Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

The lights behind the bar were the only illumination that the room contained, with two men visible in the relative darkness. The bartender pulled two pints, placing one down in front of the only customer left in the place, before taking a swig out of his own drink.

"How was the Pokémon League meeting?" the bartender asked. He stood at just above six feet, with spiky, dark brown hair and a mild complexion. A discernible feature were his eyes, permanently narrowed, as if he were squinting at everything. He was wearing dark brown cargo trousers, with a green polo shirt.

"It was alright, thanks, just the usual extending of the rolling contract, just crazy how long the process takes," the other man replied.

Although he was sat down at the bar, it was easy to see he was taller than the bartender, with raven black hair, and warm auburn eyes. He was wearing dark blue jeans with a plain grey t-shirt, with a black jacket slung over the stool next to him.

The two men were Brock Harrison, 28, former Gym Leader of Pewter City, and Ash Ketchum, 25, the current Gym Leader of Pallet Town, and temporary member of the Kanto Elite Four.

Brock nodded, "where's Pikachu? I thought you would've taken him with you?"

"I did, but I just dropped him off at the ranch on my way here," Ash answered. His becoming of the Pallet Town Gym Leader coincided with the completion of Professor Oak's new ranch, which had allowed Ash to purchase the land and move in, converting part of it into his Gym.

"How are things at the hospital?" Ash asked, taking a sip of his drink. Aside from co-owning the bar they were currently in, Brock was close to completing his training to become a Pokémon doctor, so he had been stationed, part-time, at Kanto's Pokémon hospital, where severe injuries that the Poké Centre couldn't deal with were treated.

"Going good! They said that I should be able to complete my training before the end of the month, and are happy to offer me a position there, but can only do so on a part-time basis to start with," Brock answered, smiling happily. Ash shared the smile, he was pleased that his closest friend was nearing his dream.

"That's awesome, Brock! I'm really happy for you! Does Misty know?" Ash replied. Misty was Brock's wife, the current Gym Leader of Cerulean City, the trio had journeyed through Kanto and Johto together when they were younger, which sparked Misty and Brock's relationship. After Johto, Misty and Brock settled back down into life as Gym Leader's, until Brock got the opportunity to train as a doctor. At this point, he permanently passed on his role to one of his younger brothers and moved to Pallet Town with Misty, buying the bar at the same time, the latter commuting to Cerulean City.

"Yeah she does, we spoke about it last night," Brock answered, "she was so pleased for me that we closed the bar early and went out for dinner." Ash smiled at the thought of his beat friends having a night off for once, but the reminder of their situation in comparison to his, saddened him slightly. A fact that hadn't gone unnoticed by Brock.

"I still don't know why you haven't tried to get back out there, Ash," Brock said, before placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, "It's been five years." Ash gulped.

"I can't do it… I can't let her go," he replied quietly. He took a large swig from his drink.

"You need to get out of this rut, Ash," Brock said firmly, "I want you to be happy again."

"I am happy!" Ash countered. There was a rustle of keys in the door, which swung open to reveal a red-haired woman, wearing a light blue mini-skirt and a yellow t-shirt.

"Hey Mist!" Brock greeted, before quickly returning his attention to Ash, "we've organised a speed dating event tomorrow, you should come down."

"Before you answer that, you're going to have a challenger tomorrow," Misty told Ash, "I got beat, he was an exceptionally skilled trainer."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise. He and Misty had become the two strongest Gym Leader's in the region, it had been a few months since Misty had lost a battle.

"But yes, you should most definitely come down," Misty added, walking behind the bar and greeting Brock with a kiss, before pouring herself a glass of wine and joining them properly.

"For Arceus' sake," Ash groaned, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling, "I'll see what time I can get away from the Gym," He added, defeated. He knocked back the rest of his drink, and slid the glass across to Brock.

"I expect to see you hear, 5pm tomorrow!" Brock said, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Ash retorted, grabbing his jacket and putting it on, "I best get back if I've got a battle tomorrow, see you later."

"See you tomorrow!" Brock and Misty said in unison. Ash groaned as he left the building, making the couple laugh slightly. Brock walked over to the door and locked it, fully closing the bar in the process.

"You made sure to invite her, didn't you?" He asked, walking back over to the bar to clean up before they turned in for the night.

"Yeah, I popped in on my way back from the Gym," Misty answered, "which is why I was so late back."

"Good," Brock replied, "I just hope they meet each other, they'll get along like a house on fire."

Misty nodded, but didn't verbally reply.

-IBYL-

Ash rubbed his eyes as his alarm jarred him out of his sleep at 8am the following morning. He looked to his left and saw his starter Pokémon doing the same thing.

"Morning, Pikachu," Ash greeted, scratching the little yellow rodent on the head. Pikachu growled in approval. "C'mon, we've got a battle to prep for." He slid out of bed, and threw on the same t-shirt as the night before, with some black jogging bottoms. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and together they went downstairs and opened the sliding glass door out onto the ranch.

Ash stood still momentarily, allowing the fresh morning breeze to wash over him. He looked out over the ranch and saw his various Pokémon individually waking up. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and the duo started to do some stretches, getting joined throughout by more and more of Ash's Pokémon as they got warmed up for their usual morning training session.

They had barely got going when Ash heard the doorbell ring. Confused, he walked back inside the house, leaving the Pokémon that had gathered to carry on with their training. Ash opened the front door and stood there was a young man, seemingly in his late teens, with blueish hair and brown eyes, covered by a pair of glasses, wearing a light green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.

"Hi, is this the Pallet Town Gym?" The man asked politely, then suddenly, a look of surprise crossed his face, "are… are you Ash Ketchum?" he asked.

"Yes this is the Gym, and yes I am, have we met before?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Oh no we haven't, I'm just a really big fan! I saw you compete in the Johto Conference before I became a trainer and it totally inspired me!" The young man answered, enthusiastically.

"Well thank you! It's nice to meet you…?" Ash extended his hand as he spoke, the young man took it and shook it.

"I'm Max, from Hoenn!" the young man answered.

"Nice to meet you, Max, that's a long way to come to challenge a Kanto Gym, how long have you been a trainer?" Ash asked, gesturing for the younger trainer to come inside.

"Well, I've already competed in the Hoenn League, but I spent quite a long time training with my dad once I'd got a team of six, I wanted to make sure I was in the best shape possible to challenge the Gyms there," Max answered, "I also wanted to challenge the Kanto league because my sister lives here now." The duo walked through into the ranch, where Ash's Pokémon were sparring.

"That's awesome to hear, Max, a wise choice!" Ash complimented, "I know all too well about the dangers of rushing into Pokémon tournaments under prepared." This surprised Max.

"Really? But you seem so calm and ready during the Johto Conference?" Max asked. Ash smiled nostalgically.

"I learnt from my mistakes challenging the Kanto League, I was so arrogant about my abilities I didn't spend much time at all training, and got my ass handed to me, to be perfectly honest," Ash answered, "how many Kanto badges have you won?"

"Seven," Max answered, taking out a box and unclipping it, and sure enough the badges from Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, Celadon, Fuschia, Saffron and Cinnabar all sat there. Ash's Gym in Pallet Town had taken the place of the Viridian Gym, which had been abandoned when Giovanni, the Gym Leader there went into hiding, it had been discovered that he was also the leader of the notorious criminal organisation Team Rocket.

"I'm impressed, which did you feel was the toughest to get?" Ash asked, curious about which of his colleagues had tested this young man the most.

"Tactically, I'd say the Saffron Gym, battling against someone who doesn't verbally give commands was unnerving," Max answered, "but for the pure strength of their Pokémon, the Cerulean Gym yesterday was the toughest."

Ash smiled and nodded, he had expected that answer. Sabrina had been trying to unnerve her challengers, wanting to test their metal in an unusual situation – not knowing what move their opponents Pokémon was going to use.

"I'm close friends with the Cerulean City Gym Leader, she told me you were an exceptionally skilled trainer, so I'm looking forward to this battle," Ash replied, smiling at Max.

"Yo-you're the Gym Leader?" Max asked, eyes slightly wide. Ash nodded.

"A 3v3 battle sound good?" Ash asked, moving over to the battlefield he'd had installed, it had an automated referee system, so he could accept challengers at any time.

Max nodded, slightly worried about the match, he hadn't expected to be battling one of the trainers that inspired him. He had tried to look up as much about the Gym Leaders as he could before challenging them, but he had found nothing about Pallet Town's. A screen raised out of the ground in the middle of the battlefield, and two more in each of the trainer boxes, Ash's side was green, and Max's side was red.

"Would you mind inserting your Pokédex into the port on that screen?" Ash asked, as he tapped a three buttons on his screen and pressed enter. The screen then regressed back into the ground. Max did what the raven-haired Gym Leader had asked. Once he'd entered it, he was surprised to see his Pokémon appear.

"If you don't mind me asking, what type Gym is this?" Max asked, stepping onto his side of the battlefield as well. Ash smirked.

"Y'see, I'm considered the final step before the Kanto League, and when I was offered this place, I didn't want to be limited to one type," Ash's smirk grew wider, "I use all the types."

Max gulped.

"But to make it more fair, I'm not allowed to substitute my Pokémon, and I reveal my choice first, allowing you to pick any of the Pokémon you've brought with you," Ash explained, "Charizard!" he shouted.

There was a large roar from the forest, and an orange blur shot out of the trees, slowly descending in front his trainer. The dragon-looking Pokémon roared when he touched down.

"Gardevoir, I choose you!" Max called, unclipping, enlarging and throwing the Poké Ball in one swift movement. The psychic Pokémon appeared in front of Max.

"This Gym battle will b between the challenger, Max Maple from Petalburg, and the Gym Leader, Ash Ketchum, from Pallet," an automated voice came out from the middle screen, "the first round will be Max's Gardevoir vs Ash's Charizard, begin!"

"Gardevoir, use Moonblast!" Max commanded, the psychic type started to build up a large pink ball on her hands, before firing it sharply at the Fire/Flying type.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" A stream of fire quickly left Charizard's mouth, exploding on contact with the Moonblast creating a large cloud of dust. Charizard's Flamethrower came flying out of the cloud, and hit Gardevoir before she could react, sending her across the battlefield. Neither Max nor Gardevoir had time to react before Charizard came shooting across the field, his wings glowing like steel, and collided with Gardevoir, making her crash into the ground once again. Her eyes turned to swirls after taking the super-effective hit.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle, this round goes to Ash and Charizard!" The automated referee said, the screen turning green, indicating Ash had won.

Max was stunned. He'd seen Ash battle plenty of times before, and knew he was a strong trainer, but actually battling him made Max see how impressive he really was. The dust cloud settled, revealing a serious looking Ash.

"Is Gardevoir okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice, and facial expression.

"Yeah, she's fine, thanks for your effort Gardevoir," Max replied, returning his Fairy/Psychic type. A little ball shape slot appeared out of Max's screen.

"Put the Poké Ball in that slot and it'll start healing Gardevoir for you," Ash explained, Max smiled gratefully, please that his Pokémon could receive immediate attention.

"Mightyena, I need your help!" Max called, sending out his second Pokémon, the black and grey hyena appeared in a flash of light. He growled as he stared down Charizard.

"Round two, Max's Mightyena vs Ash's Charizard, begin!" the referee called.

"Mightyena, Agility, then Thunder Fang!" Max called. The dark type leapt into action, getting quicker and quicker as he ran, his mouth sparking. He leapt forward and went to latch onto Charizard's wing.

"Double Team!" Ash called. Before Mightyena could connect with his Thunder Fang, duplicates of Charizard appeared all over the field, causing Mightyena's attack to go straight through one of the copies.

"How did Charizard get away so fast?" Max asked incredulously, he knew how fast his Mightyena was, but Charizard just seemed on a different level!

"Weight training, Charizard is a heavy Pokémon, so I have him lugging three/four times his own body weight around as quickly as he can," Ash answered, "it might seem harsh, but he loves doing it."

Max was stunned, the realisation of how much hard work goes in to becoming a top trainer. Sure, Max had done lots of training with his Pokémon, but he'd never pushed them that far.

"Charizard, Fire Blast!" Ash commanded, snapping Max out of his thoughts.

"Mightyena, get out of the circle!" Max shouted, desperate to ensure that his Pokémon got out of the circle of illusions that Charizard had created.

But it was too late, the kanji fire surrounded Mightyena from all sides, of course, only the real blast did any damage, but it did enough to knock Mightyena out.

"Mightyena is unable to battle, this round goes to Ash and Charizard!"

Max couldn't believe it, this Charizard had knocked out two of his strongest Pokémon, without them even landing one hit!

"Sceptile, I need you!" Max shouted, unleashing his starter Pokémon. Ash raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"This Sceptile must be strong," Ash thought, "there's no way he'd send it out with an obvious type disadvantage unless he was powerful."

The green lizard Pokémon stretched as he appeared on the battlefield, staring down the Charizard opposite him. A small smirk appeared on each of the Pokémon's faces, both acknowledging each other's strength.

"Round three, Max's Sceptile vs Ash's Charizard, begin!"

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" Max commanded, and his starter leapt into action, quicker than Ash could react to, a green, glowing blade expanding out of the Grass type's arm. He swiped with his right, then his left, both connecting with Charizard's chest. The latter roared in pain as he slid backwards from the hit.

"You okay, Charizard?" Ash called, knowing that the attack shouldn't be that effective, but he could tell that this Sceptile was seriously powerful. Charizard roared in response, clearly unhappy that he'd taken the hit. Ash nodded and clenched his fist.

"Charizard, Steel Wing!" Ash shouted, wanting his Pokémon to get in close to the Sceptile.

"Sceptile, Thunder Punch!" Ash's eyes widened in shock. That was an incredibly rare move for a Sceptile to obtain. In fact, Ash had recently tried to get his own Sceptile to learn it, but hadn't been having that much luck.

Sceptile leapt forward, fist crackling with electric energy, meeting Charizard halfway across the field, the latter's wings shining like they had done when he knocked out Gardevoir. Sceptile's fist collided with Charizard's wing, causing a huge explosion – sending both Pokémon flying backwards. The explosion had caused another large cloud of dust, which blocked both trainer's view of the field. Both waited anxiously to see the result of that collision.

"Both Sceptile and Charizard are unable to battle, the challenger is out of usable Pokémon, meaning the victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" the referee exclaimed as the dust settled, revealing both Pokémon unconscious on the field.

"Charizard, thanks for your efforts, you were great," Ash said proudly, returning his Charizard and placing it into the healing slot that had appeared on his side.

"Sceptile, I couldn't be more proud, you took on the most powerful Charizard I've ever seen, and almost won!" Max praised, also returning his Pokémon, but he did not place him in the healing slot. Instead, he picked up his other two Poké Balls, containing the other Pokémon he had used in the battle, and walked across the field to Ash.

"Thank you for accepting my challenge, I'm sorry that I didn't provide much of a battle," Max said, somewhat downheartedly, "I mean, I'd heard rumours that this Gym was the toughest in the region and that it was almost impossible to win here, but I didn't believe them."

Ash smiled kindly at the young man, offering his hand, which Max took, shaking it firmly.

"You have an incredibly powerful team, don't lose faith in yourself," Ash replied, "no one has come close to my Charizard in a very long time, let alone knocking him out," he added, smiling slightly at the surprised, yet proud look that came across Max's face.

"I'm sure with even more hardwork and dedication, you'll come back here and beat me," Ash advised. Max took a moment to ponder what Ash had said, feeling even more proud of the work his Pokémon had put in.

"Thank you, Ash," Max thanked, "I really appreciate your words, I think I'll head off and meet my sister, will probably stay at hers until I'm strong enough to beat you!" Max said enthusiastically, clenching his fist in determination. Ash smiled.

"I look forward to it, see you around!" Ash bid Max farewell, as the trainer walked around the side of the building and out the side gate. Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was a tough battle," he muttered. A look of realisation appeared on his face.

"Oh Arceus, this means I have no excuse not to go tonight…" Ash mumbled, running his hand across his head. He glanced over to where his Pokémon were still training, pleased that they had maintained their focus, even with a battle going on.

"Guys, I'm going to be going out today, are you all okay to look after yourselves?" Ash asked, grabbing their attention. He received a positive response from them, so he headed inside, deciding to get ready early and head over to see his mother, as he hadn't seen her since getting back from the Pokémon League. Going back into the house, he walked over to the front door, which had a switch next to it, he flicked it, meaning the sign that said the Gym was open, turned off.

He trudged back upstairs, still feeling reluctant about his agreement to go. He entered his room and opened the wardrobe, deciding to choose his attire before showering. He picked out a grey and red checked long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of smart black jeans, thinking it would go well with a nice pair of grey trainers that he owned. With that being decided, he hopped into the shower, humming the tune to a recent song he had heard.

When he was finished, he dried himself off and grabbed a hairdryer, just giving his hair a quick blast to speed up the drying process, before heading back into his room. He sprayed himself with deodorant, and a little squirt of cologne.

Ash dressed himself and headed downstairs, grabbing his shoes from a cupboard upstairs on his way down. Once he had the shoes on, he went outside to the ranch.

"Alright everyone, I'm heading over to mum's for a while before going out, make sure you all behave!" Ash ordered. Upon receiving a roar of agreement from the collection of Pokémon, he headed back inside. He headed over to a coffee table that was situated in between two sofas, picking up a silver watch from aforementioned table in the process. Clipping it to his left wrist, he glanced at the time as he exited out the front door. 3pm. Meaning he had a couple of hours to kill, something he could easily do visiting his mum.

The walk only took five minutes, just down the hill from his house, he smiled as he walked through the gate, reminiscing somewhat on the amount of times he had taken this course when returning from his journeys. Knocking on the door, he only waited a matter of seconds before it swung open, revealing a smiling Delia Ketchum. She was wearing her brown hair in a ponytail, and had a yellow apron on over her pink t-shirt, accompanied by a dark blue jean skirt.

"Oh Ash, it's good to see you!" She exclaimed, pulling her son into a hug.

"You too, mum," Ash replied, "how have you been?"

"Very well thank you," Delia answered, as the two separated and entered the house properly. "How was the Elite Four meeting?"

"Went smoothly thanks," the duo walked through the kitchen, where Ash grabbed himself a soft drink, and into the lounge, where they placed themselves either side of the sofa. "They've asked me to continue as the first member for another three months, but they're not sure whether Agatha is going to be able to come back."

"Have they not been able to help?" Delia asked, frowning. Ash shook his head.

"If anything, they said it's likely to get worse," Ash said sadly. He had been offered the temporary role in the Elite Four when Agatha had been diagnosed with Leukaemia, severely weakening the popular lady.

"Oh that's sad," Delia replied quietly, "what does that mean for you?"

"If the worst does happen," Ash answered, carefully choosing his words, finding it hard to talk about one of his colleagues in this way, "then as long as they find a Gym Leader replacement, they may offer me the place permanently." Delia smiled, a proud, but sad look on her face.

"That's great news," she responded, "I just wish it wasn't under such sad circumstances." Ash nodded in agreement, a solemn look on his face.

"But there's been talk that she wants to retire before she's forced out," Ash added, "and she wants an exhibition match with me, which would make me feel slightly better – more like I've earnt the role."

"That would be a great spectacle! And a much better way for Agatha to pass on the role," Delia said softly. Once again Ash nodded in agreement.

"Where's Mimey?" he asked, slightly confused at the Psychic Pokémon's absence.

"He's picking up some shopping for me," Delia answered, "this 'click and collect' grocery option has been a godsend!" Ash chuckled at his mum's words. Delia then gave Ash a quick look over. "Not that you don't always dress well, but what's with this get up?" Ash gulped slightly.

"Well I've been roped into going to a speed dating event that Brock and Misty are hosting at the bar," Ash answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Delia smirked.

"About time they coaxed you into something like that," She teased, "it'll be good for you!"

"Why does everyone think they know what's best for me?" Ash groaned, rubbing his forehead in slight frustration.

"Well you've done very well on your own," Delia said quietly, but with a hint of pride in her voice, "I'm really proud of you, honey." Ash smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"Thanks, mum," he replied, sliding over and giving Delia a hug, "but I wouldn't have got this far without your support." Delia smiled as she hugged Ash back.

"I'm so pleased to see what a wonderful young man you've become."

"I'm hardly a young man anymore, I'm 25 for Arceus' sake!" Ash exclaimed, chuckling lightly as they pulled apart.

"Are you calling me old, Ash Ketchum?!" Delia exclaimed. "I'm only 43 myself!"

Ash waved his hands in denial.

"No, no, no!" he answered quickly, "I just meant it's been a long time since I've dated… I've never been able to bring myself to after… y'know," Ash added, his tone becoming sad as he finished his sentence. Delia gave him a knowing look.

"Honestly, Ashy," Delia said softly, using the name she often called him when he was growing up, "this will be good for you, even if you don't meet someone you want to get to know better, at least you'll have made a step in the right direction."

Ash smiled lightly at his mother's encouragement. He glanced at his watch.

"I hate to cut this short, but I'm gonna head over to the bar, it starts at 5pm and I want to see if I can help set up," Ash explained, Delia smiled in understanding, "but dinner at mine tomorrow night?"

"That sounds lovely," Delia replied, as they stood up and walked to the front door.

"I'll see you then, mum," Ash said, as he gave his mum another hug, before opening the door and walking out.

"I look forward to it," Delia replied, smiling brightly, "have fun tonight!" she added, a teasing tone in her voice. Ash groaned.

"I'll try!" He responded, "Love you!"

"Love you too."

Ash waved as he walked down the road. It would only take him a few minutes to reach the bar. Even though his success in tournaments had brought Pallet Town more attention from the wider world, there hadn't been as much expansion to the town as many would have thought. It was easily possible to walk around the entire town in half an hour to forty minutes. The main editions had been the hospital that Brock was placed in, and a university that Ash had donated some of his winnings to help fund. He had loved growing up here, and wanted to give something back to Pallet Town.

Arriving at the bar, he glanced through the window before entering, noticing that no one was in there.

"Sorry, we're not open yet!" Brock's voice came from the bar, he had his back turned to the door. Ash smirked.

"Oh, well I thought you might like some help setting up, but if I'm not wanted I'll be on my way!" He replied, tongue-in-cheek. Brock turned around quickly at Ash's voice.

"Sorry, Ash! I didn't realise it was you!" he apologised, before grabbing a glass and pouring Ash a drink, "I'm really glad you decided to come down."

"You practically gave me no choice!" Ash joked, gladly accepting the beer that Brock handed to him. The latter smirked.

"You'll thank me for this later!" Ash was slightly surprised at the certainty in his voice, but somehow, that seemed to comfort him.

As the clock ticked by, people started turning up, most of them Ash's age, if not slightly older. Glancing subtly around the crowd, no one had really grabbed Ash's attention. That being said, he wasn't much for judging books by their cover. He found it much easier to like people with great personalities. There had been plenty of women he had met who looked great, but their attitude and personality sucked.

As his eyes surfed, they suddenly connected with a stunning shade of blue. Ash's heart seemed to beat faster. The brunette smiled at him, and he quickly returned the look before turning fully around and taking a swig of his drink.

"She seems so familiar, where do I know her from?" Ash asked himself. He had met plenty of people throughout his journey, maybe he had bumped into her somewhere before? "No, I really would've remembered someone like her."

He stole another glance at the beautiful woman. She seemed to be doing a similar thing to him, her eyes slowly looking around the room. Ash made sure to look away before her eyes found him again. He could feel them on him, burning into his subconscious. He could feel his heart beat quicken again, and heat rose to his face.

He felt like he was saved by the bell.

"Alright gentlemen, please come up to the bar!" Misty's voice helped snap him out of his reverie, "collect yourselves a sticker to write your name on, and a number for which table you sit at."

Ash did as he was told, writing his first name only on the sticker, before placing it on the left hand side of his shirt. He was also given table number 3. Once all the men had sat down, Misty called up the girls to do the same.

"Alright, you will have a couple of minutes at each table," Misty explained, when all the women had been given their numbers and name badges "whenever I ring the bell, you move to the next table, in numerical order."

Ash was watching her speak over his shoulder, having been placed at a table that had his back to the rest of the bar. He hadn't even noticed the first person sit down in front of him.

"Hi, Ash," the woman said, when Misty had rung the bell. Ash jumped slightly, but not visibly.

"Hi, Alice, nice to meet you," he replied, extending his hand in greeting. The two shook quickly, before Ash took a calming sip of his drink.

"You too, so, what do you do for a living?" Alice asked, Ash wondered briefly whether he should say he was the Gym Leader. Too often he had been approached by women who only wanted something from him because of his status.

"I'm the Gym Leader here, and try to help out part-time with Professor Oak," Ash answered. This was the truth, as much as he could, he went and studied with Professor Samuel Oak, and the latter's grandson, Gary. Ash regretted this, he instantly noticed a change in Alice's demeanour; she was much more attentive and interested.

"That must be interesting! You must have a lot of knowledge of Pokémon," she replied, somewhat dreamily, resting her chin on her palm, elbow on the table.

"I'd like to think so," Ash replied politely, but he had already lost interest. That shift in personality was one of the reasons why Ash didn't want to attend, "what do you do?"

"I work in a salon in town," Alice answered, twirling a strand of hair in her finger. Ash opened his mouth to respond, but, once again, he was saved by the bell.

"Nice meeting you, Alice," He said, finishing the rest of his drink. He didn't even wait for Alice to leave the table, before he turned around and signalled to Brock for another drink.

"This is going to be a looooong night," Ash thought, as Brock smirked at him and poured him another pint. He was very pleased when Brock brought over and placed the drink down on the table, purposely avoiding Brock's eye, he looked back across the table. A woman called Sandra sat on the other side.

That conversation went almost exactly like the last. As did the next. And the next.

Ash didn't even bother hiding his boredom at the fifth. He downed half of his drink when Misty rang the bell to switch to the sixth. Once again he turned and signalled to Brock.

"Make that two," A soft voice said from the other side of the table. He turned around his heart almost leapt into his mouth.

It was her. The brunette. He finally took a proper look at her, she was wearing a blue tank top that really matched her eyes, it seemed to be frilled down the front, and fitted her figure nicely. She had accompanied this with a black mini skirt. Ash smiled.

"Same sorta night for you?" the woman nodded emphatically in response, and the two shared a laugh. Ash gestured to Brock that the lady would like a drink too. Brock smirked.

"About time, the moment of truth," Brock thought, as he and Misty shared look, and nodded at one another.

Ash turned back to the table and glanced at the woman's name badge.

"It's really nice to meet you, Ash," the woman said, extending her hand. Ash internally frowned that she'd beat him too it, but smiled brightly as he shook her hand.

"Very nice to meet you too, May," the brunette returned Ash's smile, with as much enthusiasm, "If I may ask, what do you do, May?" Ash asked, as Brock brought their drinks over. The duo smiled appreciatively at the bar owner, before looking back at each other.

"I actually recently moved here, having been offered a place at the university," May answered, Ash mentally noted that she was drinking white wine.

"What are you studying there?" Ash asked, taking a sip of his drink. May smiled, but shook her head.

"Sorry, I should've clarified," she replied, "I've just been offered a teaching role there." Ash smiled at that.

"Congratulations!" He said enthusiastically, causing a bright smile to form on May's face, "that's awesome! What are you teaching there?"

"Coordinator Techniques," May answered, but Ash could tell she wasn't telling the whole story. It then hit him that she was having the same internal battle that he had earlier.

She was afraid that if she said whatever she had to say, that Ash would only be interested in her because of that.

"That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed, genuinely impressed. It seemed like May picked up on his honest interest, and decided to continue.

"Thank you, Ash," she replied, smiling at the raven-haired man, "I actually won a few Grand Festivals whilst I travelled," she added, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Ash's eyes widened in surprise, that was where he knew her from! He had seen her in many Grand Festivals over the years, May Maple, the Princess of Hoenn. He quickly hid that look from his face, knowing that he'd hate it if someone overreacted about his accomplishments.

"That's really impressive, May!" Ash complimented. He was pleased when May's embarrassment seemed to dissipate, he could tell that she didn't feel comfortable bragging.

"What about you, Ash? What do you do?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine. Ash was glad he had asked first, he had learned a lot about the woman in front of him, and so far, all of it was good.

"I've been travelling around a bit myself, attempting to take on Pokémon League's here and there," Ash answered.

He was surprised with himself, and somewhat annoyed. May had given him honesty and the full truth – even though she evidently felt uncomfortable doing it - so why couldn't he return the truth.

"Where have you travelled to?" May asked, enthusiastically, leaning in as she awaited Ash's response. Ash was pleased that his vague response hadn't deterred the beautiful brunette, he was thoroughly enjoying her company. This caused a momentary pang of guilt, but he tried to push it away.

"Actually quite a fair bit," Ash answered, "I started my journey here in Kanto, having grown up in Pallet," Ash was amazed at how genuinely intrigued May was, she was paying him all her attention, and Ash found himself somewhat flustered with how she was looking at him. He made sure it didn't show. "I then travelled through Johto, Hoenn –"

"Ohh Hoenn! That's where I grew up," May said, smiling brightly as her home region was mentioned, "actually, I grew up in Cerulean City but we moved when I was quite young," May found herself rambling slightly. Ash couldn't help but smile as she talked, "ohh, I'm sorry for interrupting, that was rude of me!" May scolded herself.

"That's okay! It's nice to know where you came from, and I was reluctant to ask," Ash replied, "I didn't want to seem creepy, where do you live?!" Ash added, putting on a deep, attempted sinister voice as he asked the question. May giggled at his actions, causing Ash to smile wider. Once May had settled down, she gestured for him to go on.

"From Hoenn, I travelled to Sinnoh, Unova and then Kalos," Ash finished, as he did, he also drank the rest of his beer. His attention was drawn away when he realised that everyone was moving tables. His eyes opened in surprise as he noticed that the last woman that had been at his table, prior to May, was now four tables away.

He and May had talked through four changes. The conversation had flown so naturally and easily. Ash found himself reluctant to have her move on. He turned back around and noticed her starting to get up.

"Hey, May," he felt butterflies in his stomach as she laid her incredible blue eyes on him, "what do you say to getting out of here and getting to know each other properly?"

His stomach was doing backflips as he awaited her response. She smiled immediately after he asked the question.

"I'd love to!" Ash let out a small sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding and smiled brightly.

"Awesome! Just let me take the glasses up and I'll meet you outside?" May nodded in agreement, walking towards the exit as Ash picked up their glasses and took them up to the bar. He noticed Brock, looking delighted, and Misty, looking grumpy, stood together by the bell. He also noticed some money exchanging hands.

"Oooh, I'll get you back," Ash thought, realising that they had placed a bet on him. He quickly shook it off and left the building, smiling at May as they stood side-by-side.

"Where would you like to go?" Ash asked, as the two slowly walked off in the direction of the town centre.

"There's a little restaurant near the university that I absolutely love!" May exclaimed, excitedly, "It's a wonderful Italian I found after my first lecture." Ash smiled at the tone in her voice, and gestured for her to lead the way.

-IBYL-

It took five minutes for them to arrive, and Ash was pleased with his decision to let May pick the venue, it was a quaint, pretty looking building. A genuine Italian gentlemen greeted them as they stepped inside, Ash ensuring he held the door open for May. She gave him a beautiful smile at his gesture, and Ash smiled back. But then he had another wave of guilt. Fortunately, May had already stepped inside. Ash pushed past the guilt once again, and stepped inside too.

The conversation never stopped flowing as they sat, waiting for their various dishes to arrive.

Ash discovered that May was the daughter of Norman, a Normal type Gym Leader he had taken on during his Hoenn journey.

"Your dad was the first Gym Leader I didn't beat at the first time of asking," Ash told May, when she had mentioned her father being the Gym Leader.

"How do you know which Gym Leader he is?" May asked, in a slight teasing tone, as she hadn't mentioned him by name.

"You don't think I recognised the Princess of Hoenn?" Ash teased back, causing a deep blush to form on May's face.

"How did you figure that out?" May asked timidly, her face still red. Ash smiled kindly and rested his hand on hers.

"When you mentioned that you'd won Grand Festivals, and that your name was May, I put two and two together," Ash said kindly, trying to comfort May, "I must say, your Blaziken is an incredibly powerful Pokémon." May smiled at Ash's praise.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that," May then smirked, "so my dad beat you then?" she teased, making Ash chuckle.

"Yeah, his Slaking is one powerful creature, I didn't even come close to it first time around," Ash replied, reminiscing over the battle, "but I came back much more prepared and didn't lose a single Pokémon second time."

May's eyes widened in shock. She remembered her dad mentioning that during one of her phone calls with him. A trainer who completely beat him with only a Pikachu.

"My dad mentioned you once!" Ash was thrown off guard, "he said you beat him with only a Pikachu?" Ash nodded in affirmation. "That's very impressive!"

"Thank you, May," Ash smiled, "Pikachu was my starter, and my strongest Pokémon, I've actually partially retired him from Gym battles as he can be too much for some challengers." May raised an eyebrow at his comment, and Ash realised he hadn't actually said much about what he currently did.

"I'm sorry, I never actually properly answered when you asked what I did!" Ash exclaimed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. May smiled at his apology, "I'm actually the Gym Leader here."

Ash realised that he hadn't actually said that much about himself during the course of the evening, even though the conversation had flowed smoothly, he had subconsciously been keeping it mainly on May. This realisation brought another wave of guilt, one that he had a hard time disguising, but May didn't seem to notice.

"Ash, if you don't mind me asking, what brought someone like you to speed dating?" This question almost broke Ash's steel, but he held the fresh wave of guilt back.

"I could ask you the same thing!" he responded, trying to force himself away from the guilt. May smiled at that response, but clearly waited for Ash to respond, causing him to sigh, "the owners of the bar twisted my arm into going as I haven't dated for a while."

May frowned. "You seem so natural and a really nice person, why have you been on your own for a long time?" she asked. Ash couldn't help it, he physically winced. This was another large reason he was reluctant to have gone.

"I've always needed to prioritise."

"It's like trying to get blood out of a stone with you, isn't it!" May teased, giggling slightly, Ash chuckled as well.

"I'm having a really nice time with you, May, I don't want to bore you with my past!" May smiled.

"I can understand that but I wouldn't judge you for your past, we've all done or had things happen that we're not proud of, we all have some sort of skeleton in our closets," May replied, before giggling again, "sorry, that was a bit much, wasn't it?" Ash chuckled at the comment, but what May had said had really hit home.

"Excuse me, I just need to use the restroom," Ash said, sliding out from the table. They shared a smile as Ash walked to the bathroom. He immediately walked to the sink and splashes his face with water, sighing heavily.

"No one has ever made me feel like this," Ash thought, "not even Serena."

He pushed away the guilt that came with that thought, by quickly checking his phone. There was a text from Brock.

"Proud of you for coming tonight, even prouder that you met someone who can make you smile properly again. Pop in tomorrow for a catch up."

Ash smiled at the message, before locking his phone and heading back out. He was startled to see most of the chairs stacked on the tables, and that they were starting to close up. He gestured to the waiter for the bill.

"How time flies when you're having fun?" He quipped to May as he sat back down, the two shared a smile.

"It certainly does," May agreed. The waiter brought the bill over, and Ash quickly claimed it, May didn't even have a chance to react. Ash smirked at her when she glared at him, causing her to stick her tongue out, leading to another laugh between the pair.

"Let me walk you home," Ash said kindly, as he held the door open for May.

"I appreciate that, Ash, but it's really not far," May answered.

"I insist." May smiled, and linked her arm in Ash's.

"Quite the gentlemen, holding the door open, covering the bill, walking me home," May listed off, making Ash blush with each one, "who said chivalry was dead?"

"Actually, the code of chivalry is mainly about fighting, very little in there about opening doors for ladies," Ash joked, smirking. May giggled at him and swatted his arm with her free hand.

"Just take the damn compliment!" she replied, and the two shared a smile.

May hadn't lied about not living far away, less than twenty seconds later they were in front of her door, and Ash found himself disappointed at that.

"I've had such a wonderful time, Ash, thank you so much," May thanked, as she turned to face him.

"It has been much pleasure, May, I've had a great time as well," Ash replied. May held out her hand, with her palm in the air, confusing Ash.

"Phone, you're getting my number so you have no excuse not to arrange another evening," May ordered, keeping her tone light.

"I wouldn't want an excuse," Ash replied smoothly, handing her his phone, unlocked on the new contact page. The pair blushed at Ash's comment. Once she had entered her number, she pressed the call button, when her phone went off, she cancelled the call and handed the phone back.

"Now I have no excuse either," she said, winking at Ash. They stood there for a moment, smiling and blushing, before May stepped forward and hugged Ash. It was a warm embrace. One that Ash found himself missing as soon as it had ended. But May swiftly planted a kiss on his cheek, bringing the warmth flying into his face.

"Goodnight, Ash."

"Goodnight, May," Ash replied, rather dazed. Fortunately, May had gone inside too quickly to notice. Ash stood there for longer than he should have before he came to his senses.

He turned around and headed home.

As soon as he arrived home, he went straight to bed. Guilt, confusion and happiness all flowing through him. He made sure he was quiet as he got into bed, so that he didn't wake Pikachu who was sleeping on the other side of the double.

Ash's heart was pounding as he laid down. He was happier than he'd been in a very long time.

But he was more confused than ever.

EOC

Not my best work, but it has been so long I'm rather rusty and I'm trying new writing styles.

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who offered support on If You Could See Me Now, as I write this, it is over 27,000 views, a number I never, ever thought it would reach. It was one of my favourite pieces to write, and writing it helped me through a dark time in my life. I would also like to thank everyone who offered me personal support – even if they don't read this as it has been far too long – I read and re-read every single review, and that gave me a much needed boost. For fans of that story, and who have requested a sequel, no promises, but there is basic things in the pipeline, but I took it in a direction I'm not happy with, so it could be a long time away. In the meantime, I want to write a few "short" stories, this being one of them.

Secondly, a small update for people who had wondered where I'd been (if there are any), Uni didn't work out, however I did meet someone there, who accepted me in my most broken state and helped fix me, we've been together just under two years now. I'm now doing an apprenticeship for an Exhibition that takes place in London annually.

Lastly, an apology for being gone so long, many reviews on If You Could See Me Now had requested fics from me, but I hadn't been in a good place to write. I've got my motivation back, and importantly (and cheesily) I have myself back, I'm raring to go.

I really hope you enjoy this story, and any other's I write.

For the first time in far too long, I've been Advanced Faith.