Summary: AU. He came looking for something that most people don't find. Instead he met her, a girl with endless curiosity. Together they set off looking for love in all the wrong places.

"I…sort of forgot my name…"

Meeting You

By: KrystalClear101

"Sorry, I can't help you there."

Chapter One

Ash Ketchum, now seventeen years old and a very accomplished Pokémon Master, stared out the ocean themed horizon that sat in front him. He sighed into the cool evening as the sun crept even further into the blue depths of the sea. It had been such a long time since he had been on a boat, he nearly felt seasick. Still, the calming waters and gentle splashing did something to improve his mood as he stood contently leaning against the railing with his partner of seven years resting atop his hatless head.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" he said, resting his head on his folded arms. Pikachu regarded him with a confused look in his black eyes and replied with a soft pat to the trainer's head. Ash laughed lightly and stretched a bit before giving one last glance to the sunset.

"I mean I'm all for it adventure, I've been doing it for almost my entire life. But this seems…more like something Brock would do, don't you think?" he asked, scratching his head nervously. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared up at the ever darkening sky with his brows furrowed. Sensing his discomfort, Pikachu hopped down from his head and sat before the boy with a slightly frustrated look.

"Pika pi, Pikachu." Ash looked away sheepishly.

"It's a little late in the game for hesitance but I can't help it! I've never done something like this before." Sighing in a way only Pikachu can do so, he shook his little head, causing Ash to laugh lightly.

"Kachu pika pikachu pi Pika." He explained. Ash gave a crooked smile before taking the little rodent up in his arms and holding him at an arm's length.

"I suppose you're right. What's the worst that could happen anyway?" content, Ash put him back on his shoulder and walked across the deck to his room. At his last sentence, Pikachu shook his head again and merely smiled at Ash's denseness. They approached his door in no time where Ash fished in his pockets for the keys and unlocked the door. Pikachu yawned and hopped onto his own personal bed and curled up in a yellow ball of cuteness and quickly fell into a soundless slumber. Ash smiled at his companion and removed his shoes, and opted to sit on the bed and stare at nothing in particular.

Despite his refreshing conversation with the Pokémon, he still felt uneasy about the entire endeavor. Just like every other adventure he had gone on, he went alone with only Pikachu by his side. It was time to start over and go somewhere else for a change of pace. Not necessarily to conquer a league or anything like that, but for other reasons. He sighed once more and lay on his back, resting his arm over his forehead.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he asked no one in particular.

It was the night after his most recent league victory and Ash was excited beyond all belief. He could now truly call himself a Pokémon master. Not that he had caught every Pokémon out there, no that was simply impossible. But he had defeated every Elite Four member known to man and that was enough for him. He smiled as he looked out at his family of Pokémon and friends that had gathered to help him celebrate. One of them included his longtime friend Misty.

She was one of the gym leaders he had to overcome as a young boy.

"I'm proud of you Ash. You've come a long way." She smiled at him.

"Thanks Misty." He grinned back.

"So what's next for you? I mean, what else do you plan to do with your life?" she asked, curiously. In all honesty, he never considered the question before. Other things seemed so trivial compared to his one and only dream.

"What else is there?" he asked, sheepishly. Misty gave him a look that read 'Are you serious?' He shrugged with a nervous smile.

"Well, there's tons more out there for you to do. You're only seventeen and the world is a huge place. Go to school, find a job, fall in love, start a family." The list went on. Ash eyed her strangely as if she were speaking a different language.

"Fall in love?" he asked, questioning one of her suggestions. She arched an eyebrow at his confused expression. "I've already done that." Misty gaped.

"W-what? When did this happen?" she asked, severely surprised. He looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean? It happens all the time." He grinned. "I fall in love every time I enter the battle field with one of my Pokémon." She deadpanned.

"Wow Ash, that sounded really sincere but I was talking about falling in love with a person." At that he simply looked confused.

"With…a person?" he asked. "I love you guys. Isn't that the same?" Misty gaped again.

"Again, that's really sweet but that's a totally different kind of love. It's special." She answered, clasping her hands in front of her chest. And he scoffed at her expression.

"Pssh!" It's all the same to me."

"Ash! How do you think you got here? Love brought you here, that's how!" she shouted at the clueless boy. He merely stared at her blankly.

"I try not to think about that." He stubbornly crossed his arms. She sighed.

"Ash," she began. He looked at her crossed. "Have you…ever had a girlfriend? And I don't mean a girl who's your friend but a girl that…she makes you nervous and excited at the same time, in a good way of course." She explained. He pondered her question silently.

"No, I don't think so…" he answered truthfully. She shook her head with a sad smile.

"You don't know what you've been missing. Have you ever even kissed a girl? And I don't mean your mom or relatives." Again, he was silently thinking to himself, reminiscing.

"Nope." He shrugged.

"Then that's what your next goal is." She said, placing her hands on his shoulders. His eyes widened at her declaration.

"Misty, what-"

"You're going to find love, Ash Ketchum!"

And that's how he got where he is today, stepping off the bridge of the ship and into previously charted territory known as the Hoenn region. He looked up at the familiar blue sky that was littered with little white clouds here and there.

He sighed dejectedly and let his head fall into his chest. By now he was pretty sure that Pikachu was getting tired of his uneasy attitude and was ready to shock him a new one. He silently thanked the electric-type for being so patient with him. He walked further into the town and recognized it to be Littleroot Town, where he first began his Hoenn journey.

He remembered Pikachu being sick upon their arrival and seeking out Professor Birch who was good friends with Professor Oak. It wasn't the best way to start off in a new region but he eventually got over it. He wasn't all that fond of Hoenn though, seeing as it was one of the lesser exciting regions he travelled in. It was just him and his friend Brock. He hadn't met anyone else worth travelling with.

Shaking off the past, he made his way to the Professor's lab. He was fond of the professor for his adventurous attitude and love of nature. Ash smiled as he approached the building and prepared to knock. His knuckles banged against the door lightly and he stepped back, waiting for a response. Soon the door swung open and he caught sight the professor's assistant with the dark teal hair and glasses.

"Ash Ketchum? To what do we owe this surprise?" he asked as he ushered the boy inside. Ash merely smiled and walked in.

"I'm back in Hoenn and decided to visit before I hit the road again." He explained.

"Interesting. Sadly you just missed the professor. He went out for a little exploring just outside of town." His assistant said. Ash nodded with a crooked grin before he looked down at his watch.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to catch up with him later then." With that, he set off for the edge of town after waving to the other man whose name escaped him at the moment. He walked out into the forest and pushed back branch after branch until he made it to a nice clearing with a small pond and trees surrounding it. He smiled at the sight as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and stared down at his rippling reflection.

He stretched and sat down and eventually lay back with his hands behind his head, staring up at the sky. He exhaled, deeply in thought.

"Find love, huh? How does she expect me to do that?" he closed his eyes, eyebrow furrowed in confusion. He was so entranced in his thoughts, he didn't hear footsteps though they were pretty light. But Pikachu's keen hearing managed to hear them as someone approached them from behind.

"I didn't think anyone else came here." His eyes opened slowly.

'That voice…it sounds…funny. Who-' his thoughts and all other brain functions stopped at the sight of the person above him. He gaped as he continued to stare, his gaze locked on every inch of her form that slightly towered over him. Never in his life had he seen eyes so blue, skin so peachy, a smile so bright. An unfamiliar lump formed in his throat and his stomach felt weird.

"Ah…uh…" he stuttered. Possibly confused, she tilted her head to the side.

"Hmm, I don't think I've even seen you here before. Are you new?" she asked. He nodded, the only thing he was capable of at this given moment. She smiled at his answer and tucked a stray piece of shiny chestnut hair behind her little ears. "Nice to meet you. I'm May, you are…?"

"Uh…I…" he paused, eyes wide with fear and confusion. What in the world was his problem? He had talked to plenty of girls before. "I…sort of forgot my name…" he muttered, face full of shame. She looked taken aback by his confession but smiled nonetheless.

"Oh? Sorry, I can't help you there." He sat up slowly and got to his feet only to find out that he stood a good six inches over her small, petite body. He gulped, sizing her up. She was the ideal vision of a woman he had yet to see. Her face was framed with bright eyes, a button nose, rosy cheeks, and pink lips. Her shoulders were small and complimented her nicely sized chest, not too big, not too small. Her waist was tiny compared to her hips giving her nice curves.

Thank god she hadn't been looking at him while he was basically ogling her. He shook all those terrible thoughts from his head and focused on the main task at hand. Remembering his name. He racked his brain, brows furrowed and a deep frown set on his face. Pikachu looked up at him with a curious expression.

"Pikapi?" he asked. Then it hit him.

"It's Ash!" he exclaimed, startling the girl out of her stare at the calming waters. She regarded him with a blank stare before she beamed, holding out her small hand for him to shake. He looked at it warily.

"Nice to meet you Ash." He took her hand and immediately felt a jolt of a nervous yet exciting emotion course through him. He smiled back, somewhat gaining some of his lost common sense back.

'What is this weird feeling?'

To be continued.

A/N: Ok so you're probably wondering just what in the world possessed me to do something like publish a story. Well I've been possessed by my inner drive to succeed and I sound really corny right now. But that's not the point. Point is this story has been burning a hole in my laptop for the past year and it is about time I publish it.

So let's cover some ground, shall we? Ash is returning to the Hoenn region. He's never met May but he has been with Misty, Dawn, and Iris as well as any other future travelling partner that we don't know about. The journey only gets better from here. Stick with me! I would like to update every Friday but I'm not going to promise anything.

Thanks so much for reading, now go ahead and drop a review. It's so easy now! Haha but seriously, I'd like some feedback. See you in chapter 2!

Krystal