Man in the Mirror

Chapter 4: Privacy

"Hey, that's not fair, guys. I'm supposed to tag you!" Ash laughed as he tried to run from Pikachu and his other Pokémon.

The Pokémon yelled back and disregarded the rules for the game of tag. "This isn't what I had in mind when I said we could play a game!" Ash anxiously tried to outrun them but knew they'd catch up soon.

Pikachu, Quilava, Totodile, Bulbasaur, Bayleef, and many of his other Pokémon chased Ash because they thought it was more fun to tackle the trainer instead. As usual, Ash's clever Bulbasaur would find a way to outsmart anyone, "Bulba!" Bulbasaur smirked and released a vine that grabbed Ash by his foot.

"Guys, sto-" Ash failed to finish when he felt something wrap around his foot. "Not good," Ash nervously chuckled when he looked. The boy was not surprised that it had been Bulbasaur's doing, but he got more concerned about the herd ready to tackle him.

Ash sighed and extended his arms out wide to receive his Pokémon. "No point in resisting anymore," Ash sighed with a defeated grin. The Pokémon all cried out cheerfully when they had finally caught Ash and brought their trainer down to the ground like a wall.

They all got on top to nuzzle, lick, and hug him. Ash laughed as they all treated him with affection. "That was cheating," Ash managed to reach the surface after being dug under his Pokémon, but the boy kept chuckling through the ambush.

His Pokémon were as gleeful as him. The trainer took time to pet each of them as a display of equal affection. "That was fun," Ash threw his back on the grass with a tired but content voice. He shifted his head to the side to stare at his Pokémon. Most of them were with him, including Charizard and Torterra. Infernape and Sceptile were the only ones absent because they were training, but Ash didn't mind. He respected their devotion to improvement.

Ash looked deep into the eyes of each of his Pokémon. "You're all such amazing friends, you know that?" Ash reminded his Pokémon how much he valued them.

Some roared in joy, some smiled, and others embraced him. It was their way of showing how much they loved Ash. "Our hearts are connected," Ash nodded at them.

They all nodded at Ash's soft smile, "No matter how far away we are, friendships like ours never weaken." After emphasizing that, Ash's mind thought of Serena and May. His statement reminded him of his forgotten friendships with the pair of girls. It made him wonder if their friendships were strong enough to last, especially with May.

Ash stood up. He confused some of his Pokémon with his pensive gaze. "I have to do something that I had to get done earlier, but we had so much fun it slipped my mind. Once I finish, I'll come back and play with you, ok?"

They all understood Ash had other priorities, so they were alright with it, even Bayleef. "Thanks, I'll catch ya later," Ash said to them. He hung his shoulder out for Pikachu, who got on and told his friends he'd be back too.

"Pikapi pi?" Pikachu asked Ash on the trek back to the lab if he planned to work on his letter to May. He knew his trainer all too well.

"That's right, Pikachu. There are other friends we need to reconnect with," Ash smiled at his yellow friend as he entered the lab. The boy found solitude in the library where he could write his thoughts down. If he needed to write a letter to May, he needed privacy and peace to listen to his heart and find the right words.

Ash took a paper and pen from the drawer underneath the video phone and clicked on the writing device. The excitement in his heart had already begun growing. "I don't have the best handwriting, but I'll try to make this as neat as possible," Ash commented as he slowly and gently wrote the first two words, "Dear May."

Unfortunately for Ash, someone came to interrupt his creative moment. "Dear May?" Brock's voice almost made Ash jump, and the boy quickly turned around. Pikachu felt embarrassed he failed to sense Brock since he was just as distracted as Ash.