Contest of Valentines

It had been about a year since Ash had gone on his adventure in Unova, and he had gone back to Pallet Town to visit his mum and Misty. Brock had come as well, since he and Misty had gotten together some time after the three separated in Johto. One morning, Ash, who was now 17 years old, was sitting on the couch with his little partner and close friend, Pikachu. Misty, now 20 years old, came downstairs to see him and was surprised to find that he looked like he was thinking about something.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Misty asked, as she came over and sat down next to him. Ash looked up to see Misty sitting beside him and then he looked away. Misty was confused, but then she started to have an idea. "There's someone you're thinking about, isn't there?" she asked. Ash was surprised by how Misty knew that, but then he sighed and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, there is. I've been thinking a lot about someone. She's a really special girl, and she's not afraid to do anything to help the people she cares about. She's very kind, and she's also never afraid to stand up for herself or others." Ash explained. Pikachu started to smile; he could tell who Ash was talking about. Misty listened to this in interest and surprise; she had to wonder who exactly it was Ash was talking about. Whoever it was, it sounded like Ash knew a lot of her good qualities and what made her special.

"Who is it?" Misty asked. Ash looked up at his close friend to see that she was very interested, and he sighed, deciding it would be best to be honest. "That someone…is May." Ash responded. Misty was surprised to find that Ash was talking about May, but then again, she could see why. After a few seconds, Misty started to smile which Ash was confused by.

"I think I know why. You like May, don't you, Ash?" Misty asked. Ash looked at Misty in alarm, and then turned away with his cheeks turning a bright red.

"You're crazy, Misty! Of course not!" Ash retorted. Brock was coming into the room to see this, and when Misty explained what was going on, a bright smile crossed his face. Ash could see this, and started to get annoyed. "Don't get any ideas, you two. That's not true!" he said.

"You know, Ash, if you did like May, you would know, right?" Brock asked. Misty nodded in agreement; she could tell herself. Ash looked at the two and they could see that his cheeks visibly red; he was blushing.

"But I don't! True, May is a special girl and a great girl, but that doesn't mean I like her." Ash responded. But as he had some thought about it, he realised that he was actually that he was lying to himself; he had actually been thinking about May a lot and he really missed her, even though he wouldn't say so himself. It had been such a while since he saw her, and he was looking forward to seeing her again. Just then, Ash's mum, Delia, came in to see the three.

"Ash, I have great news. Norman and Caroline are coming to visit, and May is coming along as well. They should be here by tonight." Delia said. Ash started to smile when he heard this; the mention of May coming here somehow made him really happy and he was looking forward to it.

"Could we head to the port to meet them, Mum?" Ash asked. "I don't see why not." Delia responded. As the four were on their way down to the port, Misty and Brock could see that Ash was brightly smiling.

"If Ash was saying that he doesn't like May, he's certainly not showing it. In fact, I don't think I've seen him this happy before." Misty commented.

"Well, you just wait and see, Misty. Ash will be sure to show it anytime soon." Brock said, as the two looked on at Ash. As they arrived at the port, May, Norman and Caroline had just arrived off the ship and were coming up to see them.

"Hello, Delia. It was very nice of you to invite us here." Caroline said. Delia smiled at this, and the three adults started to head off. Ash wasn't paying attention to this, though; he was mainly looking for May. Sure enough, he saw her standing there; the 16 year old girl wearing her emerald green outfit with her bag tied down her waist and her green bandana with a white Pokeball symbol tied around her brown hair, which hung down in two sections. When May looked up to see Ash, she smiled.

"Hi, Ash! It's great to see you again." May said. A bright smile immediately crossed Ash's face when he saw her standing there, and he ran over and tightly hugged May. She was surprised, but she didn't argue and started to smile as well.

"I really missed you, May." Ash said. May could feel her cheeks start to turn a light red, and she happily returned Ash's embrace before the two let go to look at each other in the eyes.

"I missed you too, Ash. And I was looking forward to coming to visit you." May responded. She noticed Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder and happily waved to him. "Hi, Pikachu." May said.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu happily responded, waving back to May; he was looking forward to seeing her again too. Just then, a familiar rabbit Pokemon jumped up onto May's shoulder; it was Buneary. "Bun! Buneary!" Buneary said. When she noticed Pikachu, she brightly smiled. Pikachu was surprised, but he started to smile nervously.

"May, what's Buneary doing here? Wasn't she with Dawn?" Ash asked, puzzled.

"She was, but Dawn asked me to take care of her for a while. So when I came here, I decided to bring her here to see Pikachu. I figured she missed him, so I thought this was a good opportunity for her to see him again." May explained. Buneary jumped off her shoulder and ran over to Pikachu, happily hugging him. Pikachu smiled nervously and decided to return her embrace. Ash and May both smiled as they watched the two.

"Looks like Buneary was really looking forward to seeing Pikachu." Ash commented. May nodded in agreement, and then she and Ash looked up at each other. "It's great to see you again too, May." Ash added. May brightly smiled; she always looked forward to seeing Ash.

"Yeah, it has been a while, huh?" May asked. Ash nodded in agreement, and was about to continue before they noticed that the others were going off ahead back to the house. "Why don't we talk more at your house, Ash?" May asked. Ash nodded in agreement, and the two both started to follow the others, with Pikachu and Buneary right behind them. Back at the house, the group were enjoying dinner, which Brock had prepared himself.

"Wow, Brock, this is just as wonderful as ever. Even though you've taken up a new job as a Pokemon doctor, I can't deny that your cooking is still great." Misty smiled. Brock beamed at this; he was glad that Misty was mainly enjoying herself. As Ash and May were both enjoying their meals, Ash looked up at Delia.

"So, Mum, how come you invited May and her parents to come here to visit?" Ash asked. Delia smiled; she figured that there was something she forgot to mention while they were on their way to meet May, Norman and Caroline at the port.

"I was getting to that, Ash. I invited Norman and Caroline because tomorrow's a special day. Can you guess what it is?" Delia asked. Ash was confused, but then May started to smile, knowing what Delia was talking about.

"That's right! Tomorrow's Valentine's Day!" May smiled. Ash looked at May in surprise, hearing this. "Valentine's Day?" he asked.

"Of course. Only the most romantic day on the calendar." May responded. Ash was caught off guard by this; he didn't know that was coming so fast. After dinner, Ash was up in his room with Pikachu.

"I'm not sure what to do, Pikachu. I'd like to get something for May, but I'm not sure what. Besides, this is probably the first time I've had to deal with this. May would like something special; something that she'll always want to keep." Ash explained. Pikachu had some thought to himself, but then noticed something lying on the floor. He picked it up and showed it to Ash.

"What's this?" Ash asked, confused. He looked at it to see that it was a brochure for a special contest taking place in Cerulean City, and the winner would receive a special ribbon. As Ash read to it to himself, he suddenly started to smile, knowing exactly what he had in mind.

"That's perfect! May would love to have that as a gift." Ash said. Just then, he heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice came from outside.

"Ash, can I come in?" It was May. Ash suddenly smiled, knowing it was her.

'Speak of the angel...' Ash thought to himself. He immediately hid the brochure under his pillow and answered the door to see May standing there. "May! What's going on?" he asked.

"I thought I'd come up to see you." May responded, as she came inside. Ash closed the door behind him and the two sat down on the bed together. "So, Ash, are you looking forward to Valentine's Day tomorrow?" May asked. Ash nodded slowly; he knew exactly what he had in mind, but he didn't want to tell May yet. He wanted it to be a surprise. May smiled, seeing Ash's response.

"So am I. I can't wait to spend the day in a way I'll never forget. In fact, I would like to get something special that I know I'll love. What do you think, Ash?" May asked, looking over at him. Ash was surprised; it sounded as if May was reading his mind, because of how she was describing the gift she would like to get. At this, Ash decided to let the first clue out and looked over at May.

"Actually, May, since you mentioned the gift, I've actually been thinking about that." Ash responded. May looked at Ash in surprise; wondering if he was being serious. "I was thinking I could get something to match a special girl like you, May. It would be something you'd never forget." Ash continued. He looked over at May to see that she was blushing, and she had a bright smile on her face.

"Really?" May asked. Ash nodded in agreement, uncertain of what May's response would be. But then, he was caught by surprise when May happily hugged him. But then, he started to smile; he was happy that May liked the sound of that.

"That would be great, Ash." May said, as she happily let him go. She then kissed him on the cheek and started to head out. "Goodnight, and I'll see you tomorrow." May said, and she closed the door behind her. Ash stared in amazement for a few moments, with his cheeks the brightest red imaginable, but then a bright smile crossed his face and he happily sighed. But then, he looked down to see Pikachu was grinning at him.

"What are you looking at, Pikachu?" Ash asked. That night, Ash was thinking about how he would be able to get the ribbon without May finding out. 'I'll need to sneak out the next morning, and head to the Contest Hall without May finding out. And then, after I win the ribbon, I'll head back and give it to her. That'll be perfect!' Ash thought, and then he went to sleep, knowing what his idea would be.

The next morning, Ash snuck out of his room completely dressed, and started to make his way downstairs. As he came into the main room, he noticed Buneary asleep beside May, and quietly picked her up; he was going to need her help. As he headed outside, he noticed May's bike parked near the house and had some thought to himself.

"I'm sure May won't mind if I borrow her bike." Ash said. He jumped on and started to make his way to the Contest Hall; he didn't want to be late. As he arrived, he stopped short and smiled. "Here's the place." Ash said. He parked May's bike nearby and came into the Hall. He was surprised to find that there were a lot of people there, looking forward to getting the ribbon. As he looked around, he noticed Drew was there with his Roserade.

"Drew?" he asked. Drew looked up to see Ash and came over to see him. "You're Ash, right? I just need to remember since it's been a while since I saw you." Drew asked. Ash nodded in agreement, and Drew smiled.

"I figured. So, what brings you here, Ash?" Drew asked.

"I'd like to get something special for May today, and I figured this was a great place to do it." Ash explained. Drew was surprised, but then he started to smile and nodded in understanding.

"Well, make sure you do your best. We all have tough competition." Drew said, and headed off to get ready with Roserade. Ash nodded in agreement; he knew for sure that this was going to be something he'd never forget.

Back at Ash's house, May had arrived downstairs; she had been looking for Ash upstairs and couldn't find him. "Ash? Ash, where are you?" May asked, as she looked around. Delia came into the room, noticing May.

"What's wrong, May?" Delia asked. May could hear Delia and turned around to see her. "Mrs Ketchum, have you seen Ash? He wasn't upstairs when I went to see him." May said. Delia was surprised, and started to have some thought to herself.

"I'm not sure. Where would he have gone?" Delia asked. "I think I know." Surprised, May and Delia turned to see Norman and Caroline coming over. "You know where Ash had headed off to?" Delia asked.

"Ash was telling me about a Contest taking place in Cerulean City, and said that he would like to enter as well. He said that it was to get something for May." Caroline explained. That was enough information for May, because she immediately headed outside. But, she noticed that her bike wasn't there.

"Oh, Ash took my bike as well as Buneary. Oh well, it'll be worth the exercise." May said, and she started to run to the Contest Hall. Back at the Contest Hall, Ash was watching the appeals; he was going to be next after Drew was done.

"I hope they'll like our appeal." Ash said to himself, and then started to make his way to the stage, with Pikachu and Buneary. "Are you ready, you two?" Ash asked, looking down at Pikachu and Buneary. The two agreed, much to Ash's delight.

"Great! Then, Buneary, use Ice Beam!" Ash said. Buneary shot a strong blast of ice from her mouth at the floor, completely freezing it over, much to the audience's interest.

"Buneary has completely turned the stage into an ice rink! This looks exciting, so let's see what happens next!" The announcer said as she looked at this. Pikachu and Buneary headed up onto the stage and they both looked at each other.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked, offering Buneary his hand. "Bun!" Buneary happily agreed. The two held hands and started to stake across the frozen stage. Ash smiled; he was sure that this would go well.

Meanwhile, May was on her way to get to the Contest Hall and catch up with Ash. As she was running on the road, Misty passed by on her bike and smiled. "May, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Misty asked, as she stopped short in front of May.

"Misty, I need to get to Cerulean City. Ash has headed there, and I need to catch up with him." May explained. Misty nodded in understanding; she could tell that this was serious.

"Jump on, May, and I'll get us there fast." Misty said. May jumped on to Misty's bike behind her and the two started to make their way to Cerulean City. Back at the Contest Hall, Pikachu and Buneary had just finished their ice skating appeal while the entire audience cheered.

"Now, that was a great display! Let's hear what our judge, the local Nurse Joy, has to say." The announcer said. Nurse Joy was sitting near the stage, and she was brightly smiling.

"That was a wonderful ballet, and Pikachu and Buneary look adorable together, too." Nurse Joy smiled. As Ash headed off backstage to choose who he wanted to use for the first round, he was surprised to see Misty and May outside, and they were making their way to enter the Contest Hall.

"How did they find out I was here?" Ash asked. But then, he looked up to see that the people advancing were him, Drew, Zoey and Harley. "All right, we're in! That was a great performance, you two." Ash said, looking down at Pikachu and Buneary. The two Pokemon beamed at this, and Buneary happily hugged Pikachu. Ash smiled as he watched the two on, and then he looked up to see who he would be up against.

The board showed that he would up against Drew, while Harley and Zoey would be battling. "The last person I'd like to be up against is Harley; he'll do anything to get his way." Ash said to himself. But then, he turned around to see May and Misty. "May? Misty? How did you two know I was here?" Ash asked.

"May's parents told us that you had gone. What exactly is going on, Ash? And why are you here of all places?" Misty asked. Ash was about to continue, before he noticed that he had to go up for the first round.

"I can't tell you just yet, but I'll let you know after the Contest is over. For now, I need to get to my first round." Ash said, and rushed off to get ready. Misty and May looked at each other, wondering what exactly Ash was up to. On the stage, Ash could tell he was up against Drew, and he knew he wasn't holding back. Misty and May sat with the audience to watch this performance.

"I'm not sure what Ash is up to, but I know for sure that it's something unexpected; that's always been Ash's style." May commented. Misty nodded in agreement, and the two girls sat back in their seats as the round started. Drew sent out Flygon and Roserade, while Ash sent out Staraptor and Gible. May smiled, knowing Ash had the advantage on both sides.

"This is going to be great! Ash has the upper hand against Drew with two Pokemon with type advantages against them." May smiled. Sure enough, Ash ended up winning the round with half his points down and taking out most of Drew's points.

"All right! We're going to the final round, guys." Ash smiled, looking down at his two partners. May was delighted to see that Ash had won, while Misty just smiled seeing that her friend had done his best. But then, she suddenly remembered something and looked over at May.

"May, I need to go now. Brock said he would meet me at Pewter City since he had arranged something special. Will you be all right here by yourself?" Misty asked. May nodded in agreement. "Great; I'll see you later." Misty responded, and started to head off. Backstage, Ash had just arrived out from his victory, and he was surprised to see that May had come out to see him.

"Ash, that was great! I never figured that you would be so good at Contests." May said. Ash smiled and nodded in agreement, but then they looked up at the screen to see who Ash was up against; none other than Harley. The two were alarmed, since they remembered what Harley was like. "Ash, be careful against Harley. He might do something to get the advantage." May said.

"That might be true, but it'll be worth it winning this for you, May. Just wait backstage and watch from out here." Ash said, and started to make his way to the stage. May stood in surprise, unable to believe what she heard Ash say.

'He said...he was winning this for me? Does that mean..?' May started to blush as she understood; Ash had feelings for her, and he wasn't afraid to go up against her biggest contest rival just to win this for her.

After the contest, Ash smiled as he looked at the Ribbon case; he was sure May would love this. Sure enough, he saw her run over to see him. "Ash, congratulations! It's hard for me to believe that you actually won." May said.

"Yeah, and I have something I'd like to give you, May." Ash said, and showed May the case. Surprised, May opened it to find a gorgeous pink ribbon with its gold centre in the shape of a heart. As May looked at the ribbon, she also noticed that there was a special message engraved on the ribbon case.

To a special girl who matters the most to me

I hope you like this, May; it was worth it

From, Ash

May looked up at Ash with a bright smile and tears of happiness started to build up in her eyes. "Ash...this is for me?" she asked. Ash nodded; he knew May finally got it.

"I wanted to get you something special, and I figured that would be the best idea. Happy Valentine's Day, May." Ash said. May beamed and happily hugged Ash.

"Oh, thank you, Ash! I love it!" May smiled. Ash smiled at her response and happily returned her embrace; he was hoping that was what she would say.

"I thought you would." Ash responded. The two looked up at each other with bright smiles. And then, May smiled cheekily much to Ash's confusion. "Ash, I have something special I would like to give you, too." May said.

"Really? What's that?" Ash asked. In response, May leaned forward and kissed Ash. Ash was surprised, but then he started to smile enjoying himself. After May let go, Ash had a bright smile on his face and his cheeks had gone completely red. "Does that answer your question?" May asked.

"Yeah, it does." Ash responded. With this, the two started to head out of the Contest Hall, knowing that this had been a Valentine's Day they would never forget.

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