The next day was a big one. The day of the big basketball game. And everyone in the school was buzzing with excitement. That is of course, except for a young brunette as she entered the school quietly. She was incredibly nervous about the decision she had made about Leaf's demand for her identity, even despite the fact that there was no longer anything she could do to change it. It was published now and as she walked through the parking lot, she saw people already reading it. She just hoped she made the right call. As she walked in the door, she saw Ash waiting for her with a friendly smile.
"Hey May." he greeted her.
"Hi…" she said, forcing a smile. But Ash could tell it was forced and a look of concern crossed his face.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing...just have some things on my mind…" she said, hoping he didn't pry.
"You know you can always tell me right? It might help put you at ease if you talk to someone about it." he offered, brushing a bit of hair from her face. His actions of course made her blush and long to tell him, but she knew she couldn't.
"I wish I could...I really do…but it's something I have to work through. I'm sorry…" she answered with a weak smile. "It'll be fine…"
"Well, if you say so." Ash sighed. He really wanted to know what was wrong, but he didn't want to pry. He knew that was a really quick way to get her to clam up. So for now, he'd drop the issue. Besides, he had something that he knew was gonna cheer her up. He took a minute to open his bag and then pulled out his freshly cleaned jersey, holding it up for her to see in full view. "Look what I got for you."
"This is…?" May gasped, blushing. Ash grinned cheekily and nodded. "Wow…now you're sure about this...?"
"More sure than I've ever been about anything." he promised her. His response made May smile as she gently accepted the jersey and slipped it on over her head. "Wow...you look great in that. Better than Leaf ever did."
"Heh…thank you." she blushed. The two shared a loving smile for a moment.
"I love you."
"I love you too." with that said, Ash took May's hand and began walking her into the hallways.
"May do you mind if we make a quick stop on the way? I really want to read the latest Paper Princess column." he asked. May flinched slightly at the name of her alias, but gave him a nod.
"Sure." she nodded, doing her best to hide her nerves. With her permission given, Ash took a slight detour to the nearest newsstand and picked up a copy, opening it up directly to the advice column. As he read the top question, however, his eyes widened in shock.
"Oh my gosh..that's Leaf's screen name." he realized.
"Leaf wrote to Paper Princess…?" May questioned him, feigning her ignorance.
"Yeah. But this sure isn't a question. She's demanding that Paper Princess reveal her identity!" Ash informed her, giving her a chance to gasp in fake surprise as Ash growled. "That's disgusting. Trying to out this poor girl just because she thinks Paper Princess had something to do with us breaking up."
"...Did she?" May wondered, curious to know the answer herself. Ash gave her a momentary glance of surprise, before shrugging.
"I mean I did talk to her when I was having doubts about my relationship with Leaf, but she never tried to sway me one way or another. She just told me to be fair to both sides and think about what I really wanted." he explained as he lightly squeezed May's hand. "And she couldn't have been more right about that."
"I see…" May said quietly, lightly blushing and filled with a little bit of hope from his comments. "Well uh, what did Paper Princess say in response?"
"Let's see." he answered as he looked back to the paper and began reading the response for her.
"Thank you for writing in. I'm sorry that things have taken a downturn for you lately, but coming after me won't make things better for you. Yes, your ex-boyfriend has talked with me on a few occasions, but even he will tell you that my advice was never for him to leave you. All I told him to do was follow his heart and what it really wanted. If he's decided that what he really wants isn't you, there's nothing I can do about that. As for my identity, why should it matter who I am? All I want to do is help people who ask for it and give them a comfortable space to do it in. Who I am, what I believe, and what my background is shouldn't have any bearing on how I help people. And no one has to take any of the advice I give. It's just an option. And you, like everyone else, always have the option to contact me for help. I just ask that next time you do, please come with a question rather than a demand." Paper Princess explained. May held her breath as she waited for Ash's reaction, and was very relieved when he started laughing.
"That's awesome!" he laughed.
"You really think so?" she wondered.
"Of course! Telling Leaf off and still offering to help her for real in the future? That's just like Paper Princess!" he chuckled, making May's smile grow.
"She is good…" she said quietly.
"Aside from you, she's the best." he replied as he lightly squeezed her hand again. "Anyway, shall we stop by your locker and then get moving to class?"
"Yeah. Let's go." she answered as she squeezed his hand back and they began walking once more. May was relieved that Ash approved of her response to Leaf, and from the looks of the other students, they did as well. The young couple soon arrived at May's locker and she started putting in her combo as Ash waited for her patiently. However, just as May started pulling her locker door open, a hand came in and slammed the door shut again, startling her. Both she and Ash turned around and were surprised to see Leaf, standing there angrily and holding May's locker door closed. Obviously, the combination of Paper Princess's response and seeing May in Ash's jersey had caused her to rage so much, that her calm facade was broken this morning.
"What do you think you're doing Leaf?!" Ash growled. "Get out of the way!"
"I will after she and I have a little talk." she responded as she glared at Ash with a dangerous look in her eye. "In private."
"I'd prefer not to…" May said timidly, hoping to avoid a major conflict. That was all Ash needed to hear as he stood his ground next to her.
"Not a chance Leaf. If you got something to tell May, then tell her in front of me. I'm not gonna leave someone like you alone with her." he snarled, which made May smile a little at his chivalry. Leaf looked between the two of them as they stood as a united front and growled under her breath. This was far from over, but she was smart enough to know that now wasn't the time.
"Fine then." she huffed as she let go of May's locker and turned to leave. However before she actually left, Leaf purposefully stepped on May's foot as she walked away, making the timid girl yelp in pain.
"Hey!" Ash yelled, trying to keep himself from actually going up to her and throttling her.
"It was an accident." Leaf commented without turning around before she rounded the corner.
"Liar." Ash grumbled. He wanted to tell one of the teachers about it, but he knew that without having actually seen what happened, Leaf would be able to snow them with her pretty face. Just as she had always done to him. It wasn't worth the trouble. So instead he turned towards May and checked on her. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine…" She nodded, rubbing the lingering pain out of her foot. "It's not a big deal…"
"It is to me." he countered. "You don't deserve any of this. You need to tell me if she comes after you again ok? I'll deal with her."
"A-Ash-" May stammered as she blushed a little, but Ash was quick to solidify his position.
"I won't let her hurt you May. Promise me that if she comes after you again, you'll tell me. Ok?" he insisted.
"...O-Ok. I promise." she answered as she blushed harder. Satisfied with that answer, Ash kissed her and she nervously kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her, prompting her to relax a little as he held her close. A soft moan passed between them before May slowly pulled away and Ash cupped her cheek, running his thumb gently along her skin.
"I'll love you no matter what." he promised.
"I love you too…" she whispered. They both smiled softly and after getting their things, they headed towards their class hand in hand.
Later on in the day, after several uneventful periods, lunch hour had finally begun. May had sat down with Dawn for lunch as she always did, and the two of them had been discussing the events of the morning.
"I just can't believe the nerve of her. That's so uncalled for. Both what she did to you and to Paper Princess." Dawn huffed.
"She has a right to not like me...either of us honestly…" May said, in her typical shy tone.
"Sure she does, but she doesn't have a right to assault you." Dawn countered.
"Dawn would please let it go? I don't want to dwell on this." May insisted, which made Dawn smile.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you of all people would say you didn't want to dwell on bad things." she chuckled, making May blush as she realized the same thing. "Guess Ash is having a good influence on you."
"Well…he's a great guy." she replied shyly, though still smiling at the comment. Meanwhile, nearby, the very guy they were discussing was joining his teammates at their table, thankfully this time Leaf was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, man." Gary greeted him. Ash flashed his friends a small smile as he sat down, though it was apparent that something was still bothering him.
"Hey, guys…"
"You ok?" Ritchie asked.
"Just a little frustrated." Ash sighed as he began eating. "Leaf is just really getting on my nerves today."
"You broke up with her and got a new girlfriend all within the last 24 hours. Did you expect any less?" Gladion pointed out in his normal deadpan tone.
"No." Ash sighed. "But May doesn't deserve this. She hasn't done anything to warrant this kind of treatment and I don't want anything to happen to her."
"Ash I think at least for a while you're gonna have to accept that Leaf is gonna be bitter. And knowing her, that may entail some payback. The only question you need to ask is, is being with May worth some trouble to you?" Gary questioned him.
"She is." Ash nodded, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Even though we've only been together for a little over a day, I feel so much better with her than I ever did with Leaf. May is the one, I just know it."
"Then just hold out a little longer." Ritchie encouraged him.
"I will. Thanks, you guys." Ash smiled.
"Hey speaking of which, why aren't you sitting with her? Or invite her to sit over here?" Gary inquired.
"I didn't want to overwhelm her too quickly yet. I thought she would prefer sitting with someone she's more comfortable with for a while longer." Ash explained.
"That's fine, but you should try to be there for her more to help her through this." Gladion instructed him.
"Man's got a point. Go sit with your girl." Gary added.
"Alright. Thanks again, you guys." Ash nodded as he got up from the table with his food in hand and made his way over to May's table. The young lady and her friend were still talking about current events as he approached them from behind his girlfriend. "May?"
"Eek!" May yelped as she jumped in surprise. Both Ash and Dawn chuckled at the still easily started young girl as she blushed in embarrassment.
"Hey." he greeted her again.
"Hi...is something wrong?" she wondered.
"Not a thing. I just wanted to eat with you. If that's alright." he said, gesturing to the tray in his hands. "After all you sat with me and my friends yesterday. Only fair I do the same for you right?"
"Oh...yeah of course." she nodded, flashing a small smile before glancing at Dawn. "If that's ok with you."
"Absolutely!" Dawn grinned. Ash smiled as well and he then sat down next to his new girlfriend.
"How are you after this morning?" May asked.
"A little annoyed still, to be honest. But I'm not going to let her spoil our fun." he assured her, placing his hand over her's on the table.
"I'm sorry things haven't gone very smoothly so far…" May said quietly.
"You have nothing to apologize for May. Leaf is my baggage and I'll deal with it." he assured her, giving her hand a slight squeeze. This made May smile.
"Speaking of, what did you guys think of her "question" to Paper Princess this morning?" Dawn piped up. May gave her a worried and surprised glance, but Ash didn't seem to notice.
"Definitely something only she would do. I can't imagine anyone else being that entitled." Ash answered with a roll of his eyes.
"Even I didn't think she'd go that far. And we've been on the cheer team together for years." Dawn added.
"She's good at hiding her true intentions when she wants to." Ash sighed.
"Well…at least Paper Princess seemed to handle things well." May chimed in softly.
"I'm glad for that." Ash chuckled. "I'm glad someone else has the courage to stand up to Leaf. We definitely need more people like her."
"Sounds like you're a big fan, Ash." Dawn smiled, casting May a knowing glance that made the brunette blush.
"I sure am. And as much as I'd love to find out who she is, I'm perfectly fine with her staying anonymous. After all part of her charm is that she seeks no recognition for the good work she does." he explained. His words made May smile, happy that he had such admiration for what she did, even though he didn't know it exactly.
"That's really sweet of you Ash." she commented. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.
"Well anyway, I came over here to learn more about you two. So how about we do that for a bit?" he suggested.
"Sounds good to me!" Dawn laughed. May giggled a little herself and the three of them spent the rest of the hour sharing stories and getting to know each other.
Hours later, just about an hour before the big game was scheduled to start, May was waiting for Ash by his locker, per his request from earlier. He had asked her before they left school that afternoon to meet him by his locker before the game so they could spend at least a little time together. It only took a few minutes of waiting before he walked over to her with a smile, happy to see her still wearing the jersey. She smiled back a the sight of him and they embraced once they were within range.
"There you are." she greeted him.
"Sorry for the wait. The parking lot is crazy tonight." he chuckled.
"So I noticed." she smiled. "Are you nervous about tonight?"
"No way. The guys and I are totally ready for this so we're going to dominate. Besides, I want the first game you see as my girlfriend to be a win." he replied, giving her a wink along with the final comment. She smiled softly at his kind words.
"Aw, Ash…"
"To be honest I'm more afraid of that cheerleader walk across the court before we get started." he admitted, scratching behind his head.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" she offered, but he shook his head.
"No don't you worry about a thing." he assured her as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Just cheer me on out there and everything will be fine."
"That I can do." she promised.
"Great." he grinned. "You do that and then after we win, what do you say you and I get some late-night ice cream?"
"I'd like that very much." May nodded.
"That's my girl." Ash smiled at her. She returned his smile and the two shared a small, but tender kiss. Once their lips broke apart, she looked up at a nearby clock and noticed the time.
"I guess you gotta go get ready huh?" she commented.
"Yeah, unfortunately. I'll see you after the game." he promised.
"Good luck. I'll be in the stands cheering."
"Thanks." the two of them shared one more kiss, a bit more passionate this time, before sharing a smile. Ash then headed off to join his friends in the locker room while May watched him go, sighing happily. She still couldn't believe that wonderful man was really her boyfriend. She was so lost in her own thoughts though that she didn't notice Dawn sneaking up behind her.
"Boo!" the cheerleader yelled, making May jump and yelp in surprise. Dawn laughed as May whirled around and playfully smacked her friend on the arm.
"Don't do that!" she yelled.
"Then don't space out in open hallways!" Dawn laughed. May rolled her eyes as Dawn finally caught her breath and the two shared a friendly smile. "I take it Ash just left?"
"Yeah, he did. We just wanted a few minutes together before the game."
"Sounds like things are going well for you guys."
"I've never felt so happy…" May happily sighed.
"I can see that." Dawn chuckled. "Just think. All of this wouldn't have happened if you didn't start writing that advice column. Eh, Paper Princess?"
"Dawn be quiet!" May growled, covering her friend's mouth. Dawn blinked in surprise before pulling her face free of May's grasp.
"Would you calm down?" No one else is here you know." she pointed out.
"In case you haven't noticed we're in school! And there are hundreds of people just around the corner in the gym!" May hissed.
"Even if people were around, no one's paying attention to us anyway. The game is about to start you know. I think that's the bigger draw." the bluenette countered.
"I don't care. I'm not taking any chances." May said firmly.
"Fine." Dawn sighed. "Let's get going. I gotta meet up with my team for the escorts. And you're gonna want to find a good seat before they're all gone."
"Right." May nodded as the two of them began heading toward the gym. Little did either of them realize, a certain other brunette was smirking nearby, having heard everything.
Soon enough, after Ash and his teammates had gotten into their uniforms, they left the locker room and gathered in the hallway, where Leaf, Dawn, and the other cheerleaders were already waiting. As the two teams met up, they began pairing off with their assigned partners, players escorting cheerleaders. At the back of the line, Leaf walked up to Ash, who immediately glared at her. Leaf rolled her eyes and took his arm in her hand.
"At least act the part." she groaned. "It is a show you know."
"I'll do what I need to. But I'm warning you one more time so we're clear. You had better not try to pull another tonight or I swear you will regret it." he growled.
"Whatever. Speaking of tonight, you should stick around for the halftime show. I think you'll like it." she commented, surprising Ash with her calm tone.
"You know I can't do that. I need to be with the team in the locker room." he countered. Even though his excuse was technically true, he also just really wanted an excuse not to be around her any longer than he had to.
"It wouldn't be the first time you've broken the rules." she reminded him. "Besides it'll mean the world to the girls to get the Captain's approval on our new routine. Or are you willing to let the whole cheerleading team down because you hate me?"
"...Oh fine." he groaned. As much as he didn't want to, he did want to support Dawn and the other cheerleaders. And as Captain, he did have some responsibilities. He could bare a little more of Leaf for them. He hoped he could anyway.
"You'll enjoy it. No doubt." she replied. Once she had, they both heard the band in the gym start up and the announcer began calling names of the cheerleaders and players, prompting each pair to go in one at a time, the crowd roaring their approval. After a few minutes, only Ash and Leaf were left in the hallway.
"And finally, please welcome the Team Captain Ash Ketchum, escorting our Head Cheerleader Leaf Green!" the announcer called out, prompting Ash to walks in with Leaf on his arm as the crowd roared louder than they had for any of the previous players. Leaf smiled and waved to the cheering crowd, playing her role perfectly. Ash waved as well, but at the same time was scanning the crowd until he finally spotted May, sitting in the bleachers and cheering as well. Their eyes met and a silent acknowledgement passed between them. With that little moment making him smile, Ash let go of Leaf and quickly joined his teammates on the sidelines as they all huddled around their coach.
"Alright boys, this is it. Our big game." Coach Surge announced. "All of you gotta be on our best game. Remember what we practiced and give it all you got. Ready to win?"
"Yes sir!" the boys all shouted. They all put their hands into the center before raising them up in unison. "Let's win it!"
After a hard-fought first half, the buzzer finally sounded for halftime just as Ash managed to make one more shot. That put them in the lead, though it was only by a few points. May cheered excitedly for him with the rest crowd. And even though all the noise Ash could hear the sound of her voice and it made him smile. He began to clear the court with his team as Leaf and the other cheerleaders ran out to take their place. Noticing this, Ash pulled Gary aside for a moment.
"Gar could you cover for me? The cheerleaders asked me to watch their performance." he whispered.
"No problem Cap." Gary nodded as he hurried after the rest of the team. Ash nodded in thanks and then sat at the end of the bleachers as the cheerleaders began their halftime performance. Their skills were on point as always and their performance was top-notch. Aside from his current feelings about Leaf, he couldn't deny that she ran a great team. They all formatted themselves within their final pose and got the crowd roaring with applause, which even Ash joined in to show his support for the other girls. However before anyone knew what was happening, Leaf made her way over to the announcers' table and grabbed the microphone from them before they could protest. Which Ash was fairly confident she wasn't allowed to do.
"Thank you all for coming out tonight! Haven't our boys been playing great?! Give them a round of applause!" Leaf instructed the crowd as she rejoined the girls on the court. The crowd did as instructed and the cheerleaders, while visibly confused about this sudden addition to their routine, played along.
"What is she up to...?" Dawn wondered to herself as she kept a smile plastered on her face. Despite the confused looks from her teammates, as well as Ash, Leaf continued her speech.
"They've all really helped put our school on the map! But we can't forget about the people that have been helping our school from the inside now can we? A few weeks ago a new article started coming out in our paper called Paper Princess. Most of you students know who I'm talking about, but for those who don't know, she was an anonymous writer of an advice column that a lot of people have told me was helping them with problems. Including several members of our beloved basketball team. So let's make sure we also give a hand to our very own Paper Princess, May Maple!" she announced, holding her hand out to May so that every single eye in the gym landed right on her. May's eyes widened in horror as a collective gasp rose up from the student body section of the crowd. Dawn's jaw fell open and Ash's eyes slowly looked up towards May.
"W…What...?" he asked as their eyes met across the crowd. May's were full of fear, nerves, and horror, while Ash's were full of confusion, disbelief, and shock. Leaf smirked a little, able to see the looks on their faces as she continued to speak into the mic for all to hear.
"We just wanted to make sure you got the recognition you deserved May. After all, it's not everyone that can give advice to other students and use her alias to steal the heart of the captain of the basketball team at the same time. Seems you have a real gift for sticking your nose into other people's business." the crowd started to laugh, some at the joke, but also some at May. She began to tear up as she felt her worst nightmare quickly closing in around her.
"Hey…!" Dawn growled as she tried to make a move to grab the microphone, but Leaf stepped aside and continued on anyway.
"I am curious though May. Why all the secrecy? Was it to help people feel comfortable? Or was it because no one would listen to you if they knew that they really were writing to a total nobody?" the crowd's laughter only got louder and May's tears got bigger. She began to full on cry and quickly ran out of the gym as fast as her legs would carry her. Her exit seemed to finally snap Ash out of his surprised trance as he suddenly realized the full magnitude of what was going on. Both of the girls he liked, May and Paper Princess were one-in-the-same. And Leaf had just humiliated and attacked her. And this was something he damned well wasn't going to allow. He got up from his seat and ran out onto the court, forcibly grabbing the microphone from Leaf and turning towards the crowd angrily.
"Oh, you guys thought that was funny huh?! Laughing at the person who helped you with your problems?! She felt like she had to hide because of this! Because she was afraid that you all would be so cruel as to mock her just because she was shy and quiet! And you all have the gall to justify her fears after she still made an effort to help you despite that fear?! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves! She has done nothing to deserve this! She poured her heart out to you people in ways that would help you with your own issues! Her way to try reaching out! And I know from so many of you that her advice was a big help in what you were going through! Well, guess what?! Now you won't be getting any advice from her anymore! And one more thing! If you all still think it's funny that a "total nobody stole the captain of the basketball team" then laugh at this! I won't represent a school that treats its students this way! I quit!" he yelled as he threw the microphone down to the ground and then ran off and the audience gasped in shock, even Leaf.
"Ash you idiot!" Leaf screamed, but Ash completely ignored her and the crowd and ran out into the parking lot after the woman he loved. After a quick scan among the rows of parked cars, he spotted her moving quickly towards the back exit as tears streamed down her face, causing him to bolt after her.
"May! Stop!" he yelled. Upon hearing his voice, May stopped abruptly but refused to turn around and let him see how pathetic she looked with tears staining her cheeks and her lips quivering even more. Ash ran quickly to her and stood across from her, watching her shoulders shudder with tears. "May…May please look at me…" he begged, but all he got in response was a shake of her head. Determined to help her, he closed the distance between them and got in front of her, placing a hand on her chin and gently lifting her face. She looked up at him with tears still running rivers down her cheeks. "May...I'm so sorry…I had no idea Leaf was planning that…" May said nothing and instead started struggling to move out of his grip. Despite being surprised by her actions, Ash kept a firm grip on her. "May stop please…! Talk to me…!"
"Just leave me alone...!" she suddenly screamed as she found her voice again. She forced his hands off her arms for a brief moment, but Ash was quick to grab hold of her again.
"May stop!" he tried desperately.
"Just stop it!" she yelled through her tears.
"Why?! May why are you acting this way?!" he demanded.
"Because she's right!" May cried. Her answer gave Ash a moment of pause. "Everything she said was right! And now everyone knows it!"
"May that's not true…you're an amazing person. You're kind, generous, honest, and the most beautiful girl I've ever known. Both inside and out. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You went above and beyond to help people that you barely even knew. Even a confused basketball captain that didn't even know he needed your help. May don't you understand? Now that I know that you and Paper Princess are one-in-the-same, I love you even more." he tried to explain. However, May seemed to pay his confession no heed as she shook her head and more tears fell.
"Just stop Ash! Don't you get it?! I'm the idiot! I let my guard down and I got exactly what I was always afraid of! I let myself actually believe that I could ride off into the sunset with the guy of my dreams! And because I let myself get swept away into the fantasy now I'm the school laughing stock!
"You're not a laughing stock May!" he tried to protest.
"You were there! You saw what happened when they found out who I was!" she yelled. "I just...! I can't do this anymore!"
"...You worry too much…" he whispered as he then proceeded to kiss her lips. The abrupt motion seemed to surprise May enough that she didn't pull away. He held her in the kiss for a few moments before slowly pulling away, looking into her eyes. "I love you May and nothing will change that."
"I…" she stammered, but the weight of the situation quickly returned to her, hurting her so much that she couldn't take it. "I can't do this anymore…I can't…" her voice trailed off and then, to Ash's shock, she took off his practice jersey. "I just can't…"
"May no…" he begged, but she still gave him the jersey without a word. "May don't do this…please…"
"Ash...just go back to your life...back to being the most popular guy in school…who's dating the most popular girl in school…it's where you belong...just forget about this...it's all just been a huge mistake…" she whispered, complete defeat in her voice.
"May I can't forget everything...us being together isn't a mistake...where I belong is by your side...just like you belong at mine…" he tried. But May remained firm and shook her head.
"It's over Ash...go back to your life…" she muttered as she then walked past him and towards her house, holding her arms close to her chest.
"May please no...May…!" he called out to her, desperate. But despite the pain in her heart from each call, May continued walking away from him, refusing to respond as she disappeared from sight. Ash was left alone in the parking lot, where finally he himself broke down into tears as well.
To be Continued...