Chlobo's Advanceshipping Collection

Strange Journey

May closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. Her eyes fixated on her passport and train ticket. Her suitcase was taken away from the convener belt as she made her way on her flight. Ash was far behind but she tried hard not to feel fazed. Her shoulders tensed up when she noticed his red hat popping out from the crowds. Her stomach hounded. She wasn't sure if she was hungry or if she had stomach ache. She assumed it was both. She hadn't eaten since yesterday. This was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime, but everything had changed from that fatal decision.

It was a natural end. There was no ceramic fragments on the floor or epic battle between tongues. Ash and May had split up and decided that it was best for them to just remain friends. Even though they were so close, there was also a growing distance between them. They didn't mean for it to happen. It had all started off so well. Their romance had blossomed and felt as if it had been ripped out of Pride and Prejudice. Even Ash and May themselves had no idea what happened between them, but all they knew that it wasn't working and they decided that the relationship had to come to a grey end.

It wasn't every day that you would be going on holiday with your ex-boyfriend. It would have been easy to cancel with a few clicks on a gadget or a computer, but they both decided that it wouldn't be worth the hassle. With all the money that they had put in through, they both decided that they might has as well hop on a train to the extravagant seaside place of Blackpool. Ash and May had shared so much with each other as children, but now as single adults, they were silent towards each other. They tried to pretend that neither of them existed. The boarding process seemed to go smoothly for both of them. Neither of them had any issues. They were still sitting next to each other on the plane, they looked at each other. Their lips mumbled, but no words came out.

May reflected on her past, present and future. She lowered her head and scratched her head. Her eyes clenched shut as she shook her head. She felt that she was on the edge of a public breakdown. Why did she break up with Ash? Why did she whore around at night? Why was she so paranoid that Ash would cheat on her, when it was clearly obvious by his sweet nature and delicate facade that he would never even dare do things like that. It was all her fault. Her own paranoia destroyed the one good relationship that really had. Ash Ketchum was May's one true love. Even though they had broken up, she had still forced him to go on holiday. May wouldn't have been surprised if hatred and anger were flowing hot through his veins May had felt that she fucked everything up.

With a heavy heart, May said: "I still hope that you have a good holiday, Ash."

Ash slowly moved his head. The corner of his eyes seemed wet. May gasped. Had he been crying. Seeing how sad Ash was only made her feel even more bad. "I hope you do too," Ash admitted. "I can't wait to try all the food and go on all the rides at Blackpool Treasure Beach."

Ash was grinning, but May could tell that he wasn't truly happy. He couldn't stop stuffing his face with crisps and chocolate. Just like that a whole a packet of crisps were gone in less than five minutes. The blonde chat on the plane next to him stared at him in shock. The lady next to the guy had pink hair and was poking his shoulder for his attention. "Naruto, you shouldn't stare at him."

"Did you see how quickly he ate that food, Sakura?" Naruto said with a hint of enthusiasm. "They weren't just any old packet of crisps: they're the super hot spicy flavour. I've always wanted to try them."

"I'm sorry," Ash said in such a sweet voice, reeking of regret. "If I had known that you wanted some, I would have saved you some."

May squinted. She thought that Ash was going mad.

"Pleased to meet you," Naruto said, shaking hands with Ash. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm a ninja."

"I'm Ash!" Ash seemed to beam great passion as he spoke, each syllable revealing his upbeat and cheerful personality. "Ash Ketchum. I'm a pokémon trainer in Pallet Town."

"This is Sakura."

"That's May," Ash responded. "She's my girlfriend as well."

"I could tell you were both pokémon trainers," Sakura responded. "I can tell by the logos on your top, and of course the Pikachu on your cap."

Well, it seemed as if Ash and May were suddenly back together again. Thanks Ash, May thought. Thanks for what was about to be the most awkward plane journey of her life. May shook her head and took a deep breath. She knew that she had to stay calm. She had to pretend that everything was alright. She didn't want to embarrass Ash right in front of his new best friend before the friendship even gets a chance to soar. "So what brings you two to Blackpool?" May asked with a smile on her face. She used the drama classes that she learned from school into good practise. Though her skills may be rusty, she was ready to give it a try.

"I just fancied a little getaway," Naruto admitted. "Somewhere as far away from work as possible. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But the paperwork and raising the kids, it's all too much for a guy to handle sometimes. My eldest kid can be a nightmare at times: believe it!"

"We haven't had kids yet," Ash admitted. "But I can believe that being a ninja, father and a full time worker can be a challenge that's like having three jobs."

"Naruto is the leader of our village," Sakura explained. "He makes important decisions and has a duty to keep our village safe."

"Where's your village?"

"It's Konohagakure," Naruto responded. "Also known as the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Do they have any pokémon?" Ash asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Not many worth seeing. We had the odd bugs and birds come now and again, but not many exciting pokémon We don't have many pokémon trainers in our village. Most of them keep them as pets. Himawari has one called Sunflower."

"What kind of pokémon is it?" Ash asked.

Naruto squinted his head as he used his hand gestures to emphasis something fluffy. "It's a pink sheep that sparks electricity."

"FLAAFFY!" Ash and May said out aloud in unison.

"That's cute," Sakura giggled. "You both said it together. "I wish we could be more in sync as you."

"So have many kids have you got?" May asked.

"One of each," Naruto responded.

"And I have just the one daughter," Sakura said.

"So that's three then?" Ash asked, highlighting that nothing can hide how badly dense Ash was. How odd, May thought. Even though they were a couple they both had different answers. May shook her head. There had to have been some sort of explanation to this situation. May had assumed that Naruto and Sakura were married to each other based on the matching rings on their fingers. Perhaps they had already been married before and are now on their way for a honeymoon. Then May realised that it didn't make sense. If they were on their honeymoon, then they would have mentioned it by now.

May gasped. "You're both having an affair," May whispered. Both Naruto and Sakura were silent. Their lips were trembling as if they were about to speak, but their silence said everything. They were still married to other people. "Your poor partners..."

"Well should we tell them the truth?" Ash asked May.

"What truth?"

"The fact that we've actually broken up."

"Why are you going on holiday if you've split up?

"We didn't want to waste a good holiday," May admitted. "We don't have a lot of money and we had planned this holiday for a long time."

"Yeah," Ash responded. "When we broke up we decided that we would go as friends..."

"It sounded like you two have already patched things up," Naruto admitted. "It's amazing how you two split up and are still able to sit next to each other."

May nodded. "But it seems as if we are back together already."

"I guess you could say that."

"Why did you two even bother breaking up in the first place?" Naruto asked them bluntly.

Ash and May shrugged their shoulders. "We don't know now. It was over some stupid shit."

With the two now back together, they could enjoy the holiday as planned.