Serena sighed, explaining for the hundredth time.
"I told you already, I can't disappoint her like that. She would be devastated. Plus, scholarships for college, you know…" Serena said miserably, her chin resting on her palm with a dejected expression on her face.
Gary smirked.
"Hey, if you're just worried about disappointing your mom, then why don't you just say you're going to practice, but do something else instead, something you actually like," Gary suggested. Serena gasped.
"No, I can't do that… can I?" she wondered. "I can't just lie like that."
Gary grinned, "Do something spontaneous for once, stop listening to mommy all the time… like Ashy-boy over here." Serena stood, annoyed at his remark.
"Hey, stop being such a jerk! That's not true!" Serena attempted to defend. She looked over to Ash, to see Ash was not even paying attention.
"Earth to Ash!" Misty called, waving her hand in front of him. That didn't seem to do much.
It took him a full minute to realize Misty was calling him.
Finally, Ash shook from his stupor.
"What are you staring at?" Brock wondered. He looked over at the direction Ash was, to see Drew talking to two girls. He chuckled, "Oh, that." Misty sighed.
"Drew is just being his usual heckling self. He always talks to those two girls. Don't know why," Misty explained, shrugging.
"He does?" This was news to him.
"Yeah, I think they're sophomores." Misty giggled, "He's probably into one of them."
"Or both," Gary chimed in, nodding in approval to Drew. Both Serena and Misty gave him a disgusted expression. Brock gave off a small chortle at his comment.
"Hey, who are those girls?" Ash asked, hoping they would know. If Drew always talked to them, he wondered why he never saw them at lunch. Ash and Drew were always around each other – usually. He assumed it was because their table was at the very corner, kind of hidden away from everyone else. Although, to be fair, he never really looked to see where Drew was, nor did he notice many people during lunch, caring mostly about eating than anything else.
Ash continued to watch as Drew walked back to their usual table.
"Yo," Drew waved.
"Hey, how do you know those two girls?" Ash wondered. Drew pfft'd, shaking his head and eyeing him suspiciously.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" he sneered. When he sat down, he casually added, "they're no one important," he said, and Ash glared, annoyed that Drew could be so frustrating and be around the bush. But that was Drew's personality. There was a time, when they first met, that Drew buried this side of him. However, that was when Drew was only a freshmen and no one knew what a great athlete he was. That soon passed a few days after Ash invited Drew to sit with them. Sometimes, like right now, he wish it hadn't.
"Whatever," Ash said under his breath.
"Drew, are you going to hang out with us after your practice?" Brock asked. Drew shrugged, saying he had nothing better to do. It wasn't till then that Ash remembered he had to tell them he couldn't hang out today.
"I won't be able to make it," Ash said, and Serena's face fell.
"Why?" she asked.
"I have other obligations, you know," was all Ash said. They all seemed to understand.
"Oh… okay," was all Serena said before acting as though it didn't affect her. She smiled, "Well, maybe next time?"
"Yeah, definitely," he reassured. He at first was worried that they would question him, but glad they didn't. He always had other things to do, whether it be helping his mom or finishing homework. It was then that Ash decided to not concern himself with predicaments that were for later today. He'd rather spend his lunch period stuffing as much food in his mouth as possible.
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May sighed, angered as she slammed her palms on the table. She leered at Drew's back as he walked away to his usual table.
"Oh, that Drew! I swear, that guy is out to get me!"
"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" Dawn laughed, while May glared.
"He's the one that comes to our table," May argued back. She crossed her arms, smashing her butt to the chair and pouting very child-like.
"Good point," Dawn agreed. May subsided her anger for Drew, and smiled, looking at Dawn expectantly.
"Anyways, why didn't you tell me you knew Ash already? When? How?" May interrogated, eyeing her suspiciously. Dawn backed a bit, her face heating.
"It's nothing, it's nothing! It was a long time ago, anyways, and he doesn't even remember, so there's no need to worry!" Dawn shrugged nonchalantly as though it was nothing. However, May saw through her feigning indifference.
"Wait… Ash was the one you had a crush on? I bet I'm right!" May gasped, putting two and two together. Dawn used her hand to shush May's lips.
"Can you be any louder?" Dawn sneered.
"You know I can…" Dawn rolled her eyes at her friend's words. She sighed, letting go of her as she sat back down.
"The short answer: yes, but let me be clear, I had a crush on all the athletes at one point or another," Dawn explained. She shrugged, "I'm a sucker for the athletic types, what can I say?"
"All… Wait… does that mean…so, Drew too?" she wondered, a bit concerned with a hint of disgust. Dawn scratched her cheek, in thought.
"I mean, I guess, technically, you could say so. But only for a minute, I swear!"
"I feel so betrayed…" Dawn waved her off.
"Stop being so dramatic. It means nothing, just like my crushes on any of them meant nothing," Dawn reassured, laughing awkwardly. May shrugged. "Anyways, yes, Ash was the one I had a crush on, but he's so dense, he doesn't even care about girls right now. He's too worried about sports." Dawn shrugged. "I moved on, obviously." May nodded in understanding.
"He does seem dense. And I mean really dense," May noticed.
"Yeah, I don't know if that's ever going to change," Dawn laughed. "But, all of the athletes are really cool from afar, but apparently have extremely big flaws. There are even rumors that they may all be gay for each other – except Gary. But I don't believe them to be honest," Dawn giggled at the thought.
"Ash, as I said earlier, is extremely dense. Drew-"
"is a narcissistic butt," May interrupted. Dawn laughed.
"Well, that's not what I was going to say, but sure. And Paul, is so mysterious, but he may be too mysterious. He is an extreme loner. None of those three ever care for their fangirls, really. The only one who's actually held a girlfriend is Gary, but I mean – he goes a little too far at times from what I heard. But, like I said, they're all just rumors. I heard the girls that were lucky enough to score dates with them were in for… Well, let's just say they never ended well," Dawn said.
"Weird…" May commented. Dawn nodded.
"Yeah, but that doesn't stop almost every girl from fawning over them. But, like I said, just rumors. Who knows if that's accurate."
"Well, I guess that doesn't really matter much to me," May admitted, ready to chow down and devour her food.
"Yeah. Honestly, it's just an infatuation from afar with all of them. Like how someone admires their favorite athlete on their favorite sports team. Well, it's exactly like that. That's all there is to it." May nodded in understanding.
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May waited and waited... and waited and waited. She crossed her arms and impatiently tapped on the pavement. She was extremely annoyed that she had to wait so long.
"He said to meet by the basketball courts, and he's not even here! What's taking him so long?" May wondered, annoyed.
She waited, and still, she waited. She didn't know why she waited so long, but she wanted to believe that Ash would keep his word. He didn't seem like a liar.
"He stood me up… he really did. He's such a liar." May crossed her arms, blowing her bangs out of her face.
After an hour of waiting, she finally decided to head home. She grabbed her things and stuffed them into her bag, getting ready to leave. During this process, she heard footsteps.
"Hey! Okay, are you ready to start?" Ash looked confused, wondering why she was packing her bags.
"Start? You're late! I was just about to head home because you didn't keep your word!" Ash looked extremely confused at this.
"No, I'm not. I had practice. I told you," Ash began. May blinked, thinking back.
"No, you just said afterschool, so I waited afterschool for almost an hour!"
"I'm pretty sure I mentioned practice started today." May paused, thinking back.
He did mention something about practice.
"But I thought you meant our practice."
"No, I meant official practice with the team," Ash corrected. She began to sheepishly chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Okay, okay, well, then let's just drop all that. I was just an hour early then. But anyways, what should I do first to get in tip top condition to join the girls' basketball team?" she asked, enthusiasm in her voice and fire in her eyes. Ash stopped to think for a moment.
"Well, I have to see how you do, where you stand."
"Where…I… stand?" she asked perplexed. Ash nodded.
"Yeah, I need to figure out how good you are and how much you know already before I can help you." May laughed, waving her hands.
"I don't think that is necessary. I know nothing about the sport! I am a complete and utter beginner!"
"Really?" Ash tilted his head. "Then why do you want to join so much? Do you even like basketball?" he wondered, a big frown evident.
"Well, let's just say I have a determination right now that will only be solved through learning basketball." Ash quirked an eyebrow, even more confused. He sighed, deciding to drop it, on the count of May being incredibly confusing since he first met her.
"Well, let's just get started, shall we?" May cheered, excited for what was to come.
Ash began to bounce the ball on the basketball court, dribbling between his legs. May was amazed by how well he handled the ball. He soon brought it to his chest.
"Catch," wasall Ash said before he hurled the ball her way. She yelped, attempting to be cool and grab the ball without looking too foolish. "To evaluate how you do, the first thing I want to see is your dribbling abilities. So to start off, just dribble up and down the court," he explained as he began adding cones to make a small obstacle course.
He soon realized, adding cones was not necessary.
May didn't need them.
Ash saw May handle the ball as she staggered down the court. He came to realize she was far too gauche, concluding she's never picked up a basketball in her life. She would continuously knock the cones either with the ball or her feet. Maybe it was a measure of hyperbole, but it didn't change the fact she wasn't exactly enamored for the sport. Actually, her incoherent grumbles as she vilified the sport told him she must dislike it fervently. He crossed his arms with apathy. He could not help someone if they didn't like the sport.
"You're not taking this seriously. Sorry, but I can't help someone who's only wanting to goof off and doesn't actually want to improve," he harshly told her. She fell on her knees at his words, cringing at his burning glare. She was not used to this. She didn't expect to disappoint him at all. She whimpered, her eyes watering, knowing he was her only hope in beating Drew. She crawled over, begging, as pathetic as that felt.
"Please, you have to help me! I heard you're the best athlete at our school! Please, I want to be really good!" she all but shouted, clutching on his shoe.
"E-eh, May, do you think you can stop tugging on my leg?" he asked.
"I'm usually not one to beg, but please! You are the only one that can help me!" May confessed. "I'd do anything!" Ash crossed his arms, in thought.
"Well, you'll have to do all my chores then," Ash said.
"Deal! I'll do that!"
"Seriously?" Ash eyed her, confused. He didn't understand why she wanted to join the basketball team so bad.
"Yes! I meant it when I said I'll do anything. My reasons, are… private, but, just know that I have never been more dedicated or devoted to anything in my life!"
"I can believe that," Ash mumbled, and May shot him a glare. Ash sighed, realizing this might be a lot more work than he initially got himself into.
"I have to get on the basketball team! Please, Ash, you have to help me! I'll do all your chores, your homework, you name it!" He looked down and stared at her pleading eyes, sighing. This was definitely going to take more time. It wasn't going to just be giving May some tips on the sport.
"By the way, I was just kidding about doing my chores. I don't get chores. I just have to make sure my room is clean, and I'm not going to make you clean that," Ash reassured. He didn't really have chores with his mom around. Plus, he was an only child and was mostly out of the house, which made it easier to keep clean (Delia would beg to differ). None the less, his mother understood he had a lot on his plate. Ash trying to maintain his grades was hard enough: he had to study more than the other students just to get by with C's, good enough to play sports. Out of all four boys, he lacked in book smarts the most. He never understood how it came easier to Drew and Paul.
He got out of his stupor to realize May was still latched onto his leg. Oh boy.
"Okay, if I'm going to help you, then I need you to promise me something, okay?"
May's neck could have snapped with how frantic her head was moving up and down.
"Of course, of course, anything anything!"
"First, stop tugging at my leg." When he said that, she immediately let go. "Second, you have to give it your all, and always try your best. Take this seriously! And no distractions! If you want to be good, it's going to take a lot of hard work, and you're going to have to be willing to put in that time and a lot of effort… I mean a lot!" he stated, recalling her dribbling and shooting skills.
"Yes, yes of course! Anything!" Ash nodded. "Okay, so, what we're going to do, is start by running laps! It will help raise your stamina. I can tell you don't work out much."
"L-laps?" May asked, fear- stricken. Ash nodded.
"Yes, laps. You said you were willing to do anything."
"I-I am… just… laps kind of, aren't my thing," May said. To Ash eyeing her, she raised her hands, waving him off, "But I am willing to do it! Because I am that dedicated! You want me to run a lap? Darn right I will! I'll even run two!"
"I was thinking, more like five, since you are just starting," Ash said, and May's face fell, horrified. She gulped.
"Oh… O-okay. Here I go then," May said awkwardly. Beginning with a slow trot. She kept looking back to Ash, hoping he'd say he was just kidding and 5 would be too much…
…but no such luck.
"You're not going to finish by sundown if you keep looking back and running so slowly!" Ash called.
"Right! Right," May whispered the last right, in the back of her mind, wondering if all of this was a mistake. She shook out of her stupor, realizing she needed to be determined.
"This is all part of the deal. I have to do this! I already promised Ash I will give it my all, so that's what I have to do!" May talked to herself, staring up at the stars as she gained motivation to see this through.
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"Okay, may, it's getting late… you only did 2 and a half laps," Ash analyzed, frowning.
"Ash! Ash, I am trying my best, I am going to keep going! I will not stop until I finish 5 laps!" May called in between heaves. "You- you have to believe me!"
Ash motioned for her to stop, while May collapsed to the floor. Ash squatted down, offering her a towel and a bottle of water. He smiled.
"I believe you, I believe you. Okay, we'll pick this up tomorrow. Next time you will do those 5 laps, okay? Not only that, but we're going to start doing real drills for basketball… before you even touch a basketball," he warned. "You need to increase your speed and agility too. But for the first day, this is fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright, can't wait! Bye!" May said happily, waving goodbye.
Once she was sure he left, she collapsed again, heaving for more air.
"He's is going to kill me!" she breathed out, wondering what exactly she got herself into. "He's crazy," she mumbled.
Whatever it was, she was going to stick to it till the end, whether or not Ash really will be the death of her.
As Ash walked off, wondering what he got himself into. He wondered if this would be possible to get her on the basketball team. Either way, he was going to have to teach her as much as he could.
He couldn't help but wonder why a girl would work so hard to get on the basketball team when she has no knowledge of the sport. However, Ash soon shrugged his thoughts off, knowing that there was only one explanation possible.
Ash mumbled, "She's crazy."
And so, practice to do the impossible began.
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AN: And that is the second chapter! You know, you guys really changed/helped the direction of where the story was going! xD if I am being honest, pearlshipping wasn't even on my radar. I was planning to add advance, contest, and a whole bunch of other ships, but pearl wasn't one of them. xD if you want to continue to contribute to the pairings, please keep letting me know! Also, if you guys spotted any errors, please let me know!
Also, if there is a particular endgame pair you want, please persuade me on whichever ship your heart desires. I am legitimately debating what pair should be the end game (I am extremely conflicted right now), so your input helps! Thanks again and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and hope to see you next chapter!
