Hi all,
Well, here it is. This chapter wasn't all too bad, I think I really nailed introspection for Ash and May throughout it, though please tell me what you think.
Last week and this week have been finals week for this semester, and I've been soooo stressed with all the exams and final projects I've got to worry about. This chapter came out pretty good in my opinion, and I hope you guys all enjoy it. I've been receiving a continuously growing amount of support, and I'm so stoked whenever I see more reviews from people who are enjoying my work. As I've said many times before, I'm always grateful if someone leaves a review to tell me how I did, give me suggestions, or just talk!
I was also thinking of some other ideas for Advanceshipping stories that I might start after this one. I'm not quite sure which one I'll do and none of them have made it past a short summary, but maybe as we near the end of this story, I'll leave some of them in the author's notes to see which one you guys would like to see next. Right now, this chapter SHOULD be the halfway point of this story, assuming everything goes according to plan. I also slid in a reference to a story from one of my favorite Advanceshipping authors, so tell me if you find it!
I decided to create a discord server for anyone who'd like to talk with me, about my stories or Advanceshipping in general. If you're interested, the code is right here: up5b88QC68
Now to respond to some reviews,
To TheCouchEffect, thank you so much for the feedback! (I've already sent you a PM, but I thought it'd be nice to include you in the author's note).
To Advance shipper, thanks again for the ideas, I'll take note. I'm glad you're liking the story so far.
To Glaxy, in a future story, I definitely intend to do that. Maybe I'll make a continuation of this story where Ash and May travel together again, who knows.
To PowerPoke915, I'm glad you liked the way I took with Drew! I didn't want to be a stereotypical advanceshipping story and make him public enemy number one like most. He may come up again later in the story, we shall see. I'm glad you like the flow as well, I'm a novice writer, and I've been kind of stressing about that a little bit lol. Hope you like this chapter as well.
To 0rbital, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. There were a lot of decisions I had to make when writing how everything would play out, and I wanted it to be unique. This story still has plenty of words left to be written, and I think it'll be close to 100k words by the end, though we will see. I'm glad you're liking my writing, and I definitely plan for more stories after this one.
To natsuheartfilia32, you said you hoped the next chapter would come soon, so here it is. :D
Once again, thanks to everyone leaving reviews, I love to read them. I hope you like this chapter. (And sorry for the super long author's note again! I usually just have a lot to say!)
Thanks,
Enjoy.
Chapter 7 - Blossoming Bonds
Sunlight poured into the room from the cracks between the blinds. They shone upon every surface of the room, a warm reminder of the day ahead, and that it was time to awaken.
The light reached the skin of May's cheeks, stoking the brunette awake. Her eyes fluttered open, removing herself from dreams of a certain raven-haired trainer. Pleasant smells of morning filled her senses, and the sounds of Pokemon chirping outside were audible. A graceful, light-blue Pokemon laid next to her, still asleep.
Thoughts ran through the coordinator's head as she slowly rose from bed and sat up straight. The realization of everything that had happened the night before. She felt a rush of embarrassment, in disbelief of what she had done the night prior.
She had kissed someone.
Not just anyone, she had kissed Ash.
Albeit, it was on the cheek, but still a kiss nonetheless; the first she'd ever given.
May felt Beautiflys in her stomach as she recalled the events from before. Arceus, it was still unbelievable she did wasn't even sure what she meant by it at first, it was just an impulse. Ash was still dense, sure, but he must have known that it meant something. At least she hoped he knew.
Wow, there she went again; thinking about her feelings for the dense-headed boy. She was no dummy, she knew what this meant, and it was time she finally accepted it.
May had a crush on Ash.
The words hit her like a truck as they passed through her internal monologue, but quickly shifted into a feeling of relief. She had finally admitted it to herself. After so many years, she had finally admitted her true feelings.
Arceus, it was staring her in the face the entire time. She knew it deep down, but she never accepted it, always worried that Ash didn't feel the same (or if he even knew how to); she didn't want to ruin their friendship. But now, she had done it; an accomplishment that could go directly on the shelf next to her grand festival trophy. She smiled.
Wow, at last, it felt amazing to be honest with herself.
She suddenly remembered how Ash had agreed to let her join him on his next journey, and a wave of happiness rushed through her. She smiled as she sat up in her room in the dim lighting; life was good.
She'd had the chance to travel by herself and prove that she could be independent, she had even gone as far as to win a grand festival. Now she was finally being reunited with her friend, whom she planned to travel with once again. Fate had brought them together once again, and she didn't plan to say goodbye like the last time.
May thought back to Sinnoh when she had departed from the region on her way back to Johto, saying goodbye as she waved to Ash, Brock, and Dawn. She recalled watching her friends as the ship parted from land, taking her away. She remembered the empty feeling in her heart as she watched the raven-haired boy slowly shrink into a dot on the horizon, until eventually she could no longer see him; the feeling of loss that filled her mind, like there was something she hadn't done, something which she had lost the chance to do.
It took May a very long time, but she finally realized what it was she felt like she hadn't done back then.
It was to confess to Ash.
May thought back to how fate had brought her and Ash together. How he had been careless enough to get on the wrong plane? She would never understand. What matters was that he did get on the wrong plane and was sent to Petalburg. What matters is that fate had brought them together in that ramen restaurant, and she'd be damned if she didn't take the chance that life was offering her.
Suddenly, another train of thought interrupted her previous one, colliding and causing quite an issue.
Her father still wanted her to be prepared to take over duties at the Petalburg City gym leader.
May groaned internally. For Arceus' sake, why couldn't this be more simple? She had to focus on Ash, not all this Tauros crap. Her parents would definitely not take lightly to her leaving to travel somewhere else again, maybe they'd even cut her off, like what they did with Max.
Oh, Max. Her beloved, nerdy brother, who she still did not have contact with. She hoped he was doing okay.
She couldn't just cut off her parents, but on the other hand, there was no way she was going to be the new gym leader. She was a coordinator, not a battler. She also had a certain boy that she needed to embark on new travels with.
Arceus, this was all so complicated. She buried her head in her hands as the chaos of her stress attacked her peace of mind.
Suddenly, the ice-type next to her awoke, seeming to sense the turmoil within her trainer. She stood up and stretched for a moment, before purring and crawling her way up to May's shoulder.
Glaceon began to lick May on the cheek, removing the brunette from her anxiety.
May turned and smiled at her loyal Pokemon as she left behind her thoughts. She took a deep breath and pledged not to let them get between her and Ash the rest of the week.
She raised her hand to pet Glaceon, who started purring at the gentle touch of her trainer.
"Thanks, Glaceon. I needed that." spoke May softly as she continued to rub the fur of her loyal Pokemon.
The ice-type purred, "Glaceeee."
May thought about her relationship with her beloved Eeveelution. Over the years, she had turned into one of her closest Pokemon, their relationship forming a bond that could rival any other trainer's with their Pokemon. She smiled at Glaceon, recalling every time she had comforted May through her anxiety and tough times. Glaceon had been a big reason she won the Unova Grand Festival, without her, she didn't know what would have happened.
May yawned as the light continued to shine at her through the window, another gentle reminder that it was time to get up.
"I wonder if Ash is up yet." May said to herself as she raised the comforter off her and slid out of bed.
May spent the next few minutes getting ready like the day prior. This time, she decided to wear the new outfit she had bought yesterday with Ash. After she had gotten dressed, she went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then did her makeup. After a little, she was ready for whatever the day had to offer.
Hm. What were her and Ash gonna do today? She'd have to give it some thought. Right now though, she needed to go find Ash.
May left her room, Glaceon following closely behind, and made her way over to the trainer's room. She knocked on the door lightly like the day before, and eventually slightly opened it after there was no answer.
She glanced inside the room, and Ash was once again not inside.
Wow. Ash really had changed. The realization fully hit May. There was no way Ash would ever get up this early on his own accord when they originally traveled together. She smiled at her friend's maturity. She wondered how else he had matured, possibly in romance?
May giggled to herself at the thought. Probably not. He was still as dense as ever.
May made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, the second most likely place she'd find him knowing the boy's appetite. But again, the boy was nowhere to be seen. That's when May remembered where he'd been the last morning.
She stepped over to the back door and peered through the windows into her backyard.
And there he was.
The boy-
Wait, May thought, perhaps a better title at this point was young man.
The young, raven-haired man was once again running around the backyard, performing various high-intensity exercises and training. May marveled at his endurance and agility, it being much more prevalent than when she had traveled with him. He seemed in no condition to require rest as he did various exercises like the day before. Pikachu also kept alongside his trainer as he ran to the next exercise.
A blush spread across May's face as she turned the handle on the back door and pushed it open, stepping out onto the patio connected to her house.
She stood there for a moment, not exactly sure what to say as she observed the boy, locked in on his physical activity. Fortunately for May though, she didn't have to say anything, because Ash finally noticed her presence, and immediately stopped his exercise.
He jogged over to May as sweat dripped down his face, still breathing heavily from the exercise.
"Hey, May." Ash huffed as he reached her, putting his hands on his hips and breathing hard. Pikachu ran up beside him and began to play around with Glaceon.
"H-hey Ash. Doing your morning exercise again?" May asked, trying her hardest not to stare at Ash's midsection, bare to the world as he had opted not to wear a shirt.
"Yeah, I do them pretty much everyday." Ash replied, too focused on catching his breath to see the obvious blush on the brunette's face.
May clasped her hands together behind her back and said, "You never used to do that when we traveled together. When did you start?"
"Well, when I went to Alola, I guess I kinda decided that I wanted to be in better physical shape, because then I can better protect my friends and Pokemon, so that's when it started." Ash recounted, wiping sweat from his brow.
"That's really good of you, Ash." May responded, trying to think of something to say. "Do you think that maybe I could join you sometime?"
Ash finally looked up to May, now having fully caught his breath. "Of course, May! You can join me anytime and I can teach you all about what kind of exercises I do. I usually get up at around seven in the morning if that's alright with you."
May sweatdropped and replied, "That's earlier than I'm used to…but I'd be happy to join you."
Ash smiled at May. After a moment of silence, they both decided to go back inside, Ash saying he was done with his exercise for the morning.
Once they were inside, May decided to ask another question, "Ash, can I ask why you don't wear a shirt when you exercise?"
"Oh, well, then I don't get any of my shirts all sweaty, so it's less to wash." replied Ash as he took out a towel from his bag and dried himself off.
"Huh, okay." May said, a blush still lightly apparent on her face.
Ash took out another shirt from her bag and put it on, finally shielding himself from the brunette who was stealing glances at every second.
They both walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat when May noticed a sticky note on the counter. She reached over and grabbed it, bringing the note up to her face to read it.
"Dear May, me and your father will be at the gym all day. You and Ash have the house to yourselves. There's plenty of food in the refrigerator. Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of. Love, Mom."
May blushed as she read the last part, silently cursing her mom for even suggesting the idea. She turned to Ash and explained the note and how they had the house to themselves.
Almost simultaneously, both Ash and May's stomachs grumbled at the same time, signaling that they were ready for breakfast. They both laughed and May walked over to the refrigerator to search for something they could feast on.
As May opened the silver doors of the fridge, she frowned. Inside, there was almost no food. At least not what she was used to making. It was all mainly ingredients for things that would require cooking, nothing easy enough to just open and eat.
She groaned. May hated cooking. She loved baking, but cooking regular, old meals was not something she ever looked forward to.
Hearing May's groan, Ash walked up behind her and peered into the refrigerator from behind May to see what the issue was.
"What's wrong, May?" inquired Ash confusedly, putting his hand on May's shoulder.
May looked down dejectedly and sighed, "There's nothing to eat for breakfast..."
Ash looked back into the refrigerator and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, May? There's plenty of food here."
"Yeah, but I've got no idea how to cook! I'm kind of used to someone else cooking, like when we traveled with Brock. Even in Unova I mainly ate at Pokemon centers" answered May.
Ash leaned on the counter and put a hand on his chin. "Well you know, when I was in Alola, I kind of taught myself how to cook." Ash spoke, "I could try cooking something up."
May froze and looked up to Ash with a look of bewilderment.
"You mean to tell me that YOU, Ash Ketchum, learned how to cook?" she asked skeptically.
Ash put his hands up to defend himself, "Yeah, that's what I'm saying, is it that hard to believe?" Ash really had put in the work when he was in Alola to try and improve himself on different fronts, rather than just Pokemon battling. He put extra care into his hygiene and body, wanting to be healthier and stronger. Along with that, he tried to learn some necessary skills like cooking.
May began giggling, "No, no, I was just kind of surprised is all. What do you know how to cook?"
"Well, pretty much all the basic stuff, ya know; most breakfast foods really aren't all that complicated." Ash started thinking of things he could make. "Do you have any eggs?"
May reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs.
"Hm, okay. How about some bacon?" Ash continued.
May pulled out a pack of bacon from the refrigerator drawer.
Ash listed out a few more things such as tortillas, some vegetables, some potatoes, and various seasonings, all of which May retrieved quickly.
"Alright then, I know what I can make!" exclaimed Ash as he laid out all the ingredients on the counter in front of him.
May put her hands on her hips, "Well what is it then?" she asked.
Ash opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself and smirked before answering, "You're just gonna have to wait and see."
May groaned and tried to get him to admit what it was, but he refused to tell her, suggesting that she go feed Pikachu and Glaceon while he cooked. Ash started washing his hands and said it would only take about fifteen minutes to make it.
May finally relented and quickly made her way to the pantry where she kept a bag of Pokemon food. She pulled out two similar bowls, one yellow and one teal, and set them on the ground by the table. She took out the bag of Pokemon food and poured some into each of the bowls, before calling over Pikachu and Glaceon, who were currently playing with each other in the living room. They rushed over and began to eat the food.
Well, Glaceon ate it at least, Pikachu instead sat there, a disappointed look on his face.
The raven-haired trainer, and cook now, started out by putting a pan on the stove. He cracked five eggs and whisked them in a bowl before pouring them into the pan and setting the flame on. He pulled out another pan and set six strips of bacon on it, before turning that flame on as well.
Ash peered over his shoulder to look at May and said, "You know, May, can I ask you a question?"
May sat down at a chair next to the kitchen island, smiled, and replied, "Of course, Ash."
"What made you choose not to wear a bandanna today? I've never seen you without one during the day." Ash asked, turning over to watch the food sizzling in each pan. "Also, the new clothes you got yesterday look great on you."
May froze, only hearing the first part of Ash's statement, and raised both of her hands to touch her bandanna, which she realized was missing. Her eyes widened and a look of pure terror took place on May's face as she turned and looked into a conveniently placed mirror on the other side of the room, fully realizing that she had forgotten to put on her bandanna that morning.
"Sorry, be right back!" May gasped, and quickly ran out of the kitchen and up into her room.
Ash turned back to reply, but noticed she was already missing. He shrugged and turned back to the stove to continue cooking as he added various spices and seasoning to the food in the pans. He wondered what that was all about.
Pikachu looked up with a mischievous face, realizing that now was his time to strike. May was gone and Ash's back was turned, it was showtime.
Pikachu quickly leapt off the floor and onto the kitchen island before turning to the refrigerator. He jumped onto the refrigerator door and caught himself from falling on its handle. He started swinging back and forth and used the momentum to throw the door open, before crawling around and inside. He threw and pushed some things aside, before setting his sight on the holy grail at the back of the refrigerator.
He leapt forward, grabbing it, before kicking himself backward and out of the refrigerator, using his tail to hit it closed, before landing back on the ground where his food was.
Glaceon watched in awe as Pikachu performed this graceful stunt of pure, tactical mastery.
And with that, Pikachu took his newly retrieved bottle of ketchup and began to feast on the spoils of his thievery. This concludes part two of Pikachu's Ketchup Heist.
Meanwhile, May stood in her room, frantically searching for the bandanna she had bought to go with her new outfit. Finally, she looked under the dresser in her closet, where she found the cherry-red bandanna had fallen, seemingly hiding from her.
How on Earth had she forgotten? Arceus, it must have been because of all she was thinking about this morning. May dearly hoped that Ash didn't think too much of it. What if he thought she was ugly? May prayed that he didn't think anything like that.
She sheepishly made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen, sitting back at the table in the same spot where she was sitting before.
Ash peered over his shoulder again and asked, "What was that all about, May?"
May looked up, fearing the worst, and answered, "I was just going up to get my bandanna, I forgot to put it on this morning…"
"Oh, alright, I was going to say that you look good without one too, just as much as you did with one." Ash replied nonchalantly.
May looked up again and her eyes widened, fortunately Ash didn't see as he was focused on cooking.
"O-oh, t-thanks, Ash." May stuttered at the unexpected compliment. It wasn't a stellar compliment, but ANY compliment from Ash was a good one, considering his density.
Ash chuckled, "No problem, May." In all truth, Ash wanted to ask why she was in such a rush to put on a bandanna, but decided not to ask, in case there was something she didn't want to tell him.
As Ash focused on cooking, May sat flustered at what Ash had said. He probably didn't mean anything serious by it, but it was the first time he'd ever genuinely complimented her on something like that. Her heart warmed as she began to daydream about other compliments Ash could give her in the future. Maybe next time he'll call her pretty.
After a moment or so, Ash stepped back and exclaimed, "It's ready! I'll grab you a plate."
May immediately snapped out of her stupor at the mention of food, though she was still a bit skeptical of Ash's cooking.
Ash grabbed two plates and placed an equal portion on each one, before bringing them over to the table where he placed one in front of May and one in front of an opposite chair. He also grabbed some napkins on his way. Ash took a seat across from May.
May stared at the food in front of her. It was a tortilla wrap, and she couldn't tell what was inside, but she could guess considering the ingredients Ash had asked for.
"So it's a breakfast burrito?" May asked, tilting her head to the side.
Ash smiled. "Yep! One of my favorite things to make for breakfast. I made these all the time in Alola. Tasty and nutritious!"
"Hm, I guess I'll give it a try." responded May as she grabbed the burrito and lifted it to her mouth. Ash watched hesitantly, hoping she'd like it.
She took a small bite, and May's facial expression changed, then she took another, bigger bite.
"Wow, Ash! This is actually pretty good! I'll say that it's not Brock's cooking, but you're not a bad cook at all!" May exclaimed as she began to feast on the breakfast food.
Ash's smile turned into a full on grin as he listened to May's praise. She genuinely was enjoying the food. May continued to think about how much Ash had matured, it was honestly marvelous everything he's changed. He's even more dreamy now.
Ash began to eat now as well, this time choosing to take his time, contrary to May who was scarfing down the burrito. Within a few minutes, both trainers were done eating, and now well fed.
"So, May, what now?" asked Ash, grabbing both the dishes and bringing them over to the sink to begin cleaning them, as well as everything he had used to cook breakfast.
"Hm, I was thinking we could just relax for a little bit, then maybe look on TV and see if anything's going on today. Usually they have updates for stuff like that." answered May, putting away the Pokemon food bowls and throwing away any left over. She didn't happen to notice the ketchup bottle that was discreetly placed in the trash can, though.
"Sounds like a plan, May. I could use a little bit of time to just do nothing, I haven't had the chance to do that in months." Ash said as he finished the dishes and leaned back against the counter.
May motioned for Ash to follow her, and they both walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Pikachu and Glaceon followed their trainers closely. May took a seat on the couch, and Ash followed soon after, sitting down about two feet from her. Pikachu jumped up to sit next to Ash while Glaceon laid down in May's lap.
May reached for the remote on the coffee table and flicked on the TV.
"What do you want to watch, Ash?" May asked, turning her head to meet the boy's eyes.
Ash smiled, returning her gaze, and replied, "I'm good with anything, May. I don't really mind."
May showed a devious grin before responding, "So you don't mind if we watch some of my favorite rom-coms?"
Ash's face turned to a look of horror, Pikachu's expression following suit.
"What's wrong, Ash? I thought you said you didn't mind, right?." May teased.
"Please, May. Anything but a rom-com." Ash finally squeaked out.
"Cool it down, Ash. I'm just joking. I'd never force you to watch that stuff with me." May said as she rolled her eyes. After a short second, she added quietly, "Unless you wanted to..."
Ash didn't hear the second part though, and both he and Pikachu sighed in relief.
After some discussion and scrolling through different streaming services, they eventually decided on a simple adventure movie about a group of college friends who gained superpowers one night.
It was actually a pretty thrilling story with some pretty unique superpowers for each character. There were some unfortunate and surprising deaths within the main cast, but the final battle scene made it all worth it. There also ended up being some romance between two of the main characters, which May liked.
Eventually, Pikachu dozed off, not interested enough in the movie to stay awake. Glaceon ended up joining him, jumping off of May's lap and sleeping next to Pikachu, something both Ash and May smiled at.
Throughout the movie, Ash and May both found themselves slowly inching closer to each other, and by the end, they were right up against each other, causing both of them to lightly blush, but fortunately not enough for the other to notice.
In the end credits of the movie, there was a sly hint about a second movie, and both Ash and May got excited. They quickly looked up the name of the movie, but realized that the first movie came out in 2014, and there's been no news of a second one since then, and the director had even gone pretty much ghost. That was unfortunate.
Now with nothing playing on the screen to distract the duo, they realized the position they were in. However, neither of them made a move to leave it. This was mostly because they couldn't tell if the other had realized it yet and they didn't wanna be obvious about it, but it was also slightly because they enjoyed the close proximity.
May thought for a moment before she looked up to Ash and said, "Can I ask you something Ash?"
Ash turned over to meet her gaze, almost getting locked in her sapphire eyes, before snapping himself out of it and replying, "Of course, May."
She was silent for a short moment before beginning, "You know, since you showed up in Petalburg, you've changed a lot..." May paused and took in a breath before continuing, "...How?"
Ash, slightly caught off guard, wasn't sure how to answer. "What do you mean?" he finally spoke.
"I don't know, but like, since I last saw you in Sinnoh, you've changed so much. Like you've grown physically, but you're also more mature, and you're responsible, and you're still kind as ever, and you've come out here with all these new skills. I mean, you just cooked breakfast for the both of us, and it was delicious!" May let out. She paused for a moment before adding, "I'm just wondering, what caused all of this?"
Ash smiled at May. He wasn't sure if this was all intended as a compliment, but he still lightly took it as one. "It's kind of a long story, May."
"Well we've got the whole week." May retorted with a smirk causing Ash to chuckle.
He let his gaze drift from May and off into another space as he thought of a good response. It wasn't really that long of a story, but it was still something he hadn't fully understood himself.
Finally, he took a deep breath and sighed, "Well…one day while I was in Alola, closer to the start of my journey there, I was in a clearing just training my Pokemon. Me and Pikachu were practicing some different moves and techniques that I was trying to work out. All of a sudden, this little kid comes up to me and-"
"He wanted to battle you?" May interrupted, her eyes locked onto Ash's as he turned and looked back at her.
Ash paused before continuing, "Yeah. He asked to battle Pikachu because he thought he looked strong. He was pretty young, probably had just started his journey, only had a Rowlet. Either way, I'm never one to turn down a battle, so me and Pikachu accept."
"Did you win?" asked May.
Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, yeah. I went easy on him, but his Rowlet just didn't stand a chance against even Pikachu's least powerful moves, but I wouldn't expect any less from Pikachu." Ash looked down and rubbed the yellow mouse's fur with a smile.
"So what happened next?" May inquired, still trying to figure out where this was leading. So far, it still seemed just like a regular battle.
Ash looked back up to May and continued, "After the battle, he came back up to me, super enthusiastic and all, and asked me a ton of questions. Where did you get Pikachu? How long have you been a trainer? How do you train your Pokemon? Who are you?" Ash paused before continuing, "So I gave him the regular spiel, 'My name's Ash Ketchum and I want to be a Pokemon Master.'"
May looked at Ash, listening intently for the next words.
"But then, he asks me something I never even really considered…" Ash paused before continuing, "He asks me, 'How do you become a Pokemon Master?'" Ash said.
May raised an eyebrow and replied, "You have to win a tournament right?"
Ash sighed and looked up, "Well yeah, that's what I always kind of thought, but this kid asking me made me realize that I never really thought about what it means to be a Pokemon Master. Winning a tournament was always just my first goal since I was a little kid, so that kind of became my definition for it. I never really thought about what happens after that."
"I'm still not really understanding how this led to you maturing as a person and all that." May admitted confusedly.
Ash shut his eyes for a moment before opening them and musing, "Well, it kind of made me think. If I ever do win a tournament, does that make me a Pokemon Master? What's next after that? Is that the end of my goals?" He paused for a moment, then continued, "Obviously the answer to that is no, I wouldn't just stop there. So I guess I just started imagining what a Pokemon Master would look like; how he would act, how he would talk, and what he would do. I mean, if I want to be a Pokemon Master, I've got to act like one, right?"
May was starting to see where this was going, but she still continued to listen. Her hand slowly made its way to Ash's arm, holding him just a little bit closer. Ash didn't really seem to notice, too focused on what he was saying.
"So that kind of led to me trying to improve myself. I thought that if someone was good enough to be a 'Pokemon Master,' they're probably good at doing a lot of other stuff too. So I taught myself how to exercise, how to cook, and how to take care of myself. I practiced fighting, talking, singing, pretty much everything I could think of. So-"
May stopped him, "Hold on, did you say fighting? And singing?"
Ash looked away, a light shade of red on his face from embarrassment. He nodded and replied, "Yeah. I wanted to be able to defend myself and my friends if I needed to. I'm not that good at it yet though. For singing, I thought it would just be cool to be able to sing..." Ash trailed off a little bit at the end.
May giggled, "I get it, Ash. Sorry for interrupting you, but know now that you're gonna have to sing for me one day, whether you like it or not."
Ash shook his head in embarrassment, before deciding to change the subject by continuing what he was saying earlier. "Well anyways, all of that stuff led me here, and to who I am today. I don't really think I've changed all that much though."
May was silent for a moment, before she gently wrapped Ash in a hug, holding him tight. Ash was caught by surprise, but he didn't hesitate to return the embrace. It felt just as amazing as the first one just the other night at the ramen restaurant, still evoking the same feelings of comfort as before.
"You know Ash, I'm really proud of you." the brunette spoke into his shoulder.
Ash glanced to the side, confused. "Proud of me? Why?"
May retracted from the hug, leaning back, and answered, "Because you went on a self-improvement journey! That's what that all was! You recognized that you weren't everything you wanted to be, and you pushed to change that!"
Ash sat there for a second and brought a hand up to rub the back of his head, processing May's words, before finally speaking, "Huh…I never really looked at it that way."
May laughed. Ash wasn't dumb, but sometimes he could be so clueless. He just really wasn't all that good at putting the two dots together. In more cases than one, May thought.
Ash thought about how May had changed, but truthfully, she was still the same energetic, happy, sweet, and pretty girl he had always remembered. He slightly cursed himself for that last thought, but didn't think too much of it.
"You know, May, I'd really like to see you in a contest sometime. You must have improved a whole lot, especially if you were able to win a grand festival." Ash said, trying to continue the conversation.
"Yeah, I'd say I changed a lot of my techniques in Johto, plus the year of practicing in Hoenn and then another year in Unova. You know…since we did agree to travel with each other again, it won't be too long before you get to see me in a contest." May replied. At this point, she was full on holding onto Ash's arm next to her, never quite leaving after the hug. Ash didn't seem to mind though.
"Oh. Yeah. I guess that's true. I had already kind of forgotten." Ash said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with the arm not occupied by the brunette next to him.
May rolled her eyes and giggled, "Well, at least I know some things haven't changed about you, Ash."
They both laughed and were treated with another moment of silence. May decided to switch on the Petalburg City News, and see if there was anything going on that day or the next day that she and Ash could do together.
Almost synchronistically, the first thing that popped up on the screen were the words, "Petalburg City 1st Annual Contest."
Both Ash and May leaned forward, their eyes locked onto the screen, their attention now fully caught.
The sound was quiet and there was a reporter on the screen speaking. May turned up the volume and the words began to echo from the speakers. "As we celebrate the end of this year's Pokemon league tournament as well as the growth and development of Petalburg City, please get ready for the first annual Petalburg City Contest! Any trainers who have previously earned at least four gym badges or a contest ribbon are eligible to enter!" spoke the reporter with a wide smile.
May suddenly remembered hearing about the contest in the past. How could she have forgotten about it? All the stress with her parents must have made the thought completely abandon her. She mentally slapped herself, this would be the perfect thing for her and Ash to do. They could train together, show each other what they've learned since their last meeting, and figure out what to do for the contest. But would Ash be up for the idea? May sneakily glanced over to the boy, though he was still looking at the screen.
May looked back at the screen to catch the next words. The reporter continued to explain, "The contest will be taking place tomorrow! Although the deadline to enter was supposed to be yesterday, it was moved forward due to a lack of participants. If you have the time, we ask that you please enter!"
May mentally facepalmed again. Thank Arceus that they moved the deadline or else she wouldn't be able to enter at all! If she did enter, she'd have to do some intense training today to get ready. She glanced over to Ash, wondering if he'd be willing to help her.
They both continued watching the news a little bit longer, where they found out that you could enter online through a form. They also found out that the theme was 'Petalburg City.' May supposed they wanted people to try and exemplify what it means to live in Petalburg, and how the city has developed. The brunette already started thinking about different ideas she could use. The last thing the reporter said was that the winner of the contest would receive an all-expense paid dinner for two at Petalburg's fanciest restaurant, an idea which made May excited. If she won, she definitely knew who her plus-one would be.
After a moment, May snapped out of the stupor and slowly glanced over to Ash who looked to be in deep thought.
"Well, Ash, what do you think?" May inquired, looking to the raven-haired trainer.
Ash was silent for a moment as he turned and met May's eyes. "What do I think?" He eventually answered, "I think that we need to get you to win this contest!"
Ash smiled wide and his eyes lit up as he said it. May felt a rush of warmth come over her and without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Ash in a tight hug. They both felt a blush on their cheeks, a buildup from their close proximity throughout the movie and up to now. May was so excited that Ash had agreed with exactly what she was thinking. She began to brainstorm all the ways she could train.
After a little bit, May retracted and looked up to Ash. "Thank you so much, Ash. Do you want to try and enter too?" she asked.
"No, I don't think so. Contests are fun, but I'm better at battling, and I'd rather focus on helping you train instead of worrying myself about it." Ash responded.
"I understand. Thanks again, Ash." May spoke gratefully.
"Of course, May! I'd love to see you compete in a contest again! It's been so long and I know you've made so much progress." Ash replied. He really was excited to see how much May had advanced her skills since the last time he'd seen her compete. "You should sign up soon and we should get to training though, we don't have that much time."
May agreed, sheepishly admitting that she had forgotten about the contest earlier that week. Ash told her it was okay, and that at least she hadn't taken the wrong flight home, to which they both laughed at.
Both Ash and May stood up and stretched to wake up their muscles after sitting down for so long. Still, neither of them said anything about their close proximity from earlier. Somehow, it just felt right. Neither of them were going to complain if the other wasn't either. Pikachu and Glaceon both perked up, detecting the absence of their trainers, and jumped off the couch to stretch as well.
"So, May…" Ash began as he finished stretching, "Where do you think is the best place to train?"
May put her hand on her chin and began to think. They could go to the gym and use those facilities, but there'd probably be too many people around. The backyard wasn't really big enough and they didn't wanna do any damage to it. There was a field not too far from there though, kind of on the outskirts of town, where May used to train when she spent a year in Hoenn.
"There's a pretty big clearing not too far from here, it's where I used to train when I had decided to stay in Hoenn. I think that'd be the best place." May answered.
Ash smiled, "Sounds good! I'll go grab my stuff, you should sign up before we forget, then we can get going!"
May agreed and pulled out her phone to sign up on the website. Ash turned and walked up to the guest room to grab his bag and anything else he might need, most notably, all of his Pokemon. After a quick moment Ash was all ready and he headed back downstairs, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder. Standing at the door was May, who had just finished entering the contest. She had also grabbed her bag and Pokemon, and was ready to head out. Glaceon stood at her feet.
"Ready to go, May?" Ash asked, already reaching for the door knob.
May smiled and replied, "Yep, let's get going. I've gotta do some intense training if I wanna have a chance at this."
With that, Ash opened the door and May was the first to leave the house. She grabbed Ash's hand and started speed walking to the forest that bordered the town, Ash doing his best to match her pace.
While they were walking, May thought about something. "You know, Ash, I haven't seen any of your new Pokemon from your other travels yet."
"Yeah, you're right. I've only got my Alola Pokemon with me right now, but I'll be sure to show you them when we get to the clearing." Ash replied before adding, "I'd also like to see all of your new Pokemon too!"
May smirked and responded, "I've got a few of my old ones on me, but I've also got a few new ones too."
Ash grinned, he couldn't wait to see them. If there was anything that Ash would never turn down, it was the chance to interact with more Pokemon.
After a few minutes of walking, plus some various conversations between Ash and May, they reached the forest. May grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him through the brush, leading into a large, grassy clearing. The sun beamed down through the middle, creating a nice, warm feeling.
The duo walked to a large tree and set their bags down beside it. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and started running around the field with Glaceon.
"Pikachu and Glaceon have really been having a lot of fun together, huh?" May said, watching the Pokemon run around the pasture of grass.
Ash glanced up to watch his best friend evading the ice-type chasing him and smiled, "They sure have."
Ash reached into his bag and pulled out four Pokeballs, before glancing over to May.
"Well, May, are you ready?" Asked Ash, a grin on his face.
May nodded and watched in anticipation as Ash held each Pokeball.
"Alright, come on out everyone!" Ash yelled, tossing all four Pokeballs in front of him and onto the grass. The familiar sound played out and four Pokemon materialized in front of them.
The first Pokemon to materialize was a large, silver Pokemon that looked to consist of liquid metal. It had multiple dark-gray, hexagonal nuts embedded in its body, from its arms to its torso and feet. A large, golden, hexagonal nut lay around its head, a smaller one in the middle. A small, gray sphere floated in the middle. The Pokemon roared, "Metal!"
May watched in awe at the large Pokemon. In another instant, the second Pokemon materialized, revealing a small, bird Pokemon. It had a round body with beige feathers and a white underside. It also had a stubby beak and large black eyes. The Pokemon chirped and flew in a small circle in the air.
The third Pokemon materialized, revealing a humanoid, feline Pokemon. It had a muscular build with a short snout and a small red nose and tiny, pointed ears. It had bright green eyes as well, and large tufts of red fur coming from its cheeks. Its arms and legs were striped with red and black fur, while its torso was gray with black markings in the middle. Around its hips was a red, fire-like belt. The Pokemon roared as it left the confines of its Pokeball.
The fourth and final Pokemon to materialize was a canine Pokemon with white and dark-orange fur. It stood on all fours, each leg having white fur while the main torso was dark-orange. It had a large white tail as well as a large tuft of white fur around its head along with four tufts of black fur. It had light-green eyes, while its head was mostly dark-orange fur. The tips of its ears had black fur, as well as a black snout. The Pokemon yelled, "Roc!" as it found itself out of its Pokeball.
"May, meet my Alolan Pokemon, Melmetal, Rowlet, Incineroar, and Lycanroc." Ash said as he motioned to each Pokemon. "And guys, meet May, one of my best friends who I traveled through Hoenn with."
Each Pokemon made their own form of greeting to the brunette coordinator, and May waved back at all of them. After a moment, May turned to Ash and asked him, "Ash, that's only four Pokemon, do you not have a fifth?"
"I did have one, but I released it so that it could go back to its home." Ash answered, thinking back to Naganadel.
May made a sound of understanding then asked, "What Pokemon was it?"
Ash sighed, "It's a really, really long story, May. I think it's better to save that for another time." He didn't really want to tell May about ultra beasts just yet, that would be like dropping a bombshell on her. He told himself that he would tell her about it another time, when they didn't have important things to focus on.
May was going to retort, but decided not to, seeing the look on Ash's face meaning now wasn't the time and she wouldn't pry. Besides, she still had to show Ash all of her Pokemon. She grinned as she pulled out five Pokeballs from her bag.
"Alright, Ash, are you ready?" she asked the raven-haired trainer excitedly?
Ash smiled and nodded, waiting to see what May had really been up to the past few years. With that, May tossed each Pokeball out in front of her and said, "Come on out guys!"
The first two Pokemon to materialize were ones that Ash had seen before. The first one was May's ace Pokemon, her Blaziken. It stood tall and broad with the accents of red, beige, yellow, and gray on its body, along with the beige, hair-like feathers that connected to the back of its head. The second Pokemon was easily recognized by its pair of colorful wings. It had large blue eyes and black antennae with rounded tips. It was May's Beautifly.
The other three Pokemon, Ash did not recognize as May's. The first one to materialize was a blue pokemon with a large, tough, brown shell. The shell had a cream-colored underside, and on the back were two water cannons connected at the shoulders. Its head poked through the top of the shell and had triangular ears, brown eyes, and a cream-colored jaw. Its arms and legs were thick with three claws on each. Lastly, it had a stubby tail on its back. It was a Blastoise, had May evolved her Wartortle?
The next Pokemon to materialize was a humanoid Pokemon who's body resembled a flowing, white gown. Its hair, arms, and the underside of its gown were green, while the rest of its body was white. Its hair curled over its face and around the back of its head, but not covering its two, red eyes. It had short spikes behind its eyes as well. It had long, slender arms with three fingers each, and a red, fin-like protrusion from its chest. Ash knew it to be a Gardevoir and was in awe that May had caught such a great Pokemon.
The last Pokemon to materialize was a blue, serpent-like Pokemon. It was blue with a white underside along. It had large, oval-like, purple eyes, and a white bump on its forehead. It also had a round, white snout and white, three-pronged fins on both sides of its head. Wow, May had caught a Dratini?!
"Ash, meet my new Pokemon! I have a few others you haven't seen, but these are the main ones I used to win the grand festival in Unova!" May said to the boy who was in awe. She turned to her Pokemon, winked at them and said, "I know three of you know him, but Gardevoir and Dratini, meet Ash!"
"Wow, May! That's awesome, how'd you catch them?" asked Ash, still marveling at the Pokemon. Pikachu noticed the commotion and ran over, greeting all of May's Pokemon, both new and old.
"Well I found Dratini in Unova during a storm when I went to take refuge in a cave. Dratini was there and injured, so I helped it recover and it wanted to join my team." May said, walking over and petting the Pokemon. "As for Gardevoir, I was on my way to my next contest in Unova and she had been following me. Eventually I realized she was following me, and as it turned out she had watched my last contest and wanted to ask to join me, but was too shy, so she let me catch her and she became a part of the team."
"That's awesome, May!" Ash said to the brunette. "Do you plan on trying to evolve Dratini into a Dragonite eventually?" he asked.
"I haven't really decided yet, but I think I'm going to leave it up to Dratini." answered May.
Ash nodded, respecting her decision, as it would be the same thing he would've done. Suddenly he realized that maybe it was him who had that influence on her, though he pushed aside the thought.
"Alright, May, let's get you ready for this contest!" Ash exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.
May giggled at Ash's enthusiasm and they both recalled their Pokemon and sat down across from each other to brainstorm some ideas for May's appeal. It had to be something that looked good but also stayed relevant with the theme. They both started thinking about possible ideas.
Though, the truth was, they both struggled to keep a certain someone off of their minds, distracting them from thinking of ideas.
And...that's a wrap! At least for now. I was over 8k words into this chapter when I realized I still had a lot that I originally wanted to put in, so I decided to split this one into two chapters.
After proofreading, I'm honestly pretty happy with how it all came out. I was a little worried at first, but it seemed to blend together pretty well to me and I didn't need to make any major changes during revision. I hope you guys enjoyed.
As always, please leave a review for some feedback if you have the time. If you want to talk, shoot me a PM or join my discord.
Thanks for reading,
Peace out.