Chapter 49

Two combatants were standing on opposite ends of a battlefield in the middle of a town. The townspeople were all hovered around the battle arena, which was a flat dusty battlefield with the official Pokemon league markings on them. The match between the two opposing trainers wasn't anything more than a practice battle to prove who was the better trainer, yet in a dry and boring town such as this, an actual Pokemon battle during the middle of the day was enough to draw a humongous crowd over.

Two powerful Pokemon were in the midst of combat on-stage, each delivering one devastating blow after the last to their opponent. Blow after blow was reciprocated by the two hulking beasts, with their human companions yelling out attack names furiously, one after the other. Every time a crunch was delivered, the audience gasped and cringed, this battle was more than just a battle, if the attitudes of the Pokemon and human trainers were any indication, there was a large amount of pride on the line as well. And this was one fight neither participant was backing down from.

On one side, the seven foot tall Pokemon which resembled a human in length and physical appearance, was hunched over gaping and holding its chest. It received a heavy strike to the chest, one so strong that it had to actually stop to recover its lost stamina. It was covered with feathers and had a beak for a mouth, and its body was a mix of fiery red and orange. Its hands could emit fire at will, and its agile legs allowed it to leap great distances in the air and perform athletic feats that a human could only dream of. The Pokemon was none other than Blaziken, May's Blaziken, which evolved from her Combusken only a few weeks ago.

May stood in her trainers' box, yelling out support to her beaten and worn Pokemon on the battlefield. The amount of damage her Blaziken took over the course of the match was devastating, yet there was too much pride on the line to allow her to give up. She wiped the sweat from her brow and tried to stay calm, but she was quickly losing her composure. She instructed her Blaziken to use its Blaze ability to help regain some of its lost strength, in which her Pokemon did accordingly. Blaziken stood erect as its body glowed a red aura, allowing it to recharge and channel the strength back into its body.

"Blaziken, I believe in you! I know you can do this!" May shouted, her hands clasped.

"Blaze…" Blaziken muttered, promising not to let its master down.

"As long as she doesn't try to attack us while Blaziken is charging up its energy, then I should have no trouble winning this," May said, "And then I could smile and laugh as I humiliate her in front of the crowd and watch her run away with her tail between her legs."

"May, don't act cocky!" her friend warned, "You're taking this battle too personal, you need to relax! Blaziken was getting hammered out there just before, do you honestly want to suffer another defeat?"

He was standing within the crowd watching the intense battle, yet he made sure that she was able to see him amidst all the people. She turned to him frantically and retorted.

"You don't think I'm going to let her get away with this twice, do you, Ash?" May asked, "She blackmailed and made fun of us before, got us into trouble, and even picked fights with us for no reason! This is my one and only chance to finally get back at her and rub her face in the dirt for good! Almost the whole town is watching this battle, Ash, she would never take such a public defeat as anything more than public humiliation!"

"I know that, but you can't let your rage get the best of you. C'mon, May, you know this! Don't let your Blaziken succumb to defeat because of your own frustration and anger," Ash yelled out, "Promise me that you can treat this as if it were any other battle, as if it's just another match, and if you clear your mind and think rationally, you should be able to win!"

"Pikachu! Pika! Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

"Ash," she said. She looked back at her Blaziken, who was still coughing over the last attack it received. He was right, Blaziken was taking all the pain and damage, and she couldn't let it get hurt because of her own rage.

She took a deep breath and then yelled out something nobody would expect.

"I forfeit!" she cried.

The gasp of the crowd correlated with their stunned expressions over May giving up in the match. After such an intense battle that lasted over five minutes, the sight of the fiery young girl and her Blaziken giving up was something nobody expected, not even Ash.

"She…forfeited?" Ash said surprised.

"Pika, pikachu," Pikachu uttered.

May walked on the battlefield next to her Blaziken, resting her hand on its back and gently trying to soothe its pain. Her starter Pokemon looked at her calmly, somewhat relieved that the battle was over yet its pride was feeling hurt. It knew how much May wanted to win the match, and it didn't expect its trainer to throw in the towel.

"I'm sorry, Blaziken, I pushed you too hard," she said, stroking its red feathers, "It's ok, you don't have to win them all for me. I love you no matter what."

"Blazekin," the Pokemon said, nodding.

"Why are you giving up like a loser?" her opponent shouted out, "Were you afraid that I was going to beat your Pokemon into submission for this entire crowd to see?"

May ignored her. She was a witch in every sense of the word, a rat, a scoundrel, and everything in between.

She could hear the townspeople whispering and conversing amongst themselves over the outcome of the match. They were asking how could she give up, why did she give in? Why was she letting her opponent make a mockery of her? Why wasn't she standing up for herself?

May ignored them too. She just wanted to get off the stage, heal her Blaziken at the Pokemon Center, and then meet up with Ash and get the hell out of the town.

"Well there you have it folks. My opponent is nothing but a sore loser," the woman declared, "She gave up because she knew her Blaziken was on the verge of defeat. Is this what you people expected of Norman's daughter? Ha! She's nothing like her father."

An agitated Blaziken turned toward the dark haired woman on the battlefield, but May placed her hand on its shoulder and motioned for it to relax. She took out its Pokeball, and told it everything would be fine. She retracted Blaziken to its ball, put it back in her bag, and walked toward Ash.

"May, I'm…" Ash started to say.

"It's ok, c'mon, let's get out of here," she said, tugging his arm as they pushed through the crowd together.

The woman on-stage recalled her Pokemon into its Pokeball, and slipped it inside her pocket. She crossed her arms and made one last remark toward the defeated May.

"No matter how hard you try, little girl, I'll always make sure to put you in your place where you belong," she shouted, "Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of, you're an utter disgrace to both your father and yourself."

"That's it, I'm going to…" Ash turned around angrily.

"Ash, NO!" May cried, grabbing his shoulder securely, "I said ignore her! I don't care what she says, it doesn't bother me."

"But she's making fun of you in front of all these people!" Ash exclaimed, "If anything, she shouldn't be allowed to talk about you like that."

"This isn't any different than last time," May said discouragingly, "She'll never change, let's just go. I got too carried away on the battlefield this time because of my freshly evolved Blaziken, and my overconfidence got the best of me which is why I ended up messing up in the match and my Pokemon got hurt because of it. One day I'll beat her, I'm sure of it."

Ash sighed and took her hand, as much as he understood what May was saying, he still didn't like the words the dark haired woman was saying to her, much less embarrassing her in front of an entire town. At any rate, she had the right course of action, it was time to get out of there. He led her by the hand through the crowd of people as they braved their way passed the sneering and snide remarks from all around them. She may have been humiliated, but this was no time to regain her prestige.

The woman licked her lips on-stage and smiled as she watched the two trainers run away.

"She's just like she was before," Precita said, "A little more confident on the outside, but just as spineless on the inside. Nothing more, nothing less."

~*~*~*~*~

The young couple was resting under the shade of a tree together on their backs, lounging around on the grass and staring up at the sky. May had her arms supporting her head and her legs lying on top of her boyfriend's. Her bandana was on top of her bag as she let her hair blow freely in the wind. Ash was beside her with his hat off to the side, and he slowly scratched her legs to comfort her every so often. Most of their Pokemon were out and running around the field together, Pikachu included.

Things were different now, with just the two of them. For the last month and a half they traveled alone as a couple, there was no Max, there was no Brock. With Max busy traveling in the Hoenn region with his young Bulbasaur and Brock following his own life with his girlfriend Tana, it left Ash and May with a lot of free time alone. It was somewhat awkward at first for them to be by themselves without anyone else, May especially felt it without having to look after her younger brother, and they spent their time getting used to the new status quo.

They no longer had to be concerned about anyone watching what they were doing or where they slept for the night, they were free to get as close to each other as possible and explore their relationship to the fullest. They spent their time training together, exploring the new Shinou region as they entered Gyms and Contests, going to recreational activities such as parks and movies, and ended up exploring quirky dating options with each other amongst other things.

There was still the troublemaking Team Rocket occasionally making their reappearances to pester them, but they were part of the routine by now. Ash and May would work together to blast them off before lunch, and on a good day, have a second chance before dinner to send them blasting off again. On some days, they would even keep count over who sent Team Rocket flying more than the other.

May was extremely happy with her decision to spend another month with her parents before she met up with Ash again, it helped her calm down emotionally and let her pursue her coordinator dream more easily knowing her mother was fine. The therapy sessions with her mother helped her get over her own insecurities and problems, and relieved much of the anxiety she had building up inside.

Now she had Ash all to herself, the boy who was once oblivious to love altogether, and who she never expected to return her feelings in such a serious manner in the first place. The past all seemed so trivial now, and whatever the case, the chain of events that led up to the present made May happier than she had been in months.

Everyone approved of their relationship, which was something neither of them expected either. Max and Brock were already aware of their relationship, as well as May's parents and Ash's Mom, but they were quite pleased and somewhat shocked to see almost everyone else give them their best regards as well. Professor Oak and his assistant Tracey thought they made a great pair for one another, and even a certain Gym leader from Cerulean City was happy that Ash's heart had finally been tamed by a girl. She envied May a bit for getting the boy that she had pinned after for so long unsuccessfully, but anything that made Ash happy made her happy as well, and she wanted them to have a long lasting relationship together. The visit to Cerulean City did the Gym leader well as she conversed with May about her unrequited feelings for Ash, and confessed that she was a very lucky girl.

"Make him happy, whatever you do, live happily together," were the last words the red-headed Gym leader told the coordinator.

May nodded and heeded her words. The two girls shared a compassionate hug and understood that they both cared for the young Pokemon trainer tremendously.

As Ash and May waved goodbye to her when they left the Cerulean Gym together, the Gym leader leaned against the door watching them set off. She felt a little sad, if not bittersweet about everything, but knew Ash was in good hands. That's what made her feel happy, knowing that Ash had a girl who loved him dearly and he loved her back all the same. There was a little piece of her that wished she was in May's place, sharing all that warm affection with Ash and vice versa. It almost brought a tear to her eye, but Misty, the strong-willed Cerulean Gym leader, got a hold of herself and came to the conclusion that everything worked out for the best. She watched them walk off in the distance until they disappeared from sight, and then slowly walked back inside her Gym to reconcile with her own life responsibilities.

Ash yawned lazily under the tree. He could have actually fallen asleep with how pleasant it was outside until May leaned toward his face and gave him a wake-up call.

"Ash! You look like you were about to doze off on me!" she exclaimed.

He sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. "Heehee, sorry about that," he said, chortling, "I was just thinking about some things, that's all."

"You're very tired, I can see," she said softly, rubbing his shoulder, "Sorry, I thought you were just bored of massaging me."

"How do you know that's not part of the reason?" he teased.

May smiled and climbed on top of him, resting herself on his lap and leaning her forehead against his chin. They embraced each other warmly, followed by a slow kiss as she gripped his shoulders tightly.

"Y-ou…want to rest together a little while longer?" she whispered.

She slid her lips slowly from his mouth and pressed against his chin, letting him know there was nothing wrong.

"Yea," he said, returning her affection, "I probably would have fallen asleep if you didn't just wake me."

"O-ok, let's just stay like this as we rest. You know…I just want to feel you there as I sleep," she said, sliding her head to his shoulder, "It's very comforting to know you're always going to be there for me."

He leaned himself back to the trunk of the tree but kept May in his possession, she continued to stay comfortable on his lap, leaning against his chest. Their Pokemon were playing in the distance, far enough for the two to relax together without being disturbed.

"Ash."

"Hm? What?" he answered bluntly.

She hesitated and spoke slowly. "I was just wondering…about what happened today in town…"

"This is going to be about Precita, isn't it?" he asked.

"Well…yes," she said, biting her lower lip. "Um, I know I told you not to confront her, but I was wondering what you thought of me after that."

"What do you mean?"

"Do…do you ever think less of me sometimes because I don't stand up for myself?"

"What? Ugh…that's crazy. May, you know I never think any less of you for that," he said, "You're the one who always stopped me from potentially getting us into trouble when I get angry because Precita says those mean things about you, but I don't think any less of you because of it. If anything, you do the right thing, and keep me out of trouble as well. Sometimes just walking away and ignoring someone is the best thing to do."

"Yeah, but sometimes I wonder if that just makes me somewhat of a coward," she said, "You know, sometimes I feel bad because I don't have the courage to stand up for myself."

"May, c'mon…"

She shook her head airily. "You would think that after what happened with Ross that someone like Precita would have seemed so simple and minor by comparison, yet I still feel discouraged when things like this happen. Sometimes I wonder if just walking away isn't the best thing to do, because it just gives Precita the incentive to criticize and make fun of me even more next time we meet. If…if I ever stand up for myself, maybe she wouldn't bother us anymore."

"Hey, you know nobody will ever bother you while I'm around," Ash said determinedly.

"And that's another point, Ash, I'm too dependent on you a lot of the time too. It's something I've never quite been able to overcome, but even when I start to feel good about myself and think I have enough confidence, I'm always knocked back down into reality when something bad happens again, such as Precita showing up and embarrassing me in front of a whole crowd of people. It's a terrible feeling, and even after the Ross situation the other things that should feel insignificant…aren't."

She kissed him softly before she continued, and kept her hands placed on his shoulders, facing each other just inches apart.

"Maybe that's why I got so carried away with wanting to beat her with Blaziken at the tournament today, it really looked like I could have probably put her in her place for good. I didn't think she would be able to take losing to me in front of a whole crowd too well, and I think that would have shut her up for good. But…I kinda screwed up, and Blaziken ended up receiving blows instead of delivering them…"

"Which was why…" he edged her on.

"…which is why I decided to forfeit. It was hard to say those words, it really was. Especially with someone like Precita savoring the fact that I quit in front of her. Now that I'm thinking back about it, I'm not sure if quitting made me look even more vulnerable to her or not. Yet at other times, I get annoyed with myself for giving a damn what she thinks in the first place."

"I think you had it right the first time," Ash said, staring into her sapphire eyes, "It doesn't really matter. You're May, not Precita's rag doll. She says really mean things and you may walk away and even get me to walk away without starting something, but I gotta say, I guess that's one of the reasons I love you. You don't fall for her tricks."

"Heh, don't say sappy stuff like that, Ash, it sounds so stupid," May said, chortling.

"Why, because it's true?" Ash asked, grinning.

"Yeah, it sounds really dorky," she said, smirking.

"It did make you smile though."

"I…I know."

"That's what you were looking for, wasn't it? Something to make you smile?"

"Ash, you're…" May trailed off, trying to hide her chuckles.

"Yeah, that was what you wanted. Mission accomplished then, right?" Ash asked, "You were never a coward, you're just May. And it made you smile."

"Ash, I told you to stop talking like that, it sounds silly," she said.

"You're the one who brings this stuff up!" Ash said, playfully wresting with her hands.

"And sometimes I wish I didn't, because the way these things end are always too corny for my tastes," she said, laughing as she wrestled him to the ground.

"You were just looking for a reason to smile, of course!" Ash exclaimed.

May rested on top of him and kept him pinned to the ground.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she teased, silencing him with a kiss as their mouths intertwined.

I'll never say this out loud, May thought, as she was busy controlling the kiss, But, Ash, you try way too hard to find ways to be sweet-talk me. You come out sounding really corny sometimes, but hey, I guess that's the reason I love you so much.

~*~*~*~

The couple continued their way through town, casually looking at the storefront windows and enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of the town. It was a sharp contrast to Petalburg City, which was a busy metropolis with sprawling skyscrapers and tons of entertainment venues. Ash enjoyed the simplicity of the small houses and privately owned shops, it reminded him a lot of his hometown in Pallet.

"The Shinou region sure does have a lot of nice merchandize," May said, dreamily staring at the clothing in the storefront windows.

"They have a lot of dresses too, I suppose they're for coordinators," Ash said.

"Pikachu, pika?" Pikachu asked.

"Yeah, Pikachu, I heard the female coordinators in Shinou like to dress up before they enter into Contests," Ash said.

"Wow, that's weird," May said, peering back at Ash, "I can't imagine myself sporting a dress every time I run out on stage. Those dresses are really pretty but I can see it distracting me too much from my performance."

"I wonder if the Gyms here in Shinou have different rules too," Ash pondered, "Hm, I guess we'll find out when we get there, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

"Man, now I'm starting to worry," May said, "What if wearing dresses is mandatory in Contests in this region? What if I HAVE to buy one or they won't let me perform?"

"I sure hope not, because we don't have enough money to buy one of those dresses!"

"Well I could always ask my Mom and Dad for some cash, although I suppose its best not to bother them now. I promised my parents I wouldn't have my mind on them now that I'm finally traveling again, I don't want Mom to start thinking that I'm worrying about her again," she said, chuckling.

While Ash and May were walking, a flash of light emitted from inside May's fanny pack. They turned around quickly to see that Skitty had let itself out of its Pokeball.

"Nyaaaa!" Skitty chimed.

"Skitty! Why'd you let yourself out?" May asked.

"Nyaaa Nyaaa!"

Skitty then darted between May's legs and started to run down the sidewalk. Ash and May were perplexed as it scampered away from them.

"Hey! Skitty, wait!" May called out.

"Let's run after it or we may end up losing it!" Ash cautioned her.

"Right," May said, as she and Ash chased after Skitty.

A young girl of about 10 years of age exited a store with a shopping bag filled with dresses. She had a cute smile and long blue hair with hair clips on her bangs. She wore a white snowcap on her head and was dressed in a black V-neck shirt and a short pink skirt with matching pink boots.

"Heehee, now I'll have plenty of dresses to wear at my Contests," the girl said happily.

"NYAAAA!" Skitty screamed.

"Wha?" the girl gasped.

Skitty ran right between the girl's legs which ended up tripping her. She yelped as she fell on her side and dropped the bag with clothes on top of Skitty's head.

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her bottom.

Skitty struggled to get the bag off its head but the dresses were way too heavy for it to remove.

"Um, what in the world was that?" she pondered, picking up the bag off of Skitty.

"Nyaaaa," Skitty purred.

"A…Skitty?" she pondered.

"SKITTY!" May screamed from across the road.

The young girl stood herself back up and picked her bag of clothes off the ground. May and Ash approached them and quickly caught their breaths. May snatched Skitty off the ground and reprimanded it.

"C'mon, Skitty, you know you shouldn't run away from me like that," May scolded. She looked at the awfully confused blue-haired girl in front of her. "I'm awfully sorry for my Skitty, I apologize for it knocking you down."

"Heh, its ok, really," the girl said, "I was just a little startled by it, that's all."

"I'm relieved, Skitty can go a little screwy sometimes," May said, smiling. She took out her Pokeball and returned Skitty back inside.

Ash noticed the bag filled with dresses. "Hey, are you a Pokemon coordinator?" Ash asked.

"Wha? How did you know that?" she asked.

"Your bag, it's filled with dresses that I've heard coordinators have to wear in the Shinou region," Ash said, pointing.

"Oh, well that was a dead giveaway, I guess," she said, "Yeah, I'm a coordinator…or at least I want to be one. I haven't entered a Contest yet but I want to be a coordinator and follow in my mothers footsteps. My name is Hikari, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, my name is May."

"And I'm Ash!"

"Pika!"

"If you don't mind me asking, Hikari, do all coordinators have to wear dresses in Shinou's Contests? I'm planning on entering them myself and I'm awfully curious."

"Oh, not really," Hikari said, "It's optional really. I choose to wear them because I want everyone to see how good I look during my appeals with my Pochama."

"See, May? I guess you don't have to worry about wearing them after all," Ash said.

"That's another relief," she said.

"If you don't mind me asking, if you're a coordinator too can I see some of your other Pokemon?" Hikari asked, "Your Skitty is awfully cute, but what about your others?"

"Heehee, I have a whole bunch. Like my Squirtle, Eevee, Beautifly, Blaziken…."

"You have a Blaziken?!" Hikari gasped, "It wouldn't be that same Blaziken that lost in that battle early this morning would it?"

May and Ash glanced at each other. "Yeah, it was," May said, sadly, "You must have been there then."

"Actually, no, I wasn't exactly there but I heard what happened in the match due to the gossip in the town," Hikari said, "People were saying how some Gym leaders' daughter from Hoenn…"

May shook her head and turned around. "Stop, I don't need to hear anymore," she said.

"Huh, but I didn't get to finish!" Hikari said, confused.

"I know, but it's probably bad stuff. Let me guess, all those people were talking about how much I sucked, right? That despite being a Gym leaders' daughter I couldn't even win a match? I wouldn't be surprised if Precita spread a bunch of bad rumours about me," May said, discouraged.

"What? No way!" Hikari exclaimed, "You have it all wrong! People weren't talking about how bad you were, they were talking about how excellent your battle was and that you put up an admirable fight."

"…really?" May asked, looking relieved.

"Yeah, people were saying that despite being shocked that you actually gave up, they understood that you didn't want to put your Blaziken into a bad situation or force it to continue battling when it was in pain. People totally respected you for that, and were actually making negative comments about your opponent, Precita, for mocking you in front of everyone. People booed and hissed her off stage after her comments."

"I…didn't know that," May said, cracking a smile. Anything negative to happen to Precita was a positive in her books.

"Wow, that's interesting," Ash said, "We left quickly so we didn't know what went on. I'm glad the townspeople were on May's side."

"I am too," May said, smiling.

"Heh, I'm glad I set the record straight," Hikari said, "If you ever have a rematch with that girl again, I'm sure you'll win."

"Th-thanks," May said, nodding.

She made her smile, Ash thought, Looks like May probably made herself a new Contest rival in Hikari. It seems like the Shinou region is going to be a nice place after all.

~*~*~~*

The thunderstorm was in full swing as oceans and oceans of rain poured from the sky and drenched the town below. The sky crackled and burst with loud and ominous sounds of thunder, the sounds so fierce that it set off car alarms instantly and scared all wild Pokemon into their burrows. Rapid and glorious streaks of lightning filled the night sky, sometimes even brightening up even the darkest night for just a few moments. The grass and city streets below were flooded in about two feet of water, many of the storm drains were too clogged up to accept the heavy rainstorm from the heavens above.

All the townspeople were huddled up inside their homes during the fierce storm, but as they usually defied the ordinary by being out despite the signs of rain that were coming, Ash and May were running as fast as they could in the storm to find shelter indoors right away. Their clothes were drenched and their hair was soaked and plastered down on their faces, but the two had to bear with it as they ran indoors to a public Pokemon Center.

The front doors slid open as Ash and May desperately ran toward the nearest couch in the lobby and plucked themselves down. They gasped and moaned over being caught in the storm, while Ash and May both insulted each other over deciding to spend their time outdoors when they knew a heavy storm was brewing. Neither of them knew the rain would come down so fast, but considering neither of them had an umbrella, it was a predicament neither wanted to be consumed in. Pikachu shook its coat of yellow fur to relieve itself of being soaked and ended up sprinkling all the excess water on the two trainers who had to shield their eyes from the water.

"Pikachu, don't you think we're wet enough already?" Ash bantered, covering his face with his arm.

"Yeah, quit it already!" May added.

"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu shrieked, finally jumping down from the couch.

"Ash, you should have known better. The Shinou region is far up North, they have a lot of heavy rain and snowfall here," May said, "We should have bought some warmer clothes or an umbrella or something, I'm totally soaked!"

"So am I, but you don't see me whining about it," Ash moaned. He took his hat off his head and examined it. "My hat looks totally drenched, I hope it's not ruined."

"Oh, it would be a shame if it was," she said disappointingly, "I bought that Pikachu silhouette hat for you as a gift. I wanted you to keep it forever."

Ash bent the brim of the hat and looked at it from all sides, and then placed it down on the couch next to him. Pikachu frowned as it looked like the hat had seen better days, especially since it also fell in the mud on the way to the Pokemon Center due to the fierce wind.

"Its ok, May, even if it doesn't look so great right now, I'll definitely keep the hat," Ash said, "I'll never throw out anything you bought me, I appreciate it a lot."

May placed her hands on her drenched shorts and looked at Ash admirably. "That's awfully sweet, Ash. I didn't forget the things you bought me either, I still have the Skitty/Torchic bikini from Atona beach in my fanny pack. Even though there aren't many beaches here in Shinou, I made sure to bring it with me before I left Petalburg. I can still remember how much money and energy you sacrificed to try and win that surfing competition and get me the swimsuit, and even though we lost, you still went out of your way to get it for me by other means," she said, looking at him alluringly, "You know, considering we're soaked, I wouldn't mind wearing that bikini when we sleep tonight. I'll let you hold me around in the bikini as we rest together, is that a deal?"

Ash blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Erm, ok!" he blurted out quickly, "That seemed to come out of nowhere though!"

"Heh, not really," she said, flicking her wet hair to the side, "I was just thinking about Atona beach, and how we shared our first kiss there together. It was really magical, don't you think?"

"I…remember," Ash said, thinking fondly of that moment. "Our first kiss was really awkward, I didn't know what to do…but I…liked it."

"Heehee, you were a terrible kisser back then, especially during our first kiss, but I didn't say anything because I knew you were new at it," May teased.

"Hey, it's not like you had any experience before either!" Ash bantered.

"Maybe not, but when you watch a lot of romance on television, you get to see how all the actors do it! I used that as my blueprint, anyway," May chuckled.

"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu moaned.

"Pikachu, we're not boring you with this conversation, are we?" Ash asked happily.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu shook its head.

"Pikachu, you're such a liar," she mused, "You know even you get grossed out sometimes over the stuff we say to each other. I admit we're both awfully cheesy sometimes, but I don't think we can help it."

"Pikachu, pika, pika," Pikachu said, rolling its eyes.

"We did come a long way from that first kiss though, it's amazing to think of everything that's happened since then," Ash said.

"Yeah, and I know our parents would totally kill us if they knew even half the things we do with each other nowadays," she said, "Of course Pikachu is the only one who knows, but you promised to keep your lips sealed, remember?"

"Pikachu," it said, nodding. It jumped back on the couch and onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu, you're the best," Ash said, rubbing its head. "In any case, want to go get a room now that we're here in the Pokemon Center? Might as well not stay out here in the lobby with soaked clothes. Not to mention you said something about changing into your…"

"…the bikini?" she answered, "Heehee, sure thing, Ash. Gee, you seem awfully pushy. This is the first time I've seen you edge me on into wearing a bathing suit for you."

"Never mind, you were the one who suggested it in the first place, I was just reminding you," he said.

"Riiiiight," May said sarcastically, "All the time you spent traveling with Brock must have rubbed off on you, there's a little bit of Brock-ness in you from time to time."

Ash groaned as May prepared to get up to see about getting a room, until a woman in a tight white shirt and jeans with long black hair blocked her path and the young girl fell back down into her seat.

"You two look like drowned rats, and I swear the stench is overbearing," the woman said.

"Precita!" May exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Great, Ash thought, I sure hope this doesn't lead to trouble.

"What does it look like I'm doing here? It's a Pokemon Center, I'm staying here for the night. I hope this does not shock you that much," Precita sneered, flicking her dark black hair behind her shoulder.

May felt her nose twitching, and that usually meant trouble. She tried to remain calm however and spoke regularly.

"Well, is that all you came over here to tell me? If you don't mind getting out of my way, I'd like to get a room," May said, pushing Precita aside and walking toward the counter.

Precita watched her talk with Nurse Joy about getting a room and snorted. She turned toward Ash and Pikachu who were still sitting on the couch.

"You really like that girl, don't you?" Precita asked.

"Of course I do. I love her," Ash responded, "And I don't like it when you say those mean things to her. Stop bothering her, seriously, she can get emotional enough as it is without you making things worse."

"So I see," Precita said, crossing her arms, "I overheard you two reminiscing about Atona beach and the surfing Pokemon race, and I couldn't help but come to the conclusion that you two were remembering how I defeated you at the end of the race."

"Actually, no, we weren't thinking about you at all really," Ash said, "We were talking about the good things we want to remember about our time there. Not you and your Sharpedo taking chomps out of our surfboard and making us lose."

"That's swell, but at least you two are still together," Precita said, sadly, "You surfed as a couple during the race and you're still a couple now, you must be loyal to her."

"Definitely, I'd never do anything to hurt May, ever. She was one of my closest friends before we started dating each other, and now I love her so much that I can't bear to think of the thought of her being gone anymore. I was actually traveling alone for a little bit, while she was still at home with her parents, and the whole time I was by myself I was thinking of her and when she'd finally start traveling with me again," Ash confessed, "She's been through a lot lately and nearly lost her mother to a psychotic kidnapper, and she just came from seeing a psychiatrist with her mother to help her set things straight again. I don't want her to go through that sadness ever again, and I promise to be there for her always. She doesn't deserve it, not her, she deserves to be happy and treated with respect, something you don't do."

Precita chuckled and stepped away, turning to him slightly to give one last remark.

"Nice speech, kid, I enjoyed it. Hmm, so that's what it takes to be happy, huh? She needs a strong man in her life that she can rely on and love," Precita said, looking depressed, "Too bad I didn't realize that when I ended up pushing Dan away from me, but I suppose now I know."

"Erm, so that Dan guy is no longer with you? I guess that figures," Ash said.

"No. And I tried to make a name for myself by becoming a trainer but that's not working out too well either. Anyway, if your girlfriend wants a rematch with me sometime in the future, let me know," Precita said.

"A rematch?"

"Yes. I wanted to finish our battle today but she forfeit," she said.

"So you want to humiliate her in front of a crowd again? I don't think so," Ash said angrily.

"No, it'll be a private match indoors away from people. I got scorned by the townspeople for ridiculing a Gym leaders' daughter in public, I'm not making that mistake again. Too bad I didn't know she was Norman's daughter back on Atona beach, I may have thought of her differently back then. I want to finish a battle with her, and see if I can win to the end. I promise, no tricks, no pulls, no strings. Just a one on one battle, whaddya say?"

"She'll have to decide if she wants to battle you, not me. It's her choice, but I wouldn't be surprised if she turns you down," Ash said.

"If she does, she'll never be able to settle the score with me then. Does she really want that?"

Ash was silent.

"I thought so. Let her know I want to battle her tomorrow morning. We can settle this rivalry once and for all," she said.

Precita walked off with her arms crossed, as Ash and Pikachu pondered over if they should tell May what she said or not.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea, Pikachu," Ash said.

"Piiikachu, pika," Pikachu replied.

"Either way, I won't let Precita make fun of May again. She's my girlfriend, Pikachu, nobody should talk about her like that. Besides, if they do battle, I think May might just come out on top. I guess that would give May all the satisfaction she needs."

"Pika."

"And I'm sure that would make her smile," Ash said, "She needs to smile every so often, and I'm sure winning a battle against Precita would bring a huge one that we'd never forget."

"Chuuuu," Pikachu agreed.

"She just needs to keep smiling, and be happy," Ash said, cracking a smile of his own as he patted Pikachu on the head.