Man in the Mirror

Chapter 15: Xscape

Ash stabbed the stack of pancakes with his fork and stuffed himself with as much the utensil could grab. He savored the buttermilk taste and chocolate sweetness. As far as Ash recalled, this might be the best damn breakfast one could have while riding a private plane in the sky. He gulped through his orange juice like a thirsty Camerupt to wash down the food. Halfway through his chugging, he remembered May and Pikachu sat across him. The coordinator looked impressed. Ash slowed down and put down his glass of OJ. "Sorry, May," he muttered.

"For what?" she lifted her eyebrow. May was somewhat amused by his antics. It wasn't every day she found someone who matched her appetite.

Ash rubbed the back of his hair. "My table manners aren't the best when I'm hungry," the trainer thought of his mother's lectures on decorum.

May put a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggle. "You know, Wallace put me in classes that taught etiquette because I'd do the same thing whenever I attended a dinner party after a long day's work. Watching you eat reminded me of me before all this."

"Classes that teach etiquette sound awful," Ash cringed at the thought. He preferred lectures from his mother any day.

The coordinator giggled again. "Between you and I, I'll still eat like my Munchlax whenever I'm alone sometimes." Ash chuckled with her, picturing the moment in his mind.

"What would our moms say," Ash added to the amusement.

"Probably disown us if they ever saw how ravenous we can get it," May knew Caroline wouldn't approve of poor table manners either. She wouldn't need anyone's approval for the time being. Suddenly, an uneasy feeling sunk in. The coordinator felt her stomach ache when the thought hit her. She stopped laughing and placed her hands over her abs.

"Pi?" Pikachu sensed the change in her attitude with a half-eaten Poké Puff still in his paws.

Ash was confused by her sudden quietness. "Something the matter?" It seemed as if the food made her stomach upset. "Did something not settle well?"

May gave him half a smile. She nodded sideways, "It's not that. It just occurred to me that what I'm doing might change everything for the first time in years. I guess it scared me."

"You're talking about taking time away from coordinating and public appearances?" Ash asked. May nodded in agreement. "What scares you about it? I thought you wanted to do this," the boy wished to understand.

His friend clarified, "I do, but it doesn't make it any less scary. It's like when I knew I wanted to become a Pokémon Coordinator, but I was still nervous to get on the stage for the first time. I still went through with it. It's funny because I'm getting off the stage now and don't know what to expect next. What if people don't support me anymore when I get back?"

Ash and Pikachu listened. They knew where May's fear was coming from. She feared she would get antagonized for leaving her fans hanging. Ash placed his hat back on since he'd finished eating. He adjusted it to make sure it fit right. "I'll tell you what's going to happen next." May's eyes focused on Ash when he said that. The trainer smiled, "You're going back to coordinating because it's what you love the most. The difference is that you'll start enjoying it again because you'll do it on your terms. No one will take the joy of performing away from you again because you'll have learned more about yourself and the things that matter. You're stepping back from the stage to rediscover yourself, but once you're back in the spotlight, you'll be a Contest Master. A Contest Master who has the freedom to compete wherever."

May could feel the fire in her heart return when she processed Ash's words. It was reinvigorating. He believed in her in a way very few did. "Ash," was all she could say while listening to his motivational speech.