EDITED 12/09/2016 - Thank you to Steveclax for pointing out a basic error that I made in the plot regarding the consultation scene.

Young Ash will be differentiated by: Ash.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

There was a moment of silence as May registered what Ash had told her. They were in his memories. She was looking at a young Ash, and a 25-year-old Ash.

"I'm 8 years old here," Ash explained, "Serena and I committed to going on our journey together." As he spoke, the two seemed to move without walking, gliding over closer to the children.

Ash chased after Serena, both laughing frantically as they zigged and zagged around the corral. Eventually Ash got within touching distance and launched himself to try and tag Serena. He accidentally launched himself with too much force, fully placing his hand on Serena's back, causing the young girl to fall and scrape her knee. Serena sat up, and twisted so she could have a look at her knee. There was a rather large scrape, with a line of blood rolling down her leg. She seemed to shrug it off, but looked up at Ash, and saw that he was getting upset.

"I'm so sorry, Serena!" Ash apologised, tears starting to form in his eyes, "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"It's okay, Ash!" Serena replied enthusiastically, "I know you wouldn't do that on purpose! And anyway, it's only a little scrape!" Ash frowned, not convinced that it was something to dismiss so easily. Serena rolled her eyes at his concern.

The blonde girl stepped forward and pulled Ash into a hug.

"I'm fine, silly!" She exclaimed, a jovial tone in her voice.

"Okay then," Ash replied reluctantly, still not convinced. His face was tinged red from Serena's hug. "But I'd feel much better if you at least got it cleaned up and a plaster put on it."

Serena rolled her eyes again, but slipped her hand into Ash's and pulled him towards the Lab.

May glanced up at Ash with concern. Serena was obviously a sensitive subject with Ash. His expression was blank as he watched his younger self playfully run back inside alongside Serena. May had so many questions she wanted to ask.

"I discovered the ability when I activated a Time Flower in Rota," Ash explained, surprising May as she hadn't vocalised her thoughts. "I met a Lucario there, who turned out to be Sir Aaron's, he helped me slightly understand my capabilities."

"H-How did you know I was going to ask?" May questioned, slightly startled. Ash smiled slightly.

"We're in my mind, everything's an open book," He replied cryptically, gesturing around him. May decided to let it drop.

"Wait… you met the Sir Aaron's Lucario?" May asked, astounded. Ash nodded slowly. The scene around them started to fade and all of a sudden, they were stood outside a church.

Ash's face turned slightly red.

"Where are we now?" May asked, curiously looking around.

"Umm… this…" He stuttered, shoulders tensed. He let out a deep sigh, relaxing his muscles, "this is my wedding."

May gawped at him. She couldn't lie that the knowledge that Ash had married Serena didn't hurt, but obviously it hadn't worked out and they'd divorced.

"Does it have something to do with Georgia?" May wondered, "did Ash want a child and Serena didn't?"

"Why are we being shown all this?" May asked, curious as to why Ash's emotions had sparked these particular images.

"I think my Aura is showing you what happened between me and Serena," Ash answered quietly, speaking as if his Aura had a mind of its own.

"I'm gonna have to see her go all over again," Ash thought sadly. "Maybe it's showing me this to try and help me move on…?" The duo once again started moving through the memory without physically engaging a muscle.

"Ohh Ash, you look so handsome!" May gushed. Ash was wearing a navy blue suit, with a white shirt and matching blue tie. He did look rather sharp. "When did you get married?"

"Thank you, I've always liked that suit," Ash replied, smiling softly at May, "I'm 19 there." May's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"That's quite young to get married?" May suggested, subconsciously hinting at maybe their age was why they got divorced.

"I was told that," Ash admitted, "but it was too late, we were in love and we couldn't really wait." May looked at him in confusion, but was unable to vocalise her questions as music started to play.

May gasped at the sight of Serena. She looked positively stunning. Her blonde hair was flowing behind her veil, her dress had a smooth, tight torso, which widened slightly past her hips, and slightly more by her legs.

"That's a stunning dress," May complimented. Ash nodded slowly, frowning at the emotions that seeing his wedding day was bringing back up. It was almost as if he could feel the nerves and excitement all over again.

"I've still got it, I'm keeping it as pristine as I can," Ash replied, May shot him a confused look, unsure as to why he'd be so determined to look after his ex-wife's wedding dress, "I think it's something Georgia might like when she's older." May smiled slightly at Ash's consideration.

"Even though her mum walked out on her," May thought bitterly. May looked back at Serena and gasped again. She couldn't believe she'd missed it looking at her the first time round.

"I know," Ash agreed, "it explains why she looked like she's literally glowing." May couldn't help but nod in agreement, Serena was radiant, and the little bump on her stomach only served to help her beauty.

"How far is she?" May asked, not taking her eyes off of Serena's pregnant belly.

"Ummm…" Ash hummed, trying to remember how long after their wedding that Serena gave birth.

"About three months, if I remember correctly," Ash answered, "she was absolutely convinced that we'd get married before she was, and I quote, 'too pregnant'" Ash air quoted. May giggled slightly.

"It's a little bit of a shame I didn't ever meet Serena," May thought, "it feels like we would've got on very well."

May turned her attention back to Serena, and began to doubt her theories of Serena walking out on Ash. The adoring look that the blonde woman was giving Ash was filled with so much love. She wore such a beautiful smile on her face that it even caused May to smile as well.

Ash and May watched in silence as Serena's father handed her over to Ash. The two shared a vibrant smile, before turning to face the priest. The memory continued to play out like a scene out of a film. The wedding was beautiful, and the vows were said with so much passion and love.

"Ash… this is a beautiful wedding," May complimented softly, looking at Ash and throwing him a gentle smile. "I don't want to push my luck, but you and Serena looked like you had such an amazing chemistry… do you know why she left?" May queried. Ash frowned. He was unsure why May had assumed that Serena had walked out on him, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her what really happened.

Instead, his Aura did it for him, and Ash and May were blinded by a bright light.

-IBYL-

Ash blinked rapidly as the light died down, trying to readjust after the transition. He could hear May groaning nearby, the change obviously affecting her. He opened his eyes to see where his Aura had taken them. His heart dropped, and a wave of sadness came crashing over him. They were stood in the waiting room of a hospital.

"Why?" He thought to himself, "why is my Aura taking May and I through all of this? Why has it taken control?"

"Where are we, Ash?" May asked, snapping Ash out of his thoughts. He gulped, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Th-this is the Pallet Town hospital," He replied, stuttering slightly, something May picked up on.

"Are you okay?" She asked, "this must be so tough on you, reliving your past," she added sympathetically, placing her hand on his shoulder. Ash was comforted slightly at the action.

"Ummm… Not really," Ash replied honestly, slightly shrugging his shoulders. May frowned slightly, before shifting her hand to hold Ash's. "What we're about to see is one of the worst things that's ever happened to me."

Ash's voice was quiet, and filled with pain. May opened her mouth to reply, but Ash's Aura pulled them forward in the memory.

"Mrs. Ketchum, I'm afraid there's very good news, but also some bad news," a doctor said gently, to Serena and Ash, who were sat in two chairs opposite the one the doctor occupied across the desk. It was a small consultation office, and it seemed to be creating a thick, tense atmosphere at the doctor's words.

Ash and Serena gave each other a look, seemingly silently discussing the situation.

"Good news first please," they said in unison. The doctor smiled slightly.

"Well, the explanation for your constant sickness and stomach ache is simply extreme morning sickness from the pregnancy," the doctor said, "we have the babies gender, if you'd like to know?" Ash and Serena shared an excited look, before both nodded enthusiastically, the doctor smiled. "You're going to be having a baby girl."

Ash and Serena's faces lit up, they looked at each other and smiled brightly, pulling each other into a hug. The doctor's face turned solemn at their joy.

May turned to Ash, a slightly confused look on her face.

"So this was the day you found out you were having a girl?" May questioned. Ash nodded, staring at his younger self with a dazed expression, "you said this was one of the worst things that happened to you, but you look so happy!"

Another wave of sadness crashed over Ash, and the emotional strain that he was under using this much Aura – even though he wasn't in control of it – became too much for him, and his legs gave way. Ash held himself up limply, he'd turned slightly pale, and looked weak.

"Ash!" May called out, but Ash could barely hear her over the sound of his heartbeat, which seemed to echo in his head. He was slightly aware of May dropping down in front of him and placing a hand on his face, calling his name. He was slightly aware of his younger self and Serena settling down and turning their attention back to the doctor.

"I can't live through this twice…" He thought, his head started to pound, making him wince.

All of his senses returned, almost like his Aura was toying with him, just as the doctor spoke again, also grabbing May's attention.

"But the bad news," he said, the look on his face instantly put an end to the smiles on Ash and Serena's faces. "I'm afraid that whilst we were doing our tests, we discovered an issue with your blood levels."

Ash and Serena shared a concerned look, before awaiting the doctors' prognosis.

"I'm afraid that you have pancreatic cancer."

Ash's world came crashing down around him, for the second time. It became too much for him to bear, the last thing he heard before he blacked out was May gasping.

May's hands had shot to her mouth and her eyes were open wide in shock. She felt sadness wash over her when she saw the shared look on Ash and Serena's faces. A lone tear fell down the blonde woman's face. Ash seemed to have gone into shock, he was staring at the doctor with a blank, dazed expression.

"Wh-what are my chances?" Serena asked quietly, her left hand crept over and grasped Ash's for comfort. He subconsciously started rubbing circles on the back of her hand, still looking dazed.

"Fairly good, all things considered," the doctor replied, bringing a bit of relief to the couple, "we've discovered it fairly early on, so a full course of treatment and we should be able to remove it."

May let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding.

"What about the baby?" Ash asked, his voice quiet and full of sadness. The doctor smiled, with a combination of sympathy and understanding.

"The baby will be fine as long as Serena ensures she eats and sleeps well," the doctor answered Ash, before turning his attention to Serena, "to give you and the baby the best chance, I'd like to see you once a week," Serena nodded, with no hesitation, she'd do whatever it took to get her and her unborn child through this. "You're going to need to keep yourself in the healthiest condition you've ever been in, I can't stress how crucial it's going to be that you eat and sleep well, and get some good exercise."

"I can assure you that I'll do everything I can," Serena replied. May was struck by how confident and powerful the blonde woman sounded, it gave May the feeling that Serena could fight off the cancer without any treatment. May was suddenly hit by guilt about the assumptions she'd made about her, she turned to apologise to Ash.

But he wasn't there.

May's head shot around the room, looking for the raven-haired man, but couldn't see him anywhere. Running out the room, May looked left and right for any sign of him.

There was nothing.

Before she could pick a direction to go looking for him in, she was once again blinded by a bright light.

-IBYL-

May readjusted much quicker this time, and opened her eyes instantly, trying to both check her surroundings and locate Ash.

She was surprised to see she was still in a hospital, in a different waiting room. She heard voices behind her and turned to see who the voices belonged to. She could see Delia, Misty and Brock sat in a group with three other people, a brown haired man wearing a purple shirt and cargo trousers, and a grey haired man in a white suit. She recognised the latter as Professor Oak. There was also another man sat with them, wearing a green t-shirt and brown shorts, again, she didn't recognise him.

"So Serena's parents aren't actually gonna be here?" he asked. Delia frowned, her usual happy demeanour turning angry.

"No Tracey, for whatever reason they've got a problem with her and Ash having a child together," she answered, a bitter tone to her voice. In the process she identified the guy in the green t-shirt for May. "It's not like he hasn't got a stable job being the toughest Gym Leader in the region, or that they're not married."

Misty nodded in agreement.

"They've been together for almost a decade now," she added, "I can't believe how bitter they still are about it." The brown haired man frowned.

"I know they live in Kalos, but surely they would've made it to see their first grandchild being born?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Gary," Misty said. May realised that this was Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson. Max had told her all about them, apparently, Gary was aspiring to take over the role from his grandad when Professor Oak retired.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Serena's parents haven't come for the baby's birth?" She thought, glancing at the room that the group were waiting outside. "So this is when Ash becomes a dad…"

As if listening to her thoughts, Ash's Aura started to pull her forward in the memory, and into the room.

"You're doing really well, Serena!" a female voice said, as May came to her senses. She took in the scene in front of her. Serena was lying in the hospital bed, with Ash on her left, grasping her hand and smiling encouragingly. On Serena's right was a blue haired girl wearing scrubs. A nurse.

May gasped as she realised who it was.

"Dawn?!" She asked incredulously. May had come across Dawn quite frequently on the Coordinator circuit, with the two becoming quite good friends. May knew that Dawn had taken a break from Coordinating to pursue another career, but the two hadn't spoken for a while.

"Yeah, Serena and I wanted someone we knew to deliver our baby…" A male voice spoke from the corner of the room, making May jump. She turned to her left, and saw Ash sat on a chair in the corner by a large window, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and his chin on his clenched hands.

"Ash! Oh my god are you okay?" May asked, running over to him and crouching down to look him in the eyes, placing her hand on the side of his leg. He held a vacant expression, almost as if he was living his worst nightmare.

"He probably is…" May realised sadly.

"I don't know," Ash replied, in a tone that sounded almost dismissive. "I've always tried to block these memories out… so to be thinking about them… re-living them… Is so painful."

His voice was quiet, and sounded so broken that May had to fight back tears.

"Ohh Ash…" She said sympathetically. He raised his head slightly to look May in the eyes, and offered her a small smile, one that May could tell was completely superficial.

"One last push, Serena!" Dawn's voice snapped them out of the moment, and May stood up, turning to watch the scene. The blue-haired Coordinator turned midwife had moved in a position to deliver the baby. Serena let out a gut-wrenching yell as she gave one last push. Ash raised his head up slightly to witness his daughter's birth again.

Serena stopped yelling, and a silence fell over the room.

"Congratulations, guys," Dawn said, standing up from the position she'd taken to deliver the baby, her smile evident in her voice, "you've got a beautiful baby girl."

A sharp shriek responded to the statement, as the girl announced her arrival. Ash watched on, still feeling dazed and weak, but a small smile crept onto his face as he watched his younger self move around to cut the umbilical cord. Dawn then took the new-born away to be cleaned.

May smiled softly at the scene, before glancing back Ash. She was pleased to see a smile on his face, but his expression soon dropped.

"You were amazing, sweetheart," May heard Ash say, she looked over to see him giving Serena a hug. The blonde girl was trying to return it, but she was too weak to properly embrace Ash. May frowned slightly.

"There's something off with Serena…" May thought, "she looks too pale, and her eyes have sunken…"

Dawn arrived with the baby, a huge smile on her face as she passed her over to Ash. The young father looked slightly startled, but a huge smile broke out on her face.

"Ohh Serena, she's beautiful…" Ash cooed, crouching slightly so that his wife could see. A weak smile slipped onto Serena's face.

"She is… my little girl…" She croaked. A look of concern came across May's face, there was definitely something off with Serena.

"Have you decided on a name?" Dawn asked, filling in the appropriate paperwork.

"Georgia," Both parents said in unison, Ash not looking up from the child in his arms.

"Would you like to hold her?" Ash asked Serena, who replied with a nod. Her movements were getting more and more laboured. Ash gently placed Georgia into Serena's arms. The little girl seemed to smile at her mother's touch.

A tear rolled down Serena's face. Dawn frowned.

"Are you feeling okay, Serena?" She asked, moving over to the new mother.

"No… she's not…" Ash mumbled, putting his head in his hands. May's eyes shot opened as the penny dropped.

"No… No way… It can't be…" May denied, turning to face Ash, who had slumped back in the chair, covering his face so he didn't have to watch it again.

Serena weakly passed her child over to Ash, before holding her hand up to her mouth and coughing violently.

"Honey… are you - ?" Ash's eyes shot wide open as he saw the amount of blood that had come out of Serena's mouth. "Dawn, do something!"

The blue-haired nurse had already leapt into action, pressing an alarm which caused more nurses to come rushing in. May watched with a hand across her mouth, eyes open wide in shock, fighting back tears as she watched the blonde woman fight for her life.

The violent coughing fit stopped, and Serena looked deep into Ash's eyes.

"I love you… Never forget that…" She said weakly, but May could hear so much passion and sincerity in Serena's words.

Ash couldn't bear it anymore, and he started to cry into his hands. All the emotions came flowing back into him at once.

The worry and fear of what was happening to Serena, the fear of potentially being thrown into parenthood alone, the huge wave of sadness at seeing his childhood friend, best friend, travelling partner, his first love… his wife in such a state.

May heard one of Ash's sobs and whirled around, she moved over to him and swept him into a hug.

"Serena, you're going to be fine!" Ash said loudly, not believing what he was seeing, "they'll take you into theatre, they'll make you better, and then we're going to raise our daughter together!" He was in tears by the time he'd finished speaking. Dawn and May were in tears at the rawness of Ash's emotions.

"I-I'm going to miss so much…" Serena said, her whole demeanour drifting further and further away. Ash looked up and over May's shoulder, with the two still in an embrace. His eyes were red, his face tear stained, with a couple of nail marks which had drawn blood from where he had been gripping his face due to the power of the emotions flowing through him.

Ash and May watched a small, blissful, regretful smile creep onto Serena's face.

Her expression never changed, but her eyes. The light faded slowly, until there was a nothingness behind them.

A fresh wave of tears came streaming down Ash's face, he physically shook in May's arms. He felt weak, distressed and broken. His body went into shock at the raw emotion running through him, and he started to hyperventilate.

"Ohh Ash… I'm so so sorry," May cried quietly, the raw emotion of Serena's passing bringing her to tears as well. "You poor thing…"

May felt a tap on her shoulder, an action that sent a shiver down her spine. She looked over her shoulder and a shocked expression shot onto her face. She let go of Ash and leapt to her feet.

"Serena?!" She exclaimed, "but you… you just…"

"Died?" the blonde woman replied bluntly, a little teasing smile on her face. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Ash… am I losing my mind in here?" May asked, turning around.

But Ash was gone.

"It's just us here," Serena replied. It was then that May realised that the whole room had disappeared, and the two of them were just stood in a white, empty expanse.

"Where… where is here?" May asked slowly, looking around at the emptiness. Serena offered a small smile.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all that," She apologised, causing a confused look to appear on May's face.

"What do you mean?" The brunette asked. She had so many questions, she knew that she'd just watched Serena pass away.

"I've got some explaining to do, come, sit," Serena replied, gesturing over to a table and two chairs that had appeared. After May got over the initial shock of the furniture appearing out of nowhere, she followed Serena over to the table and sat down opposite her.

"Firstly, I'm sorry for making you witness all that," Serena started, after a momentary pause, "this is going to be difficult to believe, but this is all genuinely happening."

May didn't know why, but she believed Serena. Somehow she could just tell that this conversation was actually happening, it wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

"Ash still holds a part of me inside him," Serena started, her voice quite distant, but a small smile was on her face, "he couldn't ever, and still hasn't, come to terms with my death." May was shocked at how blasé Serena spoke about her death. "He threw himself straight into raising Georgia, and trying to balance that with his duties as Gym Leader, and Elite Four member."

"And so, he held a part of my spirit with him… His Aura capabilities quite literally caught a part of my soul and kept it inside him," Serena explained, looking a little sheepish as she spoke, almost like she was expecting May to claim she was making it up. Instead, the brunette was listening intently to what Serena was saying, storing the questions she wanted to ask until Serena had finished.

"And so, when your raw emotions about what happened in your past, which I'm really sorry to hear about," Serena offered, genuinely. May replied with a small smile. "That pure emotion connected with Ash's emotions about me, which caused his Aura to go into overdrive, almost giving it a mind of its own."

May was astounded. Even though she'd read about Aura, she never knew it was such a powerful force.

"It discovered your feelings for each other," Serena added, but there was no bitterness in her voice, she sounded happy for them. May flushed at Serena's words, and tried to offer a response. "Don't even think about denying it, it's plain to see!" Serena interrupted, with a slightly teasing tone in her voice. "Aura is a unique entity."

"I've read up on it somewhat, but I never realised it had such…" May drifted at the end of her sentence, not sure what words would encapsulate her awe.

"I know, I experienced some of its power in Rota with Ash… He almost used up his entire life force trying to save the Tree of Beginning…" Serena replied, both of the women had dazed slightly at the astounding power of Aura.

"But anyway," Serena said, snapping them both into focus, "it connected with these feelings, and recognised that Ash wanted to tell you all about what had happened, but he was afraid to, and found it too difficult."

"Afraid to?" May asked, raising an eyebrow. Serena rolled her eyes.

"The idiot thought he'd scare you off," Her tone was playful, once again surprising May at the lack of jealousy or bitterness. "I want him to be happy, and he hasn't been since my death."

"And you really make him happy," Serena added, smiling brilliantly. May could see why Ash had fallen in love with this woman, May was struck by a sad sensation, she could feel herself becoming friends with Serena, and it saddened her that she wouldn't get the opportunity.

"You're an incredible person, Serena," May voiced her thoughts. Serena scoffed, but smiled gratefully at May.

"Thank you, May," She replied, "Ash needs you, he'll be too stubborn to admit it, but you are exactly what he needs to get over me." Serena zoned out for a moment, May could see her eyes glaze over, but as quickly as it had come, it passed.

"And Georgia needs you," Once again, there was no bitterness in Serena's voice. She meant every word she was saying.

May got a bit flustered, surprised at Serena's words.

"It's been difficult for her growing up without a mother," Serena said sadly, "I would've given anything to have the opportunity to watch her grow up in person, but Arceus had other ideas."

A few tears crept into May's eyes. She was absolutely amazed by Serena.

"I saw the way you connected with her the other day," Serena smiled brightly, "that was the first time she's ever held someone else's hand other that Ash's." May's eyes shot open wide. "Trust me, I've been keeping a very close eye on her."

"If you don't mind me asking…" May started reluctantly. Serena gestured for her to ask away. "How do you know all this...?" A knowing look crossed Serena's face.

"As I said, Ash's Aura trapped a part of my soul," Serena explained, "I've been living inside Ash… which has been affecting his emotions, and made it harder for him to move on," Serena winced, and her voiced was ladled with guilt.

"Why haven't you ever spoken to Ash? Or Georgia…?" May asked gently, trying not to offend or upset Serena. Serena smiled sadly.

"I couldn't bring myself to," She replied honestly, with a sad shrug of her shoulder, "it was hard enough saying goodbye the first time." May nodded in understanding, offering Serena a sympathetic smile.

"And Georgia doesn't know who I am," Serena admitted, "it would just confuse and hurt her." May's eyes opened wide in shock.

"Ash hasn't told her about you?" Serena shook her head.

"I didn't want him to," the mother admitted, "when I was diagnosed, I made a video message for Ash, in case the worst happened… and I told him not to tell Georgia anything about me until she was old enough to understand… no photos in the house, no sentimental items of clothing laying around… nothing."

"Ohh don't worry, he didn't throw any of my stuff away, it's just not in the house where Georgia can find it," Serena explained, noticing May's incredulous look. The latter had assumed that Ash had thrown away everything that Serena had left behind.

"I don't want to be rude, because I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and getting to know you," May started, "but why did you bring me here? And where's Ash gone?"

Serena smiled slightly.

"I wanted to get to know you personally," She admitted, "you seemed so nice, so genuine, I wanted to see it first-hand." May blushed at the praise, and Serena's honesty.

"Thank you, Serena," The two women shared a smile.

"It's my pleasure," Serena replied, "I think you're perfect for Ash." May blushed again. "And I think you're perfect for Georgia."

Serena smiled brightly at an extremely flustered May.

"It's been an honour meeting you, May Maple."

A bright light emitted from Serena, once again blinding May.

"Look after them for me," Serena's voice was distant and echoed.

EOC

There we have it. I really hope I managed to put the emotion into this that I wanted to, I wanted to recreate the same level of feels of IYCSMN, but I'm not sure I did. The talk at the end between May and Serena was completely unplanned, but I wanted you to get a sense of the character she was in this universe, and why she left such a huge whole in Ash's emotions.

REVIEW REPLIES:

LONEWOLF3957: Thank you for leaving another review, I'm pleased you think the Aura is a great way to develop the plot, I hope I used it in a good way!

AMERAINWOMAN: I'm glad you're enjoying so far! *Blushes* that's the second time someone's called me or my work famous… thank you for the high praise! I'm happy you enjoyed IYCSMN, up until this point, it's been my favourite piece of work, this story is starting to catch up! One of the main things with it was I wanted it to be emotional, and raw, having experienced raw depression myself, I wanted to reflect it in Ash. It's making me happy to be writing another story! I'm also happy you enjoyed chapter 4! *GASPS* ARE YOU PSYCHIC? ARE YOU IN MY HEAD?! ;) I toyed with the idea of her being a runaway, maybe not being able to deal with her parents' disapproval, but I'm a cruel bastard and wanted Ash to suffer xD

MANBEARPIG01: Thank you for reviewing again. I hope I managed to do something different with Aura.

BLAZINGCHARIZARD01: It's an acronym for the title of the story, I used it to try and transition between the scenes, and prefer using that to the "insert line" option.

DEFENDER31415: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed seeing what actually happened with Serena and Ash! We'll have to wait and see if May can help him heal! I hope you approve of how the Aura developed in this chapter!

BLACKRUBYADV: I fully planned to have it be Drew, but your review made me think; "that's a little predictable," and something I've done far too much, and felt I could develop Brendan's back story and character to be more of a w*nker than Drew. I'm pleased you enjoyed the chapter! It pained me to do that to May! I'm glad you approve of Aura, and hope you enjoyed where I went with it! I hope I got across how painful it actually was for Ash, with more fallout to come next chapter!

ABOZ567: Once again, thank you so much for helping me choose a direction for this story! I'm really pleased you like the way I introduce Aura, and hope you like how I've dealt with it thus far. I'm not sure how much more Aura will play a part, but it will definitely have affected May.

WHAT IS MY THIS: I hope all your studies have gone well, and best of luck for your exams! I'm pleased that you also approve of the Aura! I also hope you like where I've gone with it. Aah, I'm sorry I made Brendan such an asshole! But as I said above, there's more I can do with his back story and character than someone who's already set out in the anime. Ash has been kind of forced into not being such an idiot!

Thank you all so, so much for reviewing, favouriting and alerting. It makes me so happy to see that, even after all this time, people are still enjoying my writing. This story has passed 1,000 views and I can't thank you all enough!

Expect more feelsy stuff for Chapter 6!

Until then, I've been Advanced Faith. You've all been awesome! :D