Chapter Text
While the other two celebrated the new capture, Ash fondly watched for a moment when he felt something bump into the back of his heel. Looking back Ash’s sights landed over an oval-shaped object with red and blue triangle patterns covering it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his younger self roll off Charizard and oh so coincidentally embracing a similar oval between his arms. “Well, this certainly happened differently,” Ash laughed wholeheartedly . It was a laugh so joyful and carefree that it quickly brought Gary and May to teary laughter.
By the time their laughter dialed down, all four of our heroes looked at one another with a clear question on their minds, ‘What now?’ They were in the middle of a canyon where neither Gary or Ash had been in over 7 years, while May hadn’t even been there before, so, how were they supposed to navigate anywhere. Could either of them remember what the closest city even was?
“So, um, does anyone have a map?” the contest winner inquired going through her Rotom Phone. The phone buzzed as it articulated that it was unable to connect to any cellular signal or WiFi. This information made them groan with frustration, so Ash with an exasperated tone suggested simply choosing a direction and following it.
Ash pointed in one direction and everyone turned to look; what was in their sights was desert and distant cacti and tumbleweeds. Then, May suggested the direction directly to the right from where Ash had pointed, coaxing all to turn in that direction, it was just more of the same. As for the other two directions were the walls of the canyon as its walls stretched high and dry into the sky, and its crevices widening precariously or narrowing as they criss-crossed through the land. Copper colored dirt and sand flowed across their feet pushed by the breezes coming from the canyon's trails. So far none of the options were painting a rather good picture, and that’s not even mentioning that the sun was trailing. The tallest of our heroes signed and chastised himself, mumbling that he should have paid attention to the direction his young counterpart had gone when he and his posse had woken up and left. Then, just before they made up their mind to simply travel in one direction a feminine voice called out to them. They turned with elatement when their gazes set on Officer Jenny who was calling them from the speakers on her incoming cop car. When Jenny arrived she was given a run down of their situation and thankfully she only sighed There was exhaustion clear in her voice but gave them a ride to the nearest city nonetheless.
Eventually, our team was dropped off at the nearest Pokémon center and all of them were quite grateful at the fact that trainers ate and slept for free, even in the past. It was also a miracle they managed to snag the last bunked room in the center which had 4 beds and sure, one bed would go unused but who cared! The entire way to their room was practically on autopilot, each mindlessly climbing into an empty bed and knocking out. It wasn’t long before the sound of steady breathing could be heard from May and rather quiet snores from Gary every so often. One of them tried to let his tired eyes and brain, however, anxiety laced on his face and his heart beat rapidly in his chest because of one thought, no, one fact was screaming around in his head, ‘She’s alive…’
…
Suffice it to say our heroes didn’t get much sleep, and Ash even less so. By the time May lifted her head from her pillow through half open eyelids, she saw that light was coming in from the edges of the blackout curtains, curtains that she didn’t remember being shut the night before. With a whimper for more sleep she sat up and stretched, slowly her mind got up to speed as she glanced around the room that had two identical bunks mirroring her half of the room. Her eyes first reached Gary, her best friend…love rival…or love interest…who slept on the bottom bunk. Oh, boy, welp that was something, May hadn't expected to have the words, love rival or love interest, add the the describing adjectives for Gary Oak. Well, perhaps there were moments in the past where she indulged in the briefest of fantasies about a fleeting crush.
She'd be lying to herself if Gary hadn't sparked a bit of lust in her, or a moment or two of weakness where she got herself off thinking of said certain young man, sue her. Still, it was nothing more than a fleeting attraction, at least she thought it was.
Of course, she had not forgotten about Gary's equal and opposite in Ash Ketchum, which led her to think about how they had fought each other. Thankfully, their brief tussle didn't leave any serious injuries which easily could have been far worse if not for Kukui's intervention. May had seen the two seriously brawl before and those had ended with visits to the hospital for stitches and she was glad that those were very few and far between. See, it was not a secret Ash had athletic prowess, just look at the man climb a tree or a cliff face, he was practically a human Aipom or mountain Gogoat. He was also an Aura Guardian which was information far less known; he had gotten extensive battle training in the kingdom of Rota and certainly should have known better than to fight a civilian for something so petty. Not to mention the superhuman strength that Ash possessed. As for Gary, initially most would not have guess that the Pokemon professor could easily knock the daylights out of someone, since most only saw his profile picture, but the moment the man's larger muscular body comes into view, most do a 180. As for actual training, his granduncle had paid lots of money to make sure his grandnephew received the best training from the Black Belts in Saffron City, which was in direct contrast to Professor Samuel Oak and Samson Oak who prioritized education. Don't get her wrong, when Gary was intelligent, but he always brought serious dedication to his martial arts. In that sense she could say that he could rival Ash in close combat as well.
May yawned as she pushed down her crazy bed hairdo, while bringing her legs to hang over the edge of the surprisingly comfortable mattress. She watched as across from her, the boy that unceremoniously confessed to her, stirred a bit before turning onto his stomach and hugging his pillow tightly, a light snore escaping as he fell back asleep. It amazed her just how relaxed Gary way when asleep, when awake most of the time he acted with superior attitude that completely went away while he slept, and it only brought out a fond giggle from her.
Just the day before he and May had talked for all of what, ten, maybe fifteen minutes before Ash popped out of nowhere interrupting their conversation. May wasn’t sure how to feel about the information Gary did manage to give her. What of the kiss? What of Ash? What of Drew, her ex and ex father to her lost child? The coordinator had her emotional health placed on a multi-loop roller coaster over the last two months, Drew disowning their unborn child, then Drew cheating on her resulting in their breakup. After that, she had her bittersweet victory winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival by defeating said man. By the way, she was surprised Dawn hadn't entered the contest, but she digresses.
Then, just before leaving for Alola, she’d spoken with her parents about her pregnancy only to be rejected and disowned and her child being cursed by its own grandparents. Later in Alola, the first few days she felt so elated, so glad that hanging out with Gary and Ash helped to keep her mind occupied, rather than thinking on prior events. That was until worst thing to have ever happened to her brought her to misery, she lost her baby. A baby she’d never get to meet, teach, to guide, or to show them all the love she could offer. A month into her pregnancy it was gone. On top of that a single month's time later she still can’t say with confidence that she was over her loss. The pressure, the weight of it lifted a bit. May shook her head to try to keep from dwelling on that, she didn't need to cry. She was not in a place or time where she could let herself fall apart, now wasn’t the right time literally. Who knew when Celebi would end their little excursion.
As for Ash, he was a boy, she had met at the very start of her journey, a journey she started only to try an satisfy her want to travel the world and to appease her father who wanted her to be a trainer. Of course, wanting to challenge the gyms and make champion level rank was not at the top of her to do list. Yet, even with her reluctance, Ash helped mentor her through her early days as a trainer then helped her specialize into a Pokemon Coordinator. Years later that guy had asked her out and took her on a date that honestly topped any date she’d ever had with Drew.
True, she did have a crush on the silly but arrogant boy she had traveled through two regions with, but she had never acted on it. She was a little girl, what business did she have getting a boyfriend, and sure May was more mature than Ash, as girls tend to be, still crushes weren’t too important at the time. Over time the young lady would actually come to be close friends with many of Ash’s travel companions, and getting particularly close with his female friend. It was during one of their get togethers, where she learned that most of them had at one point or another had crushes on the doofus they called Ash. Dawn for example had told her she had a crush on said boy for a while, but as time went on their dynamic shift and feelings evolved into that of siblings. Did that make her feel a twinge of jealousy, maybe, though she let that particular feeling fade because she had started dating Drew not long after. Anyway, there was a consensus between the girls that objectively Ash had grown quite handsome and a pretty great guy, only they no longer viewed him as a love interest, instead opting for a close friend or even brother figure.
In regards to herself, she had told herself while dating Drew, the attraction she felt for Ash would fade away into obscurity. Again don't get her wrong, she did have genuine feelings for Drew and cared for him, it's just that things didn't work out. At the end of the day, May had assumed her views on Ash had been brotherly, seeing the black haired teen as a close friend…best friend. Suddenly, in the short time she had reunited with Ash right after the Grand Festival, that attraction rekindled and was brought to the surface, and without the excuse of being in a relationship, it took hold. Then yet again another pause to those feelings, honestly it was getting ridiculous as this point.
The brunette sighed with a frown, remembering more recent events, feeling so sad, and out of place. There were some good days, of course, but most days just felt like bad days, you know. She won't lie and say the last month after the whole thing with the storm and hospital had been easy on any of them. For example, Gary would slip away whenever he could, “Make a call,” and be gone for an hour or two, simply to avoid talking about what was going on in his head, when questioned. Ash focused on his job as champion and added his labor to the reconstruction efforts and his free time taken up by Pokémon/Guardian training. May would be a hypocrite if she said she didn't have a part in their self-inflicted isolation. While dealing with her recovery involved both physical and emotional healing it was hard for her to be around others without feeling like a failure of a woman.
Throughout that time, both of Ash’s parents had tried to mediate because she could see the after effects the Typhoon had on them. Both older adults could see the depression, isolation, and unhealthy habits they were developing. She was grateful to them for their love and kindness, though, because their effort to help their trio slowly paid off. May and Burnet began having girl-days out, meanwhile Kukui would bring Gary down to the lab to assist or take the teen to the gym to work out. Gary seemed to really like his time with the regional Professor, and she felt a light feeling whenever they had a lively conversation on whatever the subject was that day. It was almost as though they were growing a parental bond with two professors. Ash had been more stubborn and took the longest to get him out of his funk. Perhaps the turn around time on that was to quick…she’ll have to look into his mental health at least. Anyways, he would be more on guard around them all, he would leave for his Champion duties early to handle champion Rank battles, then go to the many reconstruction sites and finally get home late enough that almost all were sleeping. All except, Burnet who refused to sleep until he at least walked through the door like the concerned mother she was. Thankfully, with a combined effort from both parents and Elite Four, Ash was convinced to take a vacation. Though with this time travel hooha, who knew how long it'd actually be.
So, after all that, she was at an impasse, she went on a date with Ash, bringing up long forgotten feelings, only to end up getting a confession from her other best friend, bringing up an attraction she didn’t even think could be more than friendship or the occasional sexual attraction. The Top Coordinator also felt jealousy at the fact that, Gary, Gary Oak wants her potential boyfriend, yet, why did her, emotionally compromised, heart flutter at the thought that the young professor had romantic affection for her, and wanted her too. Why did she feel so light, warm, and carefree all rolled up in one with these boys? And besides the jealousy, why in the Reverse world did the thought of Gary being into Ash do something to her belly and core?! Maybe it was the thought of both of them being these hot, tall muscular dudes who have been friends/rivals practically since the womb and would look so sexy in each other's arms. Was it strange that the young woman liked the thought of a rivals to lover scenario happening between the two, yet look at her with the same desire.
Yep, she’s been reading too many romance books and needs to stop. Damn it all to the Distortion world, thanks to them, her mind felt like it was being pulled many directions both romantically and sexually. What kind of love triangle shit was this?
With a defeated humpff, May flopped back down only to bury her face in her pillow and screeched into it with frustration and a red face. In hindsight, she could see how feelings had grown for her two best friends, and her talk with the champion’s mother did make her think more in depth on the matter. Was she frustrated? Yes. Was she ashamed of her thoughts? depends. It was clear for all to see that both guys were attractive men, men, she knew well and knew were gentlemen. It was no secret that both boys were attractive having seen many fans, fan-clubs, and on live forums to know people found them very good looking dudes. Objectively, they are hot and maybe she didn't only have a crush on Ash but on Gary too. There in lay her dilemma, she could admit to herself that at bare minimum she found them both attractive and had a crush on each of them, but she had gone on a date with one of them one day and the other confessed literally the next day. Based on her past relationship, would she be a hypocrite in the fact that she went on a single date with Ash but had certain feelings for the other male as well? Would by definition, she be a cheater for having a date with one while also being attracted to the best friend? What about the fact that one of them claims to have the same feeling for the other while having the same type of feelings for her? Maybe her situation wasn’t so dissimilar to Gary’s own. As far as she new, Ash had never said anything about being into Gary. May had heard rumors that he had a brief this with Go, but there was never any proof. Yep, the three of them definitely need to have a serious talk about their relationship.
So, with an exasperated exhale she took a glance over to Ash’s top bunk above Gary’s, only to find the bed unmade but empty. Wondering where her potential boyfriend had gone, she quietly stood up with a huff, stretched, and went to put on her shoes. May grabbed her pokéball belt, double checking Manaphy's ball was still secured to the white leather belt and made her way out of the room in search for her other best friend. Well actually, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth first then the young woman made her way through the halls of the Pokemon center to her first lookout point, the cafeteria.
When she got there she saw many tables and booths, though most were empty with only a few stragglers. She could see the staff cleaning up after breakfast from behind the counters, which made her turn to the large digital clock at the far end of the cafeteria, which read, “11:23am.” ‘Wow, we really slept in today,’ she mused quickly, snatching an apple from the breakfast bar before it was taken away. It made sense though, since the, ‘previous morning,’ the two dummies brawled, a confession, spoke with Team Rocket, traveled through time and space and had a fossil debacle; they were so exhausted.
With a crunching bite to the crisp red apple, the young woman made her way out to the center’s battlefield knowing that if Ash wasn’t eating, he was most likely training. That was where May found Ash with his Lucario duking it out in a pretty intense sparring match by the looks of it. Weirdly, their spar wasn’t drawing much attention like it normally would, maybe it was an off day at the Pokémon center. The two of them were trading blow for blow in the middle of a pretty standard dirt battlefield, but with all the footprints, dug groves and blast craters, it was clear this wasn't just any spar and had been at it for a while. Watching from the sidelines she let herself lean back against the wall of the building as she watched the trainer and Pokémon.
Ash had taken off both his lavender colored button up and white T-shirt mostly due to heat and to keep them from getting soaked in sweat, they did only have one pair of clothes after all. The aura user had also foregone his lavender converse shoes and socks leaving them to the side along with his shirts. That would explain why there were literal foot-prints. alongside paw-prints and everything else in the dirt. Lastly, the raven haired man had rolled up his pant legs to about half way of his calves.
As for the spar, Lucario would lunge forward aiming a punch to the man, Ash would dodge much like a professional kick-boxer, then he leaned back bringing his leg up for a fast kick to the Pokémon’s side. Lucario grunted softly and took a step back reeling from the aura infused kick. The young lady was sure it was a kick laced with the power of Aura because by the looks of the force Ash put into it, it had to be. See, Lucario are Pokémon that have soft fur but armored thick hide, even if not apparent to the naked eyes, not to mention its bones are naturally imbued with steel. So, if he hadn’t use his aura to power up that heavy kick, Ash's leg would have been shattered. Next, Lucario brought his palms together before using its aura to create a staff in the shape of a long femur. Ash braced himself for the impact as he channeled Aura through his arms, "Innate: Protect.” Immediately, a translucent force field burst from his crossed arms that shimmered between a faint yellow and white glow. When Bone Rush hit the barrier, it sent a blast of air outward but did not penetrate or damage the force field, as for May who was watching with intrigue quickly moving to wrangle her hair back into place after having it jostled around by the unnatural breeze.
"Aurg,” the steel type granted before bombarding the shield with powerful Bone Rushes; each strike creating a loud clacking sounds that May was sure could be heard inside the Pokémon Center. As the two continued to spar the Princes of Hoenn shamelessly let her eyes roam the exposed skin on display for her. She admired the way his arm muscles flexed with each punch the champion made. The young woman liked the way his taut skin so clearly showed the well defined shoulders and triceps with the natural rotation of his arm when throwing a punch. Was Ash ambidextrous?
'Let's not forget that back,’ May reminded herself, moving her gaze to each rippling muscle group in that well toned back which eventually disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. On top of that, the angle of viewing she had in her spot against the Pokemon Center's brick wall, allowed sunlight to highlight his body even more. Was she simping, simping hard? YES.
Then in an impressive show of skill Ash evaded an incoming Force Palm by throwing himself to the right in a move that resembled a cartwheel, and though it was fast, May had a keen eye for skill and movement as it was essential in contests. The jackal fighting type had run up to its trainer with its arm coated in an orange fighting essence reeling it back for the attack. Then with strength Lucario thrust its arm forward, palm/paw facing Ash. In the same moment, Ash had thrown his weight to his left, inclining his entire body until he was supported by his arms in a handstand. "Innate: Double Kick!” In rapid succession, Ash brought down an orange glowing foot down followed by the second. The sight reminded the young woman of a Hitmontop when performing its spinning Double Kick, because of this, she wondered if Ash would eventually be able to do a Triple Kick. Of course, this wasn't the blue furred canine’s first battle because it immediately and expertly met each incoming foot with an Arm Thrust to each. May watch with interest noting how each attack had the usual fighting aura glow though in different ways. For example, the Double Kick Ash used, physically made the skin of his feet up to his ankles glow hot orange; on the other hand the Steel type's arms had the fighting energy manifest around its arm like an aura flame. Due to this with every Arm Thrust, the aura looked as though they were leaving after images.
Thoughts and plans stirred inside the young Lady's mind on how she could use a Pokemon move's subtle appearances in her Contests. Sadly, many coordinators failed to look into the intricate machinations that go into a performance which leave so many in mediocrity. May was not one of those people, mark her words.
Eventually, the two slowed, each panting heavily but neither one daring to look away. Lucario shook its head as it smirked at Ash, then it fixed its posture, gave the human a respectful nod then it growled something. Ash quickly waved it off with a blush, "Stop it Lucario. You know it's weird when you call me that outside of the Royal Court!” The blue and black furred mon only snickered, repeating its previous actions for a second time, “Sheesh, I never should’ve told you about Sir Aaron’s Lucario…”
After another weak chastising from the human male the jackal Pokémon shifted its eyes to the female human greeting her with a nod, she waved back with a bright smile. The blue furred Pokemon proceeded to walk over to where Pikachu and Quilava sat near a concrete wall that fenced in the battle field. Pikachu waved at May who waved back before the yellow furred mon refocused his attention on Lucario. Watching the Pokémon interact brought a small content smile to grace her lips, he release her Glaceon and Manaphy. Due to Manaphy lower mobility on land it hopped on Glaceon’s back who brought them over to the others. When she moved her gaze to the hot and sweat trainer walking up to her, she let her teeth lightly chew at her bottom lip.
“ Good morning Pretty lady, did you sleep ok, last night?” Ash greeted and beamed, stepping close. Close enough she could see the stubble on his chin from lack of shaving and feel the heat radiating off his skin. Did she mention that Ash was currently lacking a shirt and he was glistening with sweat.
Maybe the slight glint of the morning sunlight reflecting off said sweat drew her eyes to his neck; maybe her gaze followed a droplet of sweat slide down over his collarbone and down his right pec. The boy being ogled, noticed she wasn't looking at his eyes like he was at hers. Glancing in the direction she was looking in, he tilting his chin down as saw where her attention was. Ash's eyes flashed with a bit of aura, a strong sense of pride and arousal flooded his body. May was looking at him and he liked that, so with an unconscious lick of his lips, a playful and naughty look came about his face.
With little effort he willed the muscles beneath his evenly tanned skin to flex, bringing a surprised but wanting gasp from the woman at the pec bounce. “Princess, I believe that we were having a conversation,” the man said, taking a step closer, tilting her head up by gently directing her chin in with his hand. As he spoke again his voice deepen and in a husky tone, “Your focus seems elsewhere.” Ash let his eyes look over her features. Her stunning sapphire eyes, the curve of her cheeks, her supple lips. Those lips of a peachy-rose hue, a subtle shade to be sure, but they seem to always glisten with a natural gloss. He vaguely remembers a conversation long ago where she mentioned to the girls that she didn’t wear lipstick or gloss because she didn't need it or at least not often.
Oh, how true that was, and those supple lips drew him in. Taking a step closer he placed his hands on her hips and pulled the coordinator against him. Ash could feel the heat of her body against him, how they seem to mold together, how perfectly his body molded to her and her’s to his. May felt her heart race and heat pooled in her face and below at the contact. Her hands reach up to his shoulders and with his arm keeping her balance, she rose slight on her toes to meet him half way. Leaning down the young man stopped just barely a breaths away from contact with a whisper, “Though, if my princess allows it, there something else she may like to focus on.”
May's eyes hazed and her body filled with want. May looked at him with half lid blue eyes before following the side of his face, and due to their close proximity she could see the morning stubble outlining his cheek, and framing his jaw around to his lips, inviting lips. The stubble was doing something for her, and the thought of Ash with a trimmed beard was a thought she’d explore later. Now, this side of Ash was definitely something she liked and wanted it now.
The moment when his lips locked with hers and her eyes seem to close on their own, she saw the flicker of electric aura in the trainer’s eyes. Melting into the kiss, her arms fully wrapped around his neck while at the time one of his hands, which had been on her hips, move to the small of her back and applying a strong hold. She’s always like being held like that, supported, and Ash was putting just the right amount of pressure at the small of her back enacting that feeling in her. It was firm enough that May was firmly held against the man, yet if she wanted to, for Arceus knows what reason she wanted to, she could pull away. May was certainly not going to pull away. So because of this, May became acutely aware how the other’s body felt against her. The heat from his physical activity seat into her skin regardless of the clothes she wore. The way he moved a leg between hers, leaning her against the wall behind them as he devoured her. Their kiss was filled with passion and down right need, with small and quick gasps of air before coming back to each other.
Arceus, she tasted good, apple and with a slight hint of mint, probably from her toothpaste’ his mine barely supplied him to to lost in exploration. Letting his unoccupied hand roam downwards he cupped at May’s ass inciting the woman to hum wantingly into their kiss. With a that hum of approval and a quick shake from her, he took that as invitation to continue his ministrations. All the while May let her hand comb through his long dark locks leting her nails graze over his scalp making him shiver. She like that reaction so when she pulled away just far enough to get a breath of air, and raked her nails through his hair, it earned her sight of him shivering at her touch.
Watching him shiver just from that, sent wild thought in her mind of what else she could do to elicit that kind of reaction. So, as she licked at his bottom lip she lean just slightly out of reach keeping him from capturing her lips again, only to get hazy eyes looking at her with confusion and disappointment at the retreat. In that moment, May wasn’t sure if he was whipped or she was, because that look made her want to give in, and she did. In an instant she dove in, and it was as if instinct acted for him because he moved forward with equal vigour. It was a miracle they didn’t clash teeth. It was his tongue that reached out first but she quickly met his, she wasn't going to let him dominate they kiss without a fight for it. Were they moving fast? Probably. Did she care to much in the moment? No, because it felt so good and it only turned her on the more dominant he got. A said man began to slow grind against her core; the evidence of his enjoyment was clearly show by the wood he was sporting in his jeans. That plus the melding of tongue on tongue kept them from being conscious of their surroundings.
“Ehem…”
When again, her hand wandered up his neck to combed through his black locks, a deep hum escaped him. His hum quickly became a muffled moan as she raked her nails over his scalp. ‘Yes, just enough to feel so good,’ she thought proudly and not so subtly moving her leg between his to grind some pressure which he reciprocated forthwith.
“You’re out in puBLIC!”
Momentarily surprised, Ash springs back leaving her against the wall and feeling cold with the departure of his body heat. He was panting and she quickly realized she was too. He was hot faced and biting his lip with canines sharper than she'd realize they were. Was it cliché that something as simple as a sharp tooth made her shiver, yes, but that didn't seem to matter when her tummy squirmed at the thought of a love bite.
“Ash?” May breathed looking up at him with expectant eyes, but the response that came was not from Ash Ketchum.
“Nope…Gary Oak.”
Both almost jumped out of their skin, head turning so fast they could’ve gotten whiplash. There to beside them was none other than their best friend standing tall at his 6’3 with thick arms crossed and a displeased look on his face.
‘Well, there goes the mood,” May inwardly sighs, disappointed in the abrupt intrusion, but with a sense of weariness.