Chapter 5: Smiles and Tears

The Kalos Pokemon Center was quiet that night as several worried friends sat in the waiting room. One of them was standing up, pacing restlessly. His best friend sat on his shoulder, trying to help him, but with no luck. His footsteps were quiet and quick. The only sound to be heard was the ticking of the clock overhead, but no one paid that any heed. They hadn't adjusted it for Daylight Savings anyways.

Minutes felt like days for everyone before Nurse Joy finally emerged, a small smile on her face. Everyone immediately turned to face her with expectant eyes.

"She's going to be all right," she reported. At this, everyone sighed with relief. "However," the nurse went on, "the impact of the machine damaged her ribcage. Miraculously, little harm was done."

"How can that be?" Clemont asked. "That machine was heavier than the food intake Ash eats on a Saturday morning."

"Hey!" Ash shouted in protest.

"I don't know how it happened," Nurse Joy said. "The machine must have hit her just right to avoid causing worse damage. Unfortunately, we'll have to keep her here for a week so she can recover."

"A week?" Ash said, his face falling.

"I don't have time for that," Sonic, still a werehog, folded his large arms impatiently.

"You are welcome to visit her, but please refrain from physical affection," Nurse Joy instructed them. "She's very fragile right now, plus she needs to rest."

"Thank you," Ash nodded, walking past her. He stepped into the room May was in. No sooner had he entered than he felt a lump in his throat.

May laid on a bed, but she hardly looked like herself anymore. Her torso was completely wrapped in bandages, and she herself was propped up against the wall. Her hair, no longer under her signature bandana, was in shambles, but that was expected; no doubt she was resting. The one thing about her that changed most, and the one thing only Ash would notice, was her eyes. The usually bright blue orbs were half-closed due to the pain and fatigue she endured right now. Their glow was faded, leaving something hollow in the wake.

"May," Ash said, his voice trembling, much to his surprise, as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"Ash," she smiled weakly at him, her raspy voice barely above a whisper. "What happened? The last thing I remember –"

"Clemont's machine was going to fall on top of Bonnie," Ash explained, trying hard to steady his voice. "You pushed her out of the way, and it fell on you."

May blinked slowly, then nodded, though it was hard to see. "Yeah, that's right. Is everyone okay? Did anyone get hurt?"

"Don't worry about that, May," Ash said. "You've only got yourself to worry about right now."

"What?" May exclaimed, apparently surprised. "How can you say that? Everyone was in danger, and you expect me to only worry about myself?! I may be hurt, but that doesn't mean I don't care about anyone else anymore."

Ash was taken aback at her selfless statement. This touched him, and his emotions, which he was trying to keep in check, began to overwhelm him. When he realized this, he turned away, his eyes shaded by the white brim of his hat. He clenched his teeth, trembling. He sniffled.

But in the end, he broke down.

Tears slowly dropped down his face as his quiet sobs took over. He put his face in his hand and rubbed his eyes, trying to stop them.

"Ash?" May said, her eyes filled with concern despite their dimness.

"I-I'm fine," Ash replied through stifled sobs.

"No, you're not," his girlfriend shook her head. "You're hurting." She held her arms out and smiled. "Come here. I'll make you feel better."

Ash looked back at her a moment, then shook his head, turning away again. "No," he said. "I'll be...fine."

"I'm not taking that for an answer," May replied with surprising determination. "You don't have to go through this alone. If I can't be there for you when you're crying, what am I here for?"

"It's nothing," Ash tried again to dissuade her. "I'll get over it. Besides, Nurse Joy said we shouldn't hug you. It'll hurt you."

"Then don't hug me," she smiled. "I'll just hug you. I know it's awkward when only one of us is hugging, but it's all we can do right now."

Ash turned back to her, his eyes still shaded by his visor. Then, slowly, he lifted up his face, revealing his eyes. They had changed from their natural brown to a deep, emotional auburn. Small tears leaked out of them, trailing down his face.

"What's wrong?" May asked.

"I thought I'd lost you," he replied. "I was scared. I guess I'm just recovering from shock."

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then felt a soft hand on his face, stroking it quietly. "Let me help you," May said, her smile unwavering. "Go on. Lay your head down on the bed."

Ash did so, looking away from May, though she didn't mind. She slowly stroked his back while he let out the pain he felt through his tears, crying quietly as he did so. May then leaned down and kissed him softly on the cheek. As she got back up, she suddenly grunted in pain.

Ash shot up immediately. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Ugh...I guess I shouldn't've leaned down to kiss you," she grunted. "It's fine. It just hurt, that's all."

Ash took her hand. "I'm sorry this is happening to you," he said. "I should never have left you on the ground in the first place."

"But if you didn't, then Bonnie would be here instead of me," May replied, "and she's smaller than me. She would've gotten hurt worse than I did. It's better this way."

Ash smiled, wiping away the last of his tears. "You know something, May?" he asked.

"What?"

"I think it's really selfless how you did that for her. Not only that, but here you are, sitting in pain, almost getting yourself. And yet the last person you're concerned with is yourself." He stroked her cheek. "That's kinda why I love you so much."

"Well that's also the reason why I fell in love with you in the first place," May grinned, placing her hand over his. "You rubbed off on me."

"Yeah, I guess I did," he shrugged. "But you rubbed off on me first."

"I did?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," he smiled. "You were always so happy-go-lucky when we first met. You always had a smile on your face, and that always made the day a bit brighter."

"For you?"

"For everyone!" he said. "I guess it's like the old saying goes: smile everyday. You never know who's falling in love with it." He stroked her cheek some more. "I know I did."
May smiled and placed her hand over his. They locked eyes and, for a moment, Ash could see the brightness in May's eyes return. Then she slowly closed her eyes, as did he, and they slowly came together for a kiss. They stayed that way for a while, slightly deepening the kiss though not to the point where a child would call it disgusting.

"AHEM!"

"Ah!" Ash and May yelped at the same time, surprised. There, standing in the doorway, was a monstrous creature, fists clenched by his sides, an impatient expression on his face.

"What is that?!" May squealed in fright.

"Uh, May, I can explain," Ash said, trying to calm her.

"No, let me," the monster interjected, slowly walking up to them. "Hey there, Bandanas. You really took a hit back there, didn't you?"

"Huh?" May raised an eyebrow, still frightened, but as she looked into the monster's eyes, the realization dawned on her. "No...it can't be!"

"Yeah, I know," Sonic sighed. "I must look like a crossbreed between a Darkrai and a Mightyena right now."

"How did this happen?" Ash asked.

"Well, I'd love to talk about it," Sonic replied, "but unfortunately, Eggman's up to something really bad, and I gotta stop him. If you wanna hear all about it, you can tag along if you want."

"Sounds like a plan," Ash nodded, pumping his fist. Then he stopped and turned to May. "But then again, I should stay –"

"No," May shook her head. "You should go, Ash."

"But May –"

"No 'buts,' Ash," she said. "If Eggman's up to something, then the world could be in danger. If Sonic needs your help, then you go with him."

"But who will look after you if I'm gone?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she rolled her eyes. "Nurse Joy and the others will keep an eye on me. Besides," she went on, rummaging through her fanny pack on the table by her bed, "you'll always have a part of me with you, right?" She pulled out her half of the Terracotta ribbon.

A smile lit up on Ash's face as he dug into his backpack's side pocket and pulled out the other half. "I sure will," he said. They connected their ribbons together, then put them away again. "Thanks, May."

"No problem, Ash."

He leaned forward and kissed her briefly on the lips. She reciprocated with a longer kiss, and they stayed connected for ten seconds before Sonic growled impatiently.

"What is this, some Cupidian thing?"

"Sorry," Ash said, coming up off the bed. "I got a little carried away." He turned to May. "I'll see you real soon, all right?"

"All right," May winked. With that, Ash and Sonic exited the room.

A boy and his Hog, hm? Fascinating. It appears they have their sights set on the doctor. Fine then. Let them think they are pursuing. When the time is right, the tables shall turn. Then these fools' usefulness will end.

And I shall dispose of them.