Hello! For those of you who are not familiar with this side of me, I am an avid fan of Advanceshipping. My main story may not have a hint of shipping of any sort, but this is going to be my test to stack myself up against the titans such as Advance4Ever and Basic Trainer. Quick note, this story will also be my way of paying homage to Time Can't Heal Every Pain by The Legendary Mew, R.I.P (for the story, not the author). For those of you who grew up reading it, I hope you enjoy it, and for those of you who didn't, I'm sorry you didn't get that experience. Ahem, now that that's all out of the way, let us begin!

Disclaimer: I hope it goes without saying, but I do not own Pokemon

It was a gorgeous day on Route 1. The sun was high in the sky, yet the early Spring weather kept it from being too hot. The trees, grass, and bushes on the sides of the paths were a vibrant green, the berries in the high branches adding spots of color. The sky was not completely cloudless, but the spotted white fluff up in the air made it all the more enjoyable.

Down along the path, a young boy in a blue jacket with a red and white cap walked along, the Yellow Mouse Pokemon, Pikachu waddling along beside him.

Fresh from a great journey in Unova, and a nice cooldown with an amazing tour through the Decolore Islands, Ash Ketchum was returning home at last. He was greatly looking forward to seeing his mom and all of his old Pokemon again, and couldn't wait.

However, his grumbling stomach told him differently. With a growl that could easily be mistaken as an Ursaring's roar, his body let him know that it was running on empty.

"Whoops" Ash said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Pikachu stood on the ground chuckling, until its stomach let out a roar comparable to his trainer's.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's hungry, huh buddy?" he asked Pikachu, who replied by mimicking Ash and rubbing the back of it's head.

Ash looked down the road. "If I remember this place right, then we still have about half an hour until we get to Pallet Town." He turned to his partner. "Hey Pikachu, lunch break?"

"Chaaaa" Pikachu squealed in response, obviously liking the idea.

"Okay, let's see what we've got" Ash said, taking his backpack off of his shoulders and digging around inside. "Huh?" he said, as all he could retrieve was a mostly spent bag of bread. "Whoops, I guess most of the food we ever had was with Cilan."

"Pi…" Pikachu moaned in disappointment.

Ash stood up and thought for a moment. "Hey buddy, what if we used this bread and some of those Oran and Pecha Berries in the trees to make some Berry Sandwiches?"

"Pi?" Pikachu perked up, his ears going straight into the air.

Ash looked around and located the nearest Berry Tree. "Alright. Pikachu, use Quick Attack to climb that tree, and knock down some berries with your Iron Tail" Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted as it ran towards the tree. As it drew closer, its speed increased and it left a white trail behind it, until it was going so fast, you could only see the trail. Pikachu jumped and ran up the vertical trunk, then spinning and knocking some berries towards Ash with a metal colored tail.

Ash ran around frantically, using his hat to catch all the berries in, only narrowly catching some of them. Once his hat began to sag from all the berries in it, he figured that they had enough to make some sandwiches to last them until Pallet. "Alright Pikachu, that's good, come on down!"

Pikachu's head popped up from among the leaves on the tree. "Cha!" it cried as it leapt from the branches down onto Ash's head.

Ash grabbed the bread and set his cap full of berries down on the ground. He pulled out a couple of plastic plates that he had been using, and got to work making a few sandwiches for himself and Pikachu.

"Well, it's not a full 3-course meal like Brock or Cilan could whip out of thin air," Ash said jokingly, "but this should still be good."

He handed one plate to Pikachu and picked one up himself, then sat down with his back to a small ledge from a hill overlooking them. Ash sat there, enjoying the sweet juices from the Oran and Pecha Berries, and watched as Pidgeys flew through the bright sky, and as Rattata and Nidoran wandered through the fields laid out in front of them.

As Ash and Pikachu finished their sandwiches and stood back up, their desire to reach Pallet Town grew even stronger as they now had fuel in their tanks.

"Hey Pikachu" Ash said, looking at his partner.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked.

"Race ya" Ash said, taking off down the road at top speed.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu called out, racing down after him.

Pallet Town

"Huff, huff, huff" Ash panted as he came to the crest of the hill overlooking Pallet Town. His little race had only tired him out, and provoked a little victory dance from the Yellow Mouse a few yards down the hill from him.

"Hey, you used Quick Attack to beat me here, didn't you?" Ash said. Pikachu sniggered. "Hey, that's cheating. You know that humans can't use that" he complained. When Pikachu only laughed harder, Ash smirked as an evil idea came into his head. He reached down to his belt and grabbed a Pokeball with a small lightning bolt icon on it. "Oh Pikachu…" he called out in a singsong voice.

Pikachu had to sit up and wipe the tears out of its eyes from how hard it was laughing, but it dropped dead silent when it saw the Pokeball in Ash's hands. Pikachu's expression turned to shock as it looked hard into Ash's eyes, determining whether or not Ash would really do it.

When Ash's thumb moved slightly towards the button in the center of the ball, Pikachu bolted away, sprinting down the hill full throttle. However, it stopped when it realized that Ash wasn't chasing him, and was instead rolling in laughter as Pikachu himself had just been.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu said angrily, cheeks sparking. "CHUUUUU!" it cried, sending a powerful Thunderbolt at Ash.

With a lightshow that lit up the sky with electricity, Ash's turn at laughter came to a very painful end as he was fried to a crisp by the Thunderbolt attack. The only sound that came out of Ash's mouth after that was a cough which expelled some soot from his mouth. Afterwards, Ash collapsed to the ground.

Ash's vision was blurry from the electric shock he had just received. "Wow, I haven't been testing just how strong Pikachu's Thunderbolt has been getting lately" he mumbled through his crispy mouth.

Ash lay there for a few moments, trying to figure out whether he was paralyzed, or just drained for the moment. A couple minutes went by, and while he had not come any closer to solving this problem, he did hear some hurried footsteps come up to him.

"I had a feeling that that was you as soon as I saw that Thunderbolt, Ash" a familiar male voice said. Ash glanced to the side and saw the Pokemon Watcher Tracy standing next to him. "What happened?"

"Me and Pikachu were messing around" Ash said, and Tracy grasped the meaning of this immediately.

"Oh, for a second, I thought that you had Team Rocket on your tail again" Tracy chuckled, reaching a hand out to help Ash up.

Ash gratefully accepted the help getting up. "Nah, just Pikachu being a sore winner" he chuckled, brushing off his pants as he stood. He turned and looked at Pikachu. "This isn't over" he warned the rodent.

Pikachu looked play fearful at this, then hopped onto Ash's shoulder, his jacket making a crunching sound as his weight settled on it.

"Heh, Pikachu got you good, huh?" Tracy asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry" Ash said. "I'll get him back."

"I would pay to see that" Tracy laughed.

The three of them began to walk down the path towards Professor Oak's Lab. "I've got to say, I love traveling, but it's really good to be home" Ash said. "What's been going on around here lately?"

"Not much" Tracy responded. "We've had a few new trainers come by the lab to start their journey lately, and almost all of them chose Charmanders. They've been all anyone wanted as their starters since Mega Evolution made its way this side of Kalos."

"Mega Evolution?" Ash asked, curious.

"Yeah, it's an ancient technique from the Kalos region, where a Pokemon can enter an alternate form during battle" Tracy explained.

"Wow, Alexa told me a bit about Kalos, but she didn't even mention that" Ash said in awe.

Tracy laughed. "Yeah, Charizard became really popular because it had two different ones. One of them gave it the Dragon typing, so it got all sorts of excitement."

"Wow, that sounds really cool" Ash said. "So what's been going on with you?"

"Well, both Marill and Venonat evolved into Azumarill and Venomoth" Tracy said excitedly. "They seemed really proud of it, although Azumarill keeps forgetting how big it is now. I can't tell you how many times its floored me trying to jump onto my shoulder." Ash chuckled. "Yeah, and Misty's been coming by to hang out more often. Her Azurill loves to be around Azumarill."

"Well, isn't Azumarill Azurill's mom?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, that's probably why" Tracy said. "Although it seems a bit odd, considering that I gave Azurill to Misty when she was still an egg. I guess a baby pokemon will always recognize its mother."

"Speaking of Misty," Ash smiled mischievously, "how long have you two been hanging out?" he asked in a suggestive tone.

"Wha-wha-what do you mean?" Tracy stuttered, blushing lightly and sweating.

"Come on, I know that she likes you" Ash said, laughing lightly at Tracy's reaction. "She always liked traveling when we were with you, even better than when we were travelling with Brock. Except when you were sketching other girls."

"Hey, you know that a Pokemon Watcher can't-"

"-Always just sketch Pokemon, yeah you've said that before Tracy" Ash laughed.

Tracy fell silent for a moment, and stared at the ground as they walked down towards Prof. Oak's Lab. He looked back at Ash and asked "Do you really think that she likes me?"

"I'm pretty sure, Tracy" Ash said. "I never saw here have that much interest in anyone else for as long as I've known her."

Tracy let out a breath. "You know, Ash, when you came back from your Battle Frontier quest about a year ago, you were still dense as ever." Now it was Tracy's turn for a mischievous grin. "Is this your way of saying that you found someone?"

Ash stumbled when he heard this. "What, what do you mean, 'found someone?'"

Tracy chuckled at the priceless expression on Ash's face. "Come on, a year ago, the only types of 'love' that you knew about were family or food related. Now here you are, cracking jokes and noticing another girl's interest in me. Come on, who is it?"

"I don't know what you mean, Tracy" Ash said, his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"You say that, but your face says otherwise" Tracy taunted.

Ash searched for a response, but he used up all of his ammo teasing Tracy about Misty. Instead, he became very interested in the ground for the next few minutes.

The next few minutes went by in silence, as Ash was to embarrassed to say anything, and Tracy had let up on the subject. The silence was broken as they came to the foot of a hill. "Here's the Professor's Lab" Tracy said.

Ash looked up and saw the familiar sight of the large, red roofed building with the windmill behind it, just atop the hill.

"Oh man, I can't wait to see Professor Oak and all my Pokemon again" Ash said excitedly, taking off up the path to the lab.

"Wait, Ash!" Tracy tried to warn him, but it was too late, Ash was already at the door and running inside. Well, attempting to, anyways.

"MUUUUUUUKKKK!" a wall of purple sludge cried out as it descended upon Ash, submerging him completely.

Tracy gasped and ran up. "Come on, Muk, don't do that. You'll suffocate him!"

Muk looked abashed and slowly retracted himself, revealing a floored Ash. He stood up, chuckling lightly. "That's two of my Pokemon to knock me down in the last fifteen minutes. Should I even risk being seen by my Tauros?"

Tracy chuckled. "Come on, Ash, cut them some slack. They haven't seen you since you left for Unova."

Ash looked at his 'innocent' Pikachu on his shoulder. "Some of them haven't" he said.

Pikachu sniggered.

Tracy put his hands on his hips. "So Ash, why did you come here instead of going home first? I'm sure your mom really wants to see you too, you know."

"Yeah, but I figured that my pals from Unova would want to get out and stretch" Ash said. "They haven't been out of their balls since we docked in Kanto."

"Fair enough" Tracy said. "I assume you remember the way out to the fields?"

"Are you kidding, I wouldn't forget in a million years" Ash said. He took off down the hallway through the lab, racing for the back door.

Tracy set himself down at the desk. "Well, I would love to follow him, but I have to get to work."

As he settled in for his work, Ash was sprinting out into the Oak Corral where all of his Pokemon lived. He hadn't been trampled, yet, but he was still on guard in case of rampaging Pokemon wanting hugs.

He reached down to his belt and pulled each ball off. "Okay gang, come ooooon out!" he shouted, tossing the group into the air. Charizard, Leavanny, Oshawott, Pignite, and Scraggy come flying out of their Pokeballs, landing on the ground before him and looking around at their surroundings. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and ran off into the woods.

Ash looked at his Unova team. "Aright guys, here it is, we're home!"

Charizard spewed a Flamethrower into the air as the rest of them danced around excitedly.

Ash smiled at the celebrations. "Yeah, I bet you missed this place, huh Charizard?" he asked. Charizard responded with a nod. "The rest of you, how about you go explore. Go and meet your new family?"

The gang was out of sight before you could say 'Sudowoodo', anxious to explore their new home and meet Ash's old partners as he had suggested.

Ash, contrary to the others, took his time strolling through the pasture, soaking in all the old memories he had here. In the distance, he could see other trainer's Pokemon flocking about, but he hadn't come across any of his yet.

He had just closed his eyes to feel the almost familiar sense of sunlight, as if it had a completely different feel here, when he heard the bushes behind him rustle.

His eyes shot open and he looked into the branches. "Who's there?" he asked. The bushes rustled again, and he barely had time to blink before a blur of yellow flew out and tackled him.

"WHA!" Ash cried in surprise. He hit the ground as the new being fell on top of him. Before he could see clearly again, he felt a warm head nuzzling the side of his own. "Baaaayyy…" it cooed.

Ash began to smile. "Hey Bayleef!" he said, reaching up and stroking her neck.

Bayleef retracted and looked into Ash's face, smiling. "Bayleef Bay!" it cried. Bayleef leaned forward and began gently licking Ash's cheek.

"Heh heh, that tickles Bayleef" Ash chuckled. Bayleef smiled at Ash again, then looked up behind him just as a new voice appeared. "Well, I thought I heard you out here, Ash!"

Bayleef got off of Ash so he could roll over onto his feet. Professor Oak stood near the door to the fields, smiling serenely at the scene. "Hey, good to see you, Professor!" Ash said.

"Good to see you too, Ash" Oak responded. "How was your trip through the Decolore Islands?"

"It was amazing, there were so many new places and Pokemon there" Ash marveled. "It was even cooler than the Orange Islands."

"Glad to hear it" Oak said. "Say, if you're looking for your other Pokemon, they tend to group together on the other side of the forest, right where it meets the lakes."

"Cool, thanks for that Professor!" Ash said gratefully, turning to run off again.

"Ah, to be young, and so full of energy" Oak sighed. "How I wish that I could still run through these fields like that" he said as he turned back inside.

Ash wove through the trees, almost clipping himself a few times, but nothing was stopping him from getting to see his Pokemon. AS he ran, he heard the branches move above, and saw his Noctowl flying above him. He waved at Noctowl as he ran. "Hey, Noctowl, I'm trying to find the others!"

Noctowl nodded and took off just ahead of Ash, guiding him through the foliage. A couple more minutes of jogging led Ash to the edge of a clearing. Down in the lake, Kingler, Totodile, and Palpitoad relaxed in the water, while the rest of his Pokemon were resting on the land. Buizel was chasing Corphish around, Torterra laid on the ground, Swellow and Staraptor roosting in his branches, Infernape and Sceptile were sparring, and the rest of them were wandering through the fields.

Ash ran down to them. "Hey everyone, guess who?" he shouted.

All heads turned his way. Torterra's eyes snapped open, Sceptile stopped mid swing, but Infernape didn't, striking Sceptile. Sceptile looked back at Infernape and started bickering with him, until it amounted to Sceptile opened its mouth and shot a barrage of Bullet Seeds at Infernape, who responded angrily with Flame Wheel.

"Hey, come on guy-" Ash tried to say before he was mobbed by the rest of his Pokemon as they stampeded him. This commotion got the attention of the two, and they lowered their arms and called truce before running to join the mass.

It was a while before Ash was able to calm his Pokemon down enough to where he could stand up. By that time, Pikachu found his way over to the group and hopped onto Ash's shoulder, waving to all the other Pokemon.

"I can't tell you guys how good it is to finally see you all again" Ash smiled. "Unova is great, but right here is where my home is, and that's better than any journey I could go on."

"I think that I'm going to hang out around here for a while, so you guys are going to be stuck with me until then" Ash said to his Pokemon's delight. "I want to spend some time here before I head off again, because I've been leaving almost as soon as I've gotten home these last few times."

"Now, I brought some new friends over from Unova, I want you guys to be nice and welcome them, ok?" Ash asked. A chorus of cries in response gave him his answer. "Good."

Ash stayed at the corral for a few hours, playing with his Pokemon, who had missed him dearly. However, as the sun began to dip low in the sky, he realized that he needed to get going. "I want to hang around longer, but I do have to get home. My mom probably wants to see me as much as you did. But don't worry, I'll come see you guys soon!"

All his Pokemon cheered him off as we turned to go back home. He didn't get much time with them, but he was glad that he was able to see them at least. Ash ran to the side of the field and jumped over the fence, landing on the road beside the corral. Pikachu stood on top of the fence, running alongside Ash.

"Hey Pikachu, I understand if you want to stay with the gang tonight" Ash said as he jogged along.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked, smiling.

As the neared the edge of the fence, Ash said one last thing. "And don't worry, I still remember earlier" he said evilly.

Pikachu's eyes went wide, but just then, the fence came to an end as it connected to the lab, and Pikachu, who was watching Ash, ran headlong into it.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Pikachu stand back up, rubbing its head and squealing out what could only be curse words. "That one doesn't count, Pikachu, you did that to yourself!" he shouted back.

"Pika…" Pikachu grumbled as it turned away.

"Heh heh" Ash chuckled as he ran off. "Maybe I should bring him a bottle of ketchup, but replace the ketchup with hot sauce. Or, maybe the next time Dawn comes over, I'll have Bulbasaur restrain him with Vine Whip so that he can't get away from her Buneary." He couldn't help but let out another laugh as he imagined how horrified Pikachu's face would be if he heard that.

Arrival at Ketchum Residence

Ash came up panting after his jog, but even his tired body couldn't stop him from rushing up to the house and pulling the door open. "Hey Mom, I'm home!" he shouted into the house.

"Ash, is that you?" a voice came from the other room.

"Yeah Mom!" he answered back, walking through the house looking for her. "Unova was amazing, I wish that you could've seen it."

He rounded the corner into the living room and saw his mom sitting on the couch.

She stood up to greet him. "Oh my, every time you come back from one of your journeys, no matter how long, you always look so much older to me."

Ash smiled and ran forward, hugging his mom. "It's great to be home, Mom. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Ash" Delia said, hugging her son back. "I hope that you'll stick around for more than a day this time."

"Yeah, I am, Mom" Ash said. "I was in Unova a lot longer than I was anywhere else, and now that I'm back, I don't have the urge to leave so soon again."

"That's great to hear" Delia smiled. "So, how well did my little boy do in the Unova league?"

"I made it all the way into the quarterfinals again" Ash said. "And the guy I was facing, he's a really great trainer. He beat me with only five of his Pokemon."

"Wow, really?" Delia asked, motioning for Ash to come sit down.

Ash obliged. "Yeah, he was a friend I met later on. He's, well, really special" Ash chuckled, remembering the main reason that Cameron tried so hard to win with just five Pokemon was because he thought that the round only used five.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you made more friends along the way. By the way, where are to pair that you were travelling with there? I was hoping that I would get to meet them" his mom said.

"Well, they both went off to explore Johto when we got here" Ash explained. "The Magnet Train was leaving soon and they had to hop on."

"Oh, well that's too bad" Delia said. "Well, I hope that they do well also. In the meantime, how about some dinner?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Ash cheered, hopping up.

"Oh, my boy. Always so enthusiastic about his food." Delia chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder whether you love me or my cooking more."

Ash laughed at this. However the particular phrase that his mother had used ignited a bit of memory from earlier that very day.

"Is this your way of saying that you, found someone?"

"What, what do you mean, 'found someone?'"

Tracy chuckled at the priceless expression on Ash's face. "Come on, a year ago, the only types of 'love' that you knew about were family or food related. Now here you are, cracking jokes and noticing another girl's interest in me. Come on, who is it?"

Ash cleared his throat. "I'm going to go wash up before dinner, Mom" he said.

"Alright Ash" Delia said. "I'll be down here if you need me."

Ash nodded, then proceeded to walk up the stairs. He slung his backpack off in his room and grabbed his black shirt and pajama bottoms out of his dresser. Then, knowing what his mom would say if she even saw him before he hopped in the shower, he grabbed a pair of underwear too.

"Don't forget to wear clean underwear!" her voice seemed to haunt him.

"Every single time I called her" Ash sighed, facepalming.

...

As he bathed himself, he couldn't stop thinking about his conversation from earlier. "So what if I know what love is now?" he thought. "Just because I grew up a little bit doesn't mean that I'm actually, well, in love."

His mind backtracked through all the times he was called dense by everyone that he had travelled with or met along the road. "Yeah, I was a little dense then, I was only 10 though. Isn't a part of growing up just getting knowledge here and there?"

He shook his head, splattering the sides of the shower with water. "Yeah. If I, well, liked somebody, then I think that I would know about it, of all people. Who would it even be?"

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, it took over. It was as if a picture was becoming clear through the steam rising into the air, as if he were flying through the clouds, and they parted, revealing a landscape below.

It was Hoenn, he knew it immediately. What else could it be? With its gorgeous waterways and beautiful forests, he was sure of it. Almost without thinking, he floated down, into the trees that lay between Oldale Town and Petalburg City.

As he cleared to branches, he saw a path winding through the woods, a narrow, dirt path. As he touched down, he began to hear voices coming down the path. He turned his head, and he saw, himself.

To be more exact, he saw a younger version of himself in the outfit he wore at the beginning of his Hoenn journey. Walking next to him, he saw…

Beauty, that was the only way he could describe it. Time seemed to go by in slow motion as he drank in every detail of her appearance. Her young, pretty face, her bright, yet deep sapphire eyes, her pristine red and white bandana, everything.

He now realized that he remembered this. This was him and May, at the very beginning of his trek through the Hoenn Region. It was just after they passed through Oldale town, that night they spent at the Pokemon Center there. Before they reached Petalburg City, before he met her family, before Max tagged along with them, before Brock came back to them. It was just him, and her.

He remembered every detail about her. Her small yet radiant smile, her infectious laugh, her caring, almost motherly attitude towards her Pokemon, and the close bond that they had developed in Hoenn and Kanto. He remembered how she was the only person who ever could challenge him in how much he could eat, how she was one of the only people he knew who had a passion for their dreams to match his. He remembered how hard it had been to let her go, go off to Johto, and how joyful he felt when they had reunited, if only briefly, in Sinnoh.

As he thought about May, his mind flashed through their greatest moments together. He thought of all the times that he had taught her the ropes to becoming a Pokemon Trainer, and how she reminded him of himself at the beginning of his own journey. Fresh on the road, not sure about how to do anything, but never giving up, no matter how hard things got. He remembered how rather than feel upset that May chose to be a Coordinator, rather than a Trainer like himself, he felt happy for her, knowing that she had found her calling.

All of these thoughts were rushing through Ash's head, one after another. He felt the same energy that he felt whenever he would cheer May on at one of her contests, and the sense of closeness that he felt with her up to the very end, and how he felt their bond grow even stronger the second that Sceptile's Leaf Blade went up, cutting the Terracotta Ribbon in half for the two of them.

Ash realized that while the shower he was in was getting cold, he felt extremely warm, and he had a strange feeling in his chest. Light but heavy, fuzzy and dizzying, a feeling that filled him to the brim, yet left him feeling empty inside. He shook his head and turned the water off, stepping out of the shower. He looked in the mirror and saw that his cheeks were flushed, almost inflamed looking.

He tried to shake things out of his head as he grabbed a towel to dry off, but no matter what he focused on, he always saw her in the back of his mind. She wouldn't leave him be, and while he thought he would be annoyed, he almost felt, sad, as if he wished she were there with him. He dried himself off and got dressed before heading down to dinner.

...

"Alright, Mister, what is it?"

Ash's Mom had prepared a whole feast for his homecoming. There was tons of everything, mashed potatoes, rolls, chicken, peas, you name it. All of Ash's favorites were there, yet rather than tear into it like he normally would, he was picking at it.

"What do you mean, Mom?" Ash asked.

"Well, any other time that you've come home, you ate so fast that a wild Tauros would be afraid to come near your mouth" Delia said. "But here you are, actually chewing your food. Are you sick? Does your stomach hurt? Are you on a diet?"

Ash gulped. "Nothing's wrong, Mom. I guess that I'm just not as hungry as I thought I was" he said.

"Mmm hmm?" Delia asked. "You know, you look a bit red. You could have a fever. Should I maybe take you to the doctor?"

"What? No, Mom, there's no need for that!" Ash said loudly, waving his hands.

"Ok, Ash, if you say so?" Delia said. But in her mind, she was thinking "Why do children always take their parents for fools? It's not my business to pry into everything, but I know what's up."

She looked across the table at her son, who appeared to be making an attempt to eat more, to ward off any suspicions. "Oh, I know exactly what he's showing. He's not hungry, he's flushed, he's quiet, and he's hardly looking me in the eye while we're talking. Either he's got the flu, or my little baby has a crush" she mentally squealed.

She cleared her throat. "So, I decided to call up your friends to see who could come over for a little 'Welcome Home Party'" she said.

Ash nodded, taking a bite of of a chicken leg.

Delia leaned back in her chair, observing him closely. "I called Brock and Misty first. They really wanted to come, but they're not sure that they will be able to, because Brock is taking over the Gym for his brother since he got sick, and Misty's Gym is backed up with challengers, and they needed every one of them who could qualify as a Leader. Of course, they will do their best to make it." Ash nodded, and she went on. "So next I called May…" she began, but trailed off a bit when she said May's name. She couldn't pinpoint it, but something changed in Ash's expression and posture. "...And she said that I called at the perfect time, because she had just earned her final ribbon in Goldenrod city, but the Grand Festival isn't for another three months, so she said that she's going to catch the next Magnet Train over."

Ash's attention was definitely peaked now, and right then she knew, that May was the one. She didn't let on, though, and continued as if she didn't see anything. "As for Dawn, she said that she could probably make it over if she can find a plane or boat leaving soon enough, since Hoenn is a bit further away than Johto. Gary said that he was busy investigating some strange happenings at Mount Coronet in Sinnoh for Professor Rowan, so there was no way for him to make it."

Ash cleared his throat and looked up. "So May is the only one who is going to be here for sure?" he asked, a back tone of hopefulness in his voice.

Delia nodded. "Yes, although Misty, Brock, and Dawn are going to try if they can."

Ash nodded again. He took one more bite of food on his plate then stood up. "Wow, Mom, that was great, but I'm really full and tired, so I think that I'm going to go to bed."

"Alright sweety, sweet dreams" Delia said as Ash walked up the stairs.

"You too Mom" he said.

As soon as Ash was out of sight, Delia turned around and chuckled in her hand. "Oh, young love. Ash's father and I were the same way when we were kids." She looked over the table at the mountains of food that were still there. She frowned, then said "Well I don't plan to go to bed anytime soon, and the more the merrier." She reached over and picked up the phone. She dialed in the number then waited. "Hey Tracy! Yeah, it's Ash's mom. Hey, would you and Samuel like to come over for dinner? Sure, anytime works. It's all made, and I wouldn't mind some company since Ash turned in early. Ok, see you two in a few minutes."

She put the phone back and went to step outside into the dusky sky. She could see the glow of what could only either be Charizard or Infernape up the hill by Oak Laboratories. A minute passed, and a small light could be seen on the building, what must have been the door opening for the two to come down. She smiled as she thought of the revelations she had about her son tonight. She sat down on the porch to wait for her company to arrive, and went over her findings.

"I sure hope that he really does like her" Delia said. "She seemed like such a nice girl when I met her."

The Next Morning

Ash had gotten out of the house early in the morning, running out and up to the lab to go see his Pokemon. He had left a note in the kitchen telling his mom where he had gone so that she wouldn't worry. It was a fairly chilly day, as the sky had been dark gray ever since he had woken up.

Ash hopped the fence into the pasture and ran around the back of the lab. He saw Pikachu curled up in the middle of the grass, surrounded by another Trainer's Jolteon and his own Donphan. Since they were still asleep, he tried to step quietly, yet Pikachu's ears still perked up as Ash came close.

"Pika!" Pikachu squealed softly, running over to Ash and climbing up his leg, onto his shoulder.

"Hey, good morning buddy" Ash said softly, scratching Pikachu under the chin, causing him to coo lightly. "Did you have a good time here last night?"

Pikachu nodded with a smile. "Pikachu."

"Glad to hear it" Ash said. "Hey, you want to help out with some training today?"

Pikachu's ears perked up. "Pi!" it affirmed.

"Awesome" Ash responded simply. "Who should we train with first?"

Pikachu struck a thinking pose, then his eyes popped open. "Pika Pika, Pikachu Pi!"

"Tauros and Donphan?" Ash asked. "Alright, then them it will be!"

Hours Later

"Alright, Tauros, now use Headbutt! Donphan, use Rollout!" Ash shouted.

Tauros pawed the ground, then dashed forward, its head lowered as it charged. Donphan jumped into the air, then curled up into a ball, the peeled out towards Tauos. The two collided in a powerful clash of their attacks, a struggle taking place for who would succeed. However, Donphan eventually won out, flinging Tauros' head up and slamming into its chest, sending it backwards, panting.

Ash stepped forward. "Great job guys. Tauros, your Headbutt is really coming along. You should go rest now, maybe get some water from the lake."

Tauros mooed at Ash, then turned and trotted off. Ash turned to Donphan. "And Donphan, you must have been practicing your Rollout for a long time, because it's gotten a ton stronger. You go and rest too."

Donphan came forward and nuzzled Ash's leg for a moment before stomping off in the same direction as Tauros. Just as it went out of sight, Ash heard clapping behind him. "Wow, nicely done Ash, you're still the same amazing Trainer I saw in Sinnoh."

Ash's heart nearly stopped when he heard the voice, the one that had been pervading his thoughts ever since last night. Ash turned around and saw none other than May Maple leaning over the fence and watching him. She was dressed as she had in the past, in a red skirt and blue cycling shorts, with her red bandana tied upon her head. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked into the corral.

Ash's shock gradually turned to an indescribable joy as he ran over to the fence to greet her. "May, it's great to see you!" he nearly shouted.

"You sure about that? You don't sound excited enough" May said. "Joking, it's pretty great to see you too. I heard you just got back from Unova, how was it?"

At the sound of her voice, Ash's mind went almost blank. His last bit of consciousness down in his mind tried desperately to get back in control. "Come on, what's going on?" he thought.

"Hello? Ash, are you in there?" May's voice came into his head.

Ash cleared his head. "Sorry. Yeah, it was amazing" Ash said. "There were so many new Pokemon there, and so many cool competitions and sights."

"That's awesome. I bet you didn't have any trouble up until the League, judging by how your Pokemon moved out there, did you?" May smiled.

Ash couldn't help but let his cheeks turn pink at the compliment. "Well, that's not entirely true. There was a Gym Leader there so strong, that her Gym Battles were all 3 on 6, and I still barely got my badge there."

"Wow, that's pretty tough" May laughed. "Johto's been great to me, all the contests were challenging, but I managed to get all the Ribbons I needed with plenty of time to spare." She took out her Ribbon Case and opened it, revealing five gorgeous Ribbons in pristine condition.

"Wow, you're really doing great ever since you went off the Johto, huh?" Ash asked with just a twinge of pain in his heart. He knew that she was doing just fine without him.

May shrugged. "Oh, you know how any journey is. You have little hiccups and accidents everywhere, but that's what makes them fun. And travelling through a region alone isn't nearly as fun as it was travelling with you and Brock" she said, a light color appearing in her cheeks.

That twinge disappeared as he heard these words. "Yeah, I wish that we could do it all over again."

"Who knows, maybe if you're around after I finish my Grand Festival, I might be able to travel with you wherever next" she said happily.

Ash felt a sort of balloon fill in his chest at these words. He would love nothing more that to travel with May again. His travels with her, he felt, had some sort of quality that he never field when he had traveled with Misty, Brock, Dawn, or Iris and Cilan. "That would be great" he said.

May laughed. "So, this is supposed to be your day to have fun. What do you want to do?"

"Oh, I, uh…" Ash said, stumped. He hadn't really thought much about what he had wanted to do today.

"Come on, Ash, are you telling me that you have no idea?" May laughed.

Ash's heart nearly pumped out of his chest when he heard her laugh, a single, clear note in the air. For a moment, the feeling was so intense, he stopped breathing. He mentally slapped himself, trying to get a grip on his feelings. "What the heck is going on with me?" he wondered. "Sorry, I just wasn't really thinking about it. I came here to train with my Pokemon as soon as I woke up" he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, you were never very good with planning anything but a battle" May giggled.

"Hey!" Ash protested.

"Joking" May laughed, pushing Ash's shoulder. "I'll give you a moment to think."

Ash nodded, thinking of anything he could to come up with an idea. He was deeply aware of how long it was taking him to brainstorm an idea. Pallet Town, after all, was a very small town.

"I don't know, maybe we could go for a hike" Ash suggested. "Maybe up around to Pallet Heights. I haven't been up there since before I started my journey."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea" May said. "I bet Pallet Town looks beautiful from up there."

"Yeah, it does" Ash said, remembering the beautiful sunny days atop the cliffsides, just him and his Mom. Although, he noticed, looking at the sky, it wasn't exactly a sunny day.

"So, anyone else here yet?" May asked.

"Well, no one else, no. It would just be the two of us up there" Ash said, looking down slightly while blushing.

"Oh, just us?" May asked, her face reddening as well.

"Yeah, none of the others were able to make it" Ash said. "So how about it?"

May swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, sounds great."

Ash climbed over the fence and hopped down next to May. He looked back and called out "Pikachu, we'll be back soon."

"Pika Bi!" Pikachu waved them off as they set off down the path.

As the headed for the edge of town, they were quiet with each other. Neither of them knew why, but the atmosphere between them felt odd.

Ash was the first to break the silence. "So, have you caught any new Pokemon since we last met up?" he asked.

"Actually, yeah" May said. "I've only caught one new Pokemon, but she's really good in contests."

"Wow, can I see her?" Ash asked.

"I actually don't have her on me" May said. "I only brought Blaziken when I came over. But I can tell you what it is. She's the most adorable little Flaaffy that you've ever seen."

"Oh, I haven't seen a Flaaffy in a long time" Ash said.

"She's a natural" May bragged. "She's got this appeal that gets the judges each time, a combination of Cotton Spore, Power Gem, and Discharge. It starts off by spreading the spores, then lighting them up with the electricity, and the the Power Gem pierces through all of them and makes them burst into glittering particles."

"That sounds like a pretty awesome combo" Ash complimented.

"You bet it is" May said, blushing lightly.

The two kept talking about May's new Flaaffy until they reached the base of the hiking trail. Ash turned to May. "Hey May?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Race ya'" he said, running up the path and scampering up the cliff face.

"Hey, no fair, you got a head start" May complained, taking off after the raven haired trainer.

One Hour Later

"*gulp* *gulp* *gulp*" Ash swallowed gallons of water, panting hard, having just gone full throttle all the way up to the top of the cliff.

"Heh, heh, you really haven't been slacking, huh Ash" May puffed out. "I didn't expect you to make it up so fast. How did you do it?"

"Well, Unova had a lot rougher areas than the other regions, so I had to get better at getting around" Ash said.

"Yeah, I guess" May said. "You climbed up so fast, I was almost wondering of you were an Ariados."

"Hey, I'm no Bug-Type" Ash protested.

May laughed. "Lighten up, Ash, it was only a joke."

Ash suddenly became very interested in his shoes. "Oh, right…"

There was silence for a moment, then Ash looked back up. "So, should we go see the view?"

May nodded. "Yeah, let's check it out."

The two walked across the tip of the mountainside, back towards the direction that led to Pallet Town. The flat area at the top of the rim was quite nice, having thick green bushes and tall standing trees alongside the pathway. Rattata rested up in the trees, alongside Pidgey who had built their nests in the crooks of the branches.

May's breath caught. "Oh wow…"

As the pathway cleared, and the edge of the ridge grew near, the landscape below came into view. Even without the sun shining, it was beautiful. The waters of Route 21 glinted in the distance, the hills and paths of Route 1 rolled across the landscape, and all of Pallet Town was visible below, all the people and houses below on a miniature scale.

Ash looked down on the view. "It looks so much better when the sun is out, but still, it's been forever since I've been here."

"You know, the clouds do have a certain charm to them" May said breathlessly. "If this is a bad time for the view, then I can't wait to see it on a good one!"

May walked forward and sat down at the precipice, her feet hanging over the edge. Ash hesitated for a moment, then sat himself down right next to her. "Yeah, I can't wait to bring you up here when the conditions are just right. I remember, once my Mom took me up here, before I had even left for my journey. It was, well, amazing. It's one of my favorite memories."

May smiled. "It sure sounds like a good one, too" she said.

Ash's heart beat a little faster once more when he saw her smile. "I still have no idea what's going on with me" he thought. "My heart's pounding, I'm blushing, and I feel like I can't act normal around May."

Ash felt like he had been immobilized. "Could I really be sick? I feel weird, but not like I'm really ill. I wish I had someone I could talk to. Brock would probably know what's going on, with all of his doctor training." Then something clicked in Ash's head. "Wait, Brock always acted this way whenever he started going crazy over any woman he met. He always started blushing and losing control, acting all weird. Could it be that I… and, May..?"

"Hello?" Ash heard May's voice once more.

Ash came back to reality. The breeze on the cliff, Pallet town below, and May right next to him. "Ah, sorry May, I don't know what was going through my head" Ash said, although he knew it was a lie. "I, I've never acted or felt this way before, but I don't know the first thing about… that. Is it even possible that I could feel that?"

May looked out over the view. "So Ash, we are going to be here for a little while. What should we talk about?"

Ash swallowed and tried to act normal. "Actually, there was one thing that I was curious about, May, but it might be a bit personal."

May blushed a bit and looked confused. "Well, you can sure ask, Ash, and I'll do my best to answer if I want to talk about it."

Ash looked out over the town, took a breath, then began speaking. "Well, I know that when we first met, you said that you hated Pokemon. So, I was wondering, why exactly was that?"

May's expression became slightly guarded. "Oh, that." She looked down in an almost embarrassed look, then looked back at Ash. "Well, it's a bit silly. You know how my dad is a Gym Leader?"

Ash nodded, and she continued. "Well, he's also been a Gym Leader for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was, well, at least five. And because of his power as a trainer, and the fact that he was a Gym Leader, he was almost always working. Trainers came from all over, and were there all the time, challenging him, both because they were trying to earn a badge, and because of how famously strong he was. Well, because he had so many challengers, he never really had time for his family."

Ash looked at her in shock. From the way she had introduced her parents, he would never have guessed that she barely had any time with her dad. "Wow, I never knew, May…"

May nodded and looked on. "I didn't want to blame him, because he was my father, and so many of the trainers that challenged him were so polite and kind, that I didn't really want to be mad at them either. After all, they were only following their dreams. They didn't know that they were keeping a man away from his family. So I moved on to blame the only ones I could. I blamed the Pokemon, because if it wasn't for them, then not only would Dad have no challengers, but he wouldn't even have that job that kept him away."

Ash found it astounding that she had gone as far as to wish that Pokemon weren't around, but he couldn't help but feel sad for her as the story went on.

"As time went on, my father spent less and less time at home as he became more popular, and soon, it was like I didn't even know him anymore" May said, small traces of pain in her eyes as the memories were brought to the forefront of her mind. "The only reason I got my first Pokemon from Professor Birch was so I could get out of the house. You saw yourself, I had almost no desire for battling at the beginning. It wasn't until I got into contests and began actually bonding with my Pokemon until I got over it and began to understand just why so many trainers came through. I had to learn how a Pokemon and Trainer were able to bond before I could get it. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to get there."

"Yeah, but once you got there, you have some of the closest relationships with your Pokemon that I've ever seen" Ash said confidently. "You may have not started out as a Pokemon lover, but ever since you became one, May, you've done so many awesome things."

May blushed lightly. "Wow, thanks Ash" she said lightly. "I had, no idea that you thought so highly of me. I mean, you were the one who taught me the ropes. Without you, I probably wouldn't even be a coordinator today. Heck, I would probably still only have one Pokemon and it would still be a Torchic."

"Oh, come on, May, I can't take all the credit for you successes" Ash said. "I didn't know much about Pokemon Coordinating, you did that all on your own."

May grinned and looked on. "Thank's Ash. You know, I've never really opened up to someone like that before. But I just felt like, it was easier, with you." She took a deep breath, then turned to Ash. "You know Ash, there was something that I've been wanting to tell you."

Ash was puzzled. "Sure, May. What is it?"

With an audible gulping sound, and a large red blush appearing on her cheeks she began to stutter out "Well, I-I jus-st wanted t-to s-say, I mean, I wanted t-to see…"

A howling wind swept across the clifftop. Both Ash and May had to put all their effort into not being blown off the precipice. Ash looked up and noticed that the smooth gray clouds that had been around since the morning had grown much darker, and much more jagged. There was now an extremely heavy wind, and all the makings of a massive storm.

"Hrrgh, this came out of nowhere" Ash grunted as the wind kicked up and rain started coming down in sheets, peppering them with water. It almost seemed dusk as the clouds had thickened without them noticing it.

Ash quickly hopped to his feet and extended his hand to May. May grabbed it and he pulled her up. "Come on, we better get back before it gets any worse!"

May nodded. "Yeah, let's get back to your house."

Ash and May began sprinting back towards the trail that led back down to Pallet Town. The wind threatened to knock them over at every second to the point where they had to try to fall forward in order to stay upright. Within seconds, the rain had doused them to their skin, and had their hair matted to their bodies. Lightning flashed all around them, blinding them every time it struck down, often at alarmingly close ranges.

One bolt struck down not ten yards to the side of them, cracking the ground and peppering them with the terrain. "This is worse than when Zekrom appeared in Unova" Ash had to nearly scream over the roar of the storm.

"Whatever that is, I bet you're right!" May yelled. "There could be nothing that could trump this."

Rattata ran, seeking shelter as the two arrived at the trailhead at the top of the mountain. May got on all fours and began climbing down the steep slope on the trail, with Ash right behind her. Lightning struck the top of the plateau above them once more, sending a light tremor through the ground beneath them. Small amounts of terrain shook loose and pattered down on their bodies.

The duo scrambled down the mountain as quickly as they could, rushing across narrow ledges and down thin handholds. The rocky mountainside was quickly becoming slick under the deluge of the storm above. As conditions rapidly grew worse, the urgency of making it off of the mountain intensified.

As they sprinted along the narrow edge that held the path down the mountain, the end of the trail was within sight, about 100 feet below their current point. The path winded back and forth down, leading to the end of the trail.

Ash looked down and saw how close they were to the bottom. "Come on, we're almost there" he muttered to himself.

As soon as he said that, he felt a slight shift in the atmosphere. Something had changed in the air, and his skin tingled. From the edge of his vision, he saw a bright flash of white light, ahead and above them. "May, look out!" he gasped.

A bolt of lightning struck down a mere few feet ahead of May. The ground split and shook, shaking the very ledge they were on. May stumbled as it struck the ground in front of her, teetering on the very edge of the path. The ground beneath her foot crumbled…

"ASH!" May screamed, falling off of the path towards the ground almost fifty feet below.

"No, MAY!" Ash yelled, diving forward and catching her hand as she plummeted. Barely grasping her hand, May held on with one arm for dear life as her body dangled over the drop.

Ash grunted and pulled hard as he slipped forward across the slick surface, the weight of May pulling him forward. He hooked his feet on some jagged rocks, catching himself, leaning forward as May slipped further down.

May slipped slightly further down through Ash's rain-slicked hands. "Ash, I don't think I can hold on!" she yelled.

Ash too slipped slightly further, as legs loosening around the jagged cliffside. He redoubled his grip on May's hands as he got closer to the edge. "Hrrgh, May, don't worry, I've got you!" Ash cried.

The ground shook as it was struck again, knocking Ash another foot forward. Straining his muscles to his full extent, he pulled upwards, but without any results. His position didn't allow him enough traction of pull May back up.

Suddenly, Ash's legs lost their hold on the slick rocky terrain and he slipped far forward, barely catching himself with his feet on very outmost edge of the path. His entire body hung down the cliff face, with May linked to him.

May gasped when he shifted. "Ash, I, I'm pulling you down" she said with fright. "I'm going to bring both of us down!"

"No, you won't, just hold on May" Ash grunted. "I can, I can save us."

One of Ash's feet came loose, but he was able to jam it back into place before he came too loose.

May shook her head. "Ash, you've saved me so many times before, but this time, you can't. All you're doing is dragging yourself down with me."

"May…" Ash said weakly.

May looked up with tears in her eyes. "Ash, I'm sorry, but this time, you can't save me."

"No, May, I can!" Ash said, pulling up as hard as he could.

"Ash…" May said, closing her eyes. "...Goodbye."

May's hand fell out of Ash's grip, as if in slow motion, towards the surface below. Each drop seemed to fall through syrup, and May began dropping, her tears falling upwards, contrasting the falling rain. Ash's hand stretched forward in a futile attempt to catch the falling girl.

Then time went back to normal. May dropped like a rock towards the distant ground below. The full dread and darkness of the storm came back into view, and she was out of reach.

"MAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!" Ash screamed.

May impacted the ground below, striking the surface and landing, unmoving.

Ash was frozen in shock, a silent scream of horror stuck in his throat. Lightning struck the mountain again, knocking Ash loose. Reacting on instinct, Ash swung around and caught the ledge, right side up. Looking down at May's body below, he felt a primal feeling built up inside him, a mixture of rage, sorrow, and fear. He suddenly released a scream, echoing through the area. "STARAPTOR, CHARIZARD, UNFEZANT, SWELLOW, ANYONE, HELP!"

His voice sounded weak and feeble, all but drowned out by the storm. A sense of dread settled in his heart. He climbed back onto the ledge and began sprinting down the mountain as speeds almost rivaling Pikachu's Quick Attack. He arrived down by May's side as fast as he could possibly reach her.

Ash cradled her body in his arms, the tears free falling from his eyes intermixing with the sheets of rain falling from the sky. "May…" he muttered shakily. His fingers brushed past her neck, and he received a huge shock. A small, infinitesimal movement took place within her neck. A pulse! "May, there's still a chance!" he thought.

Ash heard a faint roar over the sound of the monsoon. A feeble orange light glinted in the haze, and the roar sounded again. Charizard came dashing out of the clouds, down towards Ash.

Ash's sense of joy at his Pokemon's coming couldn't override the sense he felt at discovering May, clinging to life. "Charizard!" he yelled. "Take May! Take her to the hospital!"

Charizard looked down in shock at the body of the young coordinator, but didn't waste any time picking her up in his arms.

"Charizard, go at full speed the whole way, no matter what!" Ash commanded.

Charizard nodded. Spreading his wings wide, Charizard flapped them and took off into the air at great speeds, the flame at the tip of his tail flickering in the gale of the storm.

Ash didn't waste any time either, running down the path towards town, chasing after the Flame Pokemon in the sky as they both made their way to the Pallet Hospital. Adrenaline from fear kept his body in a constant motion, as if it were impossible for him to stop running. His mind kept replaying the moment where May slipped from his grasp over and over again, each time becoming more and more nightmarish than the last, as if his memory was being corrupted by his despair and sorrow.

"No, May, you have to hold on!" Ash thought. "I will not let you die, just like that. I will save you, every time, no matter what."

The dark sky almost completely cloaked his Pokemon from his view, but the bright orange light fixated on Charizard's tail provided a glow through the clouds. He watched as it descended through the sky, landing with the boundaries of the hospital, and disappear within.

Ash didn't let up. Pounding the pathway as he sped through town, Ash ignored the sodden weight of his clothes or the chill that pervaded his body from a source other than his experience. Nothing would prevent him from making it to his destination. From making it to the hospital. From making it to May.

Well, there you have it folks. The beginning of a new story. Often the one that the most pressure is put on, because if the first chapter isn't any good, who's gonna read the rest? But, I hope I did a good enough job. The meat of the story will take another chapter to get into, but I hope that you'll enjoy it when that happens. Until next time, see you later!