Chapter 2: A Bit Un-FORTUNE-ate

I miraculously managed to wake up early (it was because of a nightmare where those five girls all turned into demons and ate me) so I organized my classes, writing out which friends were in each of my classes.

First period: Coordinating

Friends: May, Drew, Dawn

Second period: Battle

Friends: Gary, Barry, Paul, Brock, Misty, Iris

Third period: Pokemon History

Friends: Serena

Fourth Period: English

Friends: Brock, Dawn, Iris, Drew, Paul

Fifth Period: Gym

Friends: Serena, Dawn, Misty, May, Iris

Sixth Period: Cooking

Friends: Brock, Serena

Okay, so Serena, Iris, and Dawn each had three classes with me, which was the highest amount of classes with me. However, Serena was the only friend who was a girl who was in two different classes with me where the other girls weren't. All of the girls were with me in gym, so if they really fell in love with me, that would be where they would most likely end up cat fighting with each other. ARCEUS! I DON'T WANT THIS HAREM! WHAT HAPPENED TO FOREVER ALONE LIFE?!

Regardless of how many classes I had with them, they each had opportunities to get close to me. And it isn't like they can't reach me outside of school. If I'd really end up with a girlfriend by the end of this, I guess it wouldn't be that bad. I just hope I end up making the right pick. Dammit, Leaf! Why can't you just tell me who I end up with so I don't have to over think this?! Why am I even thinking about this?!

I sighed. Okay. If all these girls are in love with me, I'll end up breaking some hearts. This is going to suck. I don't want to be some heartless bastard and stomp on the four girls I don't pick.

Somehow, even though I didn't want to think about this anymore, I ended up writing pro and con lists for the girls based on what I've seen and heard about them from my friends.

Misty

Pros:

Able to take charge

Seems brave

Is a tomboy, so I won't have to worry about any girly stuff

Cons:

That temper

I've heard she's beaten people up before

A girl has to be a little girly

May

Pros:

Gives me food and is a food lover herself, so we're alike

Seems to be a good mixture between a tomboy and girly girl

Our over all personalities just seem similar

Cons:

People say she likes to shop a lot

People say she can be over-dramatic and sometimes a crybaby

Apparently is a clumsy airhead?

Dawn

Pros:

She has a good sense of fashion and looks pretty (Wow, I feel shallow)

Good energy and spirit and drive (like me)

Seems naturally cheerful and teasing

Cons:

Said to sometimes have a temper, but only if you really get her angry

Can get pretty girly

Apparently known to get easily jealous

Iris

Pros:

Knows how to have fun

Brave

Good determination

Cons:

People say she can be annoying

Not very mature

She's known to criticize

Serena

Pros:

An AMAZING cook

Also cheerful and nice and just pleasant to be near

Like Dawn, very pretty (I yet again feel so shallow)

Cons:

Also said to be really girly

It's been said that she can be clingy

Sometimes known to complain about things she dislikes

I stared at the list and sighed. What was the point of this? All the girls were special in their own ways, both good and bad. It wouldn't be easy to find a balanced, perfect girl. I tore up the notes I took and threw them away. If I were to fall in love with them, it shouldn't be based on a stupid list. I just need to follow my heart like I always do.

All of Leaf's words had just jumbled up my head. I just needed to chill out and have fun like always. Let life be the roller coaster it is and stay along for the ride. It didn't matter what girl I was with in the end. For now, I just really wanted to get to know them all and form good friendships.

I woke up Pikachu and got us both some breakfast. Once we were fully satisfied, I had Pikachu crawl onto my shoulder and I started walking to school, hoping to arrive early and crash into Leaf. I had a lot of questions for her.

~What The Heart Wants: Ash's Harem~

I found Leaf in the hallway, but she was currently dealing with a certain angry ginger by the name of Misty. And boy did she look pissed.

"Your fortunes always screw me over!" Misty shrieked at Leaf. "Are you doing all these awful things to me on purpose?!"

Leaf looked perfectly calm as she dealt with her. "I cannot control the future. I can simply see the events that would occur. Besides, everything happens for a reason, Misty. These bad things could lead up to something good in the end."

"And what's so good about getting in huge fights with my sister, people egging my gym, and getting a paint bucket poured all over me?!"

"Could be karma," Leaf said plainly. "You have to admit, you have been being a bit mean to people this summer. Maybe this is a sign to change your ways."

Misty sighed and tried to calm herself down. "Well, one good thing has happened. Your fortune was right. I did meet the man of my dreams. But why can't you tell me if it works out or not?! Puh-lease, Leaf?"

"No can do," she answered without any hesitation. "That's for me to know and you to find out. You're just going to have to do your best to win his affections."

"You're mean~!" Misty whined. She then turned to walk away and noticed me. She smiled and waved before walking off. I think I caught her winking at me as well. I blushed a bit and looked back over at my target.

I awkwardly approached Leaf and she smiled in that creepy, all-knowing way. "If you want to ask which girl you end up with, I already told you I won't say."

"Dammit."

"I have a feeling you have other questions though. Am I right?"

I sighed. "You said they'd all fall in love with me today and compete for my love. How bad will the competition get?"

Leaf started laughing hysterically. "There'll be some good and bad moments for you. And some of those girls will get more jealous than others. It's bound to be an emotional roller coaster, but that's the price of being loved by so many girls."

"I never asked for this," I pouted.

"Everything happens for a reason, Ash," she responded. "This experience might help you learn more about yourself and how to become a better person. And isn't there a great reward in the end?"

"I guess so," I breathed. Pikachu stared sympathetically at me. "It would be nice to finally get a girlfriend."

"See? So run along and start mingling with them. To make the proper choice, you have to get to know these girls."

"You seem a bit too smart for a teenage girl," I commented. "Not that I'm saying that most girls aren't smart or anything! It's just...you give off this vibe that makes it seem like you know way more than you're letting on. And you know so much information about romance and all..."

She smirked and started walking away. "Bye, Ash. I'll tell Gary you said hi..."

"Uh...sure...?"

~What The Heart Wants: Ash's Harem~

I had plenty of time before class started, so I shared a snack with May. This time, I was the one to provide snacks as a gesture to thank her for the chips she'd given me yesterday. She devoured those chocolate pretzels like her life depended on it. Not that I was any better.

We both reached in the bag for the last one, and our hands touched. May was obviously blushing, but she glared at me. "I-I touched it first!"

"We reached for it at the same time!" I argued. "And besides, they're my pretzels."

"But you were giving them to me as a thanks," she protested.

"Alright," I gave in. "One pretzel isn't that big a deal."

She gave me a big smile and I found myself blushing slightly. She looked cute when she smiled. She stuffed the pretzel into her mouth victoriously and ate it.

"Thank you~!" she mewed. "Tomorrow, I'll bring the snacks."

I laughed. "What? Are we going back and forth on this?"

"Yup~! This way, we'll both have a day snack~!" she said, smiling again.

Just then, Dawn walked over to the table, waving first at May, and then me. She leaned against the table on May's side and looked over at me.

"Hello!" she greeted. "How are you?"

"Great," I responded. "Any day where I can eat is a good day."

"So the way to your heart is through your stomach?"

The question caught me off guard. "Uh...I guess you could put it that way."

"Too bad I'm only good at making poffins," Dawn said, sweat-dropping. "My Pokémon love them, but it isn't exactly the perfect human treat."

"Oh! Oh!" May shouted excitedly. "I think I'm going to join a cooking class after school. Would you want to join, Dawn?"

Dawn shook her head. "I don't have the time to go to a 6th class. I'd rather leave at the normal time. I've got my job at the maid café to think about, ya know."

"You work at the maid café?" I asked curiously, blushing at the thought of her in a maid's outfit.

"Yup!" Dawn chirped happily. "It's always really fun to dress up. You should drop by some time. They just built in here in Pallet, a block or two away from the school. No way you could miss it. If you come to visit me, I'll even give you a special discount for becoming my friend."

Something in her voice already told me she wanted to be more than my friend. Leaf was definitely right. Oh Arceus. "Thanks, Dawn. I promise I'll drop by some time then."

"Can't wait."

~What The Heart Wants: Ash's Harem~

It was now time for Battle class. Lance, just like yesterday, had us begin by battling with someone in class. I was paired against Iris this time around. She glared at me, looking very determined. I shot the same expression back at her. Pikachu and Axew stared at each other, waiting for the battle to begin.

"I won't lose to you!" she called at me with a smirk. I was impressed by her determination. It was always good to have a strong will.

"Oh really?" I shot back. "Because I think that I'm going to be the one who wins this!"

And so, the battle began. I quickly ordered Pikachu to use quick attack, which easily hit Axew. Iris then retaliated with a dragon rage, which I had tried to have Pikachu send back with his iron tail. Sadly, that plan failed miserably and Pikachu took some decent damage. I then ordered Pikachu to use electro ball, which Axew dodged, but then I had Pikachu charge at him with an iron tail.

Axew fell to the ground, but quickly stood back up. Iris ordered a scratch attack, which Pikachu took for a while, before sending Axew flying back with a strong thunder bolt attack. With a final shot of electro ball, Axew was out, and Iris was pretty disappointed.

"Darn it," I heard her whisper. "I wanted to show him our strength...Thank you, Axew. We'll just have to train harder."

After thanking Pikachu for doing so well, I walked over to Iris and extended my hand. "Great battle. You were pretty good."

Her spirits were immediately raised and she smiled at me and took my hand, shaking it. "I guess you weren't bad either. For a little kid, that is. Seems like you have a lot more to learn about battling."

I laughed and rolled my eyes inwardly. "Only a little kid would call someone else a little kid."

"Only a little kid would start an argument," she shot back.

I just laughed again and shook my head. "Hopefully we'll get to battle again soon."

Iris nodded. "I'd like that. And next time, I won't lose!"

"We'll just see about that."

~What The Heart Wants: Ash's Harem~

"Ugh," I groaned as I sat down in my history class. I looked around in boredom and caught sight of Serena. She stared back at me and smiled.

Then, she started walking over and she sat down in the seat next to me since the guy who sits with me wasn't here yet. "Hiya!"

"Hey," I greeted half-heartedly.

"By the look on your face, it seems like you don't enjoy this class all that much."

I snorted. "I don't understand why we have to learn about a bunch of dead stuff."

Serena shivered. "It's all kind of creepy to me. Ms. Erika just says we need to learn about the past so we don't make the same mistakes, but I don't think I'll ever find myself starting a great Pokemon War or anything like that..."

I nodded. "Plus, the way she teaches it all is just boring. I like Ms. Erika and all, but...this class...ugh..."

"I know what you mean. But I think I dislike gym even more. I don't really like running and I'm not very fast either. I'm not all that athletic, period. I always hate our warm up session, running laps for ten minutes. Because I'm so slow, no one runs with me and it makes me feel so lonely. I wish I could join that brunette and bluenette who are usually running slow, but they seem like such close friends and I'm a little worried we won't get along."

"Do you mean May and Dawn?" I asked. She nodded. "You have no need to worry. They're really nice. Especially May. I'm sure they'd love having you to talk to. You're personalities would probably match pretty well, so you should go talk to them. And maybe I could join the group too. I'll run when there's someplace I want to go, but otherwise, I can be pretty lazy."

Serena giggled. It was kind of adorable. "Thank you, Ash. I feel a bit less alone now. Well, class is almost starting, so I should get to my seat, but it was really nice talking to you. See you in cooking class!"

And with that, she skipped off to her seat. I sighed, automatically bored again now that there was no one to talk to. This would be a long class period.

~What The Heart Wants: Ash's Harem~

Lunch. My favorite time of the day. Another huge plate of food for myself and a big bowl of Pokémon food for Pikachu. Another huge wad of money to pay for said food. And then...all of the sudden...five girls all try and drag you to their tables and you desperately try to get away from them, before finally suggesting all six of you sit together at one table, to which they reluctantly agree.

All five girls smiled at me. The girls were getting along so far, and all seemed like it would go well. That is, until Misty spoke up.

"So...all of you are Ash's friends?"

Each of them nodded and agreed and Misty nodded back. "Well...how did you meet him?"

"I was introduced to him second period," May answered. "We sit next to each other."

Dawn nodded. "I also met him second period when May introduced us."

"I met him during lunch," Iris piped up.

"And I met him in the hall before fifth period," Serena said.

"Oh," Misty chuckled. "So that means that I saw him first. We crashed into each other before school."

"So?" Dawn spat at her.

"So," Misty responded. "I was his friend first, so he should be sitting at my table."

"Here we go," I sighed.

"Pika..."

Arguments broke out between the girls and I carefully slipped away, rushing out into the school yard in search of Leaf. She smiled as I desperately ran to her.

"Those girls are crazy!" I hissed. "They're at each other's throats! I wouldn't be surprised if I found some of them dead when I get back there! And I had to leave my precious food behind!"

"I'm sorry?" Leaf replied. "I...can't really help you with that little situation. But I can answer any questions about your future you might have."

I sat down in the grass in front of her. "What do I have to do to calm them all down so that they can be friends?"

Leaf held out her hands and I placed mine in them. She closed her eyes and went through with her seeing-into-the-future process. She opened her eyes and snickered. "You aren't going to be able to attract their attention unless you do something stupid..."

"Like what?" I asked nervously.

"You could twerk," she suggested.

"You're kidding me," I snarled.

"Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle."

Yes. I had to end this off in a stupid way. I hope it at least made you laugh. Sorry if you feel like nothing really happened this chapter, but it's still kind of the intro where Ash is just starting to get to know the girls. I hope I wrote some good romance for each girl. If you haven't voted on the poll yet, please do. If you want your favorite couple to win, you have to vote. And if you've already voted, have your friends vote! I was really happy to see all the views, votes, and reviews so far and thank you guys so much. I hope I can create a great harem for you all! Until next chapter~!

-IchigoHatake