Man in the Mirror

Chapter 26: Hey Ash

May casually walked over to Ash after finding him resting against a tree. He was taking a breather from his training with Pikachu, so he let the mouse play with the other Pokémon. Ash seemed content with the progress of their efforts. It was clear that he was itching to hit the road again soon to measure his progress. May smiled at him, "How's training going, Ash?" The brunette sat down beside him.

"Hey, May," Ash happily welcomed the coordinator to keep him company. "Training is going great. I can't wait for our next adventure," the boy cheered.

"I figured," May giggled. She turned her eyes from Ash to Pikachu. The girl saw the Electric-type playing tag with Glaceon, Munchlax, and Skitty. They were having a wonderful time, especially after the incident with Tyranitar. The Pokémon helped rebuild May's home after the destruction wrought upon by the Rock-type, so they were happy to have fun after a week of hard work. She was also glad to see the wild Pokémon were healing and getting comfortable with coming out of hiding after the unexpected rampage. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Then May thought about the Pokémon responsible for their victory, "Have you seen Pyroar?"

Ash nodded up and down, "He went to check on some of the wild Pokémon at the edge of the area. I think he's made himself feel quite at home here, May, even though he's not officially your Pokémon."

May was delighted to hear that. Pyroar was one of them now after everything it went through. "We're more than happy to have him. He's a great company for the Pokémon here. I don't think it's necessary to catch him if he wishes to stay. I also don't want to press him. After all, he's not a tame lion," the coordinator teased with her last statement.

"I agree," Ash chuckled. They had a pleasant conversation talking about Pyroar's growth from a Litleo, but the conversation led to a discussion over Pyroar watching her while she recovered, which led to the topic of Ash watching over May while she recovered. That subject made May think about the reason she looked for Ash in the first place. Her face turned somewhat saddened.

Her friend quickly noticed the change in her disposition. "Is something wrong, May?" the raven-haired trainer questioned.

May brought her knees close to her chest. She rested her head on them and wrapped her arms around her legs. "There's something that has been bothering me," May confessed.

Ash became puzzled. He suspected it might be related to the kiss they shared yesterday. The trainer wasn't sure how he knew it, but the signs pointed to that as the source of May's strange behavior. She didn't treat him strangely, but the look in her eyes every time she saw him was different from before. Something changed after that kiss. He thought about the conversation he had with Pikachu about it yesterday.

"Pikapi pi!" Pikachu looked at Ash with surprise. His trainer sat in front of him crisscrossed with a nod. The yellow mouse learned that May regained her old memories of Ash.

"I guess Tyranitar's Stone Edge must've affected her memory somehow. I'm not glad May suffered that, but I'm happy she remembers me again," Ash hesitantly shared. May's recollection of her journey with Ash added an element of bittersweetness to the encounter with Tyranitar. If the Armor Pokémon had never attacked, May might have never remembered him.

Pikachu nodded sideways, "Pi pika pikachu." Pikachu assured Ash that looking back on it didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered now was the present. In this present, May kissed Ash, which Pikachu felt was a huge deal.

"You're right, buddy. I shouldn't think about that anymore. I'm just grateful she's awake. That's all I wanted," Ash said with relief.

"Chu pika?" Pikachu curiously questioned.