A week had passed since May had last spoken to Dawn or Ash. She made herself unavailable, never attending any meetings, and always claiming to be busy with Drew. She began to drag Drew everywhere with her, and once the storm passed she began to take him out to the lake on her daily visit, so when Ash would see her there he wouldn't approach her. She and Drew spent a lot of time in contact with one another, although it was only ever hugging or cuddling. May never kissed him. May had frequently talked to Serena and Paul, and Dawn had made numerous attempts to explain herself, but May never gave her the time to. By the end of the week, Drew had grown concerned as May gave up all talking about their plans for an uprising, and began to tell him that he should get as much practice as he could, so he would win the year's tournament and be able to leave, then he would be able to meet her on the outside. She had begun to isolate herself and Drew from the group. The morning 8 days after the incident, Drew had visited May's room at her request early. She lay on the bed, still in her sleeping shorts and t shirt, making him blush slightly.

"You okay?" he asked, looking anywhere but at her.

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you." She patted the space beside her. Suddenly remembering all of his concerns from the past week, Drew quickly shook his head, to May's surprise.

"No. I know you don't like it, May, but we have to go down to breakfast and sit with the group. You're isolating yourself, and this has to be sorted at some point. Your friends miss you, and I know you miss them. Come to breakfast with me. For me."

May's face twisted, but she didn't argue. Drew could read the pain on her face, even a week after it happened, as the words still stung her whenever she thought about it. She'd spent the week trying to convince Drew that her feelings for Ash hadn't been that strong anyway, but he wasn't stupid, and didn't believe a word of it. Every time his name was mentioned she would wince. Every time she thought of him her smile would drop, no matter how hard she tried to fake it. She couldn't hide it. She was broken.

"Okay. Turn around then."

Turning around, Drew heard May changing behind him, and didn't turn until she told him to, just as she pulled her zip up past her chest, meaning he caught a glance and blushed profusely. She slipped on her shoes and gestured to the door. She didn't want to be the first one to leave.

They walked down the corridor hand in hand. May liked to hold Drew's hand. It almost distracted her from the pain she constantly felt. Once they reached the canteen door, May hesitated. She hadn't sat with her group in eight days, and she was nervous to see Ash again. The thought brought butterflies to her stomach, and a sudden wave of nausea overcame her.

"Are you okay?" Drew asked, lifting her head from under her chin gently. With a wavering fake smile she nodded, and Drew pushed open the door. Their friends looked over right away. A smile spread across Dawn's face as she saw May, and May could have cried seeing how happy her friend was at her appearance. Under any other circumstances, May most likely would have ran to her friend and threw her arms around her. This time, May kept her head down as they walked towards them.

"Hey guys," Drew greeted them as they sat. The empty seats had been next to Ash, and he found it weird that Drew sat between himself and May. Perhaps he was just being protective.

"Hey Drew," Paul grumbled. Serena continued to talk about a topic she'd been ranting about before the pair had arrived. She had watched some show on television about a couple that travelled around all of the regions together. May barely listened as the blonde chatted away.

"Wouldn't it be cute if you and Paul could be like that, Dawn?" Ash teased playfully, a smirk on his face. May looked up, mildly interested, and Dawn spluttered, almost choking on her food.

"H-Hey! Paul and I aren't like that!"

"Sure, whatever you say," Ash said, winking in her direction. Dawn's face turned the brightest shade of red and she struggled to hide it from Paul, who was sat beside her.

"Well… Well I could say the same about you and Misty!" She shouted sporadically. May's eyes shot up and she glared at her friend. As Dawn's face cooled, and she realised what she said, she opened her mouth to speak, but May had already turned to Ash, ready to hear his response. Ash gave no response, only tilted his head slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Dawn settled back into her seat, looking equally as confused, and raised an eyebrow. "Um… What? I mean, the two of you are a couple. That was the joke."

Ash coughed out a laugh, startling May and grabbing the attention of both Drew and Dawn. May could do nothing but blink and stare as the hope began to build back up inside her, making her feel slightly giddy. Maybe…

"What's so funny?" she asked, and Ash turned to face her, a strange expression on his face. Her heart began to race as looking into the eyes of her friend made her want to jump into his arms, hug him and never let go. After a week of no contact, only now did she realise just how much she desperately missed him. She silently tried to work out what his expression meant. If she could have seen her own, she'd have noticed they were exactly identical.

"You don't seriously think Misty and I are…?"

May felt her heart skip a beat as the pieces of it were put back together with every word he spoke. "Uh… yeah, I mean you are, right? That's what I heard." May's heart raced as fast as ever as she waited for his response, desperate to hear that it was all a rumour and none of it was true.

Ash sighed. "No. She tells people that we are. She's asked me to be with her a few times, and I always let her down gently, but somehow she takes it as a yes. We've never, um… kissed or anything, so no, not really."

May turned away from him and to her plate to hide the fact that a giant smile had spread across her face.

Ash, suddenly seeming distressed, rose in his space and sighed. "I better go talk to her, actually. Catch you guys later."

May's smile only slightly dropped as she watched him begin to leave. Looking around, she noticed Misty sitting at another table in the room. Ash had left through the door.

"Uh, if he wanted to talk to Misty, surely he should have went to his table?" Serena asked, pointing to Misty. Before anyone could reply to her, May had pushed herself up too and was clambering over the bench clumsily and in a hurry.

"Excuse me," she mumbled, abandoning her plate and walking as quickly as she could in the direction he had just left in. When she reached the door she began to jog towards the main door. She spotted him just as he left, and ran to catch up, pushing open the double doors onto the field, which was deserted as everyone ate breakfast. Hearing the doors fly open, he turned to check who it was, and the strange expression was on his face once again. May froze on the spot and stood facing him. His expression softened as she stood before him, and she raced towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and pushing herself against him suddenly. The tears began to flow before she could stop them, and she buried her head in his chest. He held her close to his chest, letting her cry into him and placed one hand on the back of her head.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry for not talking to you. I… I missed you."

She couldn't see his expression, but pressed against his chest, she was sure his heart rate began to quicken. "Don't be silly, May." Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently pushed her back so he could look down into her eyes. "We're best friends, remember?"

Wiping her eyes on the back of her hand, May smiled and giggled through her tears. Looking up at Ash's smile, she forgot all the problems she'd worried about the past week, and everything around her no longer mattered. All that mattered was that Ash was here, Ash wasn't mad, and they were still best friends.

The next few weeks passed quickly and were uneventful. Ash and May had grown ever closer, often seen running around the halls together, pulling pranks on one another, lying by the lake talking for hours or sneaking into one another's rooms to talk. May maintained her relationship with Drew to prevent the rumours from spreading, and spent the time she was away from Ash with him, though they were a calmer pair. While Ash and May ran amok, causing trouble and being loud, May and Drew were quieter and calmer. Often they would visit the social area while everyone else ate and sit together until May fell asleep on his chest.

They had begun to meet again after dinner. Dawn had practiced her new-found ability, and had managed to turn TVs off, control lights and even permanently break electrical items. The rest had made little progress, but May was no longer afraid. Most of her time she thought about Ash, and how happy she was when she was messing around with him. Most of the time she had no worries, and most of the time she wanted nothing but to be by Ash's side. She felt safe beside him, and loved it when he would put his arm around her playfully when people would question their friendship. They would ask how they could possibly friends, and Ash would always say "she's my little flame" jokingly, and May would have to hide her face so she wouldn't be seen blushing furiously.

Ash and May had just returned from the lake three weeks after they'd made up. Drew would sometimes wait at the door for her to return, and today he was waiting there again. She was a little late today, as she and Ash had gotten carried away trying to carve Pokemon from branches in the forest. The sky was already dark, but it wasn't cold.

"Hey Drew," she greeted as the approached the door, which he was leaning against. "Bye, Ash!"

Ash waved his hand but didn't look back as he pushed through the double doors, and Drew pushed himself off from the wall, sticking his hands in his pockets and smiling, "Hey. Wanna go for a walk since it isn't cold? We don't have to go far."

"A walk?" It was a strange request from Drew. "Sure, we can do that if you'd like. Where are we going?"

Taking her hand, Drew began to walk towards the forest. Being in the forest in the dark did scare May a little, but she trusted Drew enough to look after her. Drew didn't speak much in the short walk to the woods, and when they reached them he immediately sat against the trunk of a tree that face back towards the building, and gestured for May to join him. She sat back against the trunk, letting him put his arm around her. He didn't speak, just sat, staring up at the few stars you could see in the gaps of cloud. May closed her eyes, feeling suddenly very tired.

"Don't fall asleep," Drew giggled. She turned to face him, looking up into his eyes. What kind of position is this to be in with somebody. I've been wondering for over a month whether I can turn these thoughts into real feelings… Well if it were to happen, it would have happened by now, surely? Do I love him? I need to know, because people have accepted Ash and I… there's no need for this to carry on unless I truly want to be with him…

"Are you okay, May?" Drew asked, concerned. "You're staring blankly at me."

"Yeah, sorry." She blinked hard, snapping herself out of her trance. "Just thinking a lot."

"What are you thinking about?"

You've got to know. Do it now. You need to know.

May and Drew never kissed, except when they were in front of people and hadn't done it in a while. It was never necessary, though they did cuddle and hug, but they'd always been close enough friends to do that anyway. Now, May took advantage of her settings, and leaned up towards him. Startled, a flustered Drew leaned in too, confused and excited, and their lips met. She felt his hand move to behind her head, and his mouth opened slightly to greet her kiss. They kissed again. She had never kissed anyone this way before, and she knew if she loved Drew she would feel something. Perhaps her heart would race, she would feel an immense heat in her chest and her face, and she would never want it to end. She waited. They kissed. She felt nothing.

Pulling away, May began to get up suddenly. "I'm sorry." She almost tripped and she hurried to rise. "I can't do this anymore Drew. I can't do this anymore. It's not fair. It's not fair on you and I've really tried to make myself love you because I want to but-"

"But you love Ash," he cut her off, still sitting. "I get it May. I knew the end was coming anyway, now that people have accepted your friendship with Ash completely."

"I'm sorry, Drew." May turned to run. His words had been kind but his face had been hard and cold. Willing herself not to cry, she sprinted for the doors, and didn't stop once she made it inside. She made it to the elevator and smashed the button, shaking as she waited for it. As the doors began to open, she felt a hand grab her wrist and panicked, snatching it away, turning to face what she thought was Drew.

"May, are you okay?" It was Dawn. May relaxed. "Come on, everyone's together in the social area. There was a good movie on, so we figured we'd watch it together."

Smiling, May was no longer tense, and faked a smile. "Sure, I'll come. Thanks for coming to get me."

"Don't be crazy, I wouldn't let you miss it!"

When the pair arrived at the room, May was greeted by warm smiles from all of her friends besides Paul, who gave a little nod as a greeting. She smiled back, realising herself that it looked painfully fake.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked, jumping from her seat to meet May at the door. "Oh you look terribly sad! What's happened?"

May swallowed hard. She stole a glance at Ash, who was looking right back at her, and blushed for a second. "Well…" She sighed, sinking down to sit beside Dawn. "Drew and I aren't going to keep the act up anymore. I left him." She looked across subtly at Ash to check his reaction, but he seemed to have looked away. She felt a lump form in her throat.

"Oh, are you okay?" Dawn asked, placing her hand on her friend's arm. "That can't be easy for either of you after all that time."

"I'm okay. I just hope he is. I'm the one that ended it after all." May sighed. "But it didn't seem worth it anymore… leading him on, I mean."

"You're right, there was no point dragging it on for any longer than it was needed. The longer you waited, the harder it would have been. Besides, I've thought of a new strategy to advance with our plans."

Dawn had successfully gathered everyone's attention with her last statement. Only May had noticed the little smirk playing on her lips, and her heart began to race slightly. Dawn only ever had that look if she'd planned something reckless, something crazy. She could only brace herself for the worst and nod in acknowledgement. Dawn put her hands together, a smile on her face as she acted as innocent as she could manage.

"Well, people have accepted your friendship, right?" She gestured to Ash and May. They both nodded in response. Dawn struggled to hide her grin. "That's why you take it to the next level."

Dread filled May's heart. What is she playing at? What does she mean? In the silence, May avoided all eye contact with Ash and refused to be the first to speak. It was Ash that spoke up from across the circle. "What do you mean, Dawn?"

"Like May and Drew did. An act. To see if people will accept it. That way, if they do, you know it's time to start acting. To start gathering people."

"You want May and I to act as if we're in a relationship?"

"Precisely."

May's heart was racing so fast she could hear it beating in her ears and her stomach flipped madly. She knew her face was burning up, she could only pray no one would notice. A moment of silence that seemed to last forever followed, and tears pricked up in the corner of her eyes, until Ash spoke up again, and she felt her heart jump from her chest.

"Okay."

"Is that a yes?" Dawn asked, unable to hide the excitement in her tone.

"Yeah," Ash answered. "Sure. I can see that working, unless people don't accept it."

"Good!" Dawn turned to May. "Well?"

May looked up at Dawn but kept her head down. She couldn't bear to show her bright red face. "Well what?"

"Well get over there and act like it!"

Ash was sat on another sofa quite some way across the room. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his eyes on her. Dawn's request sent a shiver down her, and while she felt sick from nerves, a giddy excitement rose within her, and part of her wanted to run over and completely embrace this excuse. Part of her hated Dawn, but another part loved her. She wanted to run over and kiss him, knowing she would get away with it. Will he even kiss me? Will I actually get to…

Snapping out of it, May rose from the seat on the sofa she'd taken beside Dawn. Slowly she shuffled across the room, mostly keeping her head down, until she was by the empty seat beside him. Nervously she sat down stiffly, still a few inches away from him with her hands in her lap, staring forward awkwardly. Ash made a strange sound like a giggle and suddenly she felt his arm around her side, pulling her in towards him. She let him, and he dragged her as close as he could, so that their legs rubbed together, and kept his arm around her. Hesitantly, May let herself sink and lay her head against his chest, feeling her heart explode every time he made a move. She had never felt so strongly in her life. Even just lying there against his chest she knew this was how she'd expected to feel when she kissed Drew. She never wanted to move again. She closed her eyes and embraced the feeling, never wanting it to end. The warmth rose from her chest to her face and she felt more content than she ever had, with her heart fluttering and craving his warmth more. Forgetting herself, May snuggled herself against his chest more, smiling, and closed her eyes. He began to rub her shoulder, and she lay like that for what seemed like days, but was only twenty minutes. She almost drifted off to sleep, when she heard them speak over the film quietly.

"Is she asleep?" Serena asked quietly.

"I think so," Ash whispered, so not to wake her, and rubbed her shoulder gently. It fell silent again as they went back to watching the film, and May prepared to drift off when she felt Ash grip her shoulder a little tighter, and his lips against the back of her head. Her heart leapt into action, and it took all her willpower not to pull away and kiss him. Instead she lay, a massive grin spread across her face in the dark, and prayed for this to never end.

She woke confused and disoriented to a slight shake on her shoulder. The lights were on now, and she could see that everyone had left but Ash, who she still lay on. Suddenly embarrassed she sat up, brushing herself off and composing herself, but he didn't seem to be bothered at all. Instead, he wore his usual smile that was always on when they messed around together.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you but a guard threatened to kick us out."

May smiled, running her hands through her hair, and yawned. "It's okay."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment and she dropped her hand, watching him intently. "I hope you're okay with this, May. I mean I know it's crazy but Dawn has a point. It could be beneficial."

If only you knew… "Don't worry, I mean, I'm used to it now," she joked. Ash didn't laugh, just gave her a small smile, and her face dropped. "I'm kidding. Though for this to work you have to promise it won't be awkward."

"Things could never be awkward really, best friends remember?"

May's heart dropped a little at the word friend. She needed to consistently remind herself that this was just an act. She could enjoy it while it lasted, but she shouldn't get used to it or attached. After all, the chances of him having any feelings for me… are very slim.

"Right!" She smiled wide. "Best friends. Though we can't act that way in public now…"

"Sure we can." Ash shrugged. "We can still play around, we just have to… do extra stuff too, I guess. You'll have to teach me how though." Ash chuckled.

May giggled too, and it fell silent. She thought back to how it felt when he pulled her towards him, all his warmth surrounding her and her heart… it felt so right. She wanted to curl up with him again, but she couldn't. Her heart felt as if it were being tugged in every direction. In the silence May inched closer to him again, and his face grew serious, confusion in his eyes. She shifted her hand slowly, her fingers feeling for his, and placed her hand on top of his, their fingers still apart. Then, she began to lean in, closing her eyes and holding back the nerves that made her want to run. She didn't dare check if he was leaning in too. Feeling his breath on her face confirmed he was, and her heart almost exploded as their lips moved ever closer together.

The door flew open, banging against the wall behind it, and May's eyes shot open again. Ash had already turned away. An angry guard's face peered around the corner.

"I thought I told you kids to get out! So get out! Pronto!"

May glanced at Ash, who for the first time, as far as she'd seen, looked embarrassed. May swore she could see a blush spread across his face but he did well to hide it from her, so she couldn't tell. They rose in silence and headed for the door where the guard waited impatiently, and turned opposite ways to head for their separate rooms.

The next day, as the group sat together in the social area, with Dawn flicking through the channels without a remote. Drew seemed distant, and never stopped glancing towards the new pair. He knew it was just an act, like he and May had been, but he knew that for May it was the same as it had been for him. She wanted it to be real. He was jealous, but he also didn't want to see her hurt. He didn't know if May was strong enough to deal with the hurt after like he was. For now, they weren't cuddling or touching. They seemed the same as they had been before- just best friends. Still, Drew knew they'd have to act in front of others, and he'd have to watch.

"I've had an idea."

Dawn glanced up at Paul, who'd spoken for the first time in an hour. "Huh?"

"Remember those girls that escaped? Well, they must have gotten out somehow. I was thinking maybe we should search for the way out. You know, just so we have an idea of where to go when everything starts."

"Surely they'll have fixed it up by now," Ash spoke from beside Paul. The two had become good friends in the past few weeks. "They wouldn't leave it open for someone else to do the same."

"You never know until you look." Paul shrugged. "I just thought we'd have noticed if they'd patched up part of the wall since. I mean, they'd need trucks and stuff, right? Just an idea."

"I like the idea." May sat up suddenly. "I'd almost forgotten about it. It's worth looking, even if we find nothing."

"How will we cover the whole area?" Serena joined in. "Go in pairs and check separate parts of the wall?"

"Great idea, Serena. Hmm…" Glancing awkwardly at Ash, May swallowed hard. "I'll go with Ash. Dawn… you want to go with Paul?"

"Sure."

She stood, pushing herself from the sofa, a determined look on her face. "I want to go now."

"Now?" Ash glanced at the clock on the wall. "Are you sure?"

"It's only 4. If we move quickly we can cover the wall before it's too dark."

"I guess you're right. We'll do the left hand side, Dawn and Paul you'll go to the back and cover there if that's okay. Serena and Drew can do the right hand side. If it starts to get dark, come back." Ash stood now too, glancing down at his partner. She gave him a determined nod. In her head, a million thoughts were swirling around. It's so close now… When we leave, will I ever see him again? Will he want to see me? He said we'd be best friends forever… But maybe that will just make things harder…

"May?"

She snapped out of her daydream and sighed. "Sorry, I'm ready to go." She stuck her hands in her pockets and followed him. He continued to talk as they headed outside and turned left to begin at the beginning of the wall, but she was barely listening to him. Her mind was lost in her thoughts and worries. She could not stop worrying about if she'd ever see him again, and the very thought of it caused her heart to ache like it never had before.

It didn't take them long to reach the farthest corner of the wall. Reaching out to touch it, May looked up at the height of it. She ran her fingers along the cold brick, and Ash watched her with a stern look, with thoughts of his own intruding into his mind. May's hand dropped from the wall and she looked over to him, making him look away. She began to walk along the length of the wall, her hands back into her pockets. He walked a step behind her, his head back, looking up at the wall. They'd fallen into a comfortable silence, and walked that way for half an hour.

As they entered the forest alongside the wall, Ash began to play with his powers in his hand, following blindly behind May, who hadn't stopped looking out the whole time. He was flicking drops of water around inside his hands when he noticed she'd stopped just before he bumped into her. He had no time to look up before she bolted off.

"May!" He called, too stunned for a second to run after her. He looked up, and ran after her through the trees, until he spotted what she was running towards. Amongst the trees, something stood out. It shone in what remained of the sun, and stood almost as tall as the trees. He continued running towards it, but stopped calling for her. Ahead, May had reached it, and had stopped dead still. As he caught up, his suspicions were confirmed. It was a metal fence. She reached out slowly.

"May!" He called, taking one final leap forward, and grabbed her hand from the air. "It could be an electric fence."

Blushing at the feeling of his hand around hers, May turned away to the fence. She knew it it had been here all along, she would have noticed it. There didn't seem to be any way through, but the fence was not long. It jutted out from the wall for a few feet, then connected a couple hundred yards across. Peering inside, May spotted what she'd been hoping to spot all along.

"Look!" She called, pointing between two trees. "You see that?"

Ash squinted to get a better look. Between the two trees was a source of light. A hole in the wall. It looked as though it had been smashed by some sort of large Pokémon, and was just large enough for someone to crouch through. He looked back to May, and noticed her hands were shaking violently.

"A Pokémon on the other side must have broken through accidentally. Ash… That's a way out."

"But the fence… It's definitely an electric fence, May. We can't touch it to climb over, and we need to know what's on the other side before we make any decisions."

"Maybe I could break through it?"

"No." Ash shook his head and crossed his arms, trying to think as practically as he could without getting excited. "They would notice before we began everything. The problem is… they're probably going to close this up as soon as possible. I'm surprised they haven't already."

"Then this is another dead end?" May asked, her face dropping. Ash bit his lip, and turned away. "Wait…"

He looked back towards her in curiosity. "What if…" May clicked her fingers suddenly. "Dawn could shut this off, couldn't she? Surely she could? But then what…?"

"I go through."

May's head shot up. "What? Are you crazy? No way!"

"May, someone's got to check what's on the other side and check the way to the nearest city before we can do anything. I'd rather I did than you."

"No." May shook her head violently, her voice cracking. Taking a step forward, Ash pulled her in towards his chest, not feeling embarrassed at all, and held her there for a moment, rubbing her back. He pushed her gently back and held her by her shoulders, smiling down at her.

"Let me do this. I'll come back, I promise. After all, how else are we going to get out of here together and explore Hoenn together?"

May's heart jumped in her chest and a lump formed in her chest. Explore Hoenn together? Is he just saying that to cheer me up? Her tears stopped falling and she rubbed her eyes roughly with the back of her arm. "You… You want to explore Hoenn together?"

"I think it'd be a great idea. I always used to think of how I'd meet my best friend and we'd travel together if I lived a normal life. If I were to return to normal, that's still what I'd want. The only change… is that I'd already just my friend with me from the start."

May looked down, the word 'friend' hurting her once again. She didn't know what else she expected, but every time he said it it hurt a little more.

"Would you want to?" He asked after a moment of silence. May smiled back, snapping out of her trance.

"I'd love to."

"Then we have that to look forward to. So let me go. I'll come back before they notice."

Sighing heavily, May nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I'll get Dawn. Blaziken will take me on his back to find her, I shouldn't be too long."

Ash watched with anticipation as May called out Blaziken and he lifted her onto his back. The past few months had only made him want to leave more than ever, though in the back of his mind there was still doubt. Silently he worried that when they left May would leave, or he wouldn't be allowed to see her. In that moment, no one else crossed his mind. Blaziken ran off, its large strides taking her out of his view in no time.

Less than an hour later, May returned, running through the woods with Dawn and Paul at her side. Dawn froze at the sight of the fence, her jaw dropping, an intrigued but terrified look spread on her face.

"You're going over there… outside?" Dawn asked, turning to Ash. "Are you sure? You could be killed…"

"If you manage to shut down the fence, I'll be out and back before nightfall tomorrow. When the drone notices I'm missing they'll check for me, but seeing the electric fence whole, they'll think there's no way I could have gotten through there, and keep looking elsewhere. When I get back I'll say I was in the woods and fell asleep at around 1:30 or something."

Dawn seemed sceptical, but turned to the fence, surveying it. "What if I can't hold my focus for long enough, and the power returns to it before you make it over?"

Ash smiled. "I trust you."

Shaking slightly, Dawn looked up at the obstacle in their way, then at the hole in the wall. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. She glanced at May to check her thoughts, but May was staring directly at Ash, a confusing look on her face. Ash didn't seem to notice she was staring. Dawn could only imagine how May felt with Ash taking such a risk.

"Alright. I'll do it."

Standing at the bottom of the fence, Ash waited expectedly. Dawn took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking limbs. Next to her, May's worry seemed to be taking over, as she'd begun to shake a little too. Looking back to Ash, Dawn blew out, preparing herself, and turned her attention to the fence. Feeling the power from the fence being drawn towards herself, she gave a nod without tearing her gaze from the fence. Ash turned, reaching out slowly to touch the fence, and May held her breath. His fingers met the cold fence, and nothing happened. Knowing he had to act quickly, he immediately began to scale it, getting to the top quicker than any of them expected, and jumped over the other side, landing with a tumble on the other side. May exhaled.

"Hold it for a moment longer, Dawn, if you can," May pleaded, and ran towards the fence. Ash met her from the other side. She placed her hand on the fence on her side, and he did the same, their fingers meeting each other. "Please be careful," May pleaded. Realising this may give away too much, she spoke again, "I don't think I can handle losing my best friend now."

May thought she saw Ash frown for a second, but then his confident smile returned and he nodded. "I'll come back. There's no need to worry about me."

He removed his hand then, and May longed more than ever to be able to lean in, even through the fence, and kiss him before he left. But Ash had already turned away and begun to leave. She removed her hand, and stepped back. The fence turned on again, and May stood by it, watching Ash slip through the hole in the wall and disappear into the rest of the world.