Day 4: Shared Soul

He looked down at his half of their ribbon, smiling softly as he caressed it. He regarded it as the symbol of the bond they shared. They each held one half of the ribbon: two halves of one whole. When he was younger, he saw this as a symbol of an unbreakable friendship. Love was still somewhat foreign to him back then. Nevertheless, he treasured the bond he shared with her, and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. As he looked back on his journeys, however, he could see how his care for her had grown even deeper than friendship. He remembered the temple, and how he almost drowned trying to save it. When all hope seemed lost, he heard her calling to him, desperately praying that he would be okay. Then he felt her presence, despite the distance between them. But it was more than just a feeling, an image, a thought, a voice. It was her very heart that he felt. A heart flowing with kindness, compassion, and a desire for him to be safe. He always knew she cared about him, but in that one single moment, he could truly feel it. It was but a moment in time for some people, but that single moment changed his life forever. Not only had she given him the strength to save the temple, but she had connected her heart to his own. After that adventure, and as he set out on another journey, he felt a continuous ache in his heart: not a physical ache, but an emotional ache. He eventually came to terms with himself, knowing he liked her as more than a friend, but despite his efforts to stop them, his feelings continued to grow. Before he knew what was happening, he realized the truth: he was in love with her. He didn't know what to do, as he felt wrong about loving her like this, and it threw him off on his next journey. When he came home again, he finally decided that, if he was going to find happiness in life, he needed to come to terms with his feelings for her. They met up again, and he confessed his love for her. He was prepared for the worst, but he was stunned when she revealed that she loved him back. His shock lasted barely a moment, as she embraced him and gave him his first kiss. Overcome with joy, he held her tight in his arms, promising never to let her go. From that moment on, he was at peace with himself; no, he was filled with a new sense of purpose in life, and it brought him great success on his next journey.

She looked down at her half of their ribbon, smiling softly as she caressed it. She regarded it as the symbol of the bond they shared. They each held one half of the ribbon: two halves of one whole. When she was younger, she saw this as a symbol of an unbreakable friendship. Of course, by the time she obtained it, she knew that what she felt for him was deeper than that. When she first met him, she quickly became friends with him, despite a rather frustrating first impression. He took her under his wing, teaching her the basics of Pokemon. He could be a hot-head at times, and he could certainly push her around, but at the end of the day, she knew that he cared about her as much as she cared about him. It wasn't until a particularly harrowing day, however, that she realized how deep their friendship was. She was on the verge of missing her chance at entering the Grand Festival, but when she saw her chance to save her dream, she hesitated. She remembered the way he put his hands on her shoulders, gazing intensely into her eyes, and for the first time, she saw just how much he cared about her and her dreams. A part of her felt bad for what happened that day, as she could sense that it hurt him almost as much as it hurt her. Thankfully, a miracle saved her dream, and they arrived in town that night, but despite the massive relief she felt, it was drowned out by what she felt after she gazed into his eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about him - no. She was enraptured by him. In the weeks that followed, she kept thinking about him more and more, and how much she wanted to make him proud. Finally, she realized what was happening to her: she had developed a crush on him. When they parted ways briefly after their adventures were over, she decided that she wasn't ready to call it quits on him just yet, even if it meant putting her dream on hold for a while. Soon after, they were caught up in an adventure that plunged them into the depths of the ocean, as they fought to save the temple from sinking into the sea. She remembered her terror at the thought of losing him in the chaos, and thanks to a mystical power, she was able to communicate her prayers to him. As she did so, she felt her heart unite to his own. She felt his presence, despite the distance between them. But it was more than just a feeling, an image, a thought, a voice. It was his very heart that she felt. A heart flowing with kindness, compassion, and the determination to never give up, no matter what. She'd always known how strong his heart was, but in that one single moment, she could truly feel it. It was but a moment in time for some people, but that single moment changed her life forever. She didn't just like him anymore; she loved him. After that adventure, and as she set out on another journey, she felt a continuous ache in her heart: not a physical ache, but an emotional ache. She knew what it meant, but she decided to wait and see if he would feel the same way. She noticed his behavior around her changing, and believed that, in time, he would see her the same way she saw him. When they met up again years later, she was overjoyed when he confessed his love to her. She immediately confessed that she loved him too, and gave him her first kiss. They held each other tightly, as she promised to never let him go. From that moment on, she went into every adventure with boundless joy and excitement, knowing that, whatever happened, she could find strength and solace in his arms.

Ash and May looked down at their ribbon, smiling softly as they held their halves together. They regarded it as the symbol of the bond they shared. And when they came together, their two halves became a whole. Looking up from their ribbons, they smiled lovingly at each other. They leaned forward and kissed each other before enfolding each other in a warm, loving embrace. No matter how far apart, no matter what force came against them, nothing could break the bond they shared.

I was really happy when this theme got chosen on the poll. Why? Because in my personal (and admittedly VERY complex) headcanon, this is precisely how Ash and May fall in love with each other. Manaphy's Heart Swap at the climax of the 9th movie connects them in a special way, so that they basically get a glimpse of each other's souls. Over the next few years, they are slowly drawn together before finally becoming a couple.

For today's entry, I decided to write something a bit more poetic. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out; I hope you liked it too!

On a side note: apparently today is "National May Day" in the Pokemon fandom; a bunch of people on Twitter were tweeting about her and talking about how much they love her. I'm not complaining, but when exactly did this become a thing? Oh well. I guess I can prepare something for next year.