Ash stared at the flatbed in front of the JETS headquarter building with the rest of his team congregated around the giant four wheeler ATVs. They were painted a combination of brown, gold and white.

Nicknamed the Zangoose for its incredible agility, the M23 Super Light All Terrain Vehicle were known for being able to accelerate from zero up to sixty miles per hour in six seconds. It had the best handling in the ATV business and a highly flexible frame for covering bumpy terrain.

Hoenn was known for its rather even surface at its coasts; however the desert and rugged parts in the center made the Zangoose a popular option for people traveling in the area. Winter time often saw frequent snowfalls that would stop cars from getting to and fro, but the Zangoose conquered them just as easily as a snowplow would.

"Hot damn," Damien Hammond whistled, "Look at these beauties. Always wanted one as a kid."

"You grew up in Dewford, why the hell would you want one of these?" Jewell asked.

"All the cool kids had one, even though they'd only use it like twice a year. Just another nice thing to have."

"What are we getting these new toys for?" Decker asked.

"The premier and head of internal threat protection are going to be cracking down on the Syndicate and hopefully get a lead on Harley and his lieutenants by the end of the year. To do that, we're going to be scouting their known bases of operation. These guys are ours for crossing the rough tough terrain."

The rumble of an engine caught their attention and they turned to see a sleek indigo car with hood ornament of a creature resembling a feline with a crescent shaped horn on the right side. The driver rolled up beside the flatbed and shut off the engine.

"Fancy," Jewell commented.

Ash had to agree. Whoever owned this car was a rich man and a lot of decorations and it surprised him even more when the doors opened upwards in a beautifly fashion.

The familiar face of Drew Hayden emerged from the driver's seat and made his way to them. He was dressed casually, but there were fancy logos on the sides of his clothing that clearly showed that they were also high end expensive brands. A silver pricey looking watch was on his left wrist.

Ash wasn't too fond of Drew when they first met and he could sort of see why many girls would want to have a chance with him. He had a lot of things; next in line to inherit a multibillion dollar business, plenty of money, nice car and probably lived inside a house that was big enough that he didn't have to walk inside every single room in a day. The way he carried himself was stuck up and portrayed the message "Move over. You're irrelevant, I'm rich."

Then at the same time, he wondered out of all the girls he could have had, why did it have to be May? The answer was obvious; their father had set them up for his own assurance that both his company and daughter would be stable. When she was with them, she was quiet and shrewd. With Ash, she was more outgoing, confident, a completely different person. With Ash, she could just be herself.

"Lieutenant," Drew called out, putting his hands on his hips as he rounded the side of the flatbed.

The team paused and looked at him like he was a foreigner. He didn't bother to stick out his hand for a shake. That was a dead giveaway that he wanted a talk, but it wasn't for formalities or a deal broker.

"Can you give us a minute?" Ash asked. Brendan nodded and gestured for the other three to head inside. When they had left, he turned back to face Drew. He didn't look particularly happy. "What can I do for you?"

"I'll make it plain and simple Ketchum," Drew stuck a finger an inch from Ash's chest, "You stay away from my girlfriend."

Ash pursued his lips and narrowed his eyes, knowing where this was already going, "Mister Maple has put a restraining order on me. I don't think you'll be having a problem with that."

"Yeah but here's the thing." He crossed his arms, "May's not been the same ever since you came into her life. What did you tell her about me? That I was unfaithful? Cheating? Not good enough for her?"

"I said nothing about you and frankly, don't need to. May has her own right to perceive you as she sees fit."

"Then why is she so dour whenever I try and take her out?"

Ash sighed, "Hey, I'm a soldier. If you've got issues with your girlfriend, go see a relationship counselor."

"You've been filling her head with nonsense," Drew spat, "How am I supposed to undo the damage?"

"Undo the damage?" He couldn't believe this man. At first, despite his arrogance, he thought maybe Drew was the more reasonable of the two between him and Norman, since he seemed to want to have no part in the internal conflict between Norman and May. Ash had thought that if May was serious about breaking it off with him, she would have done so already. Now he was starting to think otherwise. "Those were in her head long before I even knew she existed. You ever thought that the reason she's had all those thoughts is because I'm probably the first person that has actually listened to her."

"You're a soldier. You're not going to have time for her anyway."

"You're right." Ash agreed, "I'm a hardworking man, just like you."

"Who kills people for a living."

Ash felt a surge of anger. The way he said it like it was a bad thing made him all the more irritating. Sure, he killed, a sinful act to take another life, but it was justified that they were sworn enemies of the Federation, Republic of Hoenn or himself.

Wasn't it?

Now he was trying to shift the argument on him. Show him how he was incompatible with socializing.

"You ever seen combat? Or ever wanted to kill someone?"

"Maybe some old lady driving on the freeway too slow." Drew tried to laugh it off.

"Yeah funny," Despite the comical statement, Ash showed no emotion and was unamused, "I didn't believe so either because if you did, that would've been the last response I expected from you. There's nothing heroic done by it and I take no pleasure in doing it, no matter what they did."

He straightened, "Norman's put a restraining order on me. I'm not allowed within five hundred feet of either May or Max Maple. I can't "undo" the act of influencing May. You're at a dead end with me, so I'd go waste someone else's time."

May held the restraining form in her hand as Max approached with his own. They held them over the paper shredder in Norman's office and slid them inside. The machine whined and ripped the forms into pieces.

Norman kept them locked inside his desk, however Max had managed to locate where the keys were hidden and opened it up, taking the forms and leaving his intrusion unnoticed.

"Can't believe Dad doesn't want Ash to hang out with us anymore." He grumbled, "What does he have against him anyway?"

"He says I belong with Drew," May tiredly sighed, "But I don't love him."

Her brother shook his head, "Why do you remain with that prick? He doesn't deserve you. Ash does."

"How am I supposed to get his approval? I tried, Ash tried and Drew's just going to dad for support. I'm afraid of bringing mom into this because it would make things worse."

"Call Dawn." He suggested, "Maybe the two of you can work something out."

May nodded in agreement. She grabbed her coat and keys and made her way down to her car. The weather had gotten a bit cooler and the end of the year was beginning to approach. Norman's party was in five days and Thanksgiving was in two weeks.

"May," Her father greeted just as she was about to step into the garage.

"Dad."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Dawn." That was partially a lie, but she wanted to talk with both her and Ash.

"Okay." He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her intentions, "Do you have your restraining order form with you?"

"It's in the car." She lied.

"Good. Because Archie is going to check for it when you leave the front gate." He walked off towards his office, "Don't be out too late."

May saw her chance and quickly got out. Archie had just asked about it when she left and didn't press further. He seemed tired and never bothered looking for it.

"Where are my office keys?" Norman asked out loud, a minute after she had left.

Up in his room, Max was busy playing an online game and cringed. He forgot to put them back where he found them.

"Sooo," Dawn began as they sat together in a coffee shop at the shopping mall, "Your dad's back huh? I guess my presence is no longer welcomed inside."

"Doesn't stop us does it?" May tried her best to sound optimistic.

"What about Ash?" She asked, "Where's he at?"

"He went back to the Federation," She whispered, "He left."

"Don't look at it that way. Maybe he got called away on a secret mission. He said he was in the Reserves, which means he is still on duty."

"He didn't even say why he left either."

"May!" Dawn sternly scolded, "Don't you think for a second that he has forgotten about you!"

"I wanted to do so many things with him Dawn," Her voice seemed lost. Ever since Drew had stepped back into her life, she seemed depressed, solemn. "I even asked him to spend the night with me."

"What?" Her best friend was taken aback by the confession, "You asked him to sleep with you? That wasn't even a thought with you and Drew for years! What did he say?"

"He refused."

"May," Dawn put a hand on her knee, "He's the one."

"He's the one?"

"Yes!" She giggled and jumped excitedly in her chair, nearly spilling her drink onto their laps, "Ash is the man for you! Any man would not hesitate to jump into bed with you except the ones who really care about you as a person! Ash is that person!"

"Then what should I do?"

"Get more intimate with him," Dawn began to lean and whisper since her earlier shriek of excitement had attracted nearby patrons. "I don't mean do a complete make out or sleep together, but just spend some time where the two of you are close again. Maybe just cuddle on the back porch of his house."

"How am I supposed to get him to do that?"

"Have you even contacted him?"

"Nope," May excitedly pulled out her cell phone and sent a text: Hey, where have you been?

Ash replied five minutes later: Hey, I just got back into Petalburg this morning. What's up?

"Do you think he knows about the restraining order?"

"You mean these?" She held up a couple strips of the shredded form in her purse.

"You sneaky lady," Dawn snickered, "I think you're taking a lot after your man."

May replied: I'm sorry about the restraining order.

A minute later Ash sent one back: Eh, not like it's going to stop me from seeing your beautiful face. Why? Want to do something later?

May's fingers tapped rapidly at her miniature keyboard: How about we just have some pizza at your place? Don't want you to be seen at my dad's.

"Why do I feel like a schoolgirl that just broke the golden rule?"

"Because you just did." Dawn smirked. A moment later, May's phone vibrated again: I'm all for that. No better time to show you my place anyway. I'll send you the address.

May reached over to hand her some money in payment for their drinks, but Dawn shooed it away.

"Go spend some time feeling those muscles lover-girl."

She had a hard time trying to walk back to her car with a straight face that wasn't blushing.

Ash lived in a very nice neighborhood. It was about a fifteen minute drive on the freeway that went through a bit of suburban areas with shopping centers before the houses came into view. A lot of families with younger kids lived in this area and it seemed almost unnatural for a single male in his mid-twenties to reside here. At the same time, Ash's presence could ward off petty criminals and word spread around that the head of the JETS Urban Warfare Specialists had a residence somewhere in the neighborhood.

He bought a single story house that had a backyard on his own personal section of the beach. He had set a back patio with an enormous sunshade, since the sun shone on the back of the house during the morning hours.

It was painted a creamy plaster with dark brown trim with a slanted driveway that had a garage big enough for two cars.

Ash couldn't have picked a better house. It just had a homey vibe to it that May just loved.

He answered at the knock and May immediately noticed that Ash wasn't himself. He looked exhausted, but tried to remain his best in good spirits as he welcomed her to his house for dinner. They even laughed for a full minute when she told him that the restraining order forms had been shredded in the issuer's own wastebasket.

They talked about May's schoolwork and Max while eating before Ash finally slid his plate away. He had a half eaten piece of pizza on it and had already eaten another. Something was bothering him and May knew it because he could easily devour double the amount.

"Ash," May lowered her voice, "You look terrible. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The reply was curt, but also cold. It reminded her of the times when he rescued her, almost robotic.

"Ash…please."

Knowing he wasn't going to escape this one, he sighed. "I lost my mother three days ago. She died of amyloidosis."

May was shocked. "Anyone else you can call family?"

He shook his head, "That's it. I never knew my father, I'm an only child, no wife, no kids."

"What about your fellow Commandos? The Jets? Me?"

"Of course I have all of you and I'm very grateful, but I promised my mom and myself that I would not grieve."

"Ash, nobody will think any less of you if you publicly grieve. In fact, it often brings you and your extended family closer together."

He nodded, "My mom's always been a cornerstone in my life. When I didn't know what to do, she gave me guidance. It didn't always work, but it was helluva lot better than sitting around doing nothing."

"Ash," May scolded, "You need to stop being so negative about her passing. Yes, it's sad she's gone, but it'll just drag you down if you don't get over it soon. Believe me, I know."

"Your own mother?" He assumed.

May nodded.

"At least she is in a way better place than before."

"What do you mean?"

Without another word, he retrieved a large computer tablet and hit the screen a few times. Turning it over, he presented quite a startling image.

May knew it was just a picture, but even she was moved by it. It was a street with rickety old buildings with faded and peeling paint. A lot of trash was on the streets, adding more to the dismal image.

While the buildings certainly were not slums, the dilapidated structures and poverty could easily give away that it was a very poor neighborhood.

Looking back at Ash, his face was unchanged, an icy expression that thrust away any insight of his normal easygoing nature.

"Where is this?" May asked.

"Town of Pallet, Southwest Kanto." Ash monotonously said before adding, "I grew up there."

May gasped. She thought she knew Ash, but every time they met it seemed like there was some twist to his life. She knew that he never had a happy childhood like her, but seeing part of his true self was something else. How did he grow up in such a violent city and come out to be a fearless, selfless warrior?

"Ash,"

"I tried multiple times to use the benefits of my enlistment to relocate." He said, "Vermillion, Olivine, Goldenrod, Fuschia. She turned them down, citing that she didn't want to burden me with her as a responsibility." He looked into her eyes, "Parents always say that it's their duty to take care of the child when he grows up. Isn't it also the duty of the child to take care of the parent when they're unable to do it themselves?"

Ash shook his head, "Peer pressure was everywhere. Drugs, street gangs. It was quite the tough neighborhood and I learned from my mother at an early age to never get involved because the day I do, they'd never ever let me go."

"Then why did you enlist?"

"Because I wanted to be anything but all of what everyone else around me was becoming. My best friend Gary has a grandfather who founded a research institute in the safer northern part of the town and we pulled some strings to get into the boot camp."

"You're telling me your whole life story?" May asked. She scooted closer to him on the couch and leaned in. He found himself automatically wrapping an arm around her back to bring her by his side, "Why is that?"

"I updated my career record on both my Hoenn and Federation dossiers. Since my mother is dead, I had to list my next of kin."

He faced her, "I listed you."

Rather than blush, May reached over and put two fingers on his lips. Dawn's words echoed in her mind and she was going to take full advantage of it. Enough with the tragic past. It was time to do something new.

She moved closer to him and removed her hand, she replaced it with her lips.

Ash saw her eyes slide shut as he returned the kiss, but he was just as surprised to see her take the initiative. His hands snaked around her back and held her close. Had he not done that, May would probably have collapsed. At first, contact was awkward, but Ash had suddenly snatched the helm away from her. They must've been kissing one another for a while because both were panting heavily upon parting.

May was curious to find out how he was such a good kisser. He was clearly ten times better with the intimacy than Drew's attempts.

Even more strange was how Ash began to chuckle. It started out small but it quickly escalated into a full-blown fit of laughter. She couldn't help grinning from ear to ear as it seemed like he was laughing to purge all the stress and hardship from his mind.

"Wow." She said, finally finding something to make out of what had transpired that night. "Was she that special to make you such a good kisser?"

"Her breath wasn't the greatest."

Some drama, some intimacy and some foreshadowing.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.