Lemon Balm For Melancholy
Writing Prompt: Write ten un-related, non-continuous, original one-shot/drabbles in the Pokémon World centered around one or multiple anime characters ie Ash, Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, etc.
Theme: Failed relationships, healing from heartache, discovering new relationships, friendship, comfort... or love in general, but basically let the title guide the story.
01 - Mood Pond
"May? May?"
Ash turned around, again and again, eyes searching for the girl who he swore was just beside him, who had now seemingly vanished into thin air. He was literally in mid-sentence, answering her question, when he finally registered her absence. He furrowed his brow. She could not have gone far.
The horde of people surrounding him were tightly packed, shoulder to shoulder, and he bumped into more and more people without even trying as he attempted to forge his way through the sea of bodies. He went a few dozen feet forward then as the slivers in the clusters allowed, zig zigged his way back to where he remembered her last. The crowd's indistinct murmurs drowned out his voice so he cupped his hands over his mouth to cut through the rivaling noise.
"May?!"
He persisted but each attempt yielded the same results. A surge of new bodies pushed their way into the jumbled queue, and he stumbled out of the mass of humanity like a foreign entity expelled from the body. He finally found his balance and took a few steps back to take in the scenery. It was a bright sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. The towering colosseum engulfed his entire view. The lime stone arches and columns lined the entire outside as they slowly wrapped around the ancient manmade structure and disappeared in the curvature of both directions out of view.
A massive line of people snaked around the building ending at the large opening a mere stone's throw away from him. Tourists and general onlookers peppered the outer courtyard, either buying a souvenir from a stand or a meal at a food cart while others took in the sites and snapped pictures with their families.
Ash let out a small groan. He had been waiting in that line for hours, but any feelings of displeasure or frustration were quickly replaced by concern. Now he really was worried about May. But before the anxiety and worry started to grow in his heart, he spotted her, and a sense of relief quickly dispelled any alarm within him.
There she was, hiding behind a food cart, back firmly stuck to the metal side, sitting knees drawn into her stomach, with her head resting over her folded arms. He took her in, cocked his head to one side and chuckled a bit. After a moment to collect his thoughts, he walked to her, turned and leaned back on that same metal side of the food cart, and slid his way down, emulating her current pose. He crossed his arms and waited patiently for her to acknowledge his presence.
A few minutes went by, then a few more, and just as he was about to break the bubble of silence shared only by the two of them amidst the bustling public area, her muffled voice broke through, face still hidden away beneath her forearms.
"I know what you're going to say."
He opened his mouth, ready for a quick, thoughtless retort, but fought the tendency against it. "What was I going to say?" he asked, a tad defensively.
Her head finally lifted and the back of her head thudded against the tin metal wall of the food cart. She closed her eyes. "You were going to ask 'Why did I leave the line? We were waiting in line forever and now we lost our spot, right?'"
"Actually, I was going to ask how you are," he started. "But I think I know the answer to that question."
"I saw Drew," she said softly, like it took every fiber in her being to breathe his name.
"Oh?" He turned his head to the line, slowly inching toward the colosseum entrance, but never really progressing at the same time either. "He's here too?"
"Yeah," she said with a long drawn-out sigh. "I spotted him a few yards ahead of us. I don't think he saw me. He was busy talking to a group of people."
"How long has it been since you've seen him last?"
"A year," she shrugged. "Maybe less."
"I'm sorry," he whispered back, surprisingly audible over the crowd noise.
"It's just... I thought I was done with this," she began again, like she was amid a long conversation, the beginning of which he could only imagine started long ago in her heart. "I thought I was OK. I thought I was over him."
"Well, getting over someone takes time," he said candidly, but winced as soon he said it because he hated how cliché it rolled off his tongue.
"But when?"
"I don't know," he replied defeatedly. "I wish I did."
His reply unearthed a single tear from her glossy eyes and it rolled down her cheek. May sniffed but did not bother to wipe it away and started again. "It just feels like I'll be stuck here forever. Like... I know I need to move on but it's hard. It's so hard to move on."
Ash nodded, deep in thought, but his mind wasn't necessary focused on what she said, more than trying to formulate the right words to say that would make her feel better. His brain hung in a processing state, like he was a mathematician examining a white board, with a thousand different algebraic expressions written on it. Ash frowned inwardly. It was as if each number or sign was a single word, and all he had to do was find the correct arrangement to make the perfect sentence that would make everything better. A single, winsome, deeply profound and meaningful sentence that would erase the last few minutes of sadness, forget any memories and feelings for a former paramour and instantly regain her contentment and joy. The numbers and letters jumbled into nonsense, and no matter how hard he stared into that garbled pile of hypothetically comforting words, couldn't formulate anything equal to the task.
The day started out with so much excitement and anticipation. They were at the largest Pokémon competition in the world. The event pitted the most famous battle tested and seasoned Pokémon trainers against one another, hand picked by a special battle council from every region - from Kanto to Kalos to as far east as Sinnoh. 64 Pokémon Trainers, battling in a best of three 6v6 untimed bracket. Winner would take home the largest cash prize in recorded competitive Pokémon history, but more importantly, the winner had bragging rights and the honor of being crowed the first annual Pokémon World Champion. Nothing had occupied their time and mind more than this trip. They saved money, planned every sojourn, even coordinated with long time friends so they could stay at the same hotel and sit in the same section of the arena.
But now everything paled in comparison to this, thanks to a mere glimpse of a smug, green headed Pokémon Contest Trainer, with a Braviary like grip on May's heart. All the hype of the event was a distant memory. Now all they wanted was to get as far away from the venue as humanity possibly.
Ash felt some extra weight on him. May's head titled sideways and rested against his shoulder. Whether her doing so was deliberate or a subconscious grasp for comfort, he briefly pressed his cheek to her head to let her know it was alright either way.
"But you're right. It's hard to change your mood. It is. Our emotions are like a pond, a still one... but it could be turbulent."
She blinked, trying to follow his train of thought.
He continued. "Like if you throw a pebble in there and it messes up the peace of the entire pond. I guess... we all have to wait for the pond to become still again."
She straightened up, a blank expression across her face. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you," he replied confidently. "What you just said. Your feelings are like a mood pond full of different, you know... feelings and emotions."
Understanding and deciphering the words of Ash Ketchum was never difficult task. He was a simple boy, who preferred Pokémon sports and scarfing down his favorite meals over deep emotional talk and open communication. But this one took the cake. In all the years of being friends this was the first time she entertained the thought of him saying something more introspective and emotionally intelligent than her, so much so she felt legitimately baffled. Then the truth hit her like a brick wall. The world made sense once again and any thought entertaining the idea of an evolved, self aware Ash Ketchum were neatly cast aside, and it almost made her laugh out loud how he was able to extract so much meaning out of very little comprehension.
"No, Ash," she slapped him across the chest. "I said 'I need to MOVE ON,'... not Mood Pond."
"Oohhhh..."
She stifled a small snort, trying to become a much louder insensitive laugh. "Bro, what the heck is a mood pond anyway?"
"I don't know," he defended. "I was just going off of what you said. I heard mood pond. Sue me."
Their eyes met, both registering the same miscommunication seconds before and a smile swept across both their faces. They shared a laugh, and May even tried to cover her giggles even though there was no need to do so.
"You're an idiot," she said with a smirk.
"Sorry," he said, somewhat down.
"It's OK. Thanks for trying," she shook her head, still impressed he was able to make some semblance of a random comforting thought out of nothing.
Then, without warning or context, Ash vaulted to his feet, surprising her in the process. He turned and offered his hand to help her up. She reached out with her right hand with his, and with a small tug was firmly established on both feet.
He gestured with his head. "Let's get outta here."
"But Ash," she protested, instinctively. "We spent all this time, and money, and we have half of our friends waiting for us. We can't just... takeoff."
"Sure we can," he replied with a pop of his shoulders. "Forget all this... let's just go... you know..."
"Mood pond?" she finished.
He smiled and gave her a small hug. "Yeah, mood pond. Let's mood pond."
END
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