Hi all, just a short author's note before I begin. I'm a lifelong Pokemon fan. I've always really preferred the connection that Ash and May have, which has led me to be an Advanceshipper, and I can only really see myself writing works within that shipping. I've tried writing fanfiction before, but I've never really completed or gone through with a story like I have with this one. This is my first ever real fanfiction, and I did my best. It didn't take me too long to write, but I did my best to be as descriptive as possible and I took my time with it.

Feedback is much appreciated! Please tell me how I did.

Enjoy.

Takes place directly after episode 411 "A Real Cleffa-Hanger," where Ash, May, Brock, and Max are heading to the Battle frontier.

"Ahhhhhhh, this seems like a good place to stop." groaned a tired Max as the group entered a large clearing in the forest.

Ash and his companions had just begun their journey to the Battle Frontier in Kanto, Ash's most recent step to becoming a Pokemon master. Here he'd be able to battle other trainers as well as Frontier Brains. This could be a place that Ash could really see if he had what it takes to be a Pokemon master.

Most recently, Ash had lost to Tyson in the Hoenn League, placing top eight in the tournament. Ash quickly found himself back in his home region of Kanto, where he learned of the Kanto Battle Frontier, and decided that would be his next journey. After a short reunion with his mother, Professor Oak, and Misty, he quickly set off to the frontier, once again being joined by his Hoenn companions, who were back after a short break.

Along the way to the frontier, Ash and the group found themselves a little lost, and quickly approaching night. Brock, being the adult of the group, had already silently made the decision to set up camp in the forest clearing, and wait until the next day to continue their search.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Ash's head still hung low following the loss in Hoenn. This had been yet another shortcoming added to the list of leagues he participated in, and he was struggling to get over the tough loss. Doubts about his dream of becoming a Pokemon master began to present themselves in his head. How could he ever achieve his dreams? Was he just not meant for this path in life? What more did he need to do before he saw serious results?

Needless to say, Ash was a little quieter than usual.

This went unnoticed by his companions, except for a certain brunette. One certain brunette with beautiful sapphire eyes, and an unmistakable red bandanna wrapped around her hair. One certain brunette named May Maple.

"I agree with Max, it's definitely safer to set up camp here and wait for the morning before we continue looking for the Battle Frontier." said Brock.

Max, who desperately wanted to rest, quickly began unpacking his things, showing the group they were going to stop there whether they wanted to or not.

Ash sighed and began unpacking his stuff as well, while a tired Pikachu found a comfortable spot, and quickly fell asleep.

"You're already going to bed, Pikachu? We haven't even had dinner yet." said Ash, surprised the loyal mouse hadn't even begged for ketchup yet.

"Pikaaaaaaa piiii.." snored Pikachu, not even processing the words of his trainer. Ash chuckled a little bit before continuing to unpack his stuff.

Soon the whole group had unpacked their bags, and Brock began to prepare dinner for the group. "We're gonna need to start a fire before it gets too dark, mind coming with me to get some firewood, Max?" asked Brock. This elicited a long groan from Max, but a deadly glare from May answered the question for him, forcing a reluctant Max to get up and follow Brock into the forest to collect some wood.

Ash, now sitting on a log, still remained fairly quiet, seeming to be in deep thought. "I've been traveling for years now, I've gone through three regions, gotten over twenty four gym badges, and yet I'm still not strong enough to win something big," Ash continued to think. "Is it even really possible for me to become a Pokemon Master? All I do is fall short of my goals. Maybe I should just give this up, go find something I'm actually good at."

These thoughts swirled around in Ash's head, occupying his full attention, and bringing down his spirits. The trainer definitely wasn't known for being anywhere close to a pessimist, but one can only take so many shortcomings before doubt begins to set in. Ash had been through more than most trainers at this point. He'd gone on countless adventures, ran into numerous mythical pokemon, he even spotted the legendary Ho-Oh! Yet…he still hasn't been able to get it done.

Twenty four gym badges, three leagues, twenty three unique Pokemon, and a champion of the Orange Islands (albeit not an official league).

How could he achieve all of this, yet still be unable to get it done when it most mattered?

The array of thoughts kept him oblivious to the brunette staring at him. She had been waiting for him to say something, before quickly realizing he had no idea what was going on outside of his head. May knew he was being bothered by something, but she didn't know what. However, she was determined to find out.

"Is everything alright, Ash?" said May quietly.

"Ash?" she spoke a little louder.

That seemed to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What?" he said.

"Is everything okay?" she questioned. He quickly nodded his head.

"You don't seem to be okay."

"What makes you think that?" Ash replied, intent on keeping his issues to himself, not wanting to be an annoyance to anyone else.

"You just seem off, like something's bothering you. You aren't like your usual happy and excited self."

"Really May, there's nothing to worry about. I'm alright."

"If anything is ever wrong, you can always talk to me, you know," May said, hoping to break through his shell.

"I know, I'm doing just fine though. Seriously, don't worry, May." he said, throwing up a clearly fake smile.

"If you say so…." May said skeptically, as Ash soon returned to his spaced out state. If anyone could see through Ash's attempt at a smile, it was May.

However, May was unconvinced. She knew he was not doing just fine, so she began to brainstorm ways she could get Ash to open up to her, and hopefully return to a happier mood.

It may seem unusual of Ash to avoid communicating with his friends, May especially, and it is. This is something genuinely bothering Ash, something that was bad enough to build a shell around the formerly expressive trainer, and May would not have it.

The thing is, May had a secret.

Well, a secret to Ash at least. It was pretty obvious to her other companions, but a dense Ash had yet to catch on.

May had a huge crush on her raven-haired friend. She wasn't really sure when it had all started, but she had quickly found herself staring at Ash on numerous occasions, fantasizing about what it would be like to be with him, and looking for ways to spend time with him one on one. She has almost convinced herself it would never be possible, that Ash would never reciprocate her feelings, but still, she continued to crush on the kind hearted trainer.

Ash had always been there for her. Since the day they met, he has become a mentor for her. He was her inspiration, her encouragement, and her best friend ever. May genuinely couldn't imagine where she'd be now without him. The influence he has had on her life has been nothing short of extraordinary. With this relationship, she had grown a strong connection to him, one that breaches the confines of just a regular friendship.

To May, Ash meant the world.

However, the other thing is…. Ash also has a crush on May.

Albeit, he didn't understand that himself, it being a new feeling to him. He found himself wanting to be around her more, thinking more about her smile and her endless sapphire eyes. He thought about how important she is to him, and how he always wanted to be there for her, to protect her. Ash didn't really understand what all these feelings meant, he only understood that he had grown a strong connection to her, and he couldn't imagine his life without the brunette in it.

For the brief time that Ash and the rest of his companions were apart, when he had returned to Pallet Town alone while his companions went to their respective homes, Ash felt lost. He regretted the absence of his friends, and only wished to reunite with them. This was felt most especially about his best friend, May Maple. Without her, he felt alone, he felt unhappy. This only made room for his mind to begin running, his thoughts churning up self doubts and the belief that he wasn't enough. That short journey back to Pallet Town proved something to Ash.

He missed May, a lot.

Now that he was back with his companions, most notably his best friend, Ash was a lot happier. Yet, once his self doubts arrived, they refused to leave. This once again led to him sitting down, lost in his head, unaware of his surroundings.

That was when May spotted it. Not too far off in the distance, behind a thin veil of trees, there appeared to be an entrance to a cavern. Not an ugly or scary looking cavern, but a fascinating one. It was a kind of sight that just beckoned to be explored, to be looked at. As if there were so many things to be discovered inside, riveting things that would amaze you. It appeared to be abandoned, untouched for what could've been centuries. The mysterious, yet persuasive feeling pulled in May. A light bulb suddenly went off in her head, an idea finding its way into her thoughts.

"Hey Ash!" she blurted out.

"Yeah, what's up?" he replied woefully.

"Look over there, next to that big boulder!" May continued out and pointed her hand towards the sight.

Ash slowly turned his head, squinting his eyes, not sure what she was talking about. "What do you see?" he asked.

"Look, behind those trees right there." she said.

"I don't see anything. What are you talking about?" Ash said confused, still dazed from his thoughts.

"Look, there's a cavern entrance right there!" May said excitedly. "We have got to go check it out! Who knows what could be inside? Undiscovered Pokemon, vast riches, an ancient artifact, the possibilities are endless!" May continued on.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if there's something dangerous in there?" Ash questioned, not really in the mood to go on a short adventure and be pried from the thinking he believed he had to do.

"It'll be fine! We have our Pokemon to keep us safe." May reasoned, still very excited to check out the new discovery.

"I don't know, May, I don't really think it's a great idea."

"Fine! I'll just go by myself then! Who knows what could happen to me. I could get kidnapped, I could fall down a steep ledge, I could get eaten by a huge Pokemon, I could even get caved in, and there'd be nobody to save me, because my friend was too scared to go, and he would rather just sit and worry about stuff he refuses to tell me about." May said, as she slowly started to walk towards the cavern.

"Okay! Okay! Fine. You made your point. I'll go with you, and I told you I'm not worrying about anything right now." Ash gave in, as he slowly started to stand up.

"Yep. That's what I thought, Ash Ketchum."

The duo began to walk towards the entrance to the mysterious cavern. They didn't make it far before Ash stopped.

"Wait! What about Pikachu?" He blurted out.

"What about him?" May asked, confused.

"I can't just leave him here asleep! What if Team Rocket comes and kidnaps him while we're away? Pikachu would also kill me if I woke him up right now!" Ash said, already convincing himself to head back.

"Woah, woah. Slow your roll, Ash. I've got an idea. Just take out Grovyle and ask him to watch over Pikachu while we're gone. He was almost able to defeat Tyson's Metagross; he's more than capable of fending off Team Rocket until Brock and Max get back." May said, not willing to abandon potential time spent with Ash.

Ash winced. The reference to that battle stung Ash for a second. Not wanting to be reminded of one of the strongest Pokemon his opponent had used to defeat him. He quickly shook it off and began talking, not wanting to clue May in as to what he was stressed about. However, she still noticed.

"Yeah, actually, that's a really good idea, May." he said, not wishing to argue about it, as he recovered from the stress May unknowingly caused him.

"Wait. Ash looked like he winced when I mentioned Tyson. Could he still be stressed about losing that battle?" May thought. "That doesn't seem like Ash though, he's always willing to learn from his losses and is always looking onto the next battle. Maybe though."

"Grovyle can also tell Max and Brock where we are once they get back." May continued on, now paying a little more attention to Ash as she spoke.

"Yeah, that's also true." Ash said, reaching for Grovyle's Pokeball.

"Alright, Grovyle, I choose you!" Ash yelled, as he released Grovyle from the confines of its Pokeball.

"Grov! Grovyle!" the Pokemon said, looking to Ash for instructions.

"Hey Grovyle, me and May are going to explore this cavern just past the trees over here. Do you think you could watch Pikachu while he's asleep, and let Max and Brock know where we are when they get back?" Ash asked his loyal Pokemon. "Just whatever you do, don't wake Pikachu up, it won't be pretty."

Grovyle silently nodded, and took a seat close to Pikachu at the campsite. This elicited a smile from May, as she and Ash turned back and headed toward the entrance of the cavern.

As the duo made it past the line of trees, they were only a few yards away from the entrance to the cavern, and they now got a closer look at what it was. It was dark inside with no visible light. It appeared to be some sort of mine, evident by the hammered down rocks leading from the inside of the cave to the exit. However, there was no clear sign of technology, so this cavern could be centuries old.

As Ash and May peered farther into the cavern from the entrance, May saw something peculiar.

"Hey Ash….do you see that faint blue light coming from the back of the cave?" She asked.

Ash stayed silent as he looked before replying, "Yeah… Now that you say it, I do see something back there. Let's go check it out."

There was a faint glow of sapphire blue light coming from the back of the cave, something that now caught Ash's attention. This mysterious and curious glow led the duo to step inside the cavern.

Ash pulled out a flashlight from his bag and flicked it on. Instantly, a rush of Golbats swarmed Ash and May. Ash put up his arms to cover himself, while May jumped into Ash's arms.

"Eeeeek!" May shrieked, unaware of where she had jumped. Soon, the swarm of Pokemon had fled the area, and it once again remained quiet, prompting May to open her eyes. Now aware of the fact that she was holding onto Ash for dear life, she quickly blushed and removed herself from the trainer's arms. Ash held a light blush the whole time.

"Sorry, Ash…" May said sheepishly, yet happy with the contact she had made with her crush.

"It's okay, May, don't worry about it." Ash replied, still caught off guard by the quick embrace of his best friend. "Let's keep exploring."

Ash and May continued walking further into the cave. At this point, it was quite dark, and the only light that could be seen away from the entrance came from Ash's flashlight.

Suddenly, May had an idea that made her blush. An idea that would take a little bit of courage.

"H-Hey A-Ash?" May said nervously, with a large red blush across her face.

"Yeah what's up May?" He said while turning to look at her.

"D-Do you t-think that you c-c-could hold m-my hand?" She said, looking down to avoid her embarrassment.

Ash, who before had a blank face, quickly formed a blush and said, "W-why?"

"I'm k-kind of sc-scared." May replied, though she was really more anxious about what Ash would say, rather than what lay in the dark cavern around them.

"Um…yeah, of course, May." Ash said, extending his hand out in front of her.

May quickly grabbed his hand with her own, and interlocked her fingers with his, causing a major blush to form on both of their faces.

"I j-just feel safer when I'm c-close to you." She said quietly.

"I'm glad you do, May. I'm always here for you." He said, being the kind hearted person he is.

"Could he not be more dreamy!?" May thought to herself.

As the considerably closer duo had now gone about a hundred yards into the cavern, they discovered the source of the sapphire glow.

Lying in the middle of the path, there was a large mass of crystals, glowing with a bright sapphire blue. The sight was an awe to behold to both Ash and May, and they quickly approached the crystals to get a better look.

Ash found the sight in the middle of the room to be nothing short of beautiful. Though he couldn't quite figure out what, the sapphire blue reminded him of something gorgeous, and he couldn't take his eyes off of the sight.

"Woaaaaaaaaahhh." May uttered under her breath, causing Ash to turn to look at her. Instantly, he recognized what the crystals reminded him of. It was May. Her beautiful sapphire eyes. He was able to get lost in them, as if he were put into a trance. Though Ash wouldn't admit it to himself, he knew that he'd much rather stare at the person holding his hand than the crystals in the middle of the room.

"Ash, are you alright?" May asked, seeing that Ash was staring into her eyes.

"Wha-what? Huh?" He said, being broken out of his trance.

"You were just staring at me, is everything okay?" She continued to question.

"Oh. Oh, sorry. I didn't even realize. You just have really beautiful ey-." Ash caught himself, realizing what he was about to say aloud to the gorgeous brunette.

"WAIT! What did he just say?!" May thought. She opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off by a loud roar in the middle of the room.

Both Ash and May quickly turned to the source of the noise, behind the crystals, where a very large Ursaring began to appear from the dark.

"Holy crap! That's a big Ursaring!" Ash and May both said in unison.

Ash quickly reached for a Pokeball. "Torkoal! I choose you!" he yelled, releasing the fire type tortoise from its pokeball. "Tork! Tork!" it yelled.

May also instinctively reached for a Pokeball before realizing they were nowhere to be found, quickly realizing they were with her bag, left at the campsite.

"Crap! I left my Pokemon in my bag at the campsite!" May said worriedly, starting to panic.

"It's okay, May! Torkoal will do just fine, right buddy?" Ash said. "Koal!" the pokemon replied.

The Ursaring roared again and began to approach Ash and May.

"Quick Torkoal, use overheat!" Ash yelled his first command to his Pokemon as the Ursaring began to charge at Ash, May, and Torkoal.

Torkoal quickly released a myriad of fire at Ursaring. The Ursaring, which was immediately caught off guard by the attack, roared once more. The bear Pokemon quickly ran around the other side of Ash and May, and towards the exit of the cave, not wishing to be burned again.

"It's already fleeing?" asked May.

"Yeah, it doesn't look like it took too well to Torkoal's heat. Thanks Torkoal!" Ash said. "Koal koal." It replied happily.

However, as the large Usaring hurried out of the cave, it had quite a bit of force on the old cavern, and the entire cave started to shake. Ash, quickly realizing what this could mean, went into panic mode.

"Woah! We gotta get out of here, May, this whole cave might come down! Quick, Torkoal, return!" Ash yelled, returning Torkoal and grabbing May's hand again, pulling her with him as he ran to the exit of the cave.

Unfortunately, right as it seemed they would be able to make it out. Multiple large rocks fell from the roof of the cavern, and the right wall of the cavern caved in on the path, creating a huge wall of heavy rocks, effectively trapping the duo inside the cavern.

Ash and May found themselves standing in the now formerly clear pathway, the light at the end of the tunnel now shrouded by the wall of stone that lay between the duo and their only known means of escape from the cavern. The only light now present came from the crystals farther down the tunnel, which emanated a sapphire blue glow on everything inside the chamber.

Ash flicked on his flashlight to observe their now changed surroundings, seeing that the exit was completely blocked off now.

Ash sighed while May simply stared straight at the rocks with a look of guilt on her face, knowing she was the reason they were there in the first place.

"Looks like we may end up being here awhile, May." Ash said.

"Yeah, you're probably right." The brunette replied.

Silence.

"We should probably turn off the flashlight so it doesn't run out of batteries, in case we might need it later." Ash added.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." May said quietly.

Ash flipped the switch on the flashlight, making a clicking noise, with the absence of light following it simultaneously. Ash can be heard sitting down to lay his back against a wall of rock, with May following shortly on the other side of the cavern. All that could be seen was the faint sapphire glow on both Ash and May's faces.

Silence.

Nothing was said between the duo. Ash began to submit to his thoughts once again, this time feeling even more depressed than before. He didn't have Pikachu, he didn't have most of his gear, he had no idea how long they'd be there. He wished he had just stayed at the campsite and hoped that Max and Brock were okay, and that soon they would come to the pair's rescue.

On the flipside, May felt extremely guilty. She knew that it was her fault they were stuck here. She had dragged Ash into the cavern because she was so curious as to what was inside, and now they were stuck. She was the reason Ash is separated from Pikachu and their other companions, and she's the reason Ash is feeling even more depressed than he already was. She just couldn't make the right decisions.

"I'm so sorry, Ash." She blurted out.

"What?" Ash asked? May put her head in her hands and closed her eyes, the guilt forcing her to look away from Ash.

"I'm so sorry that we're stuck here. I'm the reason we came to this stupid cavern, I'm the reason you aren't with Pikachu right now, I'm the reason we almost got killed by an Ursaring, I'm the reason you're feeling so de-" May was cut off by Ash, who had stood up and walked over to her, putting both hands on her shoulders.

May looked up and stared into his brown eyes.

Ash had quickly left his thoughts behind, finding it more important to console his friend in need. before saying, "May, don't worry. It's okay."

"But it's all my fault!" May said.

"No it's not, May. It's my fault. I was the one who wouldn't admit something was bothering me. You have nothing to be sorry for. All you wanted to do was help me, and I was too blind to see that at first. Please don't stress out, you didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm glad we came here, May."

"Really?"

"Yes! I'm so happy to have you in my life, May. You've treated me nothing short of amazing to me for as long as I've known yo-" Ash was cut off by the brunette's lips smashing against his own.

Ash's eyes widened as far as physically possible as the brunette gave him his first kiss.

May quickly retracted and said, "And I've been waiting to do that for as long as I've known you, Ash Ketchum," before leaning in for another kiss.

He couldn't believe May would do something like that. Immediately, a huge range of thoughts appeared in Ash's head. Why is she doing this? Does this mean she likes me? What the hell is happening? Soon, Ash left his thoughts behind, closed his eyes and kissed the brunette back, intending on enjoying the kiss for as long as it lasted.

The kiss lasted another few seconds before the couple both left the kiss and stared into each other's eyes.

"Your eyes." Ash said, taking a seat next to May now.

"Huh?" May asked, turning her head to look at the trainer.

Ash put an arm around her and pulled her close. "I was going to say that you had really beautiful eyes."

The End.

Well, I hope anyone reading this enjoyed the story. It ended a little abruptly, yeah, but I didn't really see the need for it to go on any longer. If I had continued it from there, it would likely have just been Ash admitting that he was bothered by his loss to Tyson, and both Ash and May would fully confess their feelings to each other, and eventually they would be rescued or find a way out. Overall, just another 1-2k words that aren't really necessary.

However, I am not opposed to writing another chapter, or attempting to continue off from this story. Overall, I wanted to do some practice with oneshots before moving on to a bigger story, so that I could get some practice with story building, but if anyone really likes this story, I'd be happy to try and continue it.

Again, hope someone enjoys this story.

Peace out.