Once again thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. Can't really think of anything to say so might as well just start.

"Who would have thought that the ferry would have been that expensive?"

"Oh stop complaining Ash and be glad that Dawn and I agreed to allow you to sleep on the couch in our room at the resort."

"Besides this is an overnight cruise so of course it will be a little expensive."

"You two are just saying that because you didn't have to pay. And besides, that was supposed to be my room in the first place."

The three of them were sitting on the deck of the ship watching the sun lower itself down to the horizon.

"But who was it that spent even more money on the buffet?" May asked. "You're lucky that it was an all you can eat cause otherwise it would have cost a fortune."

"Oh sure bring that up again, once again you guys didn't also have to pay for your food, unlike me. So you can get away with eating whatever you wanted. And besides you ate way…" Ash stopped mid sentence as May gave him a hard glare. "Right, shutting up now," he finished with a defeated sigh, remembering the forbidden topic.

With a content smile on her face, May looked over at her two human companions and then back to the setting sun. Considering everything she knew that her plan to help get Dawn and Ash together would work better the sooner they started, and this setting was perfect to do just that.

"I still have a few things that I need to take care of so I'm heading back inside for a while," she said while starting to walk towards the door leading back inside. "It shouldn't take too long but you don't need to wait up for me. Eevee we're heading back."

The Normal-type was sitting on the deck on one side of Pikachu with Buneary sitting on the other. Pikachu of course was not completely enjoying himself being under a near constant watch by these two, but he was at least starting to understand why it was happening. There could be only one real reason for both of them to be acting like this. What did humans call it again, love? Of course there was more to it than just the feeling alone. The idea of a mate wasn't really on his mind so he never gave it much thought up until this point. But with the current situation either he would have to tell them both off for now or choose one. Neither option was really all that appealing at this point.

Both Eevee and Buneary were also having their own problems. Neither wanted to move from their spot, else give their rival a possible advantage, but the former never disobeyed her trainer and if she was calling to leave there was little that could be done about it. Even though for the first time in her life she was considering actually going against the command, loyalty towards the one that had looked over her since her birth won out in the end. Giving one last defiant look to the other Normal-type she calmly followed her trainer back into the ship.

Mentally thanking May for her actions, Dawn knew exactly why she did that. Looking back at Ash he was still staring out over the ocean as the sun got progressively lower.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" She finally asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah; it is, isn't it?"

"Great, I have him alone with a fantastic setting and I have absolutely no clue what to say! Come on Dawn think, May gave you this opportunity and you shouldn't blow it."

"So Ash what are your plans for the future?"

"What kind of stupid question was that?!" She berated herself right as the words came out.

"The future? What do you mean by that?" Ash asked her completely confused. "I already told everyone last night what I was planning to do."

"No not the immediate future but, let's say…five years down the road. You'd be almost twenty-one by that point and your whole life will be opening up to you."

"Why the sudden interest in that?"

"I was just wondering," she responded as unassumingly as possible.

"Okay what is she getting at? Not even my mom has asked me this question yet," Ash thought as he stared at the fidgety blunette.

"Fine, I guess there's really no reason not to tell you. I don't really have anything thought out too much but it would be nice to get a job as either a gym leader of sorts or possibly even a Pokémon Ranger. I mean I'm going to run out of gyms some day," he ended with a laugh.

"And anything else?"

"Well starting a family might be on my agenda as well. But I would have no clue about that one just yet. That's not something we're really supposed to even be worrying about now anyways."

"Right, of course not."

While Dawn was having trouble striking up a good conversation with Ash, Buneary was trying to use the opportunity herself and get closer to Pikachu with Eevee's absence. Getting up next to the electric mouse Buneary tried to act as innocent as possible in doing so. But even with her right next to him Pikachu's attention was elsewhere.

Not even noticing her movement, Pikachu was just staring out into the horizon. Now that the thought of actually choosing a mate was more-or-less being forced on him, it was hard to get the thought out of his mind. He had to admit that they both had reasons for him to be interested in them but there was also the problem of how his trainer would be fitting into the equation. If he chose the partner of the other person that Ash chose that would only make things worse in the end.

Buneary of course, having no clue at what was going through Pikachu's mind, only used the moment to get somewhat closer as the sun started to disappear. Seeing him not back away like he did with Eevee she gladly took it as another point for her.

"Come on Dawn I gave you a great opportunity and you just aren't using it."

Watching them from the upper deck, May was trying to make sure that everything went well with them while she was gone. She couldn't really hear what they were saying but looking at their body movements she could guess that Dawn was having trouble getting Ash's attention.

"Man, this is going to be harder than I thought. Don't you think Eevee? Eevee?"

Looking down at her partner who was standing on the deck, the little Pokémon wasn't even paying attention to her trainer. Her eyes fixated on the other two that were down there. Seeing Buneary get physically closer to Pikachu like that made her instinctively growl but once the thought that no matter what she did up here would be able to affect them her shoulders and tail went limp.

"Vui." The voice was soft and full of emotion, but just watching what was going on below her was almost too much and made her feel completely powerless.

"Eevee what's wrong?" May asked as she picked up the limp Pokémon. Following her gaze May caught sight of the two Pokémon on the deck. "Is that the reason you are like this?"

"Vee," was her response, with only a slight nod of her head.

"But for you to react like that at seeing…oh no; Eevee do you like Pikachu that much?" Receiving nothing more than a deep sigh, May got her answer. Pulling the little one in closer for a comforting embrace, May spoke softly to her as she slowly pet her on the top of her head. "I'm so sorry Eevee, all this time I was thinking that you still only liked him as an older brother. I didn't realize that you cared this deeply for him."

Yet even with her apologies May could tell that that wouldn't be enough for her.

"I've been only thinking about myself and how to help those two I'd completely forgotten about you. Tell you what, even though I may be helping Dawn win over Ash, it doesn't mean that I'm going to help Buneary win over Pikachu."

At the sound of those words Eevee instantly perked up and looked at her trainer with an expectant yet cheerful face.

"I'll try to make sure that at least one of us will be able to fulfill their dreams on this trip."

"Eevee!" Jumping up to her shoulder Eevee started to rub her cheek on May's causing the latter to laugh as the soft fur began to tickle.

"Alright alright I get it. You're welcome. We'll just have to both try our best."

Looking back down at her friends, May could see Dawn shiver slightly and say something to Ash. It wasn't long after that Ash took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"There we go, now that's progress," May said with a triumphant smile.

After another minute or two the sun was nearly completely below the horizon but what caught May's eye the most was that Dawn stepped a little closer to Ash and rested her head on his shoulders.

"Okay that's a lot of progress," she said again, this time with far less passion. "Looks like they're hitting it off rather well."

May suddenly felt a light but stabbing pain coming from her chest as she continued to watch the two of them. Quickly bringing her hands up to the spot May could slowly feel it go away, but even after the initial pain her chest still felt tight as she began to take long deep breaths.

"Vee?"

Looking back at Eevee, May tried to put on her normal smile. "Sorry I don't know what came over me. Don't worry I'll be just fine. It's nothing to worry about. Nothing at all."

Eevee could tell that her trainer wasn't being completely truthful, and she could probably guess the reason why. Even though her trainer wouldn't admit it, it was hard for both of them to watch the scene down below.

Climbing back down into May's arms, Eevee did the only thing that she could think of doing by cuddling into her trainer's thoughtful grasp. If she couldn't give her words of comfort as she had just received, then at least she could do this.

"Eevee…" The brunette whispered as she looked down at the ball of brown fur happily lying in her arms. The sight made May completely forget about everything else that was happening, if only for that moment.

"Thank you," she finally said with a sad, but genuine, smile on her face. "I know that you for one will always be there for me and in return I will be for you."

"Vee."

"I think that it's about time to head down there, with the sun down we should probably head off to our rooms to get some sleep."

It didn't take long for the brunette to navigate her way down to the main deck and walk out to meet up with her friends. Both Ash and Dawn looked up as soon as the door closed behind her and quickly the two of them pulled away from each other with large blushes across their faces. May could feel her chest start to tighten up again but tried to ignore the feeling.

"I was thinking that I would be heading off to bed now, so I just came back here to say goodnight," she said while faking a smile.

"That's not a bad idea," Ash hastily chimed in. "Goodnight you two, see you in the morning. Come on Pikachu."

Snapping himself out of the trance that he was in, Pikachu took one last look at the other two Pokémon there before running up onto his trainer's shoulder as they headed back to their room.

"So how did it go?" May innocently asked Dawn as the latter picked up a slightly disappointed Buneary.

"It went great!" Dawn cheered. "It didn't start out all that well but in the end he gave me his coat to wear and I was able to lean up against him and watch the sunset. We may not have said all that much but I think that it's a good start. Don't you?"

"Yep, the first step is always the hardest. So after that it only gets easier."

"Thanks again May! Come on Buneary, time to go to sleep."

Watching them as they left, Buneary and Eevee both gave each other smug looks but they both knew who the winner of this round was. As soon as they were out of sight May looked back over the railing to the fading light from the sun's rays. Watching the red-tinted clouds blow across the horizon of deep blue she could only imagine how romantic it must have been for them. Giving off a big sigh she looked down at her partner. "Time for us to go to bed as well, huh?"

Not even waiting for a response May headed back for her room. Closing the door behind her, Eevee quickly ran and jumped onto the bed, finding a nice spot near the pillow and made herself comfortable. May on the other hand slowly walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, next to where Eevee had chosen.

"Hey Eevee, do you think that I'm a bad friend?"

"Vui?" Looking up at her trainer, Eevee could only wonder where a question like that would have come up.

"I'd like to think that I'm not, but I'm trying to get Ash and Dawn together and yet at the same time I get this odd feeling that I shouldn't. I want to continue to believe that my crush for Ash is gone but…I just don't know right now. He's been the greatest friend that I've ever had."

"Vee."

"Alright, greatest human friend. The one thing that I want right now is my friends' happiness, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure that it happens. They looked so happy together tonight so who am I to let a little crush come in between true love?"

Quickly changing into her sleeping clothes of flannel pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt, May crawled into bed. But for the second night in a row the tears once again began to fall.

"I know what is best so why can't I seem to accept it? My role is nothing more than the supporter. Damn these tears, I just can't…"

Even if she could now guess the reasoning as to why she was crying it didn't help it one bit, in fact it only made it seem worse. As the crying became a little more intense Eevee quietly crawled into the arms of her trainer, making herself comfortable before giving a big yawn and falling asleep surrounded by the warmth and scent of her trainer. Looking down at the sleeping ball of fur that had wriggled its way next to her, May couldn't help but feel some of her worries disappear. Just knowing she had the support of her Pokémon was enough to keep May's mind off of her problems and that night she fell asleep with dry eyes.

The next morning May woke up feeling refreshed but still a little down from everything that happened the night before. Making sure not to wake Eevee she grabbed a change of clothes and took her morning shower.

"Ahh, this is what I needed," May thought as she stood in the shower letting the warm water run down her body. "I'm not sure why I'm letting a simple crush on Ash get the better of me but this makes everything feel so much better. If possible I could just stay in here all day."

Too bad that reality had other plans, hearing the alarm go off on her Pokétch she knew that it was about time for all of them to meet up. Quickly finishing her shower and taking care of the rest of her morning routine, May got dressed and exited the small bathroom to find Eevee still asleep, as usual.

"You know this is a bad habit of yours," she told the Pokémon with a sigh. "Every day you sleep in and every day I need to make sure that you get your lazy butt moving." Just then she cracked a smile as the thought of how to resolve this issue popped into her head. "Then again stay asleep. I'm sure Buneary would love to see you get left on the ship while we head out, less competition over Pikachu."

Sure enough, as the brunette had predicted, Eevee's ears quickly perked up at the sound of his name and it wasn't long after that she was stretching and looking ready to start the day.

"Looks like I've finally found a reliable way to get you moving. Too bad that it'll only work for a few more days." Walking over to the mirror May started to fix her hair for the day. Curious as to her final comment Eevee jumped off the bed and made her way over to the vanity, nimbly climbing her way up onto the counter to see May put the finishing touches on her hair.

"Eve?" The little Pokémon asked while cocking her head to the side a bit.

"Huh? Oh you must want to know what I meant by that."

"Vee." Her curiosity had gotten the better of her many times before but this time it felt different. Considering the topic she would want to hear everything there was to say.

"Well the reason that it'll only work for a few more days is by that time you'll already have Pikachu's undivided attention, so threatening you with a rival would be pointless," May smiled as her partner walked over to her hand and started to coo softly while rubbing her face on May's wrist. "Well I did promise you didn't I? There, all done!"

Turning a few times in the mirror, May made sure that everything was perfect. Deciding that she liked the new style she had on yesterday more than her old one, she had tried to make it look like that again.

"Besides," she started talking to no one in particular. "Now that I've gotten second place in a Grand Festival I'm definitely no rookie anymore, and to help with that change anther should go along with it. Don't you agree?"

"Vee!"

"Great minds do think alike. Now let's go find Ash and Dawn."

Double checking to make sure that she had everything May went to the most likely place where should would find Ash, and thus probably Dawn as well, the cafeteria.

Sure enough, opening the doors to the cafeteria May saw her two friends eating breakfast. It seemed that she had slept in a bit compared to them as they were both already finishing up their meals. But what changed her mood instantly was seeing the two of them laughing as they picked at the last of their food. The happy disposition that she had found herself in while taking her shower quickly changed as the tightness in her chest began to reappear. Determined that today wouldn't turn out like yesterday, after a few deep breaths May walked into the room trying to keep these gloomy feelings under wraps.

Grabbing a large double chocolate muffin from the counter, May sat down beside Dawn and began to unwrap it. Eevee was quick to jump off of her trainer's shoulder and find her way to Pikachu and Buneary, who were currently sitting on the table eating what was left of their own breakfast. Of course the latter was much too close for Eevee's, or Pikachu's for that matter, comfort. Pikachu almost felt relieved to see Eevee there as well, if not only to take Buneary out of his personal space.

"So what should we do first today?" Dawn spoke up as May finished half of her muffin. Yet after she finished the top May seemed to slow down, apparently lost in thought.

"How about we check into the hotel, drop our things off, and explore the town for a bit?" Ash suggested after swallowing the last of his waffle. "We came here to relax so why waste it?"

"Sounds good to me, May?"

"Huh? Oh yeah sure." Engrossed in and sorting through everything that had gone on the last couple days May found that she was barely paying attention to their conversation, unconsciously pulling apart the last of her muffin. Rediscovering an old crush while trying to help a friend obtain the same person was almost becoming a nightmare for her. Caught between what could have happened and what she should do as a friend. It was almost to the point where she felt as if she …

"Are you okay May?" Ash asked, interrupting her thoughts and looking directly at her. "You seem a little out of it. Not to mention you're barely eating."

"I'm fine Ash thanks. I'm just a little tired that's all." The brunette waved it off as she took another big bite of her muffin.

"If you say so, but if there is anything on your mind, anything at all, that you want to talk about; I'm willing to listen."

Looking up to see him with his trademark smile on his face May couldn't help but feel better. "It's that smile of his that first got me and it still has the same affect. As long as those two are happy I guess that's all that matters. True love will always win out in the end."

"Thanks Ash but I think I'm already feeling a bit better." Grabbing what was left of her wrapper May got up and threw it away before coming and grabbing both Eevee and Pikachu in her arms. "Now that everyone is done how about we find that hotel?"

Eevee made a mental note to again thank her trainer for helping with her own problems as well. With May on her side a simple act like that wouldn't look like much to the other humans, but the price on Buneary's face was priceless to watch as she was pressed up against Pikachu once more. Enjoying the feeling for only a moment Eevee climbed up onto her normal perch on May's left shoulder while Pikachu stayed down in her arms. Now that things were starting to go her way the Evolution Pokémon didn't need to press her luck, after seeing how nervous Pikachu was getting with Buneary constantly hovering over him she figured that a more subtle approach would probably be best. Besides, if he wasn't liking that method why not try something different? Looking back down at Pikachu Eevee gave a courteous smile and nod before making herself comfortable on her trainer's shoulder.

Pikachu on the other hand, who was expecting the worst, looked up at the Evolution Pokémon with a curious expression on his face. Here, one of the two females that was trying to get his attention was put into a position that she could have taken advantage of, and yet she didn't. Not to mention she was always the one to overreact whenever she laid eyes on him, causing the poor Pokémon loads of trouble over the years. Yet even still he could tell that it wasn't because of her not being interested. The little mouse could only wonder what this meant, yet at the same time he was quite intrigued with it. Trying to put it aside for the moment he just made himself comfortable in the arms of an old friend, cooing softly as he found the perfect position.

"Sound like a good idea," Ash said as he got up. "I assume you're okay with Pikachu for a while?"

"It's no big deal, besides it looks like he enjoys the change of scenery."

Giving May an odd look Dawn grabbed Buneary before following the two of them out of the restaurant and off the ship. Motioning for her to fall back a bit, the two girls got a few paces behind Ash as to get some privacy.

"Are you really okay May?" Dawn asked in a worried tone.

"Really, I'm fine Dawn. You don't have to worry about me. Besides you have yourself to worry about right now, so try and focus on your goal." She responded with a weary smile.

Looking from May, to both of her passengers, and finally down to Buneary, Dawn decided that it was best just to let it drop. There was obviously something that May wasn't saying but didn't want to talk about, and she wasn't going to pressure her into telling. Though it was her actions with Pikachu and Eevee that brought the questions up again.

"I thought that she said that Eevee only liked Pikachu as a brother, and yet she pulled the two of them together like that in her arms," Dawn thought as they went to begin the process of checking out. "Then again I could just be looking too far into it again. Eevee didn't even stay down with Pikachu when she had the chance. Is that her way of saying that Buneary is the one who gets him?"

"Alright if there really is nothing bothering you I'll leave it at that. But remember, Ash isn't the only one you can come to for support."

"Thanks Dawn, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," May said as the blunette ran up to Ash's side and began a small conversation. "But I doubt that I could even bring this problem to you," she continued in only a whisper.

Looking back up at the two of them and seeing them both smile May once again felt a sharp pain in her chest. Resisting the urge to grab the spot she resorted to one again just taking several deep breaths. Both Pikachu and Eevee noticed the slight change and looked up at the coordinator, who just returned their looks with a half-hearted smile.

"I'll just have to deal with it until I learn how to finally forget."


And there ya go; as always reviews are welcome otherwise the next chapter will be up in a couple days.