Chapter 30
"The good and the bad things of a lose"
We lost.
She repeated that line to herself during the award ceremony, when all of the participants of the race gathered for a fireworks display and the crowning of Precita and Dan as champions of the 2006 Water Pokemon surfing competition.
She sat on her seat next to Ash, and his Pikachu. The rest of the crowd was roaring with applause and acclaim for Precita and Dan as they stood on the podium, gloating about their victory in all their glory. She watched as Dan held the golden trophy above his head and snickered at the audience. She watched as Precita was awarded 15 two-piece bikinis for her victory, the swimsuits that should have been hers instead. She watched as Fredrick handed them a giant check for the prize money, something she promised that she would re-pay Professor Latrommi with. And worst of all, she watched as Precita strutted on stage with her new prize swimsuits.
Precita quickly pulled a curtain over herself on stage, and would come out like a model, strutting her body at the audience as they would gawk at her beauty and take pictures of her. She knew it was coming, and she knew Precita was building up for it.
May rocked her head gently against the wooden seat, trying not to feel any contempt or angst toward the situation. It wasn't so much that she lost the race that bothered her, as well as losing the prize money and the swimsuits she desperately wanted, it was the fact that she lost to her. Had it been any other participant in the race that won instead of Precita and Dan, it would have lessened the blow.
Was it really all worth it? she thought to herself, Did any of this make a difference? Did it matter?
She closed her eyes somberly, it was hard to absorb the information. What if everything Precita said was right all along? What if winning or losing didn't depend on what type of person you were, but rather what you did to get from point A to point B?
Was the abuse worth it? She turned over her left arm and rubbed it tenderly. There was a rash and some broken skin, still there from when Sharpedo brushed against her harshly during the race. She turned both her arms over to the other side, eyeing the very faint scratch marks from when Eliza had tripped her at the club on the boardwalk. It wasn't anything serious, and both incidents didn't hurt for more than a few minutes, but the concept still bothered her. Worst of all, she knew her Squirtle got it much worse than she did.
Her young Squirtle was resting at the Pokemon Center between Prof. Latrommi's lab, the scorched forest, and Atona beach. After the race ended and Precita was declared the victor, Brock and Max didn't hesitate to take Squirtle to the Pokemon Center to heal. She was unnerved about the whole ordeal, but she knew that Brock and her younger brother would get it there safely. She had to stay for the award ceremony after all, but at the same time she felt horrible for not being at her Squirtle's side and taking it there herself. She was its trainer after all, the little turtle considered May to be its mother. Thoughts filled her mind about how Ash didn't leave Swellow's side when he needed surgery, and she wanted to be there the same way for her Squirtle.
Was the assault on Squirtle fair? She pondered it to herself, about how Gorebyss stuck its mouth inside Squirtle's hind leg and began draining it of its blood. Was this any different than any other Pokemon attacks, such as when a Pokemon bites down with its jaws on another Pokemon during battle? She had checked her Pokedex on Gorebyss after the race, and it was indeed a trait of the Pokemon to drain its prey of its bodily fluids. Therefore, it shouldn't have been any different than when her Squirtle fired its Water Gun and Ice beam attacks on its opponents. Still, it bothered her a great deal. She knew that this wasn't any Pokemon battle, but Precita and Dan were using their Pokemon to maliciously harm her own, without any care or concern for their well-being. It brought a tear to her eye, hearing her Squirtle cry in pain as something forcefully inserted itself into its leg. It was like getting a shot by the doctor, only here the needle didn't stop after it got some blood, here it was draining all of the blood. She sighed and opened her eyes, only to see Precita posing in a glamorous and revealing green bikini.
Ash sat holding Pikachu in his lap beside her, not wanting to stay and watch Precita's spectacle any more than she did. He was mostly silent after the race, not really sure what to say about the situation. After he watched Brock, Max and the girls give them their best wishes and volunteer to bring Squirtle to the Pokemon Center, he couldn't help but feel that he was robbed of his victory.
They lost fair and square. The video recordings and judges didn't lie, Precita and Dan's surfboard crossed the finish line a mere second before theirs did. When he first started practicing for the competition, he was taken back by how good the competition on the training course was. He wasn't sure if he and May were up for the challenge, to train for less than seven days and somehow manage to get better than a bunch of expert surfers who had been training for months. Maybe it was the determination he shared with May to win the race, or the bond they had with their Pokemon that compelled them to do the best they could. Whatever it was, they managed to shine in the race and come in 2nd place. There was no prize for 2nd place, just a pat on the back and some false smiles with slippery hand shakes from random judges and officials. He should have been pleased with his performance, but like May, the fact that he had lost to Precita and Dan only added insult to the injury. Likewise, the promise he made to both May and Prof. Latrommi was shattered. She would never get those swimsuits she worked so hard for, and Prof. Latrommi wouldn't be frolicking along, cashing a giant check in his bank account either.
Ash and May sat side by side, with their minds heavily focused on their defeat. The sun was setting and it was starting to get a little chilly, especially since they were still in their bathing suits, but it didn't matter. His right leg and her left leg were resting against one another as they sat, a tiny bit of warmth let each other know that there was someone who cared very deeply sitting right beside them.
Ash scratched Pikachu behind the ear, and smiled as the Pokemon cooed with affection. He noticed May scratching the broken skin on her arm, and figured now was the best time to talk.
"It'll heal soon," he said softly, watching her brown hair blow in the breeze.
May let out a breath, content to know that she had someone to confine her thoughts with. "I know. It doesn't stop it from itching like crazy though," she said sweetly, scratching her arm gently.
"That's pretty funny," Ash snickered.
She raised an eye brow, uncertain whether he was being serious or not. "And what is so funny about it, mister?" she asked.
"My head used to itch me like crazy too. I always wanted to scratch it when it was healing, especially when Nurse Joy put those itchy bandages around my head. You know, from when that tree branch struck me in the forest?" he asked, knowing that she would get what he was talking about it.
May smiled while scratching her arm continually, it was still irritating her, "And I had to keep pulling your hand down because otherwise you'd keep scratching it like a big dummy."
"Or else I could make the wound open up more, right?"
"Yeah, that is what Joy said," she replied, rubbing her arm again.
Ash reached over and picked up her right hand that was scratching her arm, and placed her hand down on her lap instead.
"Why'd you do that?" she asked curiously.
"I have to pull your hand down because otherwise you'd keep scratching it like a big dummy," Ash smirked.
May chortled, he always found a way to make her laugh, even in a time like this. Her cheery smile filled up her face once more, brining back the happy-go-lucky girl that he considered to be his very best friend. "Or else I could make the wound open up more, right?" she asked, repeating his question word for word.
"Yeah, because that's what I said," Ash replied, winking.
She took another glance up at Precita and Dan on stage, and then shifted her eyes to something more alluring, Ash.
"The bump on the back of your head is pretty much healed now, isn't it?" she asked curiously.
Ash felt the back of his head and nodded, "At this point yeah, it's healed and my head is back to normal. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly. Ash rewarded his Pokemon with more scratches behind its ears.
"I guess I'll heal soon too then," May replied, looking down at her arms and the small pieces of broken skin. "And then I'll be as good as new again, perfect May at 100%!"
Precita walked behind the curtains on stage again, ready to change into another swimsuit that she had won. May didn't pay much attention, she didn't care to see her walk out again with another prized swimsuit and receive glamorous appeal from camera men and other shoddy media humpers. She pondered if she had to sit there while Precita went through all fifteen swimsuits, it was a grueling moment for the principal of seeing someone she despised getting something she wanted.
When Precita removed the curtain however and walked on stage, May simply couldn't turn away. She was wearing that swimsuit. May's eyes opened wide as Precita walked toward the camera wearing her favorite bikini. The bikini was a bright pink, which didn't clash well with Precita's dark hair or personality at all. It had an imprint of a chibi Skitty face on the right cup of the top. It also had the design of a cheery Torchic face on the backside of the bottom. The bikini gave out the impression of a sweet, innocent and happy young girl, but the person wearing it was anything but the above.
May watched in envy at Precita wearing what she had strived to win for a week. The contempt didn't stop there however, Precita deliberately walked on the podium as close to May's seat as possible. The dark haired woman jeered while looking the girl straight in the eyes. The dark haired woman's mouth cracked open revealing that devilish grin for the umpteenth time. The two girls eyed each other down, one from below and one from above. Without even exchanging dialogue, Precita got her point across. She broke the eye contact and retreated back on stage, posing for a bunch of drooling fans in the audience. The meaning was still engraved in May's mind however, she knew what Precita meant. She had taken almost everything joyous away from May since the day they met, and this apparently was the coup de grace. She had won the spoils, and everything May worked for was lost by a mere second, a mere game of chance.
May quickly rose to her feet, and tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here, Ash," she said in a defeated manner. She began to nudge her way out of the rows of seats, trying not to trip over anyone's feet on the way out.
"She's right, Pikachu, there's nothing more for us here," Ash said. Pikachu hopped on the boys' shoulder as he followed his friend out of the rows of wooden seats.
She waited for him to walk by her side, and once he caught up to her, the two agreed to head back up to the hotel. Before they could leave the award ceremony however, someone approached them to give their last regards.
A familiar man with a curly mustache, a refined suit, and a French accent reached out his hand to get a hand shake from Ash. Fredrick smiled, "Going so soon, my friends? The award ceremony continues for another 20 minutes."
Ash shook his hand while May and Pikachu smiled contently. "It's been fun and all, Fredrick, but we don't really want to sit here while Precita puts on a fashion show."
"Another 20 minutes of that and I'll never look at another swimsuit the same way again," May added, discontented with the mockery on stage.
"Why the long faces? You two came in 2nd place, that's quite an honor!" Fredrick said eccentrically, "I know you really wanted to win the prizes of course, but at least take in the pride of how much you've accomplished here."
"That's true," she said, "But as you said before, there's no prize for 2nd place."
"Did I mention that I was on your side during the entire race? Normally I don't take sides and root for a team over another, but you two were really spectacular out there on the race course. I've never seen such willpower and coordination between trainer and Pokemon before, it was truly astounding," Fredrick said enthusiastically, "You two were simply monsters on the course, it was breathtaking and awe inspiring."
"Thanks a lot, Fredrick!" Ash said happily.
"It really was one of the more exciting races we've had in years, thanks to the efforts you two gave. One more thing, if there's any way I can help you during the rest of your stay at Atona beach, I'll be glad to offer," Fredrick said, folding his hands.
"Chuuu, pika…" Pikachu uttered.
"Well…I dunno…" Ash pondered.
"Wait a sec," Fredrick said. He slipped out a small piece of paper and a pen from his pocket, and began jotting down numbers.
"What are you doing?" May asked.
Fredrick slipped his pen back in his pocket and handed the slip of paper to Ash. "That's my private phone number on the paper there, not just the phone number for the race event, but one in which you can reach me directly."
"Uh…thanks…I guess?" Ash said unsurely, slipping the piece of paper into the pocket on his swimming trunks.
"You're giving us your phone number out of gratitude for our participation in the race?" May asked naively, putting her hands on her hips.
"I…just want to thank you kids, you've made a middle-aged man like me proud," Fredrick sniffed, "Just think of it as a gesture…so long!"
"Erm, we will," Ash said.
Fredrick waved goodbye for a moment while walking back toward the podium and joining the other race officials and judges. Ash and May stood there dumbstruck, wondering what the hell that was all about.
"I'm starting to think that every single person we've met since our time here has something wrong with them," May smiled, shaking her head.
"He was just being friendly!" Ash said, waving his arms. "There's nothing wrong with friendly people."
"Pika pika," Pikachu said, echoing its trainer.
"If you say so, Ash," May said yawning. She clung to his left arm and pulled him toward the boardwalk. "Enough about that for now though, c'mon, I'm starved. How 'bout you buy me dinner?"
"Isn't it a little early for dinner? It's only 5:00pm!" Ash retorted.
"I…just need something to take my mind off of everything that's happened at the moment," she replied, "I know that Brock and the others are going to bring back my Squirtle fully healed in another hour or so, but in the meantime I really have to stop worrying."
"Diving into a full-course meal usually does clear your mind," Ash said as he licked his lips, "Mmmmmm, I can just taste that roasted chicken now…yummy!"
"ASH!" May scolded, "My Combusken would resent you for that, you know!
"Oops, sorry," Ash sighed, slapping his face. "Hmmm, they have lobster at those restaurants too don't they? Now that's tasty!"
"I don't think Corphish would like it too much that you were eating one of its cousins!" May mocked.
"Oh brother," Ash said, slapping his face again, "Maybe I'll just settle for peanut butter and jelly instead."
"Tee hee!" she giggled.
~*~*~
Squirtle was resting peacefully in its Pokeball on the dresser in the hotel room. As expected, it didn't take long for Joy to help it with its blood loss. May hugged her little brother tightly in her arms, she was pleased with his determination to get Squirtle safely to the Pokemon Center. Max tried to pull away from his sister after some more embarrassing hugs, she was beginning to act more and more like her mother Caroline everyday.
Brock related the news that Joy put Squirtle on high priority, especially since she was the same Joy that helped with Swellow and Ash's injuries just a week ago. He also told them that Tana and Jamie returned to their hotel room after coming back to the beach, they now realized how much trouble the group could get into without Brock being there to come to their aid.
Ash took his hat off his head and rubbed his hand through his hairline, he was just about ready to hit the sack, but he had one important phone call to make before the night was through. He turned on the monitor for the green videophone and dialed the number, and a few moments later the jovial Professor Latrommi appeared on screen. Ash wondered if the Professor's nose managed to grow every time he called him, especially since it managed to take up even more of the screen then before.
"I suppose you've heard the news on TV by now, right, Professor?" Ash asked.
"News? What news? I've been spending the night clipping my toe nails and writing a letter of complaint to Devon Corp. for forgetting to mail me my check this month, but I'm sure you have something very important to tell me hmmmm?" Latrommi said sagaciously.
"It's about…"
"No wait, don't tell me!" Latrommi said, pressing his hand against the video monitor. "It's about the surfing competition, yes?"
"Well yeah…"
"Ah good, I must be psychic because it's pretty easy to read your mind, not that there's much there to begin with but that's beside the point." Latrommi said, "You won, right? You and the girl came in 1st place, correct?"
"Eh…not exactly," Ash frowned. He looked around the room and saw May lie restlessly on her bed.
"…you're joking…?" Latrommi gasped, "I'd advise you not to tease an old man, you know a centenarian like me could have a stroke or heart attack at any moment, right? Now now, I'm sure you'll be bouncing over to my lab with your cheery, naïve little schoolchildren like personalities with a giant check in your hand so I can deposit it into my bank account tomorrow morning."
"I've always wondered what it'd be like to hold one of those giant checks, you can get pretty big paper cuts from those things I guess," Ash said, trying to buy some leeway in the conversation.
Latrommi appeared to be slightly irritated, "…wait a second, so…you're really not pulling my chain? You really didn't win? You spent seven days amounting to nothing on a beach when you could have been working in my lab paying off your debt instead? So…YOU MEAN ALL OF THIS WAS FOR NOTHING?!"
"Well besides spending a lot of time having fun with my friends, we kind of dropped the ball on this one, Professor. Sorry," Ash said truthfully.
"Oh for Pete's sake," Latrommi slapped his head, "What place did you come in then? I hope you weren't goofing off on the beach this entire time!"
"We came in second!" Ash said defensively, "May and I raced with our Squirtle and Corphish, we were in 1st place for the longest time too! In the end though, we lost by a lousy second, probably because our board was splitting in two while Precita's board was still good as new."
"Your whole surfboard was torn apart too? Don't you know how to take proper care of your things, boy?" Latrommi asked.
"We kinda ran into trouble on the race course…our whole board fell apart after the race ended. Pretty much all of our money was spent on that board too," Ash said.
"You're the kind of person who pushes a pull door, aren't you?" Latrommi asked.
"Huh?"
"Never mind," Latrommi sighed, "What am I going to do with you kids? Hmmm, that prize money really would have paid me back for the machines you destroyed. Now I should ponder whether I should make you kids work to the bone for me for a full week or I should just let you go."
"The second choice sounds good!" Ash cheered, "You got another shipment of those mechanical arms anyway, so everything is back to normal and it's like nothing ever happened!"
"DON'T try to pretend the past never happened, son!" Latrommi screamed at the monitor, "We can cover up old mistakes with replacements and push things far back into our mind as possible, but that doesn't mean that it never happened. What's done is done, but we can't forget what was done either."
"Erm, so what do you suggest, Professor?" Ash asked.
A ringing sound came from behind Prof. Latrommi in the lab.
"Ah, looks like my chicken teriyaki is ready. You know what, I think I'd better rant about the subject to myself in my own ludicrousness as I eat my dinner. I'll let you kids know what I think of the matter after I sleep over it, in any case. Maybe next time you'll catch me in a better mood," Latrommi said as he shut off the video monitor.
Ash stared at the screen blankly, hanging up the green phone on the receiver.
~*~*~*
"Why can't you sleep?"
"Because I'm not tired?"
"You were exhausted after the race ended though, I figured you'd probably want to go to bed early tonight."
May's body leaned against the front door of the hotel room. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, while one foot was bent and leaning against the door. She was wearing her spandex shorts and her yellow t-shirt.
Ash sat on the bench on the opposite of the door, against the ferns and railings of the catwalk. He had on his black T-shirt with the orange stripe, but he was wearing nothing but his boxers under that. It was a peaceful night, the catwalk was empty except for the two of them.
As much as she didn't want to admit that she was tired, her face proved otherwise. She could barely keep her eyes from closing and yawned a few times during their conversation. It was never like May to get up out of bed during the night and spend time by herself without telling anyone. Ash knew that she was lying, and that something had to be on her mind to keep herself up at this time of night. It was what led him to get up out of his own bed and follow her outside the hotel room, his concern for his friend was what he valued the most.
"Why don't you just go back inside and go to bed, Ash? The others are all sleeping, you don't have to worry about me!" May said, pushing the locks of her hair behind her ears.
"Are you still thinking about the race?" Ash asked, folding his hands in his lap.
"NO!" May shouted. Her voice echoed throughout the open catwalks, which startled both of them. She sighed and tried to regain her composure. "No, Ash, now just go to bed."
"And how late do you plan on staying up?" Ash asked, "You're almost always the first one to start snoring every night, which is why it seems strange that you got up and walked out of the hotel room by yourself."
"…and?" she urged him, "I told you, I'm just not sleepy tonight."
Soon afterward, she let out another yawn and rubbed her eyes. Once she realized what she had done, and caught Ash with a sly expression on, she knew she could no longer use that excuse.
"You seem to be yawning a lot for someone who isn't sleepy," Ash said, getting up from the bench.
She rolled her eyes. "OK, so maybe I am a little sleepy. I still don't see why you followed me out of the hotel room to check up me. I'm a big girl, Ash, I can take care of myself."
Ash walked toward her and looked her in the eyes. May remained in her position of leaning against the hotel room door, with one foot pressed up against it as well.
"Well…" Ash sighed, "If you're not going to tell me anything then I guess I should just go back to bed, right?"
"That would be for the best," May nodded, "Don't worry, I'll go to bed soon too."
She moved away from the door, and turned the doorknob. The door creaked open slightly, as Ash peered into the dark room where his friends were sleeping.
"I still think it's a little strange that you're staying out here by yourself, in your pajamas no less," Ash said, pointing to her yellow T-shirt.
"Look whose talking," May snickered, pointing to Ash's boxers. "At least I didn't come out here in my underwear."
Ash's face turned red from embarrassment. He looked to the floor and tried to retaliate with a come back, although his voice went dry.
"I…didn't feel like throwing my sweatpants on…since I thought I was only going to be out here for a few seconds," Ash gasped, "Besides, boxers are barely different than swimming trunks anyway, so it's not really any different than how you see me on the beach all the time."
May giggled, her temptation was getting the best of her. She devised up a plan in her mind to see how red she could get Ash's face to become, mainly for the fact that she found something alluring about the way he'd try to defend himself.
"But on the beach…you know…you're not wearing a shirt either," May said sweetly, rubbing her toe on the floor, "You're wearing your black shirt now, but you're probably right about boxers not being that different than a bathing suit."
Ash had his hand on the doorknob, but instead of walking in the room, he hesitated and continued the conversation with her.
"I'm…glad you agree with me now," Ash stuttered, "I don't think it's all that different really."
They continued to eye one another, each knowing that something was brewing at the moment. May tried to come up with something else to say, but she couldn't get her next sentence to formulate into words. She knew that if she didn't say something soon, Ash would walk into the room and go back to sleep. However, Ash was purposely waiting for her to say something as well, as he found something entertaining about their little "game."
May blushed slightly, staring at the floor. She didn't have the courage to say the next line while staring at him in the eyes. "If…your boxers are not much different than your bathing suit…I guess you already know what I look like in my underwear too, Ash?"
"Hmm?" Ash uttered nervously.
May's eyes briefly glanced up at him, before returning back to the pavement on the ground. "You know, my bikini?"
He hesitated again, this time slightly shutting the hotel room door so their conversation couldn't be heard inside, just in case Brock or Max would hear their voices.
"I…guess so. The top of your bikini does kinda look like your bra," Ash said.
"Wha…what? When…did you see my bra, Ash?" May gasped, flustered.
"Oh, I never told you," Ash replied innocently.
May and Ash's faces were deep red, both kicking themselves for starting this conversation about underwear in the first place.
"It was our first day arriving at the hotel, Max and I went back to the hotel room while you were on the boardwalk. I was looking for an empty dresser to put all my clothes in after I had changed into my bathing suit," Ash said. He noticed May was following him word for word. He continued, "And…I tried putting my clothes in the big cabinet with the two large doors…but when I tried to open it, it was stuck."
"That's…the cabinet where I put my clothes, Ash," May said softly.
"I know that now, but not back then," Ash said, trying to avoid eye contact with her. "Your brother and I pulled on the doors so they would open, but there was something stuck. We pulled as hard as we could, and once the doors flung open, all your clothes flew out too!"
"Oh brother," May said, hiding her face in her hands.
"Eh…your bra kinda landed on my head," Ash uttered, trying to recall the events word for word. "That's…how I know your bikini looks like your bra…May."
"Wow, this is pretty embarrassing," May said in nervous laughter. She turned away from him and walked two feet forward. She turned around to face him again, but this time a jolt of electricity went through her body as she managed to make eye contact with him again. She started to get a tight feeling in her chest, almost as if she wanted to finally tell him something that she had been confused about for months now. She had lingering feelings floating in her mind for awhile, even more so after spending so much time clutching one another on the beach. She wasn't completely sure of her own feelings, or why she was feeling this way, but she wanted to ask him to see what he thought.
"Ash…?" she asked, walking up to him.
"Of course, this doesn't even compare to the time when I saw you naked after you came out of the shower!" Ash blurted out.
"ASH!" May shrieked, in a complete contrast to what she was just about to ask him. Her face was a dark shade of magenta, she yelled at him aggravated, "You just couldn't let me forget about that embarrassing incident, could you?" she gasped, "You and your curiosity as an infant!"
Ash, noticing things were getting too hectic and awkward, figured that now was the best time to call it a night. He turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping one foot inside the room.
"Uh…well like you said, I shouldn't have followed you out here…uh…good night, May!" Ash said quickly, slamming the door shut behind him.
A distressed May stood on the catwalk by herself staring at the metal door.
She slapped her forehead in regret. "Why do I start these conversations with him?" she moaned.
She leaned her back against the hotel room door and looked up at the night sky, with even more confused thoughts roaming her mind than before. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
After calming down a bit, she slipped out something that she concealed from Ash under her shirt. It was the reason she came out to the catwalk by herself, it was something she didn't want him to know she was looking at.
She sighed again, holding the photograph in her hands.
"Jeez, Ash, how am I going to deal with you?" she said sarcastically.
She brought the photograph to her eyes, looking at it compassionately. She was standing beside Ash in front of the Petalburg Gym, with her little Torchic by her side and Pikachu by his. They had positive, promising faces on, both happily posing with Pokeballs in hand at the camera. The picture was taken by Caroline, her mother, the day when May introduced Ash to her parents for the first time, and when her little brother Max decided to tag along with them. It was a picture taken to celebrate the start of May's journey as a Pokemon trainer, the start of a bold, promising new direction in May's life. Her parents urged her to immortalize this moment, and they wanted Ash to be in the photo too, the young boy who agreed to take their daughter under his wing during their journey.
It's been a long time since then, but May kept the photo in her fanny pack ever since. It wasn't just because she wanted to remember the moment at the beginning of her Pokemon career, but because she wanted to remember her thoughts about Ash as well. She realized something, that right from the very beginning, Ash was always there for her if she needed him. Most of all though, she recalled how cute she thought Ash was when they first met. As time went on however, her priorities started to shift toward her Contests and her dream of becoming a top coordinator. Her feelings for Ash…and another boy that she met a number of times during her journey…continued to linger in her mind throughout her quest, but the Contests were far more important. It was the same way Ash put his Gyms and his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master before everything else, she knew that after watching how determined Ash was, she had to do the same.
She looked at the photograph again, the feeling of nostalgia continuing to swarm over her.
We're so close, Ash and I. May thought, I've never really put much thought in it, although I suppose I really do like him.
"Heh, you're crazy, May," she muttered to herself out loud, "Maybe the fact that I've been holding him around and having him hold me around every day for the past week has something to do with it."
She calmed down and looked at the picture again, the picture that showed the two of them and their starter Pokemon, at the very beginning of her Pokemon journey.
Or maybe I really do have a thing for him. she thought in her mind again. Ash…would he want me as more than a friend?
She pressed the picture against her chest affectionately, and leaned her head against the door and came to a conclusion.
She was falling in love.
~*~*~
"Morning!" Max said gleefully.
"Ugh, let me sleep 5 more minutes, Mom," May said in her sleep, turning in her bed.
"Wake up, sleepy head!" Max said again, rubbing her shoulders.
In her sleep, she pushed away her brothers' hand and pulled the covers over her head.
"Aw c'mon, sis, you can't be that tired can you? It's 10am already!" Max stated.
Ash, Brock and Max were fully clothed standing in the hotel room. Pikachu was on top of Ash's shoulder, eating a chocolate bar that Ash had given him. The trio had just returned from eating breakfast down at the dining area of the hotel room, and returned to the room to see if May awoke.
"May is a late sleeper, we might as well let her sleep a little longer," Brock said.
"She must have stayed up really late last night," Ash frowned, "She didn't tell me what she was doing either."
"Well I'm not going to stand here all day while my sister sleeps, can we head out to the boardwalk and hit the arcade? I've always wanted to see what cool videogames they have there!" Max said excitedly.
"An arcade, they have one here?" Ash asked, interested, "I haven't played a videogame in a long time!"
"When you're always on the road, you don't have time for games," Brock laughed.
"I've always wanted to get myself a Nintendo DS, but my parents would never let me," Max said disappointedly, "They always said that Pokemon "simulators" were nothing compared to real-life battling. That is true of course, but I think those games based on real life trainers is educational too, since it teaches you all about type advantages and all the attacks…and it's a lotta fun too!"
"Has May ever been interested in videogames?" Ash asked, gazing over at her as she sucked her thumb in her sleep.
"Eh, not really," Max said, "When we were younger she just played with her stupid dolls."
The group agreed to head out to the arcade and let May sleep a little longer. Since they were done with the surfing competition, and the fact that their surfboard was destroyed and they didn't have any money to buy another one, they decided to spend the day exploring the rest of the boardwalk.
Two hours later, May was sitting upright on her bed and pushed her shoe up on her foot. She got up from the bed and stretched out her back until she heard the crack, and then strapped her fanny pack around her waist.
"That was a good nights' sleep," May said positively, "Now I gotta find out where all the guys ran off to without me…"
She walked over to the dresser, where the pamphlet for the surfing competition rested. Disappointed, she picked up the pamphlet and flipped to the pages that showed the swimsuits…one last time.
The hotel room door opened up, which startled May as she hid the pamphlet behind her back. She was relieved however when Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Max entered the room.
"Oh, you guys…" May said relieved.
"Who were you expecting, Team Rocket?" Ash joked.
"May, you wouldn't believe how many cool games that arcade has over there!" Max said energetically, "It has shooting games and everything, and best of all most of the games are completely free!"
"Oh please, Max," May snorted, "You know I have no interest in silly videogames."
"Aw, you wouldn't be saying that if you actually saw them," Max retorted.
May held the pamphlet in her right hand and sat down on the edge of her bed. The others watched as she looked at he swimsuit pictures once again.
"Still…looking at those swimsuits?" Ash asked, hesitating a bit.
"Yea, seems kind of silly though now that the race is over, right?" May asked as she smiled, "Still, it doesn't hurt to dream."
"Pika, chu, pika," Pikachu said, tapping Ash's shoulder.
"I know, Pikachu," Ash sighed.
"Well I guess this fantasy is over," May said, getting up from the bed. She walked over to the wastebasket against the wall. "I can still picture myself wearing some of these swimsuits, like that Torchic and Skitty one, and the green one…"
"May, you can't obsess over one thing forever," Brock said sympathetically, "It's best to just move on."
Ash stared at her solemnly, she looked so depressed.
"You're right, Brock, we can't have everything we want in life, can we?" May sighed, "It would have been neat to have these, but it's really no big deal."
She gazed upon her favorite swimsuits one last time, and then in an instant, she tore the pamphlet in two. The tearing felt like a sharp blade cutting through her heart, almost as if something she deeply treasured was about to be discarded. She folded the pamphlet and tore it again, and eventually tore it so many times until there was barely anything left but tiny pieces of paper in her hand. She dropped the paper into the garbage, hoping that now she'd be able to forget about the swimsuits and move on.
"I'm sorry, May," Ash said softly.
"Don't blame yourself, Ash, because I'm not," May said, walking toward him, "It was the thought that counts, right?"
"You just seem so sad," Ash said frowning, "I don't like to see you sad."
"C'mon, sis," Max said, grabbing her hand, "Come with me to the arcade, I bet it'll cheer you up. Who knows, you may even start to like videogames."
"Eh well…I guess I can give them a try," May said hesitantly.
"Oh, did I neglect to mention that they have games based on Pokemon Contests there?" Max insinuated, pushing his eyeglasses further up on his nose.
"Really? That's awesome! Why didn't you say so, Max?!" May squeaked, "Games based on Pokemon Contests? I am so there!"
"That's the spirit, you coming, Ash?" Brock asked.
"In just a bit!" Ash said quickly, "I…wanna make a phone call first."
"To who?" Brock asked.
"Erm, nobody important, I'll catch up with you guys. The arcade, right?" he asked.
"Right." Brock nodded.
The trio exited the hotel room, leaving only Ash and Pikachu remaining. Ash walked over to the wastepaper basket and peered inside. Tiny bits of torn paper were all that remained of the pamphlet that May held to sleep every night.
"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu said, feeling his trainers sympathy.
"It'll make her happy, Pikachu, I'm sure it will," Ash said.
He walked over to the green videophone, hesitant a bit about making his phone call.
"Pika pika? Pikachu!" Pikachu encouraged him.
"Yeah, you're right, Pikachu. It doesn't hurt to try, right? At worst nothing can happen anyway," Ash said.
He took a slip of paper out of his pants pocket and read the phone number that Fredrick had written. He exchanged glances with Pikachu for reassurance, and then decided to make the call.
"I hope Fredrick doesn't mind me calling him," Ash said, "I hope what I'm about to ask him isn't too big a favor either."
"Pikachu," Pikachu said, watching the video monitor warm up.
"Ah yes, hello?" Fredrick said cheerfully, his face appearing on the video monitor, "Oh it's you! The male counterpart of the "Little rookies!"
"Hi, Fredrick. Um, could I ask a favor?" Ash asked unsurely.
"But of course! I told you that I'm willing to help you out during your stay here, my friend," he replied.
Ash nodded.
"Ok, Fredrick. You see if it's possible…I'd like…."
~*~*~*
Ten minutes later, they were finishing the deal on the phone.
"Wow, that really is expensive," Ash frowned.
"I've tried, but this is as cheap as I can get it for you," Fredrick said, "I'm not even supposed to sell these to people either, but I'm willing to bend the rules for you. It's been custom made too to your specifications, so it should be a good fit. Just remember, you'll have to buy it for that price."
"I understand," Ash said, "I'll hopefully get the money for you later today, is that alright?"
"Sure, sure. Take your time, there is no rush," Fredrick said gleefully.
"Thanks, bye," Ash said, hanging up the phone.
"Pika…pika!" Pikachu shook its head.
"Don't worry, Pikachu, its not THAT much money," Ash said, "Besides, it'll be appreciated."
Ash dialed up another phone number, this one being a more familiar and personal phone call.
The video monitor turned on to reveal his mother, Delia, on screen. No matter how many years went by, she always looked the same. She still wore her brown hair in a ponytail behind her back, along with that pink shirt and blue skirt. She was an upstanding intelligent woman, a bit eccentric at times, but a loving mother nonetheless. Her youthful appearance would drive any other woman to jealousy, she didn't look a day over 25, but in reality she was in fact, much older.
"ASH! You haven't called in ages! I am so happy to see you again, is that Pikachu?" Delia asked excitedly.
"Yep, my buddy Pikachu is always around." Ash smirked.
"Pika pika!"
"Pikachu is looking well, but son, you look a little skinny, are you eating ok?" Delia asked, peering into the monitor.
"Yeah, I just ate a buffet for dinner last night, Mom!" Ash chortled.
"And you're changing your underwear everyday?" she asked.
"Yes, Mom, of course." Ash smiled.
"Wonderful! You've made your mother proud, where are your friends by the way?" she asked.
"They're fine, they're just walking around and going into stores outside," he said, "But I called to ask a favor, Mom."
"A favor?" Delia responded.
"Yeah," Ash scratched his shoulder uncertainly, "You see we entered a surfing competition and we spent most of our remaining money on a special type of surfboard to race on…and I was wondering, can I use my birthday money early this year?"
"Your birthday money? Why would you want it now, your birthday is not for another six months!"
"I know, but I kind of want to buy something…for someone, and as I said, we don't have any money left because we spent it all on a surfboard…"
"Slow down, Ash," Delia said slowly, "Surfing? A competition? Surfboard? Money? There's a lot of stuff you're telling me here, I'm getting a little confused. Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me the whole story?"
"You're right," Ash said, letting out a breath, "Let me tell you what happened from the very beginning. It starts with us meeting this crazy Professor who lives by himself…"
~*~*~*
"Thanks, Mom, I love you," Ash said warmly.
"I love you too, Ash, make sure to pick up the money I sent you at the Pokemon Center," Delia said.
"I will, bye, Mom!" Ash said, hanging up the phone. He turned to Pikachu on his shoulder, "Well, Pikachu, the money was transported through the transfer machine at the Pokemon Center, and thanks to Mom letting me spend my birthday money early this year, I can use it to buy that item from Fredrick."
"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked.
"I'm certain she'll like it, Pikachu," Ash said, smiling, "It's a present for her to cheer her up, it's the least I can do."