AN: For the advanceshipping contest on bulbagarden forums. Enjoy.
Recommendation(s): Ashton Edminster -"Break the Distance"
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An Advanceshipping One-shot
Author: wubbzy
Count: 1289
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Trail
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When she couldn't find her way,
She merely wished to go where she belonged.
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Darkness fell, and May's azure eyes watered, glistening in the moon's rays that gently doused every leaf. She hadn't heard the gentle rustle of leaves or the light chirping of the Taillow's melody. She hadn't seen the rarity of the night pokemon scurrying about, or the gleams of light streaming towards transparent puddles.
To May, the chirping Taillow screeched in her ears, and the rustling bushes almost made her heart pound out of her chest if it weren't for her rib cage. The branches seemed to attack her after every move, the wind in alliance with every tree… the darkest shadows seemed to try to draw her in, fraying the frills on her rosette dress. Each step she took brought her closer and closer into the darkness, and she had no way of escape.
May was lost.
For someone so small, everything seemed too big and just scary.
She supposed this was one of the reasons she disliked pokemon. In hindsight, May understood that her perception of her past experience through Petalburg Woods were really only based on, well, perception.
Now she knew better, of course.
However, even with this new revelation, she still cringed at the memory, because it was the first time she was undoubtedly alone.
She had no idea where she had been going, and the only path visible seemed to drawl out till her legs shook and the soles of her feet ached and her lungs were sore and, and… she just felt tired.
May had looked up at the sky, the stars painting an array of diagrams – and how was she supposed to know which one led her on the right path? How could she possibly deduce what was the right direction to go?
The wind howled, and the branches began scraping against each other. May hugged herself as her russet locks brushed over her eyes.
She closed them and imagined a happier place.
May wanted to jump into her parents embrace, smell the aroma's of her mother's home cooked meal, hear her father's concerned words, know that she was home.
She didn't get to experience that until several hours later – May again wasn't sure if this was accurate or just her perception of the amount of time spent in that darkness.
May still remembered her first experience being lost, and she understood so well what it felt like to find where she belonged, to find home. She recalled so lucidly how her heart seemed to stop and how her legs wobbled, wondering if her nightmare was truly over. She remembered so perfectly how she raced towards the small ray of light that seemed to invite her in.
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A hackneyed sigh escaped her lips.
She forgot about everything else and merely looked up, finally noticing the one star that seemed to glimmer brighter than the rest. Right. That was the Northern Star, and it was supposed to guide her in the right direction.
That's what she wished for most: to go home.
When she did, her thoughts didn't compare to when she finally clung onto her parents, her slender fingers trembling and her lips quivering in bliss.
She was safe, and everything was going to be okay.
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May had made an oath.
She vowed never to lose her way again, yet, now she realized that in retrospective, she couldn't possibly keep such a pledge. She wasn't like all the other children; she didn't know what she was going to do in life when her father would present her a bike to peddle her way to success.
Although not literally, May found herself in the same predicament as when she was a child…
She was lost – again.
What was she to do? Follow the path her father paved out, or forge a new one, not knowing the possibilities?
The answer was obvious to her, and she rode to Professor Birch's lab knowing exactly what she was going to do.
It was then that – somehow – a new path was formed. She was blindsided by the strange boy with his Pikachu, dashing his way into her life and practically knocking her down with the impact.
He had shoved her into a completely different route that she wasn't aware of and had no idea how to get through. Ash became her Northern Star, guiding her along, protecting her through the heart of darkness, through her time in such an omnipotent haze.
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Life held many roads, and May was presented two different ones: continuing on the same path, with Ash, or going her own way. She knew she had to go her own way, and she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but she had to find out.
She would have regretted it if she hadn't, because as much as she was grateful for his guidance, she needed to find herself and learn to walk alone – find a style of her very own.
Feelings aside, she couldn't bring herself away from her dream, or else she knew it would be worse than somehow stirring away from the right path, because throughout her travels with the spiky haired boy, she realized she could always change direction and make her own path to reach her destination.
However, everything was different when she changed routes. Throughout her journeys in Johto, she didn't have that same feeling as when she was a kid - afraid of going into the forest. The amount of influence Ash had in her life truly sunk in on a warm night sleeping under the stars, because his love for pokemon made her see things differently and started a long chain of events that changed her life.
And maybe this was a little different. May wasn't entirely sure, but she knew her heart fluttered at the thought of Ash's influence on her.
Later, on a similar night, she realized she just had to think of him to make it flutter.
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There were three times she was truly lost on her way to go.
As May made her way across the trail to Pallet town, she wasn't lost.
May knew exactly where she was going, and her heart thudded at the silhouette from a distance.
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"May!" a familiar voice called. It was Ash, shouting from the top of his lungs at the bottom of the hill.
She wasn't sure what came over her, but she raced towards him, euphoria rushing, pumping through her heart and escaping to every part of her body – from the butterflies in her tummy, to the minute tingling in the tips of her fingers. May jolted, rushing towards him, her tremulous arms extending to envelop him in an embrace.
At that moment, she never felt more at ease.
"Ash," she said through his muffled shirt, nuzzling her face to his chest. She must have looked ridiculous, but she hadn't cared in the slightest.
"May, are you alright?" he questioned, concern brimming in his auburn eyes with a hint of curiosity. May giggled because the butterflies made their way up to her chest, and she almost felt as if she couldn't breathe. She just clutched onto him tighter, never wanting to let go.
"I'm just glad," she managed, and continued to caress her face over him. She didn't know what to do now – it was amazing, her wish being granted, knowing she was finally there. It took roaming across different paths and searching different routes and maneuvering and turning and changing directions, to finally get to where she belonged.
She wasn't lost, not anymore. The feeling felt so nostalgic, like when she made her way to the lighted gym so many years ago, when she was locked in her mother's embrace, when she was safe…
May was home.
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AN: It's not as detailed as I imagined (I should be happy it even made it to 1000 words, lol), but I tried. Um, hope it made sense. Any feedback will be very helpful and appreciative! :D Thanks!