AN: New chapter here! Woohoo! I hope you guys enjoy! I hope everyone had a happy New Years and like this chapter, because I had so much fun writing it! x)
.
Count: 4440
.
Chapter 4:
Fallen
.
May found herself in a routine for the next few weeks. She would wake up early morning, to her displeasure, and go for a run with Ash around the school. Ash would constantly encourage her to keep up, so she can get used to it and increase her stamina.
She felt as though she would never get used to it. However, although she didn't notice it herself, Ash realized that she was slowly but surely getting the hang of things.
May did not complain anymore about waking up so early, for it has been engrained in her head now. It has become habit for her to simply wake up in the early mornings, before the sun rises, to go running. Ash didn't have to slow down so much now, May starting to keep up with him when it came to a slow trot.
Ash was pleasantly shocked, that when it came to keeping her stamina up and increasing her agility, which they have been working on since their first day, May had significantly improved.
The best part, was that she was getting so used to the habit, that she was now becoming more disciplined when it came to practice. She would put in effort that he hadn't seen in her before. When she would get something wrong, and he would correct her, she did not complain (as much) or he would not see the hint of annoyance expressed on her face when he would tell her so (more or less). She instead nodded, continuing to practice and take his criticism seriously (that didn't stop her from grumbling a bit from time to time). Nonetheless, it was still a big improvement.
Not to say she still had some long ways to go.
Because, she had some long ways to go.
In the morning, May ran with Ash. She would then head to school and shower there, changing and heading straight to class. After class, she would talk to Dawn for a bit, before she went to an afterschool club she would dabble in from time to time, still trying to find a club that fit her. Then, she would meet with Ash and warmup by either running to and from the ends of the basketball court, or doing a quick exercise. Next, they would focus on drills, from shooting drills, to dribbling drills, to passing, or learning about rebounding, etc. Ash would take moments to explain to her what all of that meant, the different positions players are, along with what position would be best for her.
"What position do you play?" she asked one day during practice.
"Well, I can usually play whichever position needed at the time. But they generally need me as shooting guard or point guard when it comes to offensive plays," he told her proudly. She nodded. He thought for a moment.
"If I were to guess, you would be… center at the moment."
"I want to be the one who makes all the shots," she told him.
"Well then that means you would need to practice more shooting drills," Ash thought aloud, already trying to figure out the best approach for her. "But even so, you should still learn how to do it all, you know. That way you will for sure make the team!" May nodded, excited. This pumped her up more, her fist clenching with anticipation.
Things were looking up for May, for sure. She felt like her life was turning around for the better. They would always end practice with a one on one game. This was May's favorite part, because she could actually take those drills and use them in an actual game.
Who knew basketball would be so fun.
Not to say she could beat Ash in a match. Not even close. But it was still fun, filled with laughter and happiness as she continued to improve.
In the back of her mind, she was excited to serve Drew in a match, thoroughly defeating him some day.
While May was rather happy, improving and loving her time practicing (except when it was exceptionally hard), Ash could not say the same thing.
Not to say he was unhappy, however, a better term for it would be sleepy.
Just sleepy.
However, he found himself pulling through, his own discipline and determination as unrelenting as ever. Ash, unlike May, already held a full schedule before he decided to help her. He had agreed to simply give her pointers, but he ended up getting way too engaged and determined without even realizing it. He soon became a coach in his own right, guiding her and making sure she was doing the drills correctly. He even made list of the foods that will help give her more energy throughout the day, along with creating a full out schedule for her to follow.
When Ash helps someone out, he really helps someone out, doing everything he can to make sure they were doing well and got the assistance they need. He was proud that she improved so much, however, he found the more he invested his time, the more he didn't have to do things he used to do.
Like homework. Or studying. Or sleep.
Well, he would still do them. He was not completely daft. However, he found himself lacking in the sleep department more and more each day.
.
Ash found himself slipping in and out of slumber during algebra 2 class today, which has been happening a lot recently. The hard wooden desk was usually very uncomfortable to sit still in for him. However, today was very different. Today, the hard desk top felt like a pillow as his chin rested on it. His desk was still very uncomfortable for him. He usually would much rather run or do something, than stay seated for so long. However, he found his need for sleep was far more important today.
The professor was lecturing about something on polynomials, but he was too tired to panic and worry. All he heard was his professor's voice muffled, while all he could see through lidded eyes was the blurry figure of his teacher at the dry-erase board, writing some math equation down.
He constantly told himself to sit up and pay attention, but his will power was lacking today, his eyes finally closing.
It was only until Serena tapped his shoulder, that he jumped awake, flailing his arms and giving a sharp yelp. The whole class giggled, and his face heated with embarrassment. He wiped the bit of drool that was running down his chin.
He stared over to the professor, who merely paused to give him a disappointed look, before continuing with his lecture.
He slumped into his desk, never feeling more embarrassed and so guilty for making a ruckus in class. The look his teacher gave made him feel worse.
"You should pay attention, Ash," Serena warned. Ash looked back to her, smiling and nodding.
"Thanks, I will," he merely said before turning to the dry erase board and copy the equations.
He only wished, he knew what they all meant.
.
Ash was hoping he would be able to make it out of class without facing his teacher. When the bell rang, he realized there would be no such luck for that.
"Ash Ketchum, we need to discuss your grades," his professor said. "Stay a moment."
Ash gulped, scared for what he was going to say. He knew he was slowly falling behind. The last two practice quizzes were represented of that.
"The results of the most recent practice quiz is very concerning," the teacher began, passing him his quiz.
He looked, and his eyes widened at the score. 55.
"Oh man," Ash said, disappointed. Before, he had managed to keep his grades up by studying extremely hard and focusing on school after sports. However, he found himself studying less and less these last few weeks. He bit his lip, staring at the grade. Even back then, when the first practice quiz came, he brushed it off because he figured he wasn't doing too bad. Sure, he received a few C's, and even the last D drew up some red flags, but he never thought he would fail a quiz. He hoped this wouldn't represent his test score in the future. "I really need to study."
"Yes, you do," the teacher agreed. "I noticed you've been sleeping in class as well."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess sports has been taking up a lot of time recently," he sheepishly laughed.
"Yes, I understand you are an athlete who cares about your games more than school at the moment. However, your grades are also very important. If they slip any more, then you won't be able to play any sports for the whole year," he reminded. Ash gulped, understanding fully what it would mean if he didn't bring up his grades.
This was bad.
Extremely bad.
.
May noticed Ash wasn't as he usually was. He had a big frown plastered on his face throughout their entire practice. He didn't even stifle giggles when she cracked hilarious jokes (she swore, she could be a comedian some day).
She tried to focus on her exercises and drills, but she kept on watching Ash, because he seemed so sad.
After doing another drill, she looked over to Ash, who was on the bench. Her eyes widened when she noticed his eyes were closed shut.
"How… can he sleep sitting up?" was the first thing on May's mind. She scratched her nose, confused. That would have been impossible for her.
"Ash?" she asked. She was kind of afraid to wake him up.
"He's not usually like this, what's going on?" she wondered, crossing her arms and tilting her head. She shook him awake, and he yelped for the second time that day, waking up with a fright.
"Ash?" she called again. He frantically looked around, wondering what was going on.
"W-what? D-did you finish those drills?" he asked.
"Well, if I didn't, there's no way you would know," she teased, sticking her tongue out. He rubbed the crust out of his eyes, but soon laughed.
"Well, that just means you're going to have to do them again," he said, and May scowled, wondering why she even brought that up.
"Well, he seems normal now," May mumbled, annoyed as she stomped her way back to the basketball court.
She should have known better.
.
"Hey! Ash! I purposely did this wrong, and you didn't even critic it!" May noticed, referring to the dribbling drill she has been doing for the past two minutes. Ash placed cones on the concrete in hopes she would be able to avoid them, along with dribble effortlessly. He taught her the best way to do so, telling her to not look down at the ball, and how her eyes needs to look at her surroundings. She remembered him lecturing that she always has to be surveying the area, and how it might be fine now, but it will be harder when there are opponents blocking her way.
She was looking down, making simple mistakes that he would usually catch and berate her for, yet she didn't hear him say anything today.
Ash stared at her curiously.
"Oh, you did that on purpose? That's how you always do it, anyways," Ash said, scratching the back of his head. May fumed, extremely annoyed, however, did notice he seemed extremely blue compared to how he usually was. He didn't smile as much, and he seemed as though he was deep in thought all the time. She may have done those mistakes all the time before, but he usually loves critiquing her and correcting those mistakes as soon as she does them.
"Ash…" she trailed off, trying to find the best way to ask him. He seemed so down, she was curious as to why.
"May, you're supposed to be practicing your dribbling." May grumbled, but soon glared at him, stomping her feet and clenching her fist.
"Well I can't concentrate when you look so down! What's wrong?" she asked, her hands on her hips as she stared at him, in hopes of reading him. She seemed angry to him, but in truth, she was really only concerned for him. Ash frowned, debating how he should say it. He sighed.
"Okay, well, the truth is, I've fallen behind in math," he confessed, his body slumping as his head fell low.
"Really? I mean, that's not the best, but you can always catch up, right? And even if you don't, it would just be that one class, right?" she tried to reason, hoping it made him feel better. Unfortunately, it didn't.
"That's the thing, I can't afford to fall behind in any of my classes, especially math. If I do, then I won't be able to play any sports for the rest of the year!" Ash explained, exasperated. May gasped, frowning too. No wonder he was so down. Being an athlete was his life.
"I'm sorry, Ash," she apologized. Ash shook his head.
"Don't worry about it, it's not like it's your fault," he said. May frowned at this.
"But…" she trailed off, feeling an immense amount of guilt. She never heard of him failing until now, until he started training her. He told her it wasn't her fault, but a part of her felt like it was entirely her fault, and now, her responsibility to fix this. Ash did so much for her, she had to return the favor. She had to help him somehow.
There was a lot of silence, while May contemplated how she would be able to help Ash with his predicament.
She then grinned, excitedly. She looked at Ash, her eyes gleamed with hope and determination. Ash raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was looking at him the way she was so suddenly.
May looked fired up, prepared for anything.
"Okay! Here's the deal! I will personally tutor you after school, and then we can practice! That way you will have time to study and we can train!" May suggested.
"But May… you need all the help you can get, are you sure? I don't think you should cut back on practice time." May smiled, waving him off.
"Don't worry, don't worry! It will be easy!" she reassured him confidently. Her hands were on her hips as she gave an eager pose. He raised an eyebrow, confused by her odd mannerisms and gestures. He wasn't sure about this.
"But, May… you're like, really bad still," Ash admitted. May deadpanned.
"Geez, thanks for believing in me," she mumbled, crossing her arms. "But still! I am going to be the best tutor ever!" May boasted, reassuring Ash.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes hopeful. She nodded proudly and cockily.
"It's the least I can do!" May smiled, happy she could help.
He was surprised, but truly thankful.
"Thanks, May!"
.
"What? But… May, how are you going to tutor Ash when you get average grades at best? You hardly study yourself," Dawn argued, shocked by what her friend was telling her. They were once again in the cafeteria, eating their lunch at their usual table. May crossed her arms, leaning into her chair.
"Hey, I can do it. I remember all kinds of stuff from our class! I just have to pay attention more! I'll find a way!" May retorted.
"I'd also like to point out that you're just a sophomore while Ash is a junior! That means he is in algebra 2 while you're only in geometry!" Dawn pointed out.
It took a moment for May to officially freak out, almost falling out of her chair.
"Wait, really?" May yelped, afraid and panicking. Her hands went to her head as she tried to scramble for a way out of it. Her mind was reeling, wondering what she was going to do now. She had told Ash so confidently and reassuringly that she would help him, but how was she supposed to learn everything about algebra 2 before she was supposed to tutor him? "What am I going to do?" she screeched.
Dawn frowned.
"I don't know, but I'm sure sports mean everything to him. If he doesn't keep his grades up, he won't be able to play them. If he told you that, then that means he might be in big trouble. May, if I were in your position, I would be honest with him," Dawn told her, not liking the idea of seeing Ash fail, especially after how much he helped her and was so kind to her. Really, he was kind and sweet to everyone. She would hate to see him fail because of this misunderstanding.
May's eyes dropped to her uneaten food, for once, not feeling so hungry. She gulped.
"What am I going to do?" she thought. She didn't want to let Ash down, she wanted to be the one to help him after everything he has done for her. He got so involved and so engaged in helping her with basketball, she had to find a way to help him with his studies.
Her eyes stared at her uneaten food, determined. She quickly stood, standing proudly.
"There has to be a way, and I will find it!"
Dawn merely sweat dropped, hoping what she said was true.
.
May decided to try her hardest, the hardest she has ever tried before when it came to school. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she was so eager to help in school without realizing at the time how exceptionally bad she was at it.
Come to think of it…
She never really paid attention in most of her classes.
"Maybe I should have…" May thought aloud, her index finger to her chin as she contemplated. Dawn was right, her grades were average at best. But it was never really important to her. She would only really pay attention when it was something interesting to her or if something funny happened in class.
"Well, just because I didn't pay attention before, doesn't mean it's too late for me now, right?" May nodded to herself, deciding it was a good a time as any to at least try in school.
But first…
She will conquer algebra 2!
.
She found herself in the library, grabbing every Algebra 2 book she could find and trying her best to study, reading over the chapters. Her eyes were still brimming with determination and conviction.
"I have to figure all this out. I have to learn this and quick. Otherwise, Ash might fail!" May mumbled as she continued to read through the first page of the textbook.
May found it extremely hard to focus, getting distracted over every little thing.
"Oh look, is that who I think it is?"
There were some distractions she would rather live without. She growled, glaring at the boy walking towards her.
"Drew? What are you doing here?" she questioned, gasping. Drew brought his index finger to his lips, making a shushing noise.
"This is a library, you know. I know you have never been in here before, but you're supposed to be quiet," he started, smirking at her annoyance.
"Why you-"
"Actually, to be honest, I'm really impressed that you would even step a foot in here. Why are you here of all places?" he wondered, genuinely curious. He's generally in here a lot, finishing his homework and his studies, but had never once seen her here.
"None of your business!" She glared, stomping her way to a different desk. Drew eyed her curiously before sighing, shrugging, and then walking back to his desk.
May continued to study algebra 2. At least, she tried to study. She felt it was incredibly hopeless.
"I can't give up now," she whispered to herself. "I need to study this. It's mind over matter. If I think it's easy, it will surely be easy!" she said, her fist clenching and fire in her eyes. She reviewed the chapters again, however, all the signs and symbols looked so foreign to her. "I really wish I paid attention in all my math classes," she thought, her head banging against the book.
"Heh, figures you'd just come here to sleep," Drew said, chuckling at the girl a few desks away. May immediately rose, glaring at the boy. She didn't worry about the red mark on her forehead from the book, for she was too preoccupied thinking the best way to tell Drew off.
"Well, I'd like to see you try and do these problems!" May challenged, crossing her arms and smirking. Drew ended up walking towards her again. He eyed her book, intrigued.
"Oh, that's a piece of cake," Drew said, grabbing the pencil in her hand and the piece of paper on the table to quickly write down his work before scribbling the answer down.
It didn't take him long to complete a question that was driving her crazy for the past hour.
May's eyes widened, shocked.
"H-how… why… Wait a minute, how did you do that?" she asked, and Drew shushed her again, reminding her that she was in a library. He smirked afterwards, shrugging nonchalantly.
"It's easy, we're learning that in Algebra 2 right now," he said. He raised an eyebrow, eyeing her suspiciously. "But there's no way someone like you is in Algebra 2, though. Why are you studying this stuff?"
May glared, annoyed with his questions and the fact that he was better at her in this subject. Figures, Drew was able to get into the advanced class.
"As if I'd tell you. Like I said, it's none of your business," May spat, crossing her arms and looking the other way. Drew shook his head, shrugging.
"Suit yourself," was the last thing he said before he walked back to his table to go back studying.
May grew incredibly frustrated, looking at what Drew did on the paper, and trying to use that to understand the other questions in the book.
"Oh, this is no use. I give up!" May whispered, annoyed. She looked at Drew, eyeing him inquisitively. She looked back to the Algebra 2 textbook, a melancholy expression etched on her face.
She felt terrible for saying she would give up. She thought about Ash, who always smiled at her and was so patient with her for the most part (except when he could be harsh during practice, but that was besides the point). He helped her so much, and he never gave up on her, which was a miracle in of itself.
He spent so much time with her on basketball drills and assisting her, how could she even think of giving up on him?
"Ash, I don't want to let you down," she couldn't help but think, her eyes brimming with tears at the thought. "You've done so much for me, and, I just wanted to…"
She sighed, wiping her tears, and staring at Drew. No matter how much this pained her, no matter how much it would hurt her pride, she knew what she had to do. She was on a mission and she would not give up.
She made her point by abruptly standing up from her chair, causing Drew to look up at the noise. He was shocked to see May staring straight at him. He felt a little weirded out a bit, wondering why she was looking at him like that.
She was acting so strange.
He stared at her blankly, confusion all over his face.
He saw her take a deep breath in, and another out, before marching her way over to him, never once breaking eye contact.
"M-May?" he wondered, absolutely confused by her actions. It wasn't till he said her name, that her eyes shifted.
May's eyes were diverted to the ground, not wanting to look him in the eye as she asked him such an embarrassing question. Her cheeks never felt rosier than now, as she mustered up the courage to ask Drew for help. Yes, help. She was surprised herself.
"Drew… Look, I'm…" she trailed off, never once being able to say this to him. Never once knowing she would be in this position. "I'm sorry about what I said before. Truth is, I was just jealous that you were already in Algebra 2 and knew so much, but I'd like to learn more," she admitted, her face heating from the sheer embarrassment. Here she was, being vulnerable towards Drew, her biggest enemy and rival. "C-could you help me? I'm having a lot of trouble with this problems," she confessed, feeling absolutely torn and just weird for doing this.
Drew sat there, his eyes wide open as he did not expect her to downright ask for his help and be so straight forward about it. Never had he seen May this vulnerable, after all. It seemed so foreign and just so out of place, he wasn't really sure what to even say in this situation. He was so used to their teasing and banter that went back and forth, he didn't realize what he should say when May was being completely serious and nervous and embarrassed like this.
"Wait, really?" he asked incredulously.
"What?" she asked defensively.
"N-nothing, just didn't expect this, is all." Drew shook his head, still not believing this. After he hadn't given her a full answer, May sighed, a bit annoyed that she had to be honest with him for nothing.
"If you're busy, then I'm sorry for bothering you," she began, but Drew stood, catching her attention. He smiled, albeit a bit uncomfortably and unsure of himself.
"Actually, I have time. I actually needed to finish that homework anyways and review it. So if you want me to explain some stuff, then I'm cool with that." Drew shrugged, his voice nervous as well, this situation feeling so out of place and something he never expected having to deal with.
May grabbed her things from the other desk and sat next to Drew, looking at the book he was pointing at as he explained what he did.
After some time passed, May looked at her hands, squirming a bit, unsure how to say what she wanted to tell him.
"H-hey, Drew?" May began, averting her eyes from him. They instead were staring at the algebra 2 book.
"Hmm?" he hummed, taking his eyes away from the book to look at her.
"T-thanks… for helping me," May finally thanked.
"Um, no problem."
There was a long pause, before Drew went back to teaching May all about functions and polynomials.
.
AN: Here you guys go! Thanks for all the support! Haha, this was one of my favorite chapters to write! I feel like May is really developing as a character here, at least that's what I was going for! Please, let me know what you all think! Hopefully this chapter was good and funny, and also sweet! xD Until next time! Hopefully soon!
