Chapter 31
Monday, January 23rd
Ash sat at the back of his third period literature class, using his hand as a rest for his chin as he looked out the window. The only part of his day that ever seemed to drag was the time between his art class and lunch, though he was willing to admit that it was this class in particular that seemed to go for an eternity. Ash didn't care much for the reading assignments he received, or for the discussions held in class about the assignments.
If they were told to use class time to read, Ash would oftentimes hide his phone within his book and go onto the PokeHub to find something more interesting to read. His choice to do so reflected on his relatively poor grade in the class, but Ash was more concerned with his budding career as a trainer. Not to mention he received a startling invitation over the weekend to train with one of the Five Kings of Vermilion City.
He planned to take full advantage of the opportunity. Anything that he could learn from Volkner was certain to help him grow as a trainer.
"Do you remember the beach you battled Brawly at? Meet me there at four o'clock on Friday afternoon." Volkner stated.
Ash relished the thoughts of facing one of the Five Kings as a practice opponent. While Giselle had always found a way to keep things interesting, with time Ash began to notice that their battles had become lopsided. He and Pikachu rarely struggled against her. Volkner, however, would be a test to see just how much farther he had to go before he could challenge his father to a match.
The bell chimed and the class was dismissed.
Collecting his belongings, Ash was among the last to leave. Entering the corridor, Ash joined the traffic as he traveled to his next class. As he moved, a hand was placed on his shoulder to get his attention.
"Hey Ash, long time no see."
Of all the people to approach him, it was Drew. They had hardly spoken since the double date they had with Dawn and May.
"What's up, Drew?" Ash asked him as they walked together.
"You have lunch with Dawn, May, and Nando right?"
Ash gave him a nod.
"Alright, I want to talk with you guys during lunch if that's alright."
"Uh, yeah, sure." Ash answered, earning a quick nod from Drew before he turned off into a corridor, leaving Ash to proceed on his course. Ash watched him go and frowned.
In all honesty, he had forgotten about Drew on several occasions. If it weren't for May mentioning him every now and then, Ash wouldn't have bothered to remember they were dating. Drew approaching him out of the blue left Ash to wonder what he could want to talk about with all of them.
Ash arrived early, though he hesitated to take a seat at the lunch table he had abandoned back in November. He felt uneasy at the thought of returning without an invitation from Dawn, not that she had kicked him out or anything. The two of them were just on…thin ice, perhaps? Hopefully, this talk with Drew might branch off into an opportunity to settle things with Dawn.
He took in a deep breath and proceeded to his old lunch table. As he got settled, Ash silently hoped that Dawn would be the first person to join him. May had coaxed him into taking the initiative, though he passed on it during their art classes this morning. Thankfully, he had been gifted another opportunity, by Drew of all people.
To his dismay, the bluenette arrived with Nando in tow and they both raised their brow at the sight of Ash. Nando was the first to speak when approached.
"Hey Ash, good to see you." He said kindly as he took a seat.
"Likewise. I haven't gotten to speak with you guys in a while." Ash noted.
"Yeah, I heard from Dawn that you've been really busy," Nando informed him and Ash tilted his head a bit as he looked toward Dawn. She looked away in response, causing him to purse his lips. "I take it Drew summoned you as well?"
"Yup, do you have any idea what this is about?" Ash asked in return.
"Not really, although I would guess it has something to do with May." Nando suggested.
"It does," Dawn interjected, receiving their attention. "He was texting me over the weekend. He said she was acting funny when he went to visit her at the hospital."
"Funny, how so?" Nando inquired. May was always…funny.
"Well, you know, weird for May then." Dawn clarified, causing Nando to stifle a laugh. Dawn looked at Ash. "I thought she was acting strange too. What did you think Ash?"
He exhaled and took some time to think. He spoke to May twice during the weekend and on both occasions, she seemed to be fine. It was the same old May as far as he was concerned.
"I couldn't really tell," Ash admitted. "If something is wrong with her, I didn't see it."
Before they could progress any further, Ash spotted Drew as he came out of the cafeteria, making his way toward their outdoor lunch table. He gave a sigh of relief once he was beneath the shade of the umbrella mounted at the center of the table, and he greeted the table by flipping his bangs. Dawn deadpanned, recalling how May would fawn over Drew whenever he did this.
"Thanks for meeting with me." Drew began.
"I've never seen you have lunch this period." Dawn noted. She was positive that Drew would've spent this time with May if they had lunch together.
"I don't, I'm actually skipping my literature class to be here, not that it matters," Drew replied before he waved off his answer. "What matters right now is May. I'm really worried about her."
"What exactly are you worried about?" Nando asked him, speaking for both Ash and Dawn, who were anxious to hear Drew's answer.
"I went to visit her Sunday but I picked an awful time to see her. She was fine at first, but then her dad came to see her and the two of them got into this huge argument," Drew explained. "After he left, she was super depressed. I tried to cheer her up a bit, but nothing was working."
"You know, her dad came by on Friday too," Dawn added. "And he gave a whole speech to her, but she didn't really listen to it."
"What did he talk about?" Drew asked her.
"More or less he was telling her that she needed to get her act together, that she was too irresponsible, stuff like that." Dawn explained, and a deep frown formed on Drew's face.
"That's what they were arguing about while I was there," Drew said. "She didn't even want to talk after her dad left. But I mean, I wouldn't be too keen on talking either after an argument with my parents."
"She's probably overwhelmed," Nando suggested. "She just had a car accident and I'm sure the last thing she needs right now is to argue with her family."
"They're all just worried about her, though, after the accident." Dawn pointed out.
"But they're doing more harm than good." Nando reasoned.
"May has always had problems with her parents though, her dad especially," Dawn revealed to them all. "I hate to put her business out there, but she doesn't really see eye to eye with her parents."
"How come?" Drew demanded to know. He spent ample time around May, but this was a subject that never came up.
"The firm her dad started, she told me that originally he was going to hand it down to her. But when her brother was born, her dad decided that it would be better to pass it along to a boy as opposed to a girl." Dawn explained for them, and Drew was left stupefied.
"Are you serious? That's some backward old-school crap." Drew said incredulously, shaking his head, "A woman can do any job a man can, and I know for a fact May would kick ass at anything she wanted to do."
"Try telling that her dad," Dawn muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"So, there's always been a rift between May and her dad?" Ash asked and Dawn gave a nod.
"May told me she used to work really hard because she wanted to make her dad happy and take over his business," Dawn went on. "Even though Max is the younger sibling, her dad decided that he would be the heir and May kind of…" Dawn shrugged her shoulders, "Stopped caring about a lot of stuff."
"Well, can you blame her? That's almost like a betrayal." Drew exclaimed.
"Drew, relax a little," Nando said with a gesture to match his request. "Betrayal is a bit much. Her father is just doing what he feels is best for his business."
"Are you actually defending him?" Drew asked him as he shot a sharp glance at Nando.
"Not at all. I'm only trying to understand what went through her father's mind to make such a decision," Nando responded calmly. "Obviously it affected May because, as Dawn said, she used to be focused. You can't say that about her currently."
"And what are you saying about her then?" Drew was irate as he rose up from his seat.
"I understand that you're dating her, Drew, but you need to relax and become a neutral party at the moment," Nando advised him. Drew opened his mouth to reply, but Ash cut in to add to Nando's point.
"Drew, he's right. You want to help May, don't you?" Ash asked him, forcing Drew to swallow his response. "Whatever's going on with her isn't as simple as we thought."
Drew bit down on his lower lip and dropped back down into his seat. He needed a few moments to breathe and cool off before he spoke.
"Alright, I'm with you guys," Drew said with a nod. "So how does all of this fit together though?"
"Ummm," Dawn paused. "I'm not really sure how to put all of this together, but I think May probably feels like she disappointed her dad again with this car accident."
They agreed on this, and the subject moved to what they could do to improve May's mood. As the suggestions piled up, Ash was left frowning, though he kept his hidden by his hand.
This problem felt deeper than what they had discussed.
He thought of the song May sang to Macy.
"Don't you worry 'bout a thing~, don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama."
Was May only trying to assure Macy that she was fine…or was she trying to reassure herself?
The bell chimed to mark the conclusion of Ash's school day, and he leaned back to stretch for a moment as the sound shuffling of paper and feet filled the normally silent library. It wasn't often that Ash stayed in school for the whole day since his last class was during seventh period, but he felt the need to sit down and think after the conversation he had with Drew. He preferred the total solitude of the library, as opposed to going home, where there was bound to be some commotion between Macy and Tierno, who was watching her for the first half of the day.
May's well being weighed heavily on his mind. Even after discussing this for the entirety of their lunch period, the group could only settle on thinking of ways to try and cheer her up. Their little meeting was adjourned with the agreement that they would each go visit May once she returned home and see if they could make a little progress with her.
Ash collected his backpack from beside his seat and threw it over his shoulder as he stood up. He still wasn't quite sure what he would do. Drew and Dawn had immediately come up with some plans for what they would, sharing them at the table during lunch.
Ash rolled his eyes at Drew's cliché plan of having a bouquet of roses waiting for her when she returned home from the hospital, but according to Dawn, May loved that sort of thing. Dawn, on the other hand, was planning to take May to a yoga class during the weekend to help with her recovery, and it would give them ample time to talk some more without her parents around. Nando didn't have an immediate answer, but he also didn't strike Ash as the type of person to blurt out his plan the way Dawn and Drew were doing.
However, Ash was stuck. He couldn't think of a plan, and it was killing him. May had been such a tremendous help with the girls over the last few months and here was an opportunity to pay her back and he was floundering like a Magikarp out of water.
With a groan, he turned onto the ramp that led down to the exit of the library, passing the bulletin board as he went. Out of the corner of his eyes, a colorful poster caught his attention and forced Ash to stop and look.
It was an advertisement for the school's talent show next month, the poster featuring none other than Aria, the Kalos Queen, and a suggestion to onlookers that 'this could be you!' There was a signup sheet beneath the poster that was partially filled along with a notice that the cut date for applying was tomorrow. The sight of Aria performing in this poster caused Ash to envision May in her place.
She had a beautiful singing voice but…May hated singing in front of other people. She made a special exception for Ash and his sisters but what if…what if she managed to overcome whatever it was that was stopping her?
"You guys too!?" May exclaimed at the sight of Ash and his sisters entering her hospital room. She was sitting upright on her bed and she greeted them a large smile.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked as they came to the bedside.
"Drew and Dawn were here earlier, you just missed them," She explained before she took a glance at the clock.
"Oh, that's too bad," Casey said. "I would've liked to see Dawn again."
"Did you guys stop by to see your mom?" May asked them.
"Yeah! She's good!" Macy announced as Ash placed her on the edge of May's bed.
"I'm glad." The brunette said as Macy shuffled closer to her.
"Ashy said you'd sing for me." Macy said which earned a laugh from May.
"Of course, Macy." May replied warmly as she invited the girl into her arms.
"I want the song you did last time." Macy requested and May complied.
"Just close the door this time." She said to Ash. Once she heard the door click as a confirmation that it had closed, May began to hum the intro to her song. While Macy was enthralled with May's small performance, Ash and Casey fiddled with their phones to pass the time. They shared a quick nod when May finished singing and tucked away their devices.
"Hey May, just out of question, are you singing to anyone in particular with that song?" Ash inquired as he took a seat on the chair near the end of her bed.
"Ummm…" She hesitated and looked up in thought. "I would say that I'm singing to everyone, to be honest."
Her answer came with a sigh, causing Ash to observe her intently.
"How come?"
"Well, I can tell everyone's really worried about me. My dad thinks I'm just an irresponsible mess and you know what…he's probably right. I don't know what I'm going to do after I graduate from high school," May admitted. "I wish I was like you guys. I mean, just look at all the people I hang out with. You wanted to be a Pokemon trainer and you made it happen. Dawn wants to be a designer, Nando is going to be a musician. Even Drew knows what he's going to do."
"Really? What does he want to become?" Ash asked her.
"He wants to go into broadcasting and become a news anchor." May answered and Ash scrunched up his face, trying to envision Drew with such a job. It didn't take him long though, as he immediately envisioned Drew flipping his bangs flamboyantly in front of the cameras. Ash stifled a laugh at the thought.
"Wow, um, that's not what I expected."
"Yeah, me neither," May said softly as she looked down at Macy. Her face contorted as she fought to keep up her carefree exterior, further tightening her hold on Macy. The small girl leaned her head back into May's torso and looked up, her wide and innocent eyes detecting May's plight.
"May, are you okay?" She asked softly.
That was her breaking point.
The past four days had been littered with visits from family and friends and phones calls from people she barely knew. As strange as it might have sounded, they were all suffocating her with their concern!
"I just want everyone to stop worrying about me," May stated after a deep breath. "I know I'm not making it easy for that to happen, especially after the accident, but it's not like I go around looking for trouble. So what if I'm not the best student or the most responsible daughter, nobody's perfect. So, I just wish that all of you would get off my case and let me figure things out. I feel awful having all these people breathing down my neck waiting for the next time I mess up!"
Ash held back his response in an attempt to piece together what he had learned.
It all stemmed from May's desire to please…everyone. She was afraid of failing them, and in turn, was denying her own abilities and talents.
"Does it really matter if you mess up?" Casey asked her. May tightened her hold on Macy.
"It does," May stated. "I'm tired of it. I don't want to disappoint anyone."
Casey looked at May, her lips pursed. She didn't know what to say, not that anyone could blame her. Seeing Casey's expression, May put on a smile for her.
"I'm sorry for moping around in front of you guys," May apologized. "You all came to check on me, and here I am being a sourpuss."
She tried to laugh for them, though it was strained, which caused Ash to cringe.
"Really, thank you guys for coming to visit me," May went on as she released Macy, allowing Ash to take her. "The next time you drop by, I promise; I'll be in a better mood."
"Don't worry about it, May," Ash assured her. "Everyone has good days and bad days, we don't think any less of you, right girls?"
Casey gave her a nod while Macy turned to place a kiss on May's cheek. Ash joined them in giving May a great smile and an agreement that they would come to visit her once she returned to her home.
Once they had left May's hospital room, the first thing they did was make their way to a vending machine for Ash to fulfill his promise.
"Macy, I want you to ask May to sing the same song for you again, okay?" Ash established this with Macy as they made their way up to May's room. "I'll get you your favorite candy afterward."
"Horray!" Macy exclaimed as she received a box of chocolate-covered wafers. Her favorite treat!
"What can I get you?" Ash asked Casey.
"Eh, I don't really want anything." Casey answered softly as Ash got himself a cinnamon roll.
"Are you trying to figure out what you could've said to help May?"
Casey gave a sigh.
"She's usually so happy. I didn't like seeing her like that, but I didn't know what to say to her." Casey explained.
"That's okay," Ash said as he popped open the wrapping around his cinnamon roll. "You can't always make everyone feel better when they're sad. Sometimes all you can do is let them talk for a while and try again later."
"So then, do you have any ideas for next time?" Casey asked him curiously, causing Ash to turn to her, working on a mouthful of the cinnamon roll. Ash raised a hand for her to wait, causing Casey to roll her eyes. He swallowed and shot a grin at his sister.
"Yeah, I've got a little something in mind."
Tuesday, January 24th
Ash stepped back from the bulletin board in the library with a grin. His eyes rested firmly on the talent show signup sheet and the name that he had just added to the list.
May Maple.
Taking out his phone, he raised it to take a snapshot of the sheet, which he then sent to May in a text message. Her response came even faster than Ash was expecting.
"WHO DID THAT?"
"I did." Ash replied with a snort.
"WHAT THE HELL ASH!"
He snickered as his phone was flooded with messages from May, none of which he bothered to read because the entrance to the library opened beside him. A head of purple hair popped in, and she smiled warmly at the sight of Ash.
"Monsieur Ash, how nice to see you!" Fantina exclaimed, but she remained focused on her task. She approached the bulletin board to claim the sheet that Ash had remove the sign-up sheet for the talent show, and she scanned the list briefly. "Oh, that's interesting, how did May sign up for the talent show. She hasn't been in school since last week."
"Oh, I signed her up." Ash cut in causing Fantina to look toward him with her brow lowered.
"Are you sure she's up for it?" Fantina inquired. "I know she's not well, pour le moment."
"Actually, I was talking with her over the weekend, and I know it may not be my place to say all this, but I think May needs this. She's has something on her mind, and I think she needs a way to express herself and maybe find her confidence again, while she's at it." Ash explained, causing Fantina to don a great smile.
"It's fabulous that you are so concerned about your friend, monsieur!" Fantina declared, causing Ash's cheeks to redden. However, her smile faded and her demeanor became somber. "But unfortunately, today is the cutoff date. I need to have an idea of what she intends to during the show."
"Wait, so you're the person in the charge?" Ash asked her, and Fantina gave him a small nod. "Oh, that's great, I actually thought ahead and got a little something ready for you. I recorded her just in case you needed to hear her."
Fantina's bright persona was restored instantly.
"Suis moi! Show me at once!" Fantina exclaimed as she took Ash by the hand and dragged to the seating area in the library. The number of students had dwindled considerably to just those who stayed after school to study in the solitude of the library. Fantina was careful to keep avoid distracting them as she and Ash found a table to sit at.
Ash found the recording of May and adjusted the volume for Fantina to listen comfortably. He couldn't help but laugh at Fantina's transformation over the course of May's song. Originally, she had been quite composed, seated with her usually elegance and poise. But by the end of the song, Fantina was looming over Ash's phone, gawking at May's incredible voice.
"Is this really…May?" Fantina asked softly.
"Yup." He said with a nod.
"Sacre bleu," Fantina muttered. "She is magnifique, she must be in the show!" Fantina's voice grew loud with exuberance, "Tell her at once, she will be the main event! The show is the tenth of February and,"
The librarian, Miss Yumi, shushed her harshly and Fantina turned bright red when she realized most of the room was staring at her.
"Je suis desole," Fantina apologized to everyone repeatedly and once the focus shifted away from her, she resumed her conversation with Ash quietly. "Tell her to practice, I'm looking forward to seeing her on stage. She will blow everyone away."
"Gotcha." Ash said softly.
"So, is she having any sort of musical accompaniment?" Fantina asked next.
Ash refrained from palming his forehead.
"I didn't even think of that." He mumbled.
"I would hope she finds something to match her tremendous voice," Fantina noted and Ash agreed. A proper ensemble would only amplify May's voice. "So, if you don't mind me asking, how are things with your…mademoiselle?"
Ash furrowed his brow, so Fantina shot him a wink.
"Dawn?"
Fantina nodded.
"Eh…" Ash paused and looked away from Fantina. "Not well."
"I've noticed that you two haven't been as close as you were before."
"Yeah, that's true," He replied flatly with a shrug of his shoulders. "The last time we spoke things didn't go as well as I hoped they would."
Fantina leaned back into her chair and crossed one leg over the other, which Ash took as a gesture to continue. She had gotten comfortable in her seat, though she sat in a manner befitting of a 'mademoiselle.'
"Dawn is a special girl," Ash remarked with a glint of mirth in his eyes. He thought fondly of the time they spent together, the little laughs and brief staring contests. He really did enjoy being around her, but then he thought of Nando and the way he cherished her so dearly. "Someone like her deserves a guy that's going to love her to pieces."
Fantina watched him speak with a faint smirk.
"It's commendable that you want to devote yourself to Dawn so fervently," Fantina noted, causing Ash to blush wildly.
"That's…well, I mean, if I was going to start dating her, I'd want to give it my all," Ash admitted, but his face grew stern and his eyes focused. "But I already know that I couldn't 'devote myself to Dawn,' I have something else that I believe is more important to me than Dawn ever could be…and I don't want her to feel like she's always going to be in second place in my life."
Fantina cocked her eyebrow and beamed at Ash.
"Monsieur, you will grow up to be a fine man. I only hope that you one day find someone that will always be by your side." Fantina commented and it was Ash's turn to smile.
He already had someone that matched that description perfectly.
"I'm not worried, I've had someone like that for a long time now." Ash stated.
"Even so, I see you value your friendship with Dawn," Fantina noted. "This could be the opportunity you need to patch things up with her."
Ash pursed his lips skeptically.
"How so?"
"Dawn and May are very close friends. Help Dawn help May," Fantina said quite simply. "This little plan of yours, let Dawn take part."
Ash stopped to consider this…he hadn't even thought of trying to get Dawn to help him. May had already stressed to him that she didn't want anyone besides his sisters to know about her voice. She was just being unreasonably stubborn about it, which seemed to be counterintuitive since she was searching for a way to assure everyone that she was fine. This was her way to accomplish that!
Ash gave a small nod. He would put May's feelings aside for now. He wanted to help and enlisting the help of her best friend was probably the best choice he could go with.
"Alright, I'll do it." Ash declared.
Ash found just the people he was looking for.
Dawn and Nando were outside of the cafeteria where Nando was playing his cello in front of a small audience that included Dawn, of course.
The looks he got from Nando's audience when he asked Nando to stop playing were a little disheartening, but Ash focused on the task at hand. As the small crowd dwindled down to just, he, Dawn, and Nando, Ash pushed aside the unease within him and spoke.
"I'm sorry for breaking up your performance Nando," He began. "So, I'll get straight to the point. I think I've thought of a way to help May, but I need help from you two."
Dawn and Nando shared a glanced and then they both gave a gesture for Ash to continue. In response, Ash whipped out his phone to show them the recording of May. Nando's expression was priceless, to say the least. He looked absolutely mystified, unable to believe that this was May he was listening to. Dawn, on the other hand, wore a neutral expression and Ash felt a sneaking suspicion that Dawn had always known about May's singing voice.
"She's…phenomenal." Nando said softly as he looked toward Ash.
"Whenever she sings, it feels like she's trying to say something that…I don't know, something that she can't say as herself…I guess," Ash struggled to find his words, taking a moment to stroke at his chin. "Whatever it is she wants to say; I think singing is the only way she can say it."
"So, what is it that you intend to do?" Nando inquired.
"I signed her up for the talent show." Ash said simply.
Dawn snorted, doing everything in her power to hold back a fit of laughter. Ash never failed to amaze her. One minute he was like a scalpel, able to address an issue with the finest precision. And then at the drop of a hat, he was like a sledgehammer, tackling a problem with brute force.
"The talent show," Nando nodded at the thought. "If she were to perform with her voice, the crowd would be mesmerized."
"I keep telling her that, but I guess she doesn't want to the attention or something," Ash said with a shrug. "Either way, that's where I need your help," He pointed at Nando. "Ms. Fantina suggested that May have an accompaniment, and I knew you'd be the perfect person for it, Nando."
"I would be honored." Nando exclaimed. The thought of working with May's voice must have really appealed to Nando because once he had a copy of the recording, he packed up his belongings and rushed off to Mr. Juan's room to start composing.
This left Ash and Dawn alone in an awkward silence.
Dawn watched him quietly, averting her gaze whenever Ash looked at her. After roughly a minute of silence, Dawn gave a sigh and reached to collect her bag as well. If Nando was gone than she had no reason to stay. As she rose from her seat, Ash began to chew on his lower lip before he reached out to take a hold of her wrist.
"Uh-um, ho-hold on Dawn," Ash stammered out as she looked back at him, startled by his sudden movement. "I…I wanted to talk to you too."
She furrowed her brow.
"Talk?" She repeated before she looked away, pulling her wrist free from Ash's gaze. "I'm sorry Ash but, I don't think now is the time."
"But we don't have to talk about us," Ash stated, the firmness in his voice returning which forced her to look back at him. "I know we have something to settle, but right now, I think we should put all that aside and focus on May. She needs our help."
Dawn stood there for a moment. As much as her instincts wanted her to get as far from Ash as possible, her conscious argued against this. May did need their help. If Ash was trying to help her, Dawn wouldn't be able to forgive herself for turning a blind eye. The bluenette gave a sigh to calm herself and settled down in her seat at the table alongside Ash.
"So, you're just planning to dump May in the talent show and hope this all works out?" Dawn asked him for clarification. Ash pursed his lips at the simplification of his plan.
"That's…one way to put it."
"And let me guess, she doesn't even want to do the show, does she?" Dawn continued. Ash sucked in his lips and averted his gaze, further proof to Dawn that her hunch was correct.
"No. I was kind of hoping I could get your help to convince her that she should do it." Ash answered and Dawn gave a nod.
"Yeah, I thought so," Dawn mumbled as she rolled her eyes. "How long have you known that she could sing?"
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Like two months, I think," He replied as he tilted his head at Dawn. "She wanted to me keep it a secret from you especially, but with the way you're talking, I think it's safe to say that you always knew."
"Yeah, since our freshman year," Dawn said and Ash's dumbfounded expression earned a chuckle from Dawn. "I didn't want to force her to sing or anything until she was ready."
"Wow, you've known for almost four years?" Ash exclaimed. It would've driven him mad to know May was doubting her own ability for so long. "That's some next-level kind of patience, Dawn."
Dawn tucked this little compliment into the back of her mind.
"But I don't know if waiting on her is the best approach at this point, I mean, you've been waiting for almost four years," Ash reiterated incredulously. "I think she might need a little push…" Ash shot her a sly grin. "If you know what I mean?"
Dawn remembered when May had given her a little push to ask Ash out on a date.
"Think of this as a little nudge…"
Dawn felt a cheeky grin cropping up on her face. Now was her time to return the favor.
Stage fright.
It was obvious that this was May's hurdle.
She wanted no part of appearing before an audience.
And she made that evident when Dawn and Ash approached her about the talent show.
"Absolutely not! And that's final!"
Ash and Dawn found themselves outside of May's room at the Maple household, cringing as the door was slammed in their faces.
"Well, that didn't go as well as I hoped." Ash muttered as he and Dawn turned away from the door.
"To be honest, I wasn't really expecting her to agree to it." Dawn admitted.
"Oh, so you just let me walk into that minefield, huh?" Ash asked her with a narrow glance. Dawn stuck her tongue out at him. "So, what should we do from here?"
"Hmm, the show is on February 10th, so we still have plenty of time to talk to her." Dawn pointed out.
"But between practicing on her own and with Nando, she's going to need as much time as possible." Ash countered before Caroline, May's mother, stepped into the corridor with a small grin.
"I take it things didn't go too well?" She asked with a gesture for them to follow her back downstairs to the kitchen. Ash's subdued expression was answer enough.
Ash and Dawn had given Caroline the gist of their plan when they arrived earlier. She merely told them to give it a shot, not that she was expecting much from it.
"I just don't get it though, May seems like the type of person who would love performing in front of a crowd." Ash noted, earning a laugh from Caroline as they arrived in the kitchen. Max was seated at the island at the center of the room, his nose buried in a textbook.
"She was when she was younger. We lived in Fuchsia City for a while before we moved here, and back then, when she was about…eight I'd say, May used to be a part of a children's choir," Caroline explained as she invited Ash and Dawn to have a seat with Max while she made them a snack. "The instructor gave her a solo at the biggest recital of the year, and May was so excited."
Dawn laughed at the thought of an eight-year-old May practicing her solo in the mirror.
"How did it go?" Ash asked as Caroline returned with a small bowl of fruit and granola for each of them.
"It was a disaster," Caroline said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. There was a mix up that night and the gown she received was a size too big so it dragged. She stepped on it and tripped as she was going up for her solo next to the conductor. In an attempt to keep her balance, May grabbed onto the conductor and tore his pants down with her. Everyone started laughing, but for May," Caroline shook her head, "She was mortified."
Max adjusted his glasses with a crooked grin and made the offer to show it to them in real-time. Caroline had recorded the event and still had a copy of it, which Max was happy to share. Any attempt Ash made to sympathize with May was brought to an end at the sight of the conductor's hot pink boxers and the expression on his face just screamed 'did that really just happen?!'
Ash roared with laughter, though it was short-lived because Dawn jabbed him with her elbow as a reminder that this was May he was laughing at. It was funny, there was no denying that. But the battle he had with Brawly soon came to mind. While his blunder may not have been as amusing as May's, he understood what she must have felt after doing that in front of an audience.
Ash had talked himself out of his slump with Shauna the very next day after that loss. For May, years had passed, and she still had yet to move forward. A simple pep talk from him wouldn't be enough to get her going. She needed to talk to someone who fully understood what performers went through.
"I gotta make a phone call," Ash said as he rose up from his seat. He left the kitchen as he brought his phone to his ear, waiting for the person on the other end to answer.
"So, what do you think about our plan?" Dawn asked Caroline curiously.
"Well…" Caroline paused; her lips pursed as she considered what she knew. "I've been worried about her since the accident. She's been in a bit of a funk and I think this could be just what she needs to get herself going again."
"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Dawn noted. "But this is May we're talking about; I know she'll bounce back."
"I hope so. This house can be awfully quiet when May isn't herself." Caroline said with a shrug.
"I prefer it this way." Max interjected with a smirk.
"Oh please, you can act tough all you want Max, I know you love your sister." Caroline said with one brow raised.
"Mom!" Max whined with scarlet cheeks. Caroline merely shot a wink at her son, causing his blush to deepen before he snatched up his textbook and left the room in a huff, claiming that he needed a secluded spot specifically for studying.
Dawn snorted at Max's exit and shared a brief laugh with Caroline.
Ash made his return with a triumphant grin on his face which earned a question from Dawn.
"What's got you so pumped up?" She inquired.
"I called in a favor," Ash replied. "I got just the right people to help May work through her stage fright."
"Oh really?" Caroline said as she tilted her head. "And who might that be?"
Ash beamed in reply.
Wednesday, January 25th
It was late in the afternoon when Caroline's doorbell was rung twice. Upon opening her front door, she was greeted cheerfully by Dawn Berlitz and Ash Ketchum, accompanied by three people that matched their exuberance.
"Ah, it's good to have you back Ash, Dawn-y," Caroline began as she invited the group into her home. "And these must be the friends you mentioned yesterday."
"Yup, this is Tierno, Brock, and Serena." Ash stated as he introduced each of them. Serena gave a grateful nod, but Brock and Tierno were more concerned with looking around at the sizeable foyer of the Maple household.
"Holy moly, your house is huge!" Tierno couldn't hold back the comment any longer. He had been over to the east side of Vermilion City a handful of times, and the homes here mirrored the crazy stories that he had heard.
The east side…where one house is as big as a city block, where the streets are paved in gold…the land of the wealthy!
Caroline stifled a laugh at their awe.
"We were fortunate." Caroline replied.
"Well, I want some of your fortune." Tierno exclaimed innocently, but an awkward silence set in.
"Geez, you couldn't have made that sound any worse big fella." Brock muttered as he shook his head.
"Well if you think this house is big, Tierno, you should see Dawn's house," Ash interjected. "Now that is a huge house!"
"What's the matter with the two of you?" Serena whispered harshly at the duo. Ash and Tierno only snickered, causing Serena to puff out her cheeks with a groan.
"So, tell me, Ash, how are you guys going to help my May?" Caroline asked them kindly.
"These guys," Ash made a gesture toward his friends. "Are bonified performers, they've done real shows this past summer. If anyone knows what it's like to mess up on stage, its these guys."
Brock jabbed Ash's side, earning a yelp from him.
"Why do you have to make it sound like we don't know what we're doing?" Brock asked him, but before Ash could give a cutting remark, Brock turned his attention to Caroline and spoke with a newly gained sense of professionalism. "Ignore Ash. We're part of a perfectly capable group of dancers that have put on a number of well-reviewed shows."
"Oh really, that's great!" Caroline exclaimed as she clapped her hands. "What's the name of your group?"
"The Jive Steppers!" Tierno declared as he tapped his chest. Serena deadpanned at the mention of the name.
"The Jive Steppers?" Caroline repeated.
"I thought we were changing that name." Serena said to Brock who pursed his lips as he looked away.
"Well, no one came up with any suggestions so I just stuck with the name Tierno gave us." Brock offered as an answer.
"And it's a good name!" Tierno hollered.
"It certainly is a good name," Caroline spoke up. "Jive is actually like, a subcategory of swing dancing which was really popular when I was a teenager. It's actually quite fitting that your friend here selected that name for you all."
"Swing dancing?" Brock said, his brow furrowed.
"Mhmm, it was very popular in Unova back in the day…in fact, let me show you!" Caroline ushered them into the kitchen where her tablet was waiting on the counter. She quickly opened a web browser to show them a video of swing dancing.
It was a fantastic twelve-minute video of different couples performing in a gymnasium to some up-tempo music. The stylings of a classy clarinet, sanguine saxophone, tantalizing trumpet, and subline string bass filled the room. The dancers were nothing short of amazing, earning several shouts of astonishment from the group as they watched.
"Holy crap, that was awesome!" Brock exclaimed.
"That looks like so much fun, we definitely have to try working this into a routine, Brock!" Serena added.
"Thank you, Tierno," Tierno said which triggered a pause. Brock and Serena shared a glance.
"Huh?" Serena said.
"Thank you, Tierno…is what you guys should be saying." Tierno continued a grin plastered on his face. He placed a hand on his chest triumphantly as his monolog continued, "Thank you for naming our group after this amazing style of dance. If only we had realized sooner what a genius you are!"
"Oh, shut it!" Brock and Serena snapped at him and Tierno bellowed with laughter.
"He's never going to let them live this down now." Ash informed Caroline and Dawn with a chuckle.
Watching the trio converse, Caroline found herself laughing openly with them. They had an interesting dynamic and she began to believe that this group could help her daughter. And right on cue, May entered the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.
"What are you guys doing here?" May exclaimed at the sight of all of them.
"What's up, May?" Brock asked as a greeting.
"We heard about your car accident," Tierno added.
"So, we dropped by for a visit." Serena continued as the three of them approached her. Brock and Tierno each took one of her hands, and Serena began to push May from behind to escort her over the island with the rest of them.
As everyone got situated at the center of the kitchen, May bombarded them with questions. Once they were settled in their seats, Brock raised a hand to silence her so that they could get started.
"First things first," Brock began. "A little birdie showed us a recording of your singing, May."
May turned bright red.
"What!?" She shrieked and her gaze shot to Ash. He was the only person here that she had sung in front of recently. "This again, Ash?! First the talent show, and then you secretly record me to show it to everyone? What's your problem?!"
"Don't get upset with Ash," Dawn came to Ash's defense in an effort to quell May's frustration.
"I'm not upset," May stated as she shot Ash a death glare. "I'm furious!"
"May, calm down." Caroline insisted.
"But we talked about this, I swore you to secrecy!" May proclaimed as she pointed at Ash.
Ash held a neutral expression despite May's outburst. He expected as much from her. He knew that he was overstepping his boundaries by showing that recording of her or even making it in the first place. So, he was ready and willing to take the verbal assault.
"May, there's no reason to keep your voice a secret," Brock pointed out. "You have something really special."
"I don't care about that; Ash and I had an agreement. I haven't told anyone, but look at how many people know thanks to him!" May said indignantly as she looked around at the group.
"I'm just a little curious, why is it that you don't want anyone to know you can sing?" Serena asked her. May paused, her temper cooling somewhat as she thought about her answer.
"Uh…it's not that I don't want people to know, it's that expectations tend to change on if you're good at something or not," She explained to them. "I don't want all of these expectations on me before I even get a chance to do anything."
Caroline furrowed her brow as she observed her daughter.
"What do you mean?" Serena pressed.
"I just don't want…to let anyone down when I don't meet their expectations." May answered with a frown.
"I get what you mean," Tierno said with a nod and May sent a glance in his direction. "Maybe not exactly what you're dealing with, May, but I know it's a battle when you're going against people's expectations. I mean, just look at me for example. Do you think anyone is going to expect me to be a good dancer?"
"I…I still can't believe you're a good dancer, Tierno," May admitted softly.
"See, people judge me before I even get to show my stuff. They look at me and say, 'what's that fat guy going to do, fall over?'" Tierno said with a small laugh. "If people want to make assumptions or expect me to fail, I say 'go ahead!' But I'll be first in line to hear what you say about me after I'm finished performing. So what if I'm part of the 'larger' variety of people, that doesn't mean I can't be good at dancing."
"You may be big-boned Tierno, but you're also badass." Brock stated and Tierno beamed as they bumped fists.
"Respect," Tierno said before he turned his attention back to May. "First thing to keep in mind, you don't need everyone's approval, because let's face it, it doesn't matter how great you are at something, there's always going to be that one person that you can't please."
May thought of her father.
"But what if I screw up on stage, I don't know if I could live with myself," May looked down, concealing her face with her bangs.
"What is it that you're afraid of, May?" Tierno inquired with his head tilted.
"I'm just tired of messing up all the time," She stated. "The last thing I want to do now is put myself out on a stage to mess up in front of an audience because…even with all the practice in the world, I know I'll find a way to ruin it all."
"Wait, do you think we're perfect when we perform?" Brock asked her. May didn't answer. "That couldn't be farther from the truth."
May raised her head to meet Brock's gaze.
"That can't be true. You guys are like a machine when you perform. Everyone does exactly what they're supposed to do." May expressed.
"No, no, we mess up all the time, even during our actual performances." Tierno cut in.
"But I've seen some of your routines," May pointed out. "You guys are always perfect!"
"That's what you might think," Brock said as he scratched at his chin. "But like Tierno said, we mess up all the time."
"Really?" May exclaimed as she looked from Brock to Tierno, and then to Serena. Each of them confirmed this with a nod.
"Messing up is just a part of the performance itself. I mean, what is a perfect performance?" He asked her.
"It's a…a performance where no one made a mistake." She stated.
"And tell me what you remember about that 'perfect performance?'"
"That everyone did their part."
Tierno nodded.
"And did their performance leave any sort of impression on you?"
May opened her mouth to reply, but she needed some time before she gave a reply.
"Well, they were flawless but I guess not." She answered.
"A good performance isn't one that's mistake-free, a good performance is one that your audience remembers," Tierno paused for a moment and then he added, "One that they learn something from."
"But what could someone learn from watching me mess up?" May asked him.
"How to persevere," He responded immediately. "How to be strong…how to teach yourself not to give up no matter what's happening around you."
May's mouth hung open for a moment as she looked at Tierno. This was a different side of him that she was seeing. He was always so goofy whenever she ran into him at Ash's house, but seeing him so serious was a little surprising.
"Tell me this," Tierno continued. "Ash said you sing for Macy pretty often, what do you feel when you sing for her?"
"I feel…nervous," May replied as she held her stomach. "And queasy and…like my heart is going to jump into my throat for me to choke on it."
"So, if you feel like that, why do you sing for her?" Tierno went on.
"Because her mom's not there right now, and I want her to feel safe the same way mom would do for me when I was her age," May stated with certainty. Caroline's eyes widened as she raised a hand to her chest, her lips curving upward into a faint smile.
"So, when you finish singing for Macy, and you see her smile, what do you feel?"
"My heart kind of…flutters," May said softly. "It makes me so happy to see her happy."
"And that's why we work through our mistakes on stage, because we know we can make a difference," Tierno said as he donned his usual grin. "Even if it's just one person that we affected out of like, three hundred people, we did our jobs as performers."
"And just so you know, May, I get nervous and scared too," Serena added, "But just like you if I see a smile after I'm done performing, it all feels worthwhile."
"In fact, let's make that the goal," Brock interjected. "The next time you sing for Macy, just think about her smile while your singing and I promise you, you'll feel a lot better."
"Okay, I'll remember that." May said with a nod.
With that said, Ash jumped to the heart of the issue.
"Will you perform in the talent show?"
May hesitated with her answer, so the only person that could speak for her did just that.
"Yes, she will." Caroline declared.
"Mom!" May exclaimed.
"There's no backing out of this," Caroline said firmly. "I want you to do this, it's what you need to do right now."
"Ugh fine, I'll do it!" May said as she turned away from everyone with a huff, but she hid her smile.
Caroline beamed at her daughter while Ash and Dawn exchanged high fives with the group.
"You know Tierno, when you were talking about how she sings to Macy, it almost sounded like you've been there before." Serena noted with a sly grin.
"Eh, I might have heard her sing to Macy a time or two." Tierno confessed.
"What?!" May exclaimed. "You heard me singing to her? When?"
"Back in December, I just didn't bother to say anything."
"No way!"
Brock raised his hand.
"I also heard you sing for Macy a couple of times too." Brock admitted.
May looked to Serena.
"Don't tell me…"
Serena nodded.
"So, you all knew I could sing, to begin with?"
Everyone gave a nod, even Dawn. When May saw this action from her best friend, she raised her hand weakly to point at the blunette.
"E-Even you, Dawn?"
Dawn giggled.
"I've known for a long time," Dawn replied.
"Oh my god, I don't believe it! I'm sitting here thinking it's still a secret when everybody knew," May covered her face with both her hands. "God, this is so embarrassing!"
Dawn placed a hand on May's shoulder.
"It's alright, what matters now is that you took a step forward," Dawn said as she rubbed May's shoulder. "You have no idea how happy I am for you."
"Same here," Ash interjected with a grin. "You're going to blow the whole school away, and I can't wait to see it!"
"If this backfires, I'm coming for you, Ash," May stated, earning some laughs from the group. "And just remember, I know where you live."
Friday, January 27th
It was late in the afternoon when Ash and Pikachu found themselves staring at a familiar sight, one that came with an unpleasant memory.
They were standing on the beach where they had faced Brawly and his Medicham last December. Ash could hardly believe that almost two months had passed already. It felt like it was just yesterday that…
Ash grimaced at the thought of Brawly's Medicham delivering a Hi Jump Kick to Pikachu's small abdomen. He flinched thinking of how Pikachu had barely escaped being punched into oblivion by Medicham's Dynamic Punch. And finally, he shivered at Medicham's use of Detect to shut down Pikachu's combination of Double Team and Quick Attack.
"Pi-ka," Pikachu muttered, getting a nod of agreement from Ash.
"Yeah, that battle did suck." He added, scratching at the back of his head.
"Pi, pika?" Pikachu inquired as they turned away from the shoreline to avoid any further memories.
"We're meeting someone here, our newest training partner." Ash answered, and right on cue, an older pickup truck pulled into the empty lot further up the beach. Ash could see the golden hair of the driver through the windshield, so he made his way up to the parking lot to meet with him.
"I'm glad you made it," Volkner said as he rolled down the window, nodding his head to the empty passenger seat as a gesture for Ash to get in.
"Pika-chu?" Pikachu exclaimed at the sight of Volkner.
"Yup, we're training with Volkner." Ash replied with a small laugh at Pikachu's expression. His ears were raised and angled away from each other, eyes wide and mouth agape.
They would be training with Volkner, the 'Golden Flash.'
If there was anyone that could help him and Pikachu improve, it was a fellow electric type specialist.
"So, what kind of training are we going to do?" Ash asked once he and Pikachu were situated in the passenger seat. Volkner spent a moment observing them before he gave an answer.
"There's a lot you and Pikachu need to learn…but the first thing we're going to start with is unlocking Pikachu's true potential."
A/N
Hey guys, I'm back way earlier than expected! I didn't think I'd have anything ready until August at the earliest because this chapter was giving me such a hard time, but things just fell into place with some help from MjrGenMatt.
This chapter was dedicated to May. This was one of my more 'cuddlier' (I can't believe I just used this word…is it even a word? lol) chapters where I ventured away from Ash and Pikachu, and focused more on some of the other characters. A couple of comments asked about Dawn and here's her first legitimate appearance in like ten chapters. Of course, she and Ash still have a big discussion ahead of them, but only time will tell when that conversation finally happens.
Since I don't have much else to talk about this time, I thought I share this little milestone with you guys. This chapter pushed my word count over 300k, making it the longest fic I've ever published and/or written. I never imagined this story reaching such epic lengths when I first started it years ago, but here we are. Wish me luck as we start working toward the climax! I have A LOT planned so buckle your seat belts and get ready!
Just a disclaimer to make sure I give credit where it's due, the song that was sung by May in this chapter was 'Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing' by Stevie Wonder. Stevie in fantastic, much respect to a great artist!
My heart goes out to those of you who reviewed and to those shy readers I have, don't be afraid to give me some feedback! I don't bite! Not anymore at least lol. And if you don't believe me, I know some people that will vouch for me, so don't hesitate if you want to review!
Another thanks to MjrGenMatt for his continued support, and I hope to see you all real soon. The target for my next update is early August!