Well, I'm back with another chapter of my version of 'Man In The Mirror'. Gonna be focusing more on May and Dawn here, but keep an eye out for Ash at some point! ROLL IT!
We pick things up the next day in Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region. This is the home of 16 year old Pokemon Coordinator standout Dawn Berlitz, the daughter of former Top Coordinator Johanna Berlitz.
"You know, Dawn, it's been a while since I last saw your mom," May said to her closest female friend.
"She is gonna be so surprised to see you, May!" Dawn said to the brunette as she knocked on the door to her house. They were greeted by a woman about the same age as Ash's mom sporting the same color hair as Dawn.
"Dawn! Welcome home, sweetheart!" Johanna greeted, hugging her daughter.
"Thanks, mom!"
"Thanks, Mrs. Berlitz!"
"Any time, girls!" Johanna said sweetly. "May, you know you're always welcome here whenever you're in Sinnoh," Johanna reassured May as the teen Coordinators sat down on the living room couch. "You two must be tired after that flight here from Kalos."
"Without a doubt, mom!"
Johanna smiled at her daughter and May. "I got snacks ready for you guys on the table and I'm already starting on dinner for the both of you."
"Cool! Thanks, Mrs. Berlitz!"
Johanna took notice of May's necklace. "So May, I see you wear half a Contest Ribbon around your neck..."
May took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah. This ribbon half holds a special place in my heart..." she started. "A dear friend and I won our ribbon halves together while we were traveling through the Kanto region after he conquered the Battle Frontier. It was in an unofficial Contest in Terracotta Town. We both made the Finals and had our most powerful Pokemon square off. We ended up battling to a tie and it was his call to have his Sceptile Leaf Blade the ribbon in half so we'd each have a piece of it. Before I set off for Johto, I made my ribbon half into a necklace. That way, I'd always have a part of him close to my heart," she explained. "It's been my good luck charm ever since."
Dawn smiled, knowing who she was talking about. Johanna gave the same smile as her daughter.
"Would that friend happen to be Ash Ketchum?"
May flinched and blushed. Her crush had been found out.
"How'd you know?"
"I'm a mom. It's my job to know these things. I'm certain your mom has been on about the same thing with you."
May sighed. "Moms...it seems they know everything about us, Dawn."
"Don't feel bad, May. My mom's been on about me and Kenny since we were kids. No need to worry!"
"Whenever Dawn says not to worry is when I worry the most, Mrs. Berlitz," May confessed.
"You and me both, May. One of these days, Dawn is gonna get herself into a situation that she might not be able to get herself out of," Johanna said. "By the way, how are you and Kenny, Dawn?"
Dawn blushed at her mom asking about her and Kenny. They had only started dating after Dawn won the Hoenn Grand Festival and Dawn's mom was already starting to plan Dawn and Kenny's wedding.
Dawn froze. Aside from May, her love life was one of the most talked about on the Contest scene - was she with Kenny, her childhood friend? Was she with Drew? The rumors were all over the place after she competed in the Hoenn Grand Festival. Not too soon after the Unova circuit started, she revealed that she was in fact dating her childhood friend Kenny Schroeder, something her mom had wanted since the two were little.
"Mom, don't embarrass me!"
"Dawn, it's a mom's job to embarrass their kids!"
"Don't feel bad, Dawn. My mom's the same way. Heck, she's been teasing me about my crush on Ash since he and I started traveling Hoenn together."
"Have you told him yet, May?" Johanna asked.
May shook her head. "Not yet. I want to so badly, but I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Dawn asked.
"Afraid of how Ash will react when I tell him."
"May, don't sweat it, sis! Take it from me and Kenny! I had been waiting for Kenny to reveal his crush on me since he and I were 6! I'm sure Ash has been waiting a long time for you to reveal his feelings to him as well."
"But there's still the matter of how slow Ash is when it comes to love..."
"May, if anyone can break through that dense skull of his, it's you! No need to worry!"
May groaned when Dawn said her signature catchphrase. "That's when I worry the most, Dawn..."
"Hey! I heard that! Now come on! While mom's getting dinner ready, it's makeover time for you! We gotta get you looking hot for Ash!"
"Just gotta check in with mom and dad first!" May called out to Dawn as she pulled out her XTransceiver. She typed in the number for her house - the Petalburg Gym - and who should show up on the screen but her dad Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader!
"Hi, May! Congrats on winning the Johto Grand Festival!" Norman greeted cheerfully.
"Thanks, dad! Can't wait to come home tomorrow with the Ribbon Cup!" May exclaimed.
"How are you and Dawn doing?"
"Oh, we're fine. Dawn's just trying to do a makeover on me to, in her words, 'make me look hot for Ash',"
"Ah, Ash Ketchum...it's been a while since you've last seen him, hasn't it?"
May nodded at her father. "4 years. I miss him, dad."
"We all do, May. Myself, Max and your mom are still pulling for you and Ash to finally hook up..."
May blushed at hearing this. "You too, dad?"
"Moms aren't the only ones that know everything about their kids. May, if you really like Ash the way you said you did in your Coordinators Weekly piece, go for it. Make a move on him! If you don't, another girl definitely will! Anyway, I gotta get back to the battlefield, looks like I've got a challenger waiting. Talk to you soon, sweetheart!"
"Later, dad!"
As May put her XTranceiver away and made her way up to Dawn's room, she sighed "Man, why do I get myself roped into these things? Ash likes me for me...so why is Dawn scheming a makeover for me? I'll never understand my own gender."
Meanwhile...
Ash had landed in Viridian City hours ago and was finally back home in Pallet Town. He gazed up at the clouds, then looked to his trusty Pikachu.
"What could I possibly write to her, Pikachu? My mind is so scrambled right now, it's hard to concentrate..." Ash confessed. "Heck, what could I possibly say to her? I know she's a big celebrity now and all, but she's still one of my closest friends."
"Pikachu...pikapi" (Mine too, Ash), Pikachu said in disappointment. "Pi Pi Pikachu Pikapi?" (What are you gonna do, Ash?)
"That's the thing, Pikachu. I don't know. I know I told Serena I was gonna call May as soon as I got settled back home, but now...my mind's not in a clear enough place. I don't think I even want to battle anyone right now."
"Pi Pikachu Pikapi" (Me neither, Ash)
"Let's just get home. If we run into any trainers, they'll have another thing coming."
Sure enough, on the road back to Oak Labs and his house, they would run into a scrawny biker-looking guy sporting all black, including his bandana with a Marowak on it.
Before the biker could even speak, Ash grabbed him by the neck.
"Listen you dork, I don't know who you are or claim to be. But my mind is in no shape to be battling squares like you. So unless you want your precious motorcycle fried to a crisp, I suggest you run along..." Ash threatened, Pikachu's cheeks already sparking. This caused the biker to speed off.
As Ash made the last steps to Oak Labs, he knocked on the door. His anxiety vanished when Gary opened up and he was received by all his friends and his mom.
"SURPRISE!" Brock, Misty, Gary, Tracey, Ritchie and Professor Oak shouted excitedly.
"Welcome home, Ash!" Delia said, hugging her now 18 year old son.
"This was welcome after I scared off a mean-looking biker trainer off earlier. Had threatened to have Pikachu deep-fry his bike..." Ash said to his friends and mother.
"Well, I guess that would've been the 4th bike you fried..." Misty said in a chipper tone.
"He wanted a battle and my mind's just not been in a good place lately," Ash explained.
"Spill, Ash...what's the trouble?" Gary asked.
Ash sighed and took a deep breath. "It's...May. I miss her. I haven't stayed in contact with her much since the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh and now she's a big time celebrity..."
All Gary could do was smile. "Ash, I think I know what's going on. You've finally grown up. You're in love with May..."
"Me? In love?"
"The stumbling over your words, the worrying that you've been a bad friend to her, fear that she might not like you back...you're in love with her, Ash. You even have the Coordinators Weekly issue with her on the cover."
Ash knew that he'd been found out. "You must think I'm a real dork now..."
"Not even in the slightest, Ash..." Gary said as he opened up the Coordinators Weekly issue. "She's already said here that you've stolen her heart, so why not make a move on her!"
"One problem, Gary. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to girls."
"He's right, Gary...Ash has been oblivious to girls since he and I first met," Misty remarked.
"Stay out of this, Misty..."
"What? A girl can't be excited that you've finally figured out crushes?" The Cerulean Gym Leader giggled.
"Misty and Gary are both right, Ash..." Brock started. "While you may not be the brightest bulb when it comes to girls, you certainly have better luck with them than I do. She said that you're the one person who inspires her the most. So go out there and make a move on her!" the Pewter Gym Leader encouraged.
"Guys, you might want to take a look at this..." Ritchie said, turning everyone's attention to a nearby TV.
"Ritchie, what's going on?" Ash asked.
"Appears there's a child being dangled from a 4th floor balcony of a hotel in Mossdeep City. I don't think you'll like who they're suspecting the culprit is..."
Ash grabbed Ritchie's collar. "I swear if you tell me they're suspecting May, I'll have Charizard burn you to a crisp!" he yelled.
"Ash...it's May..."
"NO! Anyone but her! She'd never do something like that!" Ash said as he took out his XTranceiver. "Come on, May...pick up...pick up!"
CLIFFHANGER! By the way, yes this is based on the Michael Jackson 'Balcony Baby' incident from 2002. Will May pick up? Will Ash finally get up the nerve to tell May his feelings? And who's really behind the dangled child in Mossdeep? Find out next time...AS THE JOURNEY CONTINUES!
