The Aura is With Me (Advanceshipping)

[BlazeFusion76]

*stares at last few lines of chappie without expression*.....May......d-d-dr-drew......NYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*falls of chair*...Ok I got it outta my system,I know this wont turn into CS otherwise you wouldnt of put AdvanceShipping at the top...right...RIGHT??!!!Meh,drew cant be with anyone because he evil ^^This is gonna be a jealousy thing aint it....Ah well 'tis a good chappie othwerise.But damnit its been 7 chapters and may and ash havent even met!*sigh* I guess on my level,I need alot more.

*reads last few lines again*No no NO!*gets chainsaw and stares at drew

[Sp1derp1g]

Calm down, BlazeFusion, violence is not the answer, even if it is Drew.
Now calm down, relax, more and more relaxed.
Heh, I forgot, this is not an hypnosis session.

[Eon Master]

- runs around the room in panic -
EHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*twitch*
May.. and....
- tears hair out -

*stares at last few lines of chappie without expression*.....May......d-d-dr-drew......NYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*falls of chair*...Ok I got it outta my system,I know this wont turn into CS otherwise you wouldnt of put AdvanceShipping at the top...right...RIGHT??!!!Meh,drew cant be with anyone because he evil ^^This is gonna be a jealousy thing aint it....Ah well 'tis a good chappie othwerise.But damnit its been 7 chapters and may and ash havent even met!*sigh* I guess on my level,I need alot more.

*reads last few lines again*No no NO!*gets chainsaw and stares at drew

Um... Wow, are you two ADHD or what (although I can't really say that b/c I have ADHD XD )? Obviously advanceshipping is the main focus of this fic, and D*** is evil. I'm wondering tho, did D*** do that to May, or was it CHarleyton?

[lunarshadow]

Hahaha!!! Wow, I'm so so glad that I got everyone here reaching for some kind of bludgening device in response to Drew! Exactly what I wanted! *Always thought he was a arogant little jerk.*

- runs around the room in panic -
EHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*twitch*
May.. and....
- tears hair out -

I'd hate to see video coverage of that...:P

*reads last few lines again*No no NO!*gets chainsaw and stares at drew

Epic poetry! XD

Naw, but apart from that, I can't be any happier with the reception that I got! Eon, seeing as how you are obviously a sane person, I can't wait to hear all of the constructive criticism you can give! CyberBlaziken and Sp1derp1g, been here since for ever and short, sweet and to the point! I love it! Mayziken, thanks for backing me up against this new omnipresent horde of Drew detesters. *Shiver*! :P And XxMays_flowerxX, thanks for the kind words! Got to say, you've got a great fanfiction in the making. Excellent excellent work!

Hopefully the next chap will NOT take another 3-4 months to create. Dangit education...

[advance4ev]

Hellllooooo. I have read a few chapters a long time ago, and see that I have to catch up now. Anyways, I like this story. *attempts to sound professional*Good details and I like your style.

Now on with the review.
Congrats you answered my question. Who would win in a fight between Ash and a Beachball?? Well guess beachball won this round. lol

That ribbon thing was nice. Finally some advanceshipping!! Kidding kidding, but anyways, really nice how the ribbons reminded her of Ash.

Now here comes the scene that me no likey: May and that Flipping Hair Freak!?!? Although, I will admit I did see this coming and I'm just going to comtrol myself..... I'm perfectly fine *rips head off teddy bear* Great that's my 5th one ever since I read that.

Just kidding, but seriously, if that No-Good-Stuck-Up-Flipping-Hair-Jerk-Face trys to make one move on our innocent little May, he's gonna- *calm advance4ev drags angry advance4ev away from the computer*

*cough*Anyways, keep up the awesome work ^^

[BlazeFusion76]

Gah we all feel the same about the green haird evil gremlin....Oh and for the record I do not have adh-Oh look a butterfly

Anyways just came by to say keep it up...other than the green haired gremlin *sigh* I better go before I go overboard again...

[Eon Master]

Hahaha!!! Wow, I'm so so glad that I got everyone here reaching for some kind of bludgening device in response to Drew! Exactly what I wanted! *Always thought he was a arogant little jerk.*

My thoughts exactly. The first time I saw drew in the anime, I thought "wow, this guy is more arrogant than... probably everybody :P
I was so happy when he got crushed by that coordinater (hopefully I spelled that right) with the Medicham. I thought "Ha! Serves you right, ya snob!"
Can't wait for next chapter!

Eon, seeing as how you are obviously a sane person, I can't wait to hear all of the constructive criticism you can give!

Yay! Somebody doesn't think I'm insane! *throws a party to celebrate*
Are you sure you want to hear my criticisms? *laughs evilly* Just kidding, you're doing an excellent job.

[Waterpokes]

This chapter was the first I have readed from your story and it's awesome.
I better start to read from the first chapter.
Great story, and it was very shippy!

Anyway, Drew and May? Blehh, but it's your story, and I read Advanceshipping stories, so I am going to read it anyway. May being sad about Ash, yey! In a good way!

[BlazeFusion76]

This already seems like its gonna be a 3-4 month thing if you ask me
Just dont put that green haired....thing in it too much 0.O

[Shiny_Clefairy]

New reader!

I have to say I love it so far. I haven't read an Advanceshipping fic in a while, so its nice to read this one. The plot is compelling and its really working up my curiosity. I've never read an aura fic before.

Keep up the good work, Lunarshadow!

*~Shiny Clefairy

[Pikachu30]

Cant wait for the next chapter, may be my first reply to anything but im glad its advanceshipping since thats what i like...Btw is there a PM list?

Great fic btw, i want new chapter soon.

Btw Happy Halloween!

[Dehydrated]

Awesome so far. Keep it up.

Oh yeah, Please don't put some CS in there, Drew is a ****. D:

[Chaos_Umbreon]

I've been reading this fic for a while but only just got an account so now I can review.

In chapter 1 I really enjoyed the battle between Flint's Infernape and Ash's Buizel, and the way you had Flint use a strategy that Ash came up with against Gary's Blastiose, against him putting Ash in Gary's place and coming up with a counter strategy was brilliant.

I wonder what happened to May, I hope that it wasn't too bad and that Drew the stuck-up, arrogant, narcissistic, womanizing, jerk will get what he deserves. I sometimes see Drew as the guy in Britney Spears' Womanizer music video.

I'm glad I got that out of my system.

Although the shipping so far seems to be light and May and Ash haven't seen each other so far in this fic, having a well thought out plot is more important. Not much of the further plot has been revealed, but as with the shipping it will come with the next chapters.

You don't update this fic often but as long as the next chapter is good I don't mind so I won't pester you.

Keep at it.

See Ya

[arceus7]

I love this fic lunar add me to the PM list Im awaitiing next chap eagerly

[Espeon 114x]

I'm so happy to see that you put this story up on here. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite stories that I've read from FanFiction.
What the hell did you do to May, Drew? Drew seriously is one of my favorite characters from Pokemon and I won't be happy if he did anything to May :O
That part where Ash got hit with a beach ball was hilarious. I seriously couldn't stop laughing. I just found it so funny.
Great story and I'm looking forward to more. Keep it up
5/5!

[lunarshadow]

Chapter Eight: Instigate and Separate

No matter how many times the trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth magically appeared in front of Ash, Dawn, and Brock, they never got over the urge to strangle something—out of annoyance. Team Rocket was just that omnipresent.

[18:38 P.M.] Sunyshore City Shoreline Park, Sinnoh Region

“Listen, is that a voice of the Sinnoh Champion I hear?” Jessie rang.

“It's speaking to me loud and clear!” James replied.

“Sucking out the wind!”

“Near and far!”

“Noise in your ears!” Meowth chimed in.

“Stealing your Pokémon at a breakneck pace!” continued Jessie.

“Bagging them, napping them, putting fear in its place,” added James.

“A trainer’s or elite’s Pokémon is just as sweet.”

“But we have them both so our work is complete!”

“Jessie!”

“James!”

“And Meowth, now dat's a name!”

“Putting the do-gooders in their place!” spat Jessie.

“We're Team Rocket!” James hinted.

“In your face!” the whole trio exclaimed.

“Wobbuffet!” the blue bob managed to squirm out.

“GET BACK IN YOUR BALL!” shrieked Jessie. She yanked out from her belt the small Poké Ball, enlarged it, and as quickly as mechanically possible retracted a sulking Wobbuffet back inside.

“Team Rocket!” the trio of Ash, Brock, and Dawn yelled out.

Cynthia, Flint, and Lucian glanced over at the three teens looking highly agitated and hardly willing to see this new bunch of people. Looking up at the comical machine above, Flint asked, “Are these queers friends of yours?”

“They do seem somewhat familiar…Have we met before?” Lucian also added.

“Yeah, they’re the ones who took Buizel after our battle!” Dawn replied, very frustrated.

“Missed us twerp?” Meowth called out from his own image inspired hot air balloon. “You and dat Pikachu blasted us up pretty far last time, but now we’re back with our Supper Ultra PokéVac Mark Three! Now you get to see it in action as a first time customer!”

“I’m so honored,” Ash sarcastically jeered.

James in the balloon basket flailed his arms in response and asked out loud, “Is he insulting our plans and hard work? The nerve!”

“You little brat! You don’t know how long we’ve spent on this machine, not to mention the amount of MONEY we spent on it!” Jessie added.

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!” Meowth maniacally laughed at the controls, his paw gently caressing the metal frame. “But it’s all worth it. Every last penny spent! Let’s see, lift flap, and button…HEIYAH!”

“Oh no, this can’t be good…” Brock forewarned as the machine roared to life. Suspended from the Meowth balloon was the tank, flashing its lights, signaling the engaging mechanisms. A wide tube extended out of the tank like a spring and with it, the end of a normal vacuum¬—magnified by several times. “Guys, this has happened before! Hold onto your Poké—”

Too late. The Poké Balls from Ash’s belt, Brock’s backpack, Dawn’s knapsack, Lucian’s coat pocket, Cynthia’s purse, and Flint’s afro do all flew out of their respectable homes like nails drawn to an electromagnet and into the whirlwind of vacuum the Super Ultra PokéVac Mark Three created.

—balls…” Brock inclined to finish.

Leaves and branches from the surrounding trees tore off of the public greenery and the water fountains lost the natural water arks as it vaporized to mist and got sucked in just as everything else. Worse still, Pikachu, on top of Ash’s shoulder, and all of Ash’s other Pokémon already called out for the training session began to rise off of their feet, claws, and paws towards their doom.

“No! Pikachu, no!” Ash yelled out as Pikachu rose towards the machine much more quickly than anyone else.

Grinning in the most comically, devilish, and nonsensical way possible to themselves, the trio of thieves extended the Meowth balloon’s thrusters once all of their victims lay in the bowels of the tank, and they waved goodbye to their victims. “Hahaha! Team Rocket’s blasting off for real!”

The balloon drifted off swiftly but at the mercy of the air, leaving the grounded trainers some time to prepare. “Guys we have to get them back!” Ash urged his fellow trainers.

Lucian appeared flabbergasted as his jaw flew wide open once the balloon drifted off. “Ash, but how? We don’t have any flying Pokémon on us, or any at all! How the heck do you plan to catch up to them!?”

Brock’s squinted eyes seemed to look off into the distance as he replied with confidence, “You know, it looks like they’re headed towards the Lighthouse straight ahead! Maybe we can cut them off if we reach the roof it time.”

“Well, what are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Cynthia said. At that the whole gang started running at a breakneck pace towards the Sunyshore Lighthouse, and unbeknownst to the celebrating members of the hot air balloon, at a faster rate than the horizontal speed that the balloon was going.

[21:35 P.M.] Cianwood City (Pokémon Center), Johto Region

Caroline was fully gripped with this story that her daughter procured for her to hear. After all, she loved to recount tales smitten about her husband Norman and herself for anyone with the patience to listen to her. However, she was deeply puzzled.

“May, this sounds so romantic and wonderful! Your first date with a young man…it reminds me of my first time with your father…He showed up at the restaurant looking so nice and handsome, and when he took my hand, I practically melted on the spot!”

Caroline seemed to have drifted off into the bliss of her not-long forgotten memory but she noticed May’s eyes seemed to drop to her lap in embarrassment and shame.

Caroline snapped out of her quick reverie and tenderly asked her daughter, “Honey, what went wrong?”

“Mom,” May answered in a audible whisper, her eyes still toward the ground, “Everything went wrong that night. It all just came at me so fast, I…I just didn’t know what to do! I…I just took his hand and followed him into the restaurant…I just thought he was being nice! But now…now I think he was just trying to have some fun...”

[17:50 P.M.] Olivine City (Bruno’s Bistro n’ Barbecue), Johto Region — One Month Ago

Drew and May walked in through the double doors, hand in hand, and as they approached the seating waitress, the former casually and shamelessly talked aloud, “I thought a regular common restaurant would be fine for now.”

The waitress, busy writing up her newly created seating chart, did not notice the pair of coordinators until she heard Drew’s comment. She looked up rather quickly and began to ask for the party amount, but accidentally knocked over her seating chart, sending it crashing to the checkered floor with an obvious thump. She looked like this was her first time working here.

Hastily gathering her papers, she opened her mouth again to speak, but Drew cut her short.

“–Two please, and thank you.”

“Oh, right…” she nervously responded. “Uh, yes, of course, sir!” She clumsily gathered up a pair of menus and motioned for May and Drew to follow her.

May seemed to notice the waiter’s lack of familiarity with the place and decided that she was just getting used to the restaurant and it was alright that they walked in seemingly endless circles. Drew on the other hand motioned to the waitress and to an empty booth and said, “This will do, thanks.”

After the waitress had left and taken up their requests for drinks; lemonade for May and iced water for Drew, the two coordinators began discussing.

“Drew, that wasn’t very nice of you at all.” May began as she glared at Drew slightly.

“What? Taking you to dinner? On the contrary, I think it’s on the top of the list of nice things I can do for you.” Drew replied. He didn’t seem fazed by May’s question or facial expression in the least.

“No not dinner, I was talking about the waitress,” May sighed at Drew. “Couldn’t you see that she’s on her first night here?”

Drew lazily kicked back in his booth cushion and rested his head on his folded hands like a hammock. “Well, if that’s true, then she just needs to be trained up a bit–not so much unlike yourself might I add. May, May, what are we going to do about you?”

May looked at Drew in an embarrassed and almost hesitant way, letting her head droop slightly, showing it. “I don’t know…I tried as hard as I could when I was training solo, and my appeals looked fine and great, better than ever. But why isn’t that helping me?”

Drew almost snorted but skillfully managed to turn it into a chuckle. “Oh but you know the answer to that question. You’re too soft in battle. All I’ve ever seen you do in a contest hall is appeal to the audience like a coordinator, and then battle like a trainer. Just like Ash… You really haven’t learned your lesson. A contest battle is not for a simple Pokémon trainer, it’s a whole level above it. You can’t afford to play games like that anymore. To win a battle means to take an opponent out with brute skill and no mercy. As you well put it, win the battle by storm.”

“But…Ash, he never battled to destroy his opponent!” May fiercely stated, trying to defend him. “He always battled because he enjoyed it!”

“–and that’s why he’s never won any of those leagues he’s competed in.” Drew sat up a little straighter and flicked his hair again. “How Ash battles I could care less. He is a terrible battler and an even worse coordinator. Don’t follow in his wake.”

“Drew! Wha–why are you saying this?” May stared at Drew unbelieving. “It all sounds so…so…heartless!”

He sighed slightly to himself and a small grin spread across his face. “If you ever want to get anything, you have to be heartless.”

May felt both of Drew’s hands suddenly clasp onto her own. Her sparkling sapphire eyes darted up to meet Drew’s unfazed vermilion eyes in reflex, but she did not take her hand away. She felt his fingers slowly run across the palm of her hand, and as she did, Drew, grinning slightly wider, whispered again, “Well, sometimes.”

Somehow holding his hand seemed to relax May like nothing had before. Completely forgetting Drew’s comment made not seconds ago, and not explicitly knowing that she was doing it, she lightly squeezed Drew’s hand and smiled at him. He returned the favor and sustained it for several more seconds. Suddenly he let go of her hand and used his own to pull a large glass of iced water toward him. It was then that May suddenly noticed her lemonade sitting in the corner of her eye cold, misted, and ready to be drunk.

[21:53 P.M.] Cianwood City (Pokémon Center), Johto Region

“Oh no,” Caroline shook her head slowly in disproval. Now all of the handsome thoughts she had for Drew had vanished like a fragrance in the wind. “May, that boy is nothing but trouble! Why, oh why didn’t you talk to me before now?”

“I don’t know! Mom, I didn’t think I’d need to! He seemed so nice that I…I just got caught up with him!” May desperately tried to explain to her mother.

Caroline furrowed her brow and sighed softly. “Honey, you and I both know you didn’t just get ‘caught up’ with him at all.”

“W-what? What do you mean?” May asked.

“You loved him May. You loved him.”

A cold chill shot down through May’s spine. “W-What!? Mom, no I…No I didn’t!”

“Well, you probably didn’t love him as I love your father at least.” Caroline shot May an apologetic look, trying to express her empathy for her. “More or less you just liked him very, very much. That’s why you just dismissed all of his shortcomings.”

May sat feeling her chest tensing and forming a knot somewhere around her heart. She felt constricted as if on the verge of suffocation, and tried to annul her pains, but to no avail. She opened her mouth to try and say something, but her mother cut her short.

“–All I’m trying to say is that I understand May. You know, I was once a young girl myself. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all.” Caroline continued to gaze at her daughter with utmost care and comfort. She smiled to encourage her, “Go on May. Tell me what happened after all of that training.”

[17:49 P.M.] Olivine City (OC Amphitheater [Contest, 3rd Round, Finals]), Johto Region — Two Weeks Ago

“Beautifly, use String Shot followed up by Silver Wind!” May commanded. Beautifly immediately complied and loosed a digit wide sticky string from its elongated proboscis into the air. She stopped the seemingly endless thread and rapidly flapped her wings at an incredible rate, procuring a whirlwind laced with a strange silver hue.

Opposite May of the contest field stood a frail-appearing boy who looked as though Beautifly’s newly conjured assault will knock him out and blow him away. Commanding a large Fearow, he shouted out, “Dodge that whirlwind and use Wing Attack!”

The Fearow witnessed the combination maelstrom of String Shot and Silver Wind take shape and charge directly towards itself. Obeying his master however, the Fearow dove directly toward the ground, easily dodging the cyclone by several yards to spare, flew directly parallel to the ground causing the field to release dust into the air, and finally pulled straight up darting directly towards Beautifly.

While the Fearow was still flying parallel to the ground, May yelled out, “Use Psychic to direct the String Shot and Silver Wind! Intercept that Fearow!”

Beautifly widened its eyes in concentration as its pupils glowed an eerie aqua marine. Shortly after, a glowing light mirroring the hue in Beautifly’s eyes appeared in the center of the waning cyclone’s winds, slowly rotating itself, and dragging the surrounding air into a concentrated vortex. Within several seconds the spinning accelerated, displacing the glow across the entire cyclone, narrowing it into a funnel. Just as the Fearow pulled out of its horizontal flight and flew directly at Beautifly, the later directed its mental thought and released its onslaught.

“This is it ladies and gentlemen!” the Johto Master of Contests Lillian announced to the already riled crowd. She gazed at the scoreboard and reported, “There’s only twenty three more seconds left on the clock, and the scores are almost matched! This last attack will decide it! Who will it be!? ”

The crowd, imitating the MC’s excitement began cheering for the side that they supported or watched the final front to unfold. Everyone in the Contest hall sat on the edge of their seats waiting, but a certain Drew partook in none of the atmosphere.

Off to the side in the shadows of the entrance hallway leading off to the stage and out of sight of the crowd judges, and contestants, he contemplated not of contest strategy, but rather of what to make out of May and her recent gestures.

What has gotten into her anyway? Drew wondered inside his head as it turned toward the contest battle ahead of him. All I wanted was some fun, not a full blown commitment!

[17:44 P.M.] Olivine City (OC Amphitheater [Changing Room Prior to Finals]), Johto Region — Two Weeks Ago

May and Drew sat side by side in the changing room on one of the many benches by themselves in anticipation for the final battle. The room was void because all of the previous eliminated contestants who occupied the room had left to take a seat in the crowd. May was lightly tapping her knees together in slight apprehension but Drew kept a straight face in total calm and bliss.

A secretarial voice called through the speakers, “Attention finalists May and George, please report to the stage ready within one minute.”

Upon hearing the announcement, Drew stood up from his place on the bench and turned to head out the door leading to the main seats. “Just remember what we practiced. No mercy, just power and grace, and you’ll be fine,” he spoke in a much more afterthought-like tone than an encouragement.

May hadn’t even gotten out of her seat as she looked towards Drew. She quickly stood on her feet and called out, “Drew, wait!”

He turned around about to ask for what but no sooner had he even moved his torso, May practically jumped on him and pulled the unsuspecting coordinator in a tight embrace. He was taken aback.

“May, what are you doing?” he asked almost uncomfortably.

May looked up at him expecting the answer to be obvious and smiled, “I’m thanking you for all that you’ve done for me! Is that a crime?”

Drew attempted to keep his composure but May’s arms weren’t relenting in the very least. “Look it was nothing…er…you’ve got a contest battle to get to!”

Instead of listening to reason, May began to take in the moment as she murmured, “Mmm…I wish I could stay this way forever…”

“What? You wish…you wish what?” he asked almost shy of the answer.

The young girl tried to keep her face from showing any sign of weakness, but she still felt a tight knot deep inside her chest and a rosy blush on her cheeks. “I…I wish I could stay this way–with you, forever…”

Drew stood in place at a loss of smooth words to say. Instead of groping around and stuttering, he decided to almost abruptly pull out of their hug and lightly push her in the direction of the contest hall. May didn’t mind being reminded of the task at hand but as she walked off and waved back, she didn’t catch sight of a return wave, but rather Drew fixing his vest so as to be free of wrinkles.

[17:51 P.M.] Olivine City (OC Amphitheater [Contest, 3rd Round, Finals]), Johto Region — Two Weeks Ago

“Forever,” Drew contemplated. The word kept repeating itself in his head as he tried to visualize the pair of coordinators in each other’s presence for all eternity¬, till death did them apart, in love for all time. His mind floundered. “I can’t do that.” Drew decided with a frown on his face. “I have to end this, and fast before it gets any worse.”

Drew looked up towards the sky directly above the winner’s circle to watch the final blow of the contest round. May’s Beautifly perfectly directed the silvery vortex combination attack at the boy’s Fearow and upon contact, halted the large bird’s flight path as its body became engulfed by the searing silver winds. The latent String Shot contacted with the Fearow’s feathers and bound its wings together like a rotisserie preparation.

Once the storm’s winds had exhausted itself, the bound bird fell out of the air and onto the ground with a resounding thump. The buzzer rang out signaling that the time had run dry, that the battle was therefore over, and that the contest winner was to be decided.

Lillian drew her microphone toward her and announced, “Time is up, and who’s our winner!? It’s May, from Petalburg City in Hoenn! Congratulations to you, May! Let’s give her a great round of applause!”

The crowd roared as the winner was announced. Up on the scoreboard the point deductions had made it clear that May had won it in a landslide. She waved out to her fans in the crowd and ran towards the field. As she did to embrace her Beautifly and to console the boy and his Fearow, Drew withdrew to the contestant waiting room and walked further to the main lobby. Once he reached the empty entrance room, he eyed around for the videophones and approached the nearest booth.

He sat down on one of the chairs placed in front of one videophone kiosk, punched in the number that he had memorized, picked up the transceiver and waited for the dial tones. After a short while, the familiar red-haired face of Soledad appeared on the screen and spoke up happily when she saw the caller’s video feed.

“Drew! Oh my god, where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you to call for days now!”

“Oh, me too, Soledad. You’re in that Cianwood Hotel I booked for you right?” Drew replied sweetly, leaning in slightly to get a better view of his call recipient.

“Of course! I can’t wait for you to get in the hotel room with me. What’s taking so long?” Soledad asked with a sly look on her face.

Drew reclined in the chair he was sitting in and lazily flicked his hair as usual. “I was staying in Olivine to help May out for the contest held here because I am such a good person.”

“Did she win?”

“Yes, with my help naturally.”

“Oh, well that’s good for her, but when will you get here? I’ve been waiting for you for so long I can’t stand the anticipation!” Soledad kept questioning, teasing Drew all the while.

“Oh, within the next day I hope. I’ll show you the best night you’ve ever had if you show me mine, when I see you.” Drew smoothly spoke with a wink.

She giggled with glee at his wink and cheerfully said, “Hahaha, oh I will. Say, you haven’t been doing anything with May have you? If you have, you know that the door will close on you and it’ll be painful.” Ash she said the last comment she seemed to tighten the cross-legged pose she sat herself in with a threatening snarl to top it off.

Drew’s already wide grin seemed to snake wider at her gestures. “Oh, I would never dream of it. Honestly. May doesn’t even come close to as interesting as you. You’re just perfect.”

“Aww… Drew you’re so sweet! I’ll be waiting for you then. I love you!” Soledad brought her hands towards her mouth and spread them out after blowing him a kiss.

“You too, Soledad. Bye.” At that, Drew hung up the videophone and turned around to see May approaching behind him from the contest participant room.

[22:12 P.M.] Cianwood City (Pokémon Center), Johto Region

May looked up to her own videophone feed and saw her stunned mother with her eyes wide open as if she were watching an open heart surgery. “May, do you realize just how lucky you are to be rid of this guy? Just listen to yourself! He’s just a hormone driven jerk! Be happy for yourself! How did you leave him?”

“Mom…” May continued hesitantly. “Um… to be completely honest, he left me. You see, I was about to go on stage for the final round… and it was between me and Soledad. I was doing fine in the contest, but I wanted to go over to her waiting room to wish her luck…”

“I knocked on the door, but there was no response, so I tried to listen if there was anyone inside. I heard sounds so I opened the door up a crack…” May’s voice started to falter slightly as she neared the end.

“And what dear? What did you see?” Caroline pressed even though she knew the answer before she had asked.

“I… I saw them h-hugging real close a-and D-Drew was moving his h-hands all over Sol-Soledad, and they… they…they were kissing like… l-like…”

Caroline heaved a heavy sigh when she heard her final words. “May, don’t let yourself get dragged down by this guy! I understand what you’re going through. You feel betrayed, cheated, and you never even got around to telling him exactly what you felt, and then this cropped up. I bet you couldn’t concentrate during your contest right? It’s completely fine if you were unfocused. I know that anyone would be if they were in your place.”

[20:13 P.M.] Cianwood City (Island Beach), Johto Region

“I lost.” May mouthed softly to herself. “I lost…”

The final round of the Cianwood City Pokémon Contest was heartbreaking to watch. Although May sent out her best two Pokémon, Blaziken and Glaceon for the battle against Soledad’s Lapras and Pidgeot, but she couldn’t keep focused on the battle at hand. Her mind constantly wandered back to the waiting room where Drew and Soledad were “preparing” for the contest.

Why did Drew suddenly do that to, no, with Soledad!? They’ve never even been together before! May thought to herself. And he does that after I’ve spent so time with him! We went through all of that training just so that I could win the Olivine ribbon, talked, and had a great time! I thought he cared for me! But… why Soledad!?

May walked along the Cianwood coast off the away from the Pokémon Center with her eyes staring at the ground moving below her. She would’ve loved to have Blaziken or Glaceon by her side to cope with the loss and talk about it, but they were taking a well deserved rest back at the Pokémon Center. She was all alone.

It wasn’t my Pokémon’s fault. They battled as best they could just like always. May thought. It’s my fault this happened. I… I couldn’t stop thinking about them! I wish Drew wasn’t with her at all, I wish… I wish he was with me…

The setting sun cast its crimson light all about the coast of Olivine, enveloping it in a sea of brilliant orange and soothing red. Off in the distance, a deep and mellow horn resounded. May turned around in reflex, looking for the source, and spotted a large transport ship among a modest sea port’s few empty docks.

All she wanted to do was run away. The inviting freedom of an escape on the seas called to May like the horn off in the distance. The events of the contest only clawed at her and constricted her chest, preventing her from even breathing normally. It was like a betrayal, a betrayal of trust, emotion, and friendship. It was almost as bad as watching her best friends leave on the interregional cruise to Kanto after the Terracotta Contest. All of her mind was focused on the boy who she thought there was something between them, who stuck with her for all of these months, who for some reason let her go before she could prepare for it.

Suddenly May noticed two barely recognizable figures walking towards the boat in the distance, hand in hand. Once she noticed that one of the two figures had emerald green hair, she ran towards the cruise ship to try to catch up with them.

“Drew…”

Drew and Soledad were discussing the results of the contest as they were walking to the transport ship, but all the while they were discussing what had happened to their once formidable rival, May.

“You know Drew, I really didn’t have much fun during that battle today. After facing May in the Johto Grand Festival, I hoped that she would’ve improved. I’m sure that she had, but it seemed like she just couldn’t concentrate on the contest in front of her. She looked distraught. I wonder what happened.” Soledad spoke as she held her left hand in Drew’s right.

“I’d stop worrying about it, really. You won the contest, and now you can go to the Grand Festival! That’s what really counts right now.” Drew responded reassuringly. He just wanted to get this episode over with as soon as possible.

Soledad nodded at Drew’s words. “I guess. But I hope that the next time I see her, it will be for real.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Drew noticed a girl with a white and green bandana running down the shoreline of the beach, waving him down. He sighed to himself and decided it was best to really settle things once and for all.

“Hey Soledad, go ahead and save us a seat on the boat. There’s something I need to take care of before we leave.” Drew requested.

She shrugged it off as no big deal and complied. “Sure thing Drew, just make sure you come back on time, or else the boat will leave with me on it!” She teased with a wink.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.” Drew smiled.

Drew then released Soledad’s hand and watched her run off to the ticket checker, explain the situation, and then run on inside the boat, presumably to save him a seat. Just as he was satisfied to see that Soledad had disappeared from view, Drew turned around to see May came running towards him looking the worst he had ever seen her in his life.

What used to be a chirpy and positive young coordinator now was a downtrodden and ragged girl who looked victimized of severe neglect and abuse. As much as he hated to put May in this state, Drew felt that it was best to get this all over with.

Stifling back her building tears, she began, “Drew, I… I—”

“—May, I’m really sorry.” Drew cut her off.

“Why Drew? Why d-did you suddenly go after Soledad?” May’s speech faltered even more as she tried to hide her hears. “I thought… I th-thought…”

“May,” Drew sighted. “You and I are just really good friends.”

“Then why were you acting so n-nice t-to me? You helped me w-win the Olivine con-contest, told me all of those… sweet things… and even tr-treated me to dinner!” May was practically pleading with Drew at this point. “I just don’t understand!”

“May, I was only trying to be nice.” Drew said. “I knew that the Grand Festival was fast approaching, and I knew that I had to get you off of that horrible battle style as soon possible. It was nothing more than that.”

“But… Drew… I th-thought…” May couldn’t take it any longer. She had to say what was on her mind. As fresh tears started to fall down her face, May shouted, “I thought you liked me!”

“May, I was just flirting with you. I don’t know what to say. I’ve been with Soledad for a while, long before you even came back from Sinnoh. You just didn’t know it.” The sight was hard to watch. As Drew saw May finally break down in front of him, he realized the magnitude of what he’d done, but he also realized that nothing he could say would really fix the problem, so he stayed the course and kept as honest as possible.

Drew waited for a response from May, but received none. Taking this as his que to continue he explained, “Look. We couldn’t make it together. I’m way too ambitious, in ways more than one, and I know that you’re not like that. Things just wouldn’t work out.”

May wanted to say something, to do something, to hold onto whatever feelings Drew may have had left for her before it was gone, but there was nothing that could be done. May felt the boy of her dreams these past few years of her life slip away, right through her fingers. All she could muster was to look up at him, and stare into his pine green eyes and plead for another chance.

Drew wouldn’t have any of it. “May… listen to me. I’m really sorry for what I’ve done to you. I never meant to hurt you, and I don’t know how to begin to say how regretful I am for doing that.”

He called out his Roserade from his Poké Ball and requested it to provide him with a white rose. Roserade gladly offered the white flower to Drew, who in turn, presented it to the girl in front of her.

“You’re probably sick and tired of roses by now, and I can’t say I blame you. I just want you to have one very last rose, as a parting gift.” As he handed May the white flower, he heard the horn behind him sound off its warning. He recalled his Roserade, and turned his attention back to May once more.

“I hope one day you’ll forgive me.” At that, he nodded May goodbye and ran off to the ticket manager of the cruise boat, climbed aboard, was out of sight, and sat alongside Soledad.

The tears were still slowly edging down May’s face as the resounding horn of the cruise boat merrily announced its farewell to Olivine City. As May wiped her face to more clearly see the boat leave, the brilliant setting sun cast a beautiful display of reds, oranges, and yellows across the sky.

“Bye, Drew.”

She stayed loyal vigil as the boat ventured out further into the horizon, slowly diminishing in size until it was gone. A gentle sea breeze filled the air and seemed to whisk the melancholy conversation of minutes ago away with it. May, realizing that Drew had finally left her for her archrival Soledad, turned back toward the Pokémon Center, and walked slowly towards her destination. As she walked however, her attention was not focused on the moving ground below her, but on the flower in her hands, emanating the hue of the setting sun.

She distinctly noticed that even though it was supposed to be white, it shone not of pure white, but of red, yellow, and orange. The hue reminded her vaguely of feelings of joy, good memories, and peace. It was a warm, comforting shade of auburn.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Readers:

Needless to say, I am surprised myself. It's been well over a year and I'm still sticking with it. I know that I've disappointed you, in fact, I've disappointed myself. However, this does not mean that I won't keep writing. You may have thought that it was writer's block or hiatus, but no. It was me being lazy or busy with actual work in school. Right now I'm a senior in high school, and college applications are literally the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning. But this story is what's on my mind every night when I think before I go to bed. I never gave up on the story, and I am intent on finishing it the way I wanted to when I started two years ago. I can't promise anything, but I will try to continue to write, even if it kills me.

To all of you who've requested a PM, I will most certainly do that.

[lunarshadow]

Personally, I think this took too long for me to update. In fact, roughly 75% was done about two weeks after my last update. Only until last week did I complete the chapter.

[CyberBlaziken]

Wow! An update
All i can say is that you have gotten better in your writing skills!
You did a pretty good job on literally everything
Lol! You made Team Rocket a bit too smart.
The electromagnet was an interesting idea.
And about Drew.. A plain jerk.

Good Luck finishing this!
I knw how you feel.
High School is a pain in the ***!
Especially Senior Year.

[Pikachu30]

I Kinda Expected drew to do something like that, but I thought it was worse XD not saying what i thought though <_< >_> Story is all in all getting better by the chapter. Keep it going strong!

[midnightjewelz]

Drew, such a a-hole. so mean. and Team Rocket, they just never learn to give up. rofl. It's nice to see a update from you lunarshadow. i hope we see a update soon. keep up the great work. =3

[tmmay]

I've read all of the chapters so far and it is really good! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Stage On]

Glad to have you back after a long absence. This new chapter is fantastic! I can't wait to see how Ash and May's paths converge

[lunarshadow]

Chapter Nine: Lone Star

[19:48 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Lighthouse Stairwell), Sinnoh Region

Don’t worry about a thing, you guys. I’ll make sure that Team Rocket doesn’t et away with our Pokémon. You can count on it!

Even though the gang of Ash, Dawn, Brock, Lucian, Cynthia, and Flint all arrived at the base of the Lighthouse together, Ash decided to ascend its height through the stairwell, rather than the elevator, claiming that it would “be faster.” After all, he did have an affinity for spiral stairs.

I’ve been through those virtual steps back in Professor Hale’s mansion no thanks to the Unown. There’s no way that this will slow me down now! Ash thought to himself, recalling the crazy adventure he had. Come to think of it, Team Rocket actually helped back in that mansion. They saved me from falling down the side of the tower…

No matter how reluctant he was to admit it, he did feel a great deal of gratitude for their help in the past, even if only for a few fleeting moments. They may not have been the most resourceful bunch when it came to every day, but not too deep down, Ash was convinced that Team Rocket had a good side. But right now, that didn’t matter. Every last Pokémon Ash had on his Sinnoh team was abducted, along with the Pokémon of his friends and respected trainers the world over.

I should be getting close… Ash thought to himself as he heard the echoes become less intense. His legs kept paining him, pleading him to stop springing up the stairs but he wouldn’t listen. The exit door was close and he could almost feel like his closest friends and partners were just a few more steps away.

“Don’t worry, Pikachu. I’m coming.”

[19:50 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Lighthouse Elevator, Going UP), Sinnoh Region

Lucian was quite perturbed by Ash’s brashness, particularly when he slammed the fire emergency staircase door open and ran up that way, frightening the receptionist and a nearby family of tourists. “You know, I’d hate to be such a pessimist in this situation, but Ash is being really foolhardy by taking the stairs. He could be only halfway through the stairwell by the time we reach the top.”

Dawn chuckled to herself. “No need to worry. Ash has had lots of practice with stairs. Trust me. He’ll get there way before we do.”

“I’ve been with him for a while and I will admit that he’s a bit too reckless.” Brock added. “But after all of this time, I’m glad to say that it always paid off in the end. And you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Me neither, but you know what? I just hope that we get our Pokémon back.” Cynthia commented.

“You know what? I just wish I had elbow room!” Flint laughed out loud. Everyone in the cramped elevator turned around and glared at him.

“What’r you looking at?”

[19:51 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Industrial District), Sinnoh Region

The sun was about to set, so it meant that is was finally time for the nocturnal Pokémon to come out and search the city for a leftover bite to eat. It wasn’t always like this. Sometimes he’d just get some berries from the surrounding forest when he traveled in between cities, but for some strange reason he could never bring himself to travel too far away from this one. Something about Sunyshore City made him want to linger within its boundaries. It was as if he knew something big was about to happen and that he was an integral part of it. He didn’t mind though; there was always great human food to find, even if the humans who stored it wouldn’t bother to second glance the trash bins where they cast it away.

Gathering his thoroughly worn cloak off the ground where he was meditating for the day, he stood up to observe his surroundings with his eyes and to see its ebb and flow with his mind. As a psychic, he was well versed in the mental arts, and made sure to use his power every day. After all, he needed it to survive.

Today, it was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It didn’t matter what place, so long as there weren’t any signs of life nearby, human or Pokémon. The creature raised its right tri-digit hand in the air and mentally probed the walls of the building, or more accurately, through the walls of the building to check for anybody’s presence outside. Satisfied when he felt nothing of the kind, he relaxed his arm and released the mental procedure.

Even though his daily ritual before his nocturnal activities was complete, the strange Pokémon stared at his hand for a long period of time, thinking. These days, it seemed that thinking was the only useful thing the Pokémon could do when hiding like this. He looked at its contours, the dull purple hue of his epidermis, the spherical shape of the ends of his fingers, and moreover, the eerie blue glow that emanated from his entire hand. The Pokémon saw more plainly than ever that his hand was not distinctly Pokémon, nor distinctly human, but of course this was the case. No Pokémon or human in recorded history has ever possessed the same strengths as he. He was not an accident of nature. He was engineered.

He was created as the ultimate biological destructive machine on New Island, for the purposes of control by a human poised with personal gain in mind. Genetically modified from a parent DNA sample of an ancient Mew, geneticists inoculated the strand with modified genes, enhanced abilities, and a new body. Nonetheless, he was still a clone, the first copy of a purposeful creature that presumably once roamed the earth. As such, the creature questioned the meaning of his existence, even as his body grew in the amniotic fluid. Once decanted, he learned of his predetermined destiny and rebelled against his creators, destroying the laboratory, its inhabitants, and eventually his benefactor’s mansion in a savage fit of rage. Without a purpose assigned to him, the creature created his own, and amassed an army of clone Pokémon, only to disband it after feeling compassion for the first time.

Ever since he let his created comrades decide for themselves what path of life they wanted to take, he was left alone; all of them settled comfortably in many areas, some stayed back in the Mt. Quena oasis of Clarity Lake, and others traveled to the Johto and Kanto regions. On the other hand, the Psychic Pokémon decided to travel the world, hop between cities, and attempt to divine a sense of belonging.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he raised his hand once more, mentally grasped the metal door at the entrance of the warehouse, opened it, and walked outside. His cloak caught the floating breeze and ruffled against his back as he looked to the skyline for his choice high-rise. Again using his mental powers, the creature levitated itself slowly and methodically, taking great care not to send out stray psychic disturbances that may be recognized by acute psychic species. He spotted his favorite outpost, the lightening rod needle that jutted out far higher into the sky than any other building in the industrial district, and stood on its point with his high profile bi-pedal.

As he gazed over the city amidst the nearly setting sun, he watched the glowing light spread itself over the city. His panoramic view had all of the skyscrapers of the downtown area, the park contained inside of it, and even the lighthouse along the beach. Suddenly, he noticed a large Meowth hot air balloon, oddly out of place in the city, floating its way towards the lighthouse. Then, as if pricked in the side by a needle, he noticed a small band of trainers running madly after the balloon. Among the group, he instantly recognized a young trainer with jet-black hair and auburn eyes as memories of New Island and Mt. Quena flooded back to him; memories of compassion, dedication, and a sense of belonging.

“Ash,” quietly thought Mewtwo. “It has been too long.”

[19:53 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Lighthouse Public Observatory), Sinnoh Region

“You know, Luxray, it has been too long since the last time we really battled someone worth it.” Volkner mused to his partner Pokémon. Luxray growled in agreement. “I just wish someone would challenge me already. I can only completely rewire the gym so many times before I get bored with that too.”

The Gym Leader of Sunyshore City watched the sunset of his hometown from the top of the lighthouse tower. It was peaceful and serene, the breeze was soft, and the smell of the sea beckoned him as it always did. He was usually an eccentric character; yellow haired with passionate brown eyes, a sporty navy jacket, and slim cut black jeans, but the past few months have subdued him greatly.

“I swear. I’d give anything to see something crazy right now.”

Immediately Volkner and Luxray jumped as they heard the emergency stairwell door burst open with a violent bang. Luxray directed itself at the noise and growled at the red-capped aggressor.

As he was running he called out, “Hey! Have you guys seen a big Meowth hot air balloon come past here?”

Volkner looked at his partner beside him, raised an eyebrow, and turned back to the running boy and shook his head wondering if someone above out there really listened to his last statement.

Ash stopped in front of Volkner panting and pressed on, “Are you sure? They’re these Pokémon thieves in that balloon and they have our Pokémon! I just have to find them!”

“Wait, who’s ‘our’ Pokémon?” Volkner asked.

“Cynthia, Flint, Lucian, Brock, and Dawn’s Pokémon! Team Rocket’s got them!”

“Hold on, what!?” Volkner asked in surprise. “You know Cynthia? Who’s Team Rocket?”

“Volkner!” called a voice behind Ash. The elevator door behind Ash and the Electric Gym Leader opened up as Flint shouted out to his childhood friend.

Evermore confused, Volkner asked Ash, “If you know all of these guys, who are you?”

“Oh right. I’m—” But before Ash could respond, he spotted the whiskers of Team Rocket’s balloon float up towards the lighthouse tower. “There they are!”

When the balloon basket reached the eye level of the onlooking group of Pokémon trainers on the lighthouse observation deck, the trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth realized that their flawless plan was in jeopardy yet again and scrambled to get out of there as soon as possible.

Meowth panicked at the sight. “Hey! Dat’s the twerp and da whole crew! We gotta get outta here guys!”

“James, use the rockets! We’ve got to go fast so we can get these Pokémon to the Boss! James!” Jessie shrieked.

James fumbled around trying to look for the controls to the boosters on the balloon. “Okay, okay, hold on! Now let me see… where’s that button…?”

Dawn began panicking as well. “Oh, no! They’re going to get away! We have to do something, quick!”

“This is bad.” Lucian said. “There’s no way we can catch up with that balloon if they get their thrusters to work!”

Volkner was about to instruct his partner Pokémon to launch an electric attack but Flint stopped him.

“No, man! Don’t get your Luxray to use Thunderbolt on that balloon! It might hit the fuel and make the whole balloon explode!”

Ash made a split second decision and decided to go for the balloon itself. “I’m going after our Pokémon, no matter what it takes!” Ash started running as fast as he could towards the edge of the lighthouse. “Here goes nothing!”

Just as James found the remote and activated the rockets, Ash jumped off the ledge of the Lighthouse toward the basket hanging from the Meowth balloon. Everyone on the lighthouse observation deck yelled out in fear for Ash’s life as he fell towards the balloon.

Just as the thrusters engaged, Ash managed to reach the basket, but his hand slipped as he fell onto the Supper Ultra PokéVac Mark Three and managed to grab hold. The hot air balloon sped off quickly away from the lighthouse as Ash watched his friends shrink away from him, wind rushing past his ears.

“ASH! NO!” Dawn yelled out to her friend.

“I’ll get them back! NO NEED TO WORRY!” Ash yelled back. He looked down and noticed that the only thing separating him from the ocean waves was two hundred feet of space.

“Alright. It’s time to free those guys up and get Pikachu back!” Ash muttered to himself as he slowly crawled his way towards the sack of Poké Balls and Pokémon attached to the large vacuum.

Team Rocket noticed that their steal was about to be stolen so James released his Carnivine to knock Ash off the vacuum. After a violent display of physical affection by Carnivine, James composed himself and ordered, “Carnivine! Use Bullet Seed!”

Just as quickly as he said it, Meowth’s face turned incredibly pale as he yelled to his partner in shock, “You nitwit! Da bag is only attack proof on the inside! You’ll cut the bag open!!”

It was too late. Ash successfully dodged the Bullet Seed attack aimed for him and allowed it to cut through the fabric of the bag behind him. As Team Rocket’s mouths all fell agape with disbelief and horror, Pikachu and the rest of Ash’s Pokémon immediately bounced out of the bag onto the vacuum, hugging Ash in relief.

“You guys! I’m so glad you’re okay!” Ash smiled as he hugged Pikachu tightly. The rushing wind off to the side brought him back to his senses as he realized that it wasn’t over yet and that the safety of his Pokémon was still two hundred vertical feet from solid ground.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a shadowy, pitch black ball of energy collided with the rocket engine on the port side of Team Rocket’s balloon and exploded. Once Ash regained his footing, he looked around for the source of the attack. “What the heck? That looked like a Shadow Ball!”

Immediately, another dark sphere hit the other engine on the starboard side of Team Rocket’s balloon. This time, Ash distinctly heard a voice, not audibly, but through his mind saying, I will remember you always.

“Is that…?” Ash wondered out loud as the balloon started to lose altitude.

The same voice rang through Ash’s head again. Remember…

“Guys, you have to get out of here.” Ash spoke as he realized what was about to happen. He needed to get everyone off of the hot air balloon – and fast. “Monferno, jump on top of Gliscor and glide to safety. Grotle, I want you to use the highest powered rock climb you can and jump onto the shoreline. And Staraptor, I want you to take this bag of Poké Balls and Pikachu back to the lighthouse.”

Pikachu’s ears perked up as he heard what his best friend was telling him to do – to leave him on the falling air balloon. Pikachu cried out in protest that he’d never leave Ash’s side, but Ash shook his head and told Pikachu that everything was going to be okay and to trust him. He heard the voice again speaking in his head. If you hear my voice, know that it is my spirit…

“Pikachu, you have to leave. Now!” Ash shouted. Pikachu looked at Ash for one last time before finally jumping onto Staraptor’s back. “I’ll be fine! I’ll make it for sure. Take care buddy.”

Gliscor dutifully carried Monferno on its back away from the vacuum and successfully glided down towards the lighthouse. Grotle did as he was told and launched himself into the air with Rock Climb on a clean trajectory towards the soft sand on the shore. Staraptor reluctantly followed suit as it took the remaining sack of Poké Balls in its beak and Pikachu on its back and flapped its wings toward the light house.

Knowing that his Pokémon were at least alright, Ash heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the final Shadow Ball fly towards the hot air balloon. Before the ball of dark spirited energy collided with the rest of the Meowth balloon, Ash leapt from the vacuum machine into the sea. As he closed his eyes, preparing for impact, he heard the last bit of that familiar voice run through his head. …Know that it is my spirit calling across time and space to yours.

Above him, the Shadow Ball successfully collided with the rest of the balloon and ignited the engine fuel. The great explosion sent the trio of Pokémon thieves on their usual flight path miles away while the shock wave sent Ash hurtling faster towards the ocean waves.

With his eyes closed, he braced for the impact that he was sure would come; the incredibly painful shock of the water followed by its chilling touch, but the sensations never came. Instead, Ash felt incredibly dizzy, as if he was about to throw up. The intense sound of the wind rushing past his ears faded into nothingness, his perception of free fall disappeared, and he couldn’t feel the pressure on his face from the fall any longer. His head ached with an intense pain as his vision became blacker and blacker. Just before he knew he was going to die from the pain in his head it all stopped. As soon as it started, the wooziness had abated.

Then in a flash as if an epiphany, he regained all of his senses. Suddenly a sharp feeling jerked himself wide awake. He no longer expected the waves of the ocean or the pain that would follow it; the anticipation left his mind entirely. Instead, he watched as the scenes that played before his eyes frightened him even more. He reached out his hand to grab his partner’s hand as they fell from the sky into a gusting thunderstorm. He knew that he had to hold onto his friends hand as hard as he could, but he felt him slip away as the cyclone’s winds forced them apart.

"Whoa! Wh-wh-whoa...!"

"Are...Are you OK?! No! Don't Let go! Just a little longer... Come on! Hang on!”

It was no use. The storm was too powerful. "N-n-no! I can't... hold on...! Waaaaaaagh!"

In that moment, Ash knew he had lost his best friend.

[B}[23:50 P.M.] Cianwood City (Pokémon Center), Johto Region[/b]

“It’s not your fault May. You’ve done nothing wrong, and Drew had other plans in mind. You don’t need to feel sorry about it.” Caroline tried to explain to her daughter. May certainly seemed less hysterical than when she first called, but she was still in a bad state.

After she stopped her sniffing, May tried to put the best smile that she could on for her mom that helped her so much. “Thanks, mom.”

“It’s no biggie. I just want you to be happy and help you as much as I can. You’ve grown so much since you left home, and I am so proud of you.”

Caroline waited a little bit while her daughter wiped the rest of her tears away from her eyes. Now it was time to start moving on. “So May, what are you going to do now?”

“Huh? Mom, what are you talking about?”

Caroline sighed a little as she began listing, “Well, you probably shouldn’t follow that jerk to the Grand Festival, since it’s just not even worth anything. You can definitely come home and stay with your mom, dad, and brother for a few weeks, but probably, you’re going to want to continue traveling again, don’t you think?”

May looked from her mother down to her lap. “Yeah, you’re right. But mom, I definitely don’t want to go traveling alone again. That was way too much.”

“I understand. Then maybe you should travel with someone you know again! Why don’t you call up Ash and see if you can rejoin him?”

Almost immediately, May jerked her head up to the videoscreen and started shaking her head and biting her lip. “Why not?” Caroline asked.

“I don’t know…” May spoke slowly, “The last time we met, he told me that we should follow our own dreams. I don’t think he wants us to travel together.”

[21:39 P.M.] Lake Valor Resort (Ville de l’Amour Restaurant), Sinnoh Region – Five Months Ago

“Oh, man! I am so stuffed!” Ash said as he patted his fattened belly with gleeful pleasure. “I haven’t had food that awesome since I left Pallet Town!”

Dawn was not pleased. She chose the slightly fancier restaurant to elegantly celebrate the coming Wallace Cup Festival in the morning, but instead she had to deal with Ash’s rude eating habits.

“Ash, how many times do I have to tell you that the butter knife is not used to cut the baguettes? And put that napkin under the table!”

“You know, it never hurts to have a few table manners for a guest.” May also added with a cocked eyebrow and a coy smirk. Nevertheless, she inwardly smiled knowing that Ash didn’t change much from the last time they sat down to eat dinner together.

Ash nervously scratched the back of his head instinctively, “Hey, hey, sorry! I’m just not much used to this style of eating.” Pikachu on the carpet simply shook his head as he cooed in delight with the gourmet dishes in front of him. Glaceon giggled softly next to him and similarly helped herself to some more food.

“In that case, you cover the bill.” Dawn resolutely commanded.

“Wait whaa—”

“Come on, Brock! I need to find Zoey and train a little more, and you can be my referee!” Dawn cheerfully said, ignoring Ash’s protest. Brock smiled to himself, agreeing with Dawn, and left the restaurant with her, leaving Ash and May behind to finish up the dinner.

Ash watched dumbfounded, wide-eyed, and mouth agape while May, sitting next to him also reminded him, “Ash, you know it’s rude to leave your mouth hanging open like that.”

He reached into his back pocket for his wallet, peered inside, and realized that he only just cut the tab. “Oh jeez. There goes the rest of my savings!” Ash lamented.

“You know, Ash, I’ve still got some room. Do you want any desert?” May asked.

Ash smiled and said, “I’d love some, but I’m all out of money…”

“Don’t worry! I’ll get the desert. Contests always have nice prizes for the winners.” May said with a smile. Soon enough, the waiter came back around to ask if there was anything else to order.

“And will that be all, mademoiselle?”

“Um, we’d like some desserts if that’s alright?”

“Certainement. We have the Pear Belle-Hélène, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Profiteroles, and the Thin Apple Pie.”

“How many do the Profiteroles serve?”

“Serves two, mademoiselle; port vous et le monsieur.”

“Alright, we’ll take the Chocolate Profiteroles then!”

“Absolutely. And here… le chèque.”

As the waiter walked away carrying the expended plates with him, Ash looked over to May and asked, “What just happened?”

“Oh! We’re getting a dessert for two, something like a vanilla sundae.” May responded. “I hope that’s okay with you?”

“Definitely!” Ash exclaimed. Almost habitually, he started patting his tummy in preparation.

"Hey Ash, how are things for you? It's been so long since we last talked." May continued.

"Oh you know, gym battles, Dawn's contests, just taking it one step at a time."

"How is Dawn by the way?"

"Well she's doing well in contests, has two ribbons already and trying to get this one too. It's been a little rough for her since till now because she's had a two loss streak. But we've been working with her nonstop!"

"It's fun right?" May asked.

"Yeah, of course!” Ash answered enthusiastically. “Hey every morning I wake up and I just get pumped for what's up ahead. But what about you?"

May sighed a little, remembering how hard it was for her to keep a positive attitude all alone. "Well to be honest Ash, it's been so difficult. After I lost my first contest, I started to wonder whether or not it's worth it to keep going."

"But May, of course it's worth it! I mean, come on, it's your dream to be a top coordinator, isn't it?"

"Well it is, but sometimes I wish things were back to the way it was. Back in Hoenn and the Battle Frontier remember?” May sat back in her chair, looked up, and reminisced about all of the fun their journeys had been together. “I remember all those contests you cheered me on, the gym battles I helped you get through, even that time we had to stop Kyogre and Groudon from dueling with each other! We always had each other, and every day was exciting!”

Ash smiled as he remembered those times as well. “Yeah. I always remember those times before I fall asleep. We were a good team.”

May looked at Ash once again and the two locked their eyes together.

“I wish I hadn't left traveling with you." May said.

Ash took a deep breath and tenderly spoke, "May... I... I think it was for the best that we split up."

Those words pressed down on May like a large weight on her lungs. "What? Why?" She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"If you stayed with us... well… you wouldn't be able to compete in the Johto Grand Festival.” Ash slowly spoke. “I mean, traveling with me would've slowed you down."

"Ash! Don't say that! I loved traveling with you!"

"So did I," Ash looked back up at May and said, “Hey, we’re not really that much apart anyways. You’ll always be with me when I’m traveling.”

May perked up and asked, “How so, Ash?”

Ash dug into his vest pocket and took out his half ribbon and showed it to May, whom in turn smiled and brought out her own to complete the small memento.

“How about we just enjoy the time we have! I mean, we do have a few days.” Ash smiled.

May returned the gesture with a smile of her own. “That sounds awesome, Ash!”

Unbeknownst to the two, the Chocolate Profiteroles rested on the table between them, chocolate syrup oozing, vanilla ice cream glistening, and two identical spoons beckoning the two Pokémon trainers to dig in. Glaceon and Pikachu finished their fancy feast and pounced into their respective trainers’ laps and promptly nuzzled close for a comfortable nap.

May and Ash stowed away their respective half of the ribbon, took a spoon, and slowly ate away at the chocolate dessert, talking about old times, and enjoying their first night together in so long.

[00:15 P.M.] Cianwood City (Pokémon Center), Johto Region

“May, it sounds to me that Ash actually misses you a lot. You should call him.” Caroline pressed.

“Mom, are you sure?” May asked. “I don’t know if he’s still the same as the last time I saw him. He might have changed!”

Caroline smiled, warming May up to the idea. “You know that’s not true. You trust Ash, remember? Think back to all those times that you’ve stuck together. I know that Ash didn’t want to split away just for your goals. He wanted you to be happy.”

May thought deeply for a few moments, recalling all of the times Ash had been with May. Memories of Pikachu frying her bicycle, his encouragement to join the contest scene, recovering with Ash and her Bulbasaur after her lost battle, watching the boat to Lilycove drift away with Ash by her side, and hoping between Frontier Brains, all up until her final parting battle with him in Terracotta Town, the memories flooded back into May’s mind like a gale. With each passing thought, she realized that through it all, she never felt lonely or sad. Angry sure, when Ash complained about her taking too long to do her hair, but through and through, she was happy.

She heard her mom reassuringly speak again, “You’ll find that with Ash, and I think he would like to make more of those memories again.” With that, she smiled and let May think further.

As if drawn by instinct, May pulled out her contest ribbon case, clicked it open, and shifted it around until she found the frazzled half of the ribbon that complimented another half, laying somewhere in the Sinnoh region.

“Thanks, mom. You’ve been such a big help, and I know what I’m going to do,” May suddenly spoke. Slowly but surely, the corners of her lips inched upwards into a smile, filled with warmth and hope for tomorrow. Ignoring all of the events that tormented her so recently just a few hours back, she let all of the memories she shared with Ash in Hoenn and Kanto fill its place.

“I’m going to travel with Ash again!”

Caroline gave her daughter the thumbs up, exchanged goodbyes with her, and hung up the phone. When the screen turned itself off, May took a deep breath, wiped her eyes of the remaining tears, and resolutely dialed for the Pokémon Center Operator of the Sinnoh region. She was coming home at last.

________________________________________

Dear Readers,

Again, I am so so sorry about this fiasco with the updating. Rest assured though this post means that I am definitely continuing with this story, and I'm willing to post whether or not I get much of a response. Nevertheless, enjoy!

Author’s Note:
Updated, 03/11/11
| decided to finally merge MDII/may’s weeping getting old/normal ash-may interaction/writing binge beginning |

[luvallpokemon]

I can't wait to see what happens!! I am a Contest Shipper but your story is so incredibly related to the anime! I'm sort of sad that Drew had to go so soon though. Other than that, I appreciate how you didn't let Ash's character fall out of hand! Some others get too carried away by the story and start to let the characters fall apart from the anime, but your story fits perfectly! I am dying to know what Cynthia is hiding! :P
I cant wait to find out what the next chapter's going to be like! I hope its a long one. I also commend you for your thorough descriptions! I can totally picture this episode in my head!

P.S. I love how everyone praises Ash! I don't know I just like it when the main character of stories gets praised and they act all humble about it!

[BlazingAura]

This story is great! i like the small snippets of Advanceshipping here and there.

But the CS bits make me want to kick an inanimate object then bring out a large chain of cuss words whilst holding my foot.

(Ow and by the way, i cant give you advice on writing a fic cause i havent written one myself.... just read alot!)