Well, unfortunately I felt a bit bad for Drew (with the stress on "a bit") so I don't think his torture will last much longer.

Oh and I probably didn't describe May's dress as well as I could have, so if you'd like to see the fan art that I was inspired by, send me a PM and I'll give you a link.

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)

----

"Everybody's feelin' warm and bright. It's such a fine and natural sight...."

The perfect dinner. The perfect place. The perfect girl. I definitely lucked out tonight.

"What are you smiling about, Ash?"

"I just really like this song."

"Me too," said May cheerily.

The glanced up again at the ceiling and imagined that she and Ash were dancing in an open field in the middle of summer under the stars. After the song ended, the two took their seats again and decided to order some ice cream for desert.

"I wonder where Jake is?"

"He's probably in another section of the restaurant."

"Joseph! This is not your supervisor's office!!!!"

"Well, my supervisor was in there a minute ago."

"Look here wiseguy! I, master coordinator Drew, will not stand her and be ridiculed by the hired help!"

"Then I suggest you be seated and quiet down so as not to start a scene."

"If anyone started this, it's you. I suppose you can't find good help these days. You can't even get me water on time."

"Sir, you ordered the calamari, and if you felt that you couldn't handle the flavor, you shouldn't have ordered it. I believe the saying is, 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.'"

"Fine! I'm out of here."

Drew stormed out of the restaurant as quickly as he could with Jake following behind him.

"Have a nice night, sir," said Jake with a superficial smile.

"Forget you!"

With that, the door slammed.

"What? No tip?"

Luckily, Drew didn't notice that his scheduled date had been sitting in the V.I.P. Section sharing a banana split with Ash.

"This is delicious. It's so light and creamy. Nothing like store bought ice cream."

"I agree, May, but I think I'm out of room for now."

Ash's appetite had vanquished him.

"I think I'm done after this last bite too."

May placed her spoon down and looked at Ash.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Well, lately I had felt a bit of a distance between us. Not the best feeling in the world. I guess it's just because we've been so close throughout our travels that any time apart feels a bit weird. I'd gotten used to your charming company," she said teasingly.

"Haha. Thanks. And you're welcome. So shall we walk home and enjoy the weather? The skies are clear so it'll be great to see the stars tonight."

"I'd love to! It'd be the perfect way to end today."

Jake helped out with other customers that night as he agreed to do in order to insure that Ash and May would be able to enjoy themselves. Unlike with Jake, he earnestly enjoyed helping other people complete their orders and truly found a joy in serving them.

Melody had begun to play "No Moon at All." She watched as Jake made his rounds until it was closing time. She quite enjoyed the fact that Jake actually acted on his advice to Ash by actually being a gentleman. After the last guest had left and Jake finished clean up duty, he sat by the piano for a bit to relax.

"I thought Drew was actually going to get past you."

"Nothing gets past me. A professional operative knows how to get his opponent to do what he wants when he wants."

"So that hot sauce was part of that brilliant plan?"

Jake looked embarrassed and admitted, "I suppose that probably wasn't the nicest thing to do, but I just felt the need to."

"I couldn't really blame you. I heard his little rant. He'd give Narcissus a run for his money."

"Indeed he would."

Both smiled at each other as they laughed at Jake's experience with Drew.

"But at least you made up for it with the way you served the other customers. Get a lot of tips for that?"

"Eh, a bit, but I didn't do this for the tips."

"I know. You did this for Ash and May. That was really nice of you. I don't know anyone that would do that for someone that they had just met."

"Well, I have been following Ash for most of his Pokemon career, so I don't think he's a complete stranger to me."

"Still. You showed real kindness to him. You show kindness to everyone. That's what surprises me about you."

"It's just what I've been raised to do."

"It does make me wonder though. Why did that girl break up with you?"

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry. I know it's probably a sensitive area."

"No, it's fine. It's just. Well, she was my first serious relationship. I met her while traveling around Johto. I put out all the stops. I even took a break from Pokemon for her."

"So how did it go wrong?"

"To tell you the truth, she actually broke up with me. I guess she wasn't satisfied with me. I suppose she wanted someone a bit more aggressive. Nice guys finish last sometimes."

"So she left you to go be with some other guy?"

"Not exactly, if you get what I mean."

"Oh.. I see."

"Yeah, not the best experience for me. And for a while, All I could trust were my Pokemon. They wouldn't leave me for another trainer, so that's why they're some of my best friends."

"It's still a bit sad though. I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's her loss."

The warm breeze came between Ash and May and blew between the leaves of the trees. They had both been quiet for most of the walk home and only made small remarks about the dinner and the rest of the night. During one of their quiet spells, Ash and May heard a rustling from the tree above which made them stop in apprehension.

"Spinarak!"

"AH!"

May screamed out of shock and grabbed on to Ash's arm.

"Scared of bugs?"

"No, it just caught me by surprise."

"Oh, alright. It just kinda reminded me of Misty. She was always terrified of them."

May felt a slight sting at the mention of her. She could see that Ash had fond memories with her and had admitted to feeling somewhat threatened by their bond. Even though they were never in a relationship, they had traveled together for the first few years of Ash's journey, so it was obvious that Ash did miss her.

"Ash....will you miss me as much as you miss Misty? When I leave for Johto I mean."

This took Ash by surprise. He had kept his mind of the eventual fact that May would have to leave soon.

"Of course May. I can't even imagine what it'll be like traveling without you."

"Really? You really mean that?"

"Sure I do! But...." Ash paused and thought about what he was going to ask.

"Are you sure about leaving me? Err...to go to Johto I mean."

"I admit it'll be tough without you. You taught me so much about Pokemon, and it would have been handy to have someone with me that's already traveled through the region."

"I'd be glad to go with you again. I mean there's a lot of things we could accomplish together. Besides, I'm going to miss your support during my important battles."

"And it's going to feel weird doing contests without you cheering in the stands for me. You were always there, even if I lost."

"I was your biggest fan May."

"Thanks, Ash. That really means a lot."

May grabbed on to his arm again.

"May, the Spinarak is gone."

"Oh, um I know. I just want to be prepared in case we run into another one."

Ash didn't mind at all. He had a suspicion that this wasn't the real reason, but he was glad that she was clinging to him.

Jake and Melody also took a stroll in the night air. They had left about an hour after Ash and May departed. The moon was full and shone brilliantly in the clear night sky.

"Thank you for walking me home. And for dinner too. Even though I had to work after," she said with a bit of false whining.

"Haha. Sure. At least we got to taste one of everything on the dinner menu before the customers did."

Pikachu was sitting on Jake's shoulder, being lulled to sleep as Jake walked. The little electric mouse was able to sample Pokemon food from all around the world. He spent most of his time in the kitchen and enjoyed the company of an old friend.

"Yeah, that's true. It was so good too. I guess Pikachu enjoyed his meal as well.

Ash's partner had now fully fallen asleep.

"Plus that piano looked like it had been in use since the 19th century."

"That very well may be. Theodore had always been somewhat of an antique enthusiast."

"It was a beautiful piano, and it awesome to play on it."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"We're here."

"Oh and I have to thank you for another thing."

"What's that?"

"Thanks for opening up to me. It means that you really trust me and that means a lot."

"I should be thanking you for listening to me whine."

"We all have to whine sometimes. And trust me, that girl has no idea what she lost."

Jake gave a smile of gratitude and placed his hand on the back of his head nervously.

"Well, goodnight then."

Melody placed her keys in the door and unlocked it, but not before rushing to kiss Jake on the cheek.

"Good night to you too, Jake."

Ash and May decided to recline on the couch after their walk. They were only going to relax for a second, but they grew too comfortable to find the strength to go to their rooms.

May yawned and placed herself under the covers.

"I think I'll just relax here for a bit."

"Me too."

"You know, Ash. I hope that we can spend more time together like this, before I go."

"Oh....Yeah.....that'd be....good."

She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and began to loose consciousness.

"To be honest........" she paused due to fatigue.

"I don't ever want to leave your side........."

Ash looked at May who had already comfortably layed herself on Ash's chest.

You won't ever have to.


As always, please review, and thanks for reading. ^_^