Hello everyone! Just to cut to the chase, over the past 2-3 years I have been looking back at some of my old fanfic works with some discord friends and although I'm not exactly proud of a lot of my work in those stories, it did bring a strong interest in fanfictions amongst our discord group. Especially since I got them into the Pokémon anime(ironically right when it was becoming clear that Journeys was going to be the end for Ash). So one of my discord buds, SkelemanWizard, has been writing a pretty ambitious fanfic project called "Pokémon: Confluence of the Worlds", so go check that out! It's not Advanceshipping, but give it a shot if it sounds interesting to you, he's been putting a lot of work into it and is a great writer. So he's actually been pushing me to make a return to writing fanfiction, and well…it's here isn't it? This was originally supposed to be a 3 chapter story, but it ended up working better as a one-shot. Pretty happy with how it came out. So I hope you guys get something out of it!

He had to admit, being the world champion wasn't always the most peaceful life. Everyone with dreams of being something like a Pokémon Master, or World Champion is at least partially motivated by the fantasy of celebrity life. But once you actually get there, the fantasy ends up being just that, a fantasy. Ash Ketchum and his best friend, Pikachu, had boarded the ferry only 2 hours ago and were preparing themselves for the inevitable. Even after 3 years, they always seemed to get surrounded by fans or paparazzi anywhere they went. For now, all seemed well, but he and Pikachu still moved through the boat with caution as they walked down the shaded second deck of the ship.

"So what do you think of the new outfit bud?"

"Pika-chu!"

As was tradition, Ash's mother had sent him a new outfit before they boarded the ship. It was a blue two-toned open shirt, with a white-trimmed black undershirt. She also threw in a new cap, it was in the predictable red color with a stylized Poké ball at the center of a white-trimmed black border.

"Let's try to stick to the room for these couple of nights alright?"

"Pika Pika.."

"I know, I wanted to look around too. But you know how it gets sometimes…"

Speaking of which, he looked at the corner of his eye when two kids walked passed them. They didn't seem to recognize him, but he sped up his stride just to be safe. That ended up being a big mistake, his more frantic gate ended up drawing more attention to himself, so of course the inevitable happened.

"Hey, are you Ash Ketchum?". Like a Deerling in headlights, he froze in his tracks. He took a deep breath before turning to see that it was another kid, he wore a red cap not too different from his own. What were the odds?

"The one and only" Boy was he trying too hard to smile.

"Wow! I've been a fan of yours since forever! I just started my journey because of you!"

"Really?" His artificial smile shifted into a genuine one. "What Pokémon did you start with?" Ash couldn't help himself, despite his disdain for the excess attention, there was still a spark he got from the up-and-coming trainers that would come up to him. It honestly made the whole thing worth it to him.

"I got a Chimchar!"

"Nice, you know I had a Chimchar when I first went through Sinnoh"

"I know! That's why I picked him. Your Infernape was awesome when you used it in the Lily of the Valley Conference!"

"That was a great battle, one of my best, right Pikachu?"

"Pika-chu!"

"Woah, that's really your Piakchu? So cool!" The magic in the kids' eyes made his heart drop, the youngin really did mean no harm.

"You can pet him if you want" Ash offered.

The young trainer slowly began to reach his hand towards Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon cooed once he was being petted.

Ash was about to ask for his name unti….oh boy, another person approached them. It was an older trainer closer to Ash's age.

"Woah! It's Ash Ketchum! Can I have your autograph?" He offered him his hand of all things to sign.

"Uuuuh, sure?"

"OH MY GOSH IT'S THE WORLD CHAMPION!" A woman suddenly screeched.

Then there was another…and then another…and another..and another..and anotherandnanotherandanother. What started as a personal conversation between two kindred spirits escalated into a swarm of paparazzi, interviewers, and rabid fans. Many of them had pulled out their dexes and phones and began recording the young man while asking the sort of questions you'd expect.

"How old are you?"

"What's your favorite outfit?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Do you have a dad?"

"What are with those shoes?"

"What are they DOING down there?"

He was surrounded. They seemed to get closer and closer every moment. Eventually, he had no room to move. He tried his best to answer whatever nonsense they threw at him. But it all just became noise, a chaotic assortment of vocalizations being thrown his way. His heart began to beat intensely. In his younger years, he might have gone off on these "fans". But he was better than that now….right?

"Hey! Sign my Poké ball!"

That said Poké ball was flung straight toward Ash. He was fully expecting it to smack his face, he closed his eyes in anticipation but instead, it hit his partner, flinging Pikachu to the ground.

"Uh oh". Pure. Dread. The Electric type rubbed the bump on his head with his little paws, before turning to the circling paparazzi in anger. Ash might have matured enough to contain his frustrations, but Pikachu…has not.

"Pikaaaa." Sparks flickered on his cheeks.

The venom in Pikachu's voice echoed through the crowd. They all backed away slightly, but not enough for the Pokémon to stand down. He went onto all fours, his battle position, and began to charge a Thunderbolt.

"Pikaaaaaaaaaa"

"No, no, no. Pikachu, wait!" Ash begged as he reached his arms out to try and grab him.

"Chuuuuuuuuuu!"

It was too late. The whole mob, including Ash, was engulfed in the yellow flame of Pikachu's lightning for a good minute. Once the lightning settled down, the people fell over and began aching in pain. Ash stood over them embarrassed.

"Sorry…" He looked over at Pikachu, who was still panting in frustration. "You really did it this time buddy"

He might have said he disapproved of Pikachu's actions. But deep down he was kind of grateful, his heart was beginning to slow down. He gave a strong sigh and stretched his arms. Enjoying the temporary freedom. Then suddenly he heard a horn. He and Piakchu walked over to the edge of the ferry and saw that there was another ship heading in the opposite direction. Ash was pretty confident that the paparazzi would come too at any moment and he REALLY wasn't in the mood to deal with that for another two days. So there was only one real solution…

Ash had grown a bit over the past three years, so he couldn't realistically expect any of his larger flying Pokémon to carry him everywhere, especially with Pikachu and his backpack in tow. However, Pidgeot didn't mind carrying them over such a short distance.

Ash caressed the bird Pokémon's feathers "Thanks Pidgeot, I hope we're not weighing you down too much."

"Pidgeooo!" Pidgeot smiled, assuring his trainer that all was well.

Ash got a better look at the ferry as they got closer. It was pretty identical to the one they just left. But from what he could tell, there were significantly fewer people. One or two of the passengers waved, but most didn't even seem to notice the giant bird approaching the ship. Pidgeot landed on the second deck. Ash thanked him before returning him to his Poké ball. He and Piakchu looked around and again, were mostly ignored. There was an odd look or two, but no one seemed to care too much.

It was certainly a welcome contrast to the other ferry. It was pretty identical in terms of layout. But the energy of it was far more mellow. More importantly, no paparazzi in sight, it was nice. Ash then realized something.

"Ah man, we gotta try to get a room huh?" He rubbed his head in annoyance.

Pikachu shrugged "Pika Pika"

"Let's find the main lobby and try to get a room…"

On the previous ship, there was an elevator located in the interior of the decks. Ash could see the entrance a few feet away and began walking towards it. But then Pikachu's ears perked and Ash took notice.

"What is it bud?"

Pikachu sniffed behind them and paused before he suddenly jumped off Ash's shoulder.

"Chu-Chupi!" he began running towards the back of the deck, regretfully the opposite direction of the entrance.

"Bud wait!" Ash chased after him. "It's not that way!"

Pikachu ignored him, he just kept sprinting forward. They ran past a couple of people, which gave Ash some concern of a potential repeat of what happened on the other ferry. They really needed to get a room soon. But first, he needed to get Pikachu.

"Pikachu! What is it?" Once again, he was ignored. But as they get closer to the back of the ship, Ash began to hear something…

"Do Do Do Do Dooo"

It was someone…singing?

"Do Do Doo Do Do Doo"

There was something familiar about it…

"Do Do Do Doo Do Dooo"

…No…It couldn't be?

Pikachu reached the corner of the ship and made a right turn. Ash follows behind and then stops to take a breath. He sees that Pikachu has stopped a couple of feet behind the person singing. He pants for a moment and wipes the sweat off his forehead before he takes a better look at the mysterious figure. It was a girl, a couple of years younger than him. She was leaning on the railing facing the trails of water made by the ferry as it moved forward. The red bandanna on her head made it unmistakable, it was his old friend from Hoenn, May.

"Do Do Do Do Dooo"

Ash smiled, he slowly went ahead of Piakchu and stood next to her. She didn't seem to notice with her eyes closed. She was completely lost in the simple medley. He waited for her to finish before he said "Nice to see you again May"

May's eyes shot open before. She blushed in embarrassment before her body stiffened.

"AAAH, don't scare me like tha-" Her shock took a backseat when she realized who had startled her . Her posture began to relax again. "Ash?"

Ash smiled and tipped his cap. "In the flesh."

Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder and waved. "Pika-chu!"

"Pikachu! What are you guys doing here? Wait, are you going to Paldea too?"

"Paldea?" He chuckled before turning to Pikachu "So that's where the ship is going"

He looked back at May. "We kinda…jumped ship"

May giggled "How did you get away with that?"

"I don't know…no one said anything. Guess it helps that ferries are free" He leans his back against the railing and crosses his arms to get comfortable.

"So what made you 'jump ship'?"

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and stood on the railing. He looked towards May nervously.

"Pika…"

Ash chuckled. "Yeah, Piakchu got us into some trouble"

"What kind of trouble?"

"A couple of people noticed me and-"

"Pika Pika Pikapi!"

"Alright, more than a couple of people noticed me, and it got crazy pretty fast. Pikachu got knocked down and he wasn't exactly happy about that"

May put her hands on her hips in amusement. "So you decided to flee the crime scene?"

"Well, when ya put it like that.." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

She shook her head. "Some things never change." Her face then shifted slightly before she put a hand on her chin while she shifted her gaze from Ash's feet to his head. "Well…maybe somethings do change"

Ash was confused. "What do you mean?"

She waved it off. "Oh, it's nothing"

"No really, what?"

May avoided eye contact before asking "Promise you won't get mad?"

That was concerning. "Sure…"

"It's just… your fashion sense was never the greatest…"

"What?"

She held her hands out defensively. "But what you got on now is pretty good! That's why I said some things do change"

"What was wrong with how I used to dress?"

"Ash, when we first met you were wearing a sleeveless hoody"

"I don't like sleeves. They make my arms feel stiff."

"Ok, but a hoodie? In Hoenn?"

"My mom gave it to me! I didn't exactly have a choice"

She giggled. "Then why are you getting so defensive?"

"Because, Beca-ARGH!" He rubbed his temples before taking a look at May's outfit. It was a red zipped-up shirt with black trim. Just the 'gotcha' he needed. He pointed directly at May's face. "Hey! You're not even dressed that differently!"

May shrugged. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Her confidence was something to admire, or in Ash's case, something to be irked. He sighed in defeat, turning towards the sea and resting his crossed arms on the railing.

"But like I said, you look good now!"

"Nice to know that all this time you thought I looked like a fool"

May patted his back. "Cheer up, it wasn't the worst thing in the world."

"Uh huh…"

May mirrored Ash's lean on the railing. They watched the trail in the sea being left by the ship for a solid minute before May sPoké again.

"This reminds me of that one time we had that big fight. Remember? You were mad because I was taking too long to get ready to go to your next gym battle"

Ash smiled at the memory. "Yeah, and then we lost that tag battle since we couldn't stop fighting"

"Good thing we got through that ok, I don't know if I could handle being mad at you for so long"

Ash finally looked back at her. His annoyance faded. "It wouldn't have been too bad. Me and Misty were the same way when we started traveling together."

May grabbed her chin as she recalled something. "Didn't Pikachu destroy her bike too? Funny that happened twice"

"Three times actually, Pikachu got Dawn's bike too"

May's eyes widened and she turned to Pikachu. "Wait, really?"

Pikachu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Pika…"

May giggled. "That's so weird. What are the odds?"

"Yeah, guess it was just meant to be"

"You know, I've wondered what would have happened if I never ran into you guys at Professor Birch's. I wouldn't have lasted a day being a trainer. Probably wouldn't have even become a coordinator"

"Hey, I'm sure you would have figured it out. Give yourself some credit!"

"You're probably right, but still."

"Now that you mention it, I also wonder what would have happened if I got a Charmander or Bulbasaur from Professor Oak. I can't even imagine not having Pikachu by my side" Ash petted his partner, making him coo.

"Neither can I, actually-" May stopped herself and looked off nervously.

He stood up off the railing "What's up?"

She turned away from him. "It's kind of embarrassing…"

Strange... "Can't be as bad as having no style"

She sighed and faced him again, but still couldn't lift her gaze. "Alright…I never told you this but…on the day we first met, I was pretty mad when Pikachu destroyed my bike. I was going to give you two a piece of my mind, but when I got to your room…I saw you and Pikachu, the bond you had, it made me think…maybe this whole trainer thing won't be so bad? I didn't like Pokémon before then, I just wanted to travel. But-" She finally lifted her eyes back at him with a smile. "- you showed me how special being a trainer can be. I never thanked you for that"

That hit him like a truck. "Wow…May...I don't know what to say"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess…say 'you're welcome'?"

"You're…welcome?" It was as awkward of a response as you'd expect. He never realized how much of an effect he had on her.

An awkward silence came between the two. Fortunately, the sounds of the ocean relaxed their nerves.

Ash put his hands in his pockets and asked "Do you…wanna walk?" He was already walking ahead to the corner of the ship, so she didn't really have much of a choice, did she?

"Yeah, ok" She followed with a healthy feeling of cringe. It took a lot of effort, but she had to say something before things got even worse.

"Sorry. I made things weird didn't I?"

He slowed his pace and looked back at her. "No, I-I'm glad you told me. I guess I just…I never thought- How come you never told me before?"

"I guess I just didn't think much of it at the time. I had no idea of knowing how important that moment was for me, and by the time I did, well…We weren't traveling together"

"Yeah, because you wanted to travel by yourself so you could fin-" Ash stopped himself at the realization. "Wait…"

May and Pikachu grew slightly concerned when it took Ash a good minute before he scratched the back of his head and said "Guess I ended up not being such a great example for you after all"

May put a hand on his shoulder "No, you were. I just started to rely too much on that instead of finding my own way. So don't start blaming yourself!"

"Right, sorry"

The silence came back over them, but it wasn't nearly as awkward as it was before. They continued walking side by side.

"Speaking of which, how are your contests going? Last I heard you won the Unova Grand Festival, congrats!"

"That's actually why I'm here. Solidad told me that they were going to start doing contests in Paldea. So I figured why not? Besides, I need a break from being recognized at every corner."

"You too huh?"

"You bet, so many people just can't wait to get a picture or an interview with the 'Princess of Hoenn'"

"Any crazy stories?"

May put a hand on her chin and pondered for a second. "Well, there was that one time in Sinnoh where I was talking with Drew and this woman came up to us and started asking if we were dating. We tried to explain that we weren't but they kept insisting. The next day, she went on her show acting like it was true. I was so mad at them for that"

"Wait, was it Rhonda? From Sinnoh Now?"

"Yeah! That was her name. You know her?"

"Oh yeah, she was kind of annoying back when we were traveling through Sinnoh with Dawn and Brock"

"Well, at least I didn't run into her during the Wallace Cup back then"

"Yeah, that would have been a nightmare"

"Have you talked to Dawn recently?"

"I think it's been a couple of months?" He looked at Pikachu "Right?"

"Pika!"

"She called me to let me know how Ambipom was doing"

"Oh right, you guys left Ambipom to do Pokémon Ping-pong, right?"

"Yeah, so whenever Dawn heads home to Sinnoh she checks up on her and keeps me updated"

"That's sweet. I still remember when you caught her during the Grand Festival"

"Yeah, sorry about that"

May waved it off "Don't beat yourself up, you were still there for what mattered"

"I guess. Now that I look back, I wonder if I could have supported you more"

"Ash, you once told me you'd take care of Max for me so that I could get to a contest. That's already a pretty high bar for a friend"

"Yeah, bu-"

"Or that time when that time you talked to me after I lost the Rubello contest? Even after I snapped at you that day?"

"Alright, I get it"

Suddenly Ash's stomach started growling. Pikachu and May laughed.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah, I haven't eaten in a bit"

"Come on" May dragged him by the hand. They entered the interior of the ship and took the elevator to the top floor. There was a pool in the center of the deck, and on the edges were several food stands and tables.

"Alright, let's see.." Ash scanned the deck, trying to pick out what stand he wanted to check out. He looked at Piakchu for suggestions "What do you think bud?"

Pikachu scanned the deck himself before his eyes lit up and he pointed at the hot dog stand that was on the far left side of the deck. "Pika Pika!"

"Hot dogs? You good with that May?"

"Of course!"

Turned out that Pikachu wasn't so interested in the hot dogs themselves, but rather the tomato-based topping that he always loved to nibble on.

"No, you can't have the whole bottle of ketchup! I can only give you it as a topping!" The Hot dog guy wasn't too happy.

"Pika Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu tried his best to argue with the blonde man.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"

The other two nervously chuckled before May decided to step in.

"Could you at least put some in one of those cups" The hot dog guy saw that she was pointing at the paper cups on the left side of the counter. He sighed in defeat before grabbing one of the cups

"Alright, alright. But only half the cup. I got a limited supply here" He handed the cup to Pikachu, along with the two hot dogs Ash and May had ordered.

"Sorry for the trouble Mister…" Ash squinted to read the man's name tag "David?"

'David' rolled his eyes. "It's Daved, Now you and your girlfriend can get lost"

"We're not-" May was cut off by the loud slamming of the hot dog stand windows.

"Guess you did it again buddy" Ash commented, however, Pikachu didn't seem to care as he shoved the cup of ketchup in his face. Frantically licking the sauce.

"I feel like we've met that guy before…"

May shrugged. "He didn't seem familiar to me"

They went to walk at the edge of the deck while eating their hot dogs before Ash gave a small chuckle.

"Something funny?"

"That guy just reminded me again of that day we got into a big fight"

It took May a few seconds to realize the connection. "Oh right, Oscar and Andy wouldn't stop calling us a couple"

"That definitely didn't help us in that battle"

"They were quite the colorful characters"

"So you said that Sinnoh Now tried to say you and Drew were a couple?

May raised an eyebrow as she ate her hot dog. "Yeah.."

"Do people still think that?"

"Oh yeah, almost every reporter and news outlet asks me about my 'relationship' with him. It's always pretty obvious what they're getting at"

"Well…..is there something there?"

May almost choked on her food and started to cough.

"You ok?"

After she got herself together, May put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow "Ash, since when did you think…like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's be honest you were never the most observant guy when it came to that kind of stuff"

Ash scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't, but I guess that's something else that's changed about me"

May walked back to his side, and the two continued walking. "Really? How?"

"Well, I.." He was…blushing?

"Are you blushing?"

Ash brought his cap over his eyes. "N-no"

He was totally blushing. In typical May fashion, she created a makeshift camera with her fingers and pointed it towards Ash. "On this new episode of May's expedition, I have caught The King of Density himself, blushing! Truly a rare sight to behold" She giggled for a whole minute.

"Are you done?"

Her laugh began to fade. "I'm sorry, go on"

After he quickly finished his hot dog, he sighed. "I guess it started when Serena kissed me when I left Kalos"

Suddenly May was right in Ash's face, with a twinkle in her eye. "What? She kissed you? Wow! How did it happen? Tell me everything!"

Oh, the hopeless romantic that was May of Hoeen. "There's not much to tell. She just kissed me when she went down the escalator"

"Wait, was she on the escalator when she kissed you?"

"Uuuh, I think so?"

May's eyes were practically glowing at this point as she clasped her hands together. "Wow, that's so romantic! I gotta ask her about it next time I see her- WAIT, how come she never told me about this?"

Ash shrugged.

She started pacing back and forth. "So weird, she was never shy about how much she liked you"

"Wait, wha-"

"Maybe she just never got the chance too? Or maybe she wanted it to be a special secret between the two of you! Aaaaw"

"Actually Clemont and Bonnie were-"

"It's just so cute! I gotta call her, Let's look for a video phone!"

Before May took a step away, Ash quickly grabbed her hand. "No. Please May, just relax for a second"

May stared at Ash with curiosity. "Why? Haven't you talked to her about it?"

"Uuuuuuh" Ash was a bit too ashamed to answer himself, so Pikachu answered for him.

"Pika Pikachu"

"What? Why not?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself, to be honest"

May pondered for a second before asking. "Do you…not like her that way?"

Ash sighed and leaned on the railing to stare at the sea. "I don't know…in the moment it was nice but, it happened so fast that it kind of came and went. We've only seen each other a couple of times since then, and it was always so brief that we never had a chance"

"I guess you are pretty notorious for not keeping in touch."

"That bad huh?"

May shrugged "Me and Dawn practically talk once a month. Brock always checks up on me too. But you? Man, sometimes I have to call at least 3 centers before I catch you. Max has also been dying to talk to you about how his journey is going, you still owe him that battle ya know?"

"Sorry…"

"I get it, we all do. You're always on the road. But, I would think with Serena you'd at least make an effort after what happened?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." He looked back at her and chuckled "Dense as a rock right?"

"Seems like it, but you didn't answer my question" May's more playful expression suddenly shifted into a more serious one. "Do you like her like that?"

Ash looked away from her and back at the ocean. He thought for a moment until, with a hint of guilt in his voice, said "I don't think so…"

He lowered his forehead and tapped it softly against the railing as he grunted in frustration.

"Hey, don't feel bad about it. You feel how you feel, you can't change that"

He lifted his head back up. "Yeah, but now I know if I do talk to her about it, I'll break her heart. I don't want to do that to one of my friends"

"Sure, you'll break her heart. But the important part is whether or not she'll understand. I know Serena well enough that I know for a fact that your friendship is something she values more than her feelings for you"

"Pika Pika, Pikapi!" Pikachu seemed to agree.

"I guess you guys are right…I just don't know if I'm ready to talk to her about it"

"Take your time. Do it when you're ready. Just don't take too long alright?"

"Alright."

That familiar silence returned. The sun had already started moving towards the horizon. But its light still beamed across the deck.

"Wait a minute-" Ash's dourness shifted to a slightly mischievous smirk. "You still didn't answer my question about Drew!"

It was May's turn to blush. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes on the sea. "Not you too.."

"Hey, I told you about my thing with Serena. It's only fair"

"I know, I know." She sighed. "If you asked me this three years ago, I probably would have said yes. But now, I don't know…"

"If you liked him like that then why didn't you tell him? I would think you of all people would want a boyfriend right away"

May scoffed. "Right? I guess, as much as I love romance, actually finding myself some is kinda scary. I've known that Drew liked me for a while. So, I guess I just figured he'd make the first move. There were so many moments where I thought he would confess, but he just wouldn't. I used to live for that stuff but I'd rather not now"

"What happened?"

"Like I said before, it got to a point where all anyone would ask me about is what we were to each other. Even though I did like him, something about the way people just inserted themselves in my life and try to decide what choices I should make just felt so…icky"

Ash looked over at Pikachu. "We know that feeling."

"Drew wasn't too happy about the whole thing either. He's done his best to back me up, but I could tell that a part of him was thinking about that question too. It just became so overwhelming, that's why I decided that maybe I shouldn't follow him to the next region."

"So you decided to go to Paldea instead?"

She nodded. "It's farther away from Hoenn, and their contest circuit is still pretty new. I don't know for sure if I'll get some peace and quiet, but if this ferry is anything to go by, then I'm honestly relieved"

"How did Drew feel about that?"

"I didn't tell him everything. Although, I get the feeling he's probably figured it out. But he was very supportive. He really is great…"

Ash noticed her eyes glitter slightly. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but it brought out something in her that he never noticed before. Something…beautiful? Now wasn't the time to get distracted though.

"I just need time to figure it out"

"Well, I know I'm not the kind of guy to give advice on this stuff but…I hope whatever happens, that you're happy. That's all I want for you."

Ash could have sworn that her cheeks flashed red for a moment when she turned to him. But her smile was all that mattered to him. He smiled back at her before she suddenly embraced him.

"You're really sweet when you want to be huh?"

This was….new.

He slowly hugged her back. It was a strange feeling, despite the affection he and all his friends shared, hugging was just not a thing they really did. But he had to admit, it felt nice.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu jumped in between their shoulders and did his best to embrace their heads with his stubby arms. They giggled at the Pokémon's antics, but let the embrace last a few more moments so that Pikachu could get his share in.

When they separated, May looked at him with what seemed to him to be a contradicting expression. Her smile indicated joy, but her eyes communicated a sense of uncertainty.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just…thanks again. For being my friend"

"Thank you for letting me"

Both of them could feel their legs getting tired from all the walking and standing they did. So they sat on the nearest bench, and by nearest I mean a good 8 feet away from them. It was tucked into the back corner of the deck. On the bright side, it did have some shade that they were desperately in need of. When they sat down. Pikachu immediately curled into Ash's lap and closed his eyes.

"I still don't understand how he gets so tired when I'm the one who does all the walking"

May shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with him being out of his Poké ball? I heard that Pokémon usually sleep all the time when they're in there"

"That reminds me, what Pokémon did you bring?"

"Just one. Actually took a cue from your book! So it's just Glaceon and me this time"

"That's awesome. I'm sure there'll be lots of great Pokémon in Paldea to be friends with!"

"SPokén like a real Pokémon Master." May took note of Pikachu's snoring. She smiled and rubbed his fur before an idea came to her. "Hey Ash?"

"Since you're here anyway, do you want to travel together?"

"That'd be great! But, I thought you said you wanted some peace and quiet to think things over?"

"Yeah, but my mom once told me that festering in your thoughts for too long can do more bad than good. Sure I'll have my Pokémon but-" She lifted her gaze and locked eyes with him "I could use a friend"

"Well, I can't say no to that"

"Besides, I know you guys could use the break from the celebrity life too"

Ash simply nodded. They then went back to gaze at the sunset. The breeze had settled, and the orange glow began to fade. The two had left their guards down for the first time in a while. For at least this moment, all their issues had seemingly disappeared. So without even a thought, her shoulder dropped against his. He didn't even flinch, instead a feeling of bliss overtook him. A type of bliss he only vaguely understood. But he'd figure that out later, in the moment he was just happy being on board with her.

1