It was dusk. Ash, May, and Pikachu sat by a lake in a quiet town somewhere in the Hoenn region. The pair were accompanying May on her way home to Petalburg City. Since the coordinator no longer had celebrity privileges, the trek home was longer than expected, but none of them minded. They preferred it this way. Encountering new Pokémon, meeting new people, and enjoying the sights at one's pace was better than following a schedule while traveling from one corner of the world to another within the same day. There was always more to learn from traveling by foot, Ash believed with all his heart. Pikachu and May couldn't agree more.
The trio stared at the sparkling lake, contemplating their recent time together. It wouldn't be long now till May got home. Her family anxiously awaited her return. They were thrilled to learn that the brunette would come home and she'd live life on her terms again. Max even told his sister that their mother went grocery shopping to prepare May's favorite foods. It would be her most memorable homecoming in a long time. There was only one loose end before May arrived in her hometown, Ash.
"We should reach the crossroads between Petalburg City and Oldale Town by tomorrow morning. I guess that's where we'll split up?" Ash shifted his eyes from the lake to May.
"Yeah, your Mom is probably excited to have you come home, too," May happily smiled at her best friend.
"Pika!" Pikachu was excited to have Delia's cooking again.
Ash chuckled when Pikachu reacted. He petted his yellow buddy, "She sure is. We'll probably make it home in time for dinner tomorrow." The boy gave May a half-smile, "It's too bad we didn't get enough time to have an all-out battle between the two of us after all the training we did."
May leaned back with her arms, providing support against the grass. "Maybe we'll have a chance the next time we see each other," the brunette remarked. She didn't appear as disappointed as Ash.
"Maybe," Ash gave her a hopeful smile, except he wasn't sure when they would see each other again.
While they were busy talking, the sky got darker, and the area around the lake started crowding up with people. Chairs and blankets got set up in preparation to watch something. Ash raised his eyebrow as he observed the people. He wondered, "Is it me, or does this town look familiar?"
May looked around, acknowledging the growing crowd. "You know what, it does look familiar," the coordinator noted.
They overheard conversations from families excited to see the light display tonight for the festival. "Something about a festival?" Ash thought about what festival.
Then May heard a child express excitement over Volbeat and Illumise. That's when it clicked, "Ash, this is Lake May. This is the town where they host the May Festival!"
Ash's brightened from the realization, "That's right! The Illumise and Volbeat come out to perform for the town."
The pair and Pikachu observed the commencement of the performance. They saw a man and a woman on the lake's pier with their Illumise and Volbeat, but they weren't the same performers that May remembered. "They're not the couple that I remember," May scratched the side of her face with her finger. She thought about the shy man smitten with the sweet woman he performed with.
"What were their names again?" Ash vaguely recalled their faces but failed to remember their names.
"Romeo and Juliet," May answered him.
Ash nodded; he remembered now. "Wasn't Romeo a good performer but got nervous whenever he was around Juliet?"
"That's because Romeo was in love with Juliet. Being in love will make you act silly," May appeared to insinuate something.
YOU ARE READING
Man in the Mirror
RomansaAsh has just finished his journey in Kalos, but what happens when Serena gives him something to think about? At the same time May has reached the peak of her success. What happens when an old friendship between two friends is rediscovered and someth...
