Chapter Three
He continues to stare at her until he realizes what he’s doing, and hastily snaps out of his trance. “May, I-I, can’t, believe you’re here!” Ash exclaims with an uncomfortably false sense of excitement. Yet there she was, in her pure, saintly flesh, standing right in front of him, as they all stood in front of the Pokemon Center, which is covered with beautiful shrubbery unique to the paradisiacal climate of Lake Valor. May simply grins, not sure what to say. Brock and Dawn smile with their friends… and that’s it. The air is slowed down, no longer producing any sounds, and a Kricketot could be heard quietly chirping in the background. For all these friends know, it could be coming from Veilstone City, for it is indeed that quiet.
Then May finally breaks the awkward tension, “Oh! I have gifts! They’re really adorable, and I hope you guys like them.”
Brock immediately chimes in, “That’s great!” He then stretches his arm outward towards his dear Hoenn friend, “What is it?”
May stares at his palms, waiting for perhaps a hand signal, until she realizes why they’re sticking out at her as if they were about to violently grab her, “Oh, no! Sorry, Brock,” she blushes, “you misunderstood. I left them in my room. I can give it to you guys over there.”
Dawn manages to form a smile, despite the work it costs to keep it, “That’s great! I’m glad you got us presents.” This last part was spoken with a high-pitched voice, and it causes May to giggle. However, she soon stops when she notices the embarrassment on Dawn’s face.
“Come on, guys. It’s this way,” she declared gleefully, and the group enters the building.
While they proceed towards May’s room, Ash cannot help but trap himself in his mind, away from the inevitable doom that has unexpectedly shown up in his life.
I’m not ready to deal with this, he thought.
It’s only been a few months! Why would she come here? She knows I’m here. We agreed to give each other space. I thought she got the message – I mean, she went to Johto, and I went to Sinnoh. May says, “Thank you, Nurse Joy.”
“No problem, May,” she replies. “Your Pokemon are in great shape. They’ll do great in the contest tomorrow,” and she concludes with a smile, but May’s “thank-you” smile outshines the nurse’s, and its contagious quality even forces a grin out of Ash.
“Hey, Ash, what are you smiling about?” Dawn asks playfully, yet with a hint of curiosity.
Ash stutters, “Oh, uh, uh, you know, just, the contest.” Dawn gently reaches for his hand to hold, and they exchange a warm gaze.
Brock notices this, however, and forcefully grabs Dawn’s other hand, “Alright, everyone. Let’s see those presents now,” as they head towards May’s room. Ash thinks,
That’s right! I have a girlfriend, and a great one, too. I didn’t think I could ever feel happy like this again. But Dawn’s been there for me; she still is. I’m with her now, so everything is okay.
It’s an ordinary room, except for the shopping bags consuming the whole floor. Dawn is caught off guard, “Wow,” she sweatdrops, “that’s a lot of gifts.”
May giggled, “No, Dawn, just give me a second.” As she tosses bag after bag onto the bed, some of the contents spill on her mattress, consisting of perfumes, dresses, swimsuits, pokeball seals, creams, tank tops, bandannas, and more. Dawn stares in awe. Her princess-like figure perfectly fits her extensive shopping habits. “Here it is!” she rejoices as she holds a bag. “I hope you guys are ready!” Just as she says this, she pulls out two wooden toys: a Teddiursa and an Ursaring. “Here you go!” she exclaims. “These are for you two boys!” They accept the gifts graciously; even Ash, but they’re not sure what it is. Dawn looks confused, wondering where her present is, and May realizes this, “Uh-oh. I must’ve miscounted.”
Dawn, surprised by this, remarks, “You miscounted the gifts?” Just then, her mind goes into a panic. She begins to worry that her worst fears are coming true, that May would be rude to her, and then steal Ash away from her.
Before she can express these feelings, May shouted, “Wait! I thought of something!” She dives into her bags again, until she finds one containing a little box, which she opens to reveal a Piplup necklace. “Here you go!” she exclaims. “By the way, you have the cutest Piplup.” Piplup, in response, expands its chest to assert its dominance.
Dawn is pleased, “Thank you, May. This is a really nice gift.” May again shows off her pearl-white smile.
Just then, Brock makes an observation, “Uhh, May. These bags all have the Valor Lakefront Logo on them. Did you get this stuff here?”
May panics into a frenzy, “Okay, okay! You got me!” She cups her face with her hands, looking down so nobody can see her vermillion face. “I went shopping yesterday, and I forgot to get you guys presents.”
Ash asks curiously, “So you knew we were gonna be here?”
“I didn’t know; I just figured you probably would be. The Wallace Cup is the biggest contest of the year. And it’s in Sinnoh, so I just figured…”
Dawn offers her consolations, “Well, for an unplanned gift, I love it!” and she concludes with a grin, trying to mirror May’s, but to her dismay.
May rejoices, “Really? I’m so happy to hear that”
Dawn responds, “No need to worry!” Ash is stunned by this. His past and present, instead of colliding, are merging into a benevolent alloy.
“This is great! If you love the necklace, then there are so many more things you would love at the shopping center. I’ll show you the selection.”
“Oh no, that’s fine,” Dawn explains. “I can just look at them tomorrow, after the preliminaries.”
“You should go with her,” says Brock. “May has a good eye for sales and knows how to get to all of them in no time at all.”
“It’ll be fun!” May insists. “We’re gonna make you look gorgeous for tomorrow.”
Dawn finally gives in, “In that case, sure! Sounds like fun!”
“That’s great!” May looks at Ash and Brock. “Are you guys coming?”
Ash is about to accept this offer, until Brock says, “It’s fine. I have everything I need, and whatever I don’t have I can stock up on in the Pokemon Center. And besides, Ash and I can always do some battling.” Ash is stunned by this response.
May replies, “Sounds great. You boys have fun. Come on, Dawn. The stores are calling us!” Dawn smiles and they both exit the room.
Ash waits for them to leave the center. Then, he confronts Brock, “Why didn’t you want to go with them?”
Brock hesistates, but then assertively states, “Ash, this can’t be easy for you. Your ex-girlfriend just came back into your life. I just thought you needed time to process all of this.”
“I was handling it pretty fine,” he says.
“Are you sure, Ash? I don’t think it’s fine when you take a year to say something back when someone says ‘Hi’ to you.”
Ash begins to stare out the window, “It was hard at first, but then I remembered that I’m in a relationship now, so I’m not as vulnerable as I was in Kanto.”
Brock sighs, “That’s a relief. You’re my best friend, Ash, and I never wanna see you like that again.”
Ash begins to wonder, “I don’t know, Brock. Can I deal with this for the next few days? I didn’t even have any time to prepare for her. What am I gonna do?”
Brock starts, “Well, like you said, you have Dawn –”
“But is that enough!?” Ash questions. “I mean, it’s not like the way I feel about Dawn is the same as I did with May.”
“Well that’s not your fault, Ash,” Brock reassures. “You dated May for almost two years. You just started dating Dawn a few months ago.”
“Exactly. There’s more history between me and May; way more history. How am I gonna keep my head clear?” Ash jumps into bed, his hands pressing against his temple.
Brock thinks hard for a moment, until, “Don’t think,” he suggests.
Ash rises from the bed, “Huh?”
He repeats himself, “Don’t think. Keep charging forward. You’re Ash Ketchum. Whenever you have an obstacle, like a gym battle, or when training your Pokemon, you always charge through it. You can do it with this.” Ash stares into space as Brock says this. “You have the contest. You have Dawn. You have people who care about you.” He looks at Pikachu staring through the window at a Wurmple feeding on the leaves under a field of daffodils. “You have your Pokemon.” Pikachu, in response, turns around and offers his usual “Pika pika!” Brock concludes, “That should be enough for you.”
Ash considers all this, whispering to himself, “Charge through.” Brock awaits a response. Finally, Ash speaks up, “So you wanna battle with me?”
Brock’s face lights up at this exclamation, “Of course I do. Just remember: even though your ex is in town, it doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you.” Ash chuckles, and the two friends run outside into the battlefield.
=•=•=•=•=•=
I can’t believe this, Dawn thought.
I’m actually shopping with my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. This is the girl that broke his heart. She’s the cause of any argument Ash and I have had since we started dating, whether it was, ‘I’m afraid of commitment’ or ‘May used to hug me like that.’ For crying out loud! I can’t even hug my man the way I want! Oww!. The bags begin to take their toll on Dawn’s arms, while May’s surprisingly fit arms glide through the plaza as if they were in water.
“You wanna take a break?” May asks. “Or do you need help with some of those bags?”
“No thanks, I’m fine,” Dawn replies. “Actually, I’m glad we’re doing this. I never get the opportunity for a girl’s day with Ash and Brock around.”
It’s true, though. I’m actually glad we’re doing this, and with May of all people. I can’t get over how sweet and amazing she is.
May smiles, “Well don’t let those boys keep you away from having some feminine fun.” As they’re walking through the busy streets, with venders set up everywhere, and many tourists holding countless souvenirs, some even using their Pokemon for extra hands, May changes the subject, “So what have you heard about me from the guys, anyways?” she asks innocently.
This comes as a curveball for Dawn, who doesn’t know how to answer that. She’s heard mixed reviews about May – obviously the good ones came from one of her traveling companions and the bad came from the other. In the end, Dawn went for it, “I heard you’re very pretty, and that’s true.”
“Oh, stop it,” May blushes. “I’m not beautiful like you, Dawn. That’s for sure (Dawn asks herself,
Is this girl from another planet!?). So who did you hear that from? Ash?”
Dawn almost trips at this last remark.
So there it is. She’s trying to step into my territory already. I’m not too surprised; Ash is a great catch. Well I’m not gonna take this! “Even if it were, that’s a little awkward to talk about, don’t you think?”
May’s smile fades away, and her gets tone gets a little more serious. “Oh, you know about us?”
“Excuse me!” Dawn is bewildered, interpreting “us” as a present-tense relationship. “There’s no ‘us’!?”
May shows some confusion, “Well not anymore. But do you know about our history?”
“Yeah, I’m aware of it,” she replies sourly.
May catches this tone. “Oh, I understand, Dawn.” Dawn thinks,
Good; she knows her boundaries. I guess I made them clear. May continues, “I can see that you and Ash have gotten close since you started traveling with him.”
That’s right, we have – very, very close. “So I understand if you’re a little upset with how our relationship ended, and I really respect that. You’re a great friend to Ash, and I hope, forgetting my history with him, we can become great friends to each other.”
Dawn is speechless, mostly because she’s completely thrown off by May’s use of the word “friend” to describe her relationship with Ash.
=•=•=•=•=•=
“Go! Croagunk!” Brock sends out his poison frog, as it inspects the premises for any victims of Brock’s flirtation. Seeing that the coast is clear, it prepares to battle.
“Alright, then,” Ash states as he enlarges a pokeball. Then he tosses it, “I choose you! Buizel!” And Buizel is summoned, pumped as usual.
“Are you ready, Ash?” Brock asks.
Ash hesitates, “I don’t know.”
Brock is stumbled by this, “What’s wrong? You’re still feeling down?”
“No,” Ash reassures him. “I’m just wondering how the girls are doing. I gotta say, the way May invited Dawn to go shopping was weird. I wouldn’t wanna hang out with an ex’s boyfriend if it were me.”
“Oh,” Brock laughs nervously, “well I guess that’s May for you, hehe.”
Ash, Brock’s closest friend, immediately notices this. “What’s going on, Brock?” he asks curiously.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Brock replies. “Let’s battle already.”
“Not until you tell me what I don’t know,” Ash says firmly.
Brock is sweating a little, “It’s not really what you don’t know. It’s what May doesn’t know.”
Ash responds slowly, “What doesn’t May know?”
Brock finally gives in, “Well, she just doesn’t really know that you and Dawn are kind of a thing.”
Ash raises his voice, “A thing? Do you mean relationship?”
Brock nods nervously.
“Buizel! Return!” Buizel disappointedly returns to his pokeball. Pikachu is surprised by this.
“Ash, what are you doing?” Brock asks.
“You just let my girlfriend enter an uncomfortable position. If May finds out,” then Ash starts to think. “Is this why you didn’t want us to go shopping with them? So May wouldn’t find out?” Brock looks at the floor. “So that whole ‘I was worried’ bit was just a lie!?”
“No!” Brock claims. “That was true. There were other motives is all.”
“Why does it matter if May knows about us? You say you talk to her all the time. You’re telling me when she was probably asking ‘How’s everyone doing?’ you couldn’t mention this even once?”
Brock explains, “Well, it’s not easy to see your ex with a new person.”
Ash angrily responds, “Like she was sensitive to my feelings about that.” His arm muscles begin to vibrate excessively at the thought of it, of Kanto.
Brock interjects, “Now Ash, just calm down. You don’t even know the whole story—”
“EXCUSE ME!?” Ash explodes. “I think I remember the whole story!” And he begins to stretch his legs. “I’m gonna go find them.”
“No, Ash!” pleads Brock. “Croagunk! Use Poison Jab!” Croagunk sneaks up on Ash and delivers a blow that follows a shrieking cry of pain and a thud to the ground.
=•=•=•=•=•=
Ash lies on his back on in of the booths of the Pokemon Center’s café, applying a bag of ice onto his hamstring. The place is practically empty, with only a few other people in distant booths. The rest of the lakefront’s tourists are likely in the shopping center. Brock returns carrying three trays of food. Croagunk carries another. After placing the food on the table, Brock returns Croagunk into his pokeball. Ash asks, “What’s with all the food? Are you suggesting that’s my medicine?”
“No, Ash,” Brock laughs. “The girls should be returning soon. I thought we could all have dinner.
Ash recalls the incident outside in the battlefield, and, more importantly, what caused it. “What if May finds out while they’re out there, Brock?” Brock starts staring out the window beside their booth. “She has to find out somehow, but I can guarantee her experience would be better than mine.” At this last remark, he tenses up for a second, but the pain in his hamstring that results tells him to calm down.
“When I said you didn’t know her story,” Brock answers, “I meant you don’t know her life right now.”
“Well, that’s obvious,” Ash retorts, but then picks up on that last part, “Wait, what’s going on in her life right now? What aren’t you telling me?”
Brock responds, “That’s not your business. She’s not your girlfriend anymore. If you really wanna know what’s up in her life, you would ask her yourself. You would be a friend for her. But I know that’s the last thing you wanna be.”
Before Ash can provide an argument, Dawn and May enter the café. Dawn’s arms are red – not from sunlight, but from the grueling workout they’ve endured. Both of the girls have a more serious expression than when they left. They approach the boys, and Dawn panics, “Ash! What happened? Are you okay?” She’s about to comfort him, but then looks at May and simply sits next to him as Ash moves over. May sits on the opposite side, next to Brock.
“I’m fine,” Ash replies warmly, but then looks at May, and raises his voice, “I just had an incident during our battle.” He glances at Brock for a second, “I guess I got a bit carried away.” He laughs, and Brock joins in.
“Oh, Ash,” Dawn retorts, “you can’t push yourself too hard the day before the contest.”
May is puzzled, “Wait, you’re entering the contest?”
Ash replies, “Yeah. Dawn asked me to, and I thought it would be fun.”
Dawn interjects, “But he said he’s only using Buizel, and I told him he should use other Pokemon.”
“Buizel?” May asks. “I’ve never seen a Buizel.”
“I don’t have my pokeballs with me right now,” Ash explains.
“That’s okay,” May says. “I’ll meet Buizel tomorrow, but why are you using only Buizel?”
Ash answers, “Well, since Buizel is my newest Pokemon, after making that trade with Dawn, I thought this would be the best opportunity for my bond with Buizel to grow, especially since he’s already been in competitions.”
“I think that’s smart, Ash,” May says warmly, but then quickly looks at Dawn. “Uhh, don’t you think so, Dawn?” she asks loudly.
“Huh?” Dawn is caught off guard. “Oh, yeah, I’m happy for you, Ash. I think you’re doing the right thing.” Ash smiles, a little perplexed by what just happened.
May asks, “So does that mean you two have signed up?” Dawn and Ash simultaneously and rapidly rise to their feet, only the sudden movement stings Ash’s injury.
“I forgot to sign-up!” Dawn cries.
Ash shares her worry, “Maybe it’s not too late.”
May giggles, “Relax, you two. You can still sign up tomorrow.” The couple shares a sigh of relief.
Brock reveals even better news, “And besides, I already signed the two of you up.” The rest of the group breaks into a mix of indecipherable exclamations. “It was easy. While Ash was looking for some ice, I went to one of the registration areas nearby to sign Ash up. When I asked if May and Dawn were signed up, they said May was but not Dawn. So I did it for her, too.”
Ash is skeptical, “But when you sign up, they ask you questions about yourself, like age, height, weight, and Pokemon you plan to use.”
“And I know the answers to all those questions,” Brock responds.
Now Dawn is skeptical, “Even me? We just met a few months ago. And you have so many siblings. I figured there wouldn’t be enough room in your brain to know my stuff.”
“I’ll prove it,” Brock starts. “Ash is 16, he is 5’ 10”, and he weighs about 150 pounds.” Ash is amused with Brock’s knowledge of this, and gives his nod of approval of the information to the girls.
May asks, “Do you know my age and height? Don’t say my weight, though.” Dawn says the same.
“Okay,” Brock says. “Dawn, you are 14 and 5’ 6”. May, you are 16 and 5’ 8”. Dawn thinks,
So she’s older and taller. At least I don’t have to compete with that.
May is amazed, “That’s great, Brock! But why do you know this stuff about us?”
“Simple,” Brock replies, “you guys put yourselves in danger all the time, so just in case something happens, I’ll know your information.” The others think about what Brock says, and then they break into group laughter. This goes on until Ash winces from more pain.
May suggests, “Maybe you should eat on your bed. You should rest your thigh as much as possible.” She looks at Dawn, and taps her shoulder, “You should go help him.” Dawn swiftly turns her head from Ash to May. May smiles, “You guys could use some alone time.” This last comment has everyone looking up at May. Brock begins to perspire like a Froslass under Sunny Day. Dawn looks to the side, embarrassed by her statement. But Ash looks directly and May, and she at her, as she offers a smile and a nod, and Ash knows what it is – in this one subtle comment, and one quick nod, May has given her blessings to Ash and Dawn.
Ash begins to smile, “Come on, uh, sweetie,” she says to Dawn. “You wanna help me to the room?”
Dawn, a little frantic, picks up both trays and places Ash’s arm around her shoulder as he limps with her to the room.
Once they’re out of sight, Brock whispers, “May, are you alright?” May doesn’t say a word; she simply nods again, her brilliant white smile showing itself, yet the magic it usually possesses isn’t there. Brock asks calmly, “How was it when you found out?”
=•=•=•=•=•=
As he drops onto his bed, extending his legs on it, which causes the blanket to be dragged towards the end of the bed, Ash asks, “How did May find out about us?”
Dawn is surprised, “You knew she didn’t know?”
Ash explains, “Brock told me he was trying to keep it a secret from her, to spare her any discomfort from it.”
Dawn is surprised again, “That’s strange, considering she has a boyfriend. Well, it kinda came up after she called me your ‘friend’…”
=•=•=•=•=•=
After that, I was speechless, but then I was really mad, “Excuse me!?” I thought she was trying to undermine my relationship, like she didn’t think it was that serious.
And when I yelled at her, she was freaked out. She even dropped a couple of bags, which actually made me kinda happy because she’s really strong. So she asked, “Dawn, what’s wrong? Do you really hate me that much for what happened between me and Ash?”
It was obvious she didn’t know why I was mad, so I tried to explain my self calmly, “What’s wrong!? WHAT’S WRONG!?” It didn’t work. “Ash is my boyfriend, and I don’t think, as his girlfriend, that you’re showing me much respect!”
May dropped more bags after that, “Your boyfriend? I’m, sorry, Dawn. I had no idea. Umm, I’m so happy for the both of you. Now that I know, I understand why you’re mad, and I’ll start showing you much more respect right away.”
It looked like she was on the verge of tears, too, so that’s when I comforted her, “Don’t worry, May. You didn’t know, but now you do, so we can put this whole thing behind us.” I decided not to mention it anymore because I found the whole discussion embarrassing. I did what I could to cheer May up, but she still seemed shaken by it all, so it was a quiet walk back home.
=•=•=•=•=•=
May was still; then she finally spoke…
=•=•=•=•=•=
Out of nowhere, Dawn just started yelling at me, “Excuse me!?” It just came out of nowhere, and I was so startled that I even dropped a couple of bags.
So I asked, “Dawn, what’s wrong?” It was all just so random, but then I started thinking, What could I have said to make her this mad?
And that’s when I figured she was mad because I brought up how Ash and I didn’t end things well. Maybe she and Ash are very close friends and he’s talked a lot about us, so it would get her mad. So I asked, “Do you really hate me that much for what happened between me and Ash?”
I thought my understanding would calm her, but she actually got angrier, “What’s wrong!? WHAT’S WRONG!?” I was officially clueless; I couldn’t figure out what got her like this. I started thinking maybe she was a mental patient refugee, or something along those lines. But then she said something that froze my heart. “Ash is my boyfriend,” and then time stood still. Never in a million years did I think she would’ve said that. I didn’t even think Ash was ready to see other people. I mean, he was so miserable after Kanto, and I felt so guilty afterwards. I swear my heart started to ache, “and I don’t think, as his girlfriend, that you’re showing me much respect!”
I dropped even more bags because I just couldn’t believe it. I finally looked at her, and she was waiting for an answer. And then after what felt like eternity, I finally said something, “Your, boy-, boyfriend? I’m s-so ssorryy, Dawn. I had no idea.” I can’t describe how I felt after that. I don’t know why I was so upset, but I was afraid to show these emotions to Dawn. She was still so mad, so I tried to make her feel better, “Umm, I’m so happy for the both of you. Now that I know, I understand why you’re so mad, and I’ll start showing you much more respect right away.”
It was so hard to say; I kept trying to fight tears, but it was a losing battle. I guessed she noticed this, because then she said, “Don’t worry, May. You didn’t know, but now you do, so we can put this whole thing behind us.” The words were nice, but not at all consoling. I couldn’t look at her after that. I wouldn’t have been able to look at anyone after that because I was that embarrassed and upset. Oh, Brock, I just can’t believe he found someone else. It makes me feel like I didn’t mean anything to him.
