Who should I choose? Ash version

By: Sheltie

I don't own Pokemon

Part 1: The Problem

Ash slumped at his desk thinking of the three girls in his life Misty, May, and Dawn. How was he supposed to chose one of them? He liked all three of them dearly and he didn't know if he could handle losing one of them as a friend. He looked at his desk and glanced at each of their photos that cluttered his desk with other photos of him and his friends.

What am I to do? Misty is coming to visit tomorrow, but May is supposed to be here in a few days same as Dawn Ash thought

"Why did this have to happen to me?" Ash groaned

Ash slowly slumped to his bed worrying on what was going to happen.

--

The next day Ash was up and waiting for Misty to come standing outside by the mailbox.

I wonder if she's changed much since I saw her last? Ash thought

Ash's thoughts were interrupted by the girl who occupied them by slamming into him with a hug he almost lost his balance by the impact, but was able to stay on his feet.

"Ash I missed so much!" an excited Misty squealed

Ash just smiled and took a small step back to get a better look at one of his oldest and dearest friends.

"You look great Mist" Ash commented

Misty smiled

"Thanks Ash you don't look bad yourself" she replied

Ash smiled and let into to his house announcing to his mom that Misty was here. After his mom greeted Misty he led Misty upstairs to the guest bedroom that was next to his. The guestroom had two beds in it.

"You'll be sleeping here with either May or Dawn who ever comes next?" Ash said

"So, May and Dawn are coming also?" Misty asked inquisitively

"Yeah I hope you don't mind" Ash said warily

"No, it will be great to see them again" Misty said smiling

"So, how's the gym life going?" Ash asked breaking the silence

"It's great my sisters are very generous to me when it comes to gym duties so I've been busy keeping the gym in top condition for the league inspectors and the trainers we get. This is actually the first kind of vacation I've had in quite a while," Misty said

Ash nodded and the two talked more catching up on what's new in their lives and reminiscing on the past. Ash led her downstairs so they could enjoy the nice day before it was over. The two walked along Pallet without much of a destination.

"So, how's Gary doing?" Misty asked

"He's doing great he's still in Sinnoh doing research with Prof. Rowan and he seems to be enjoying it" Ash said

"That's great he seems to on the path on his grandfather" Misty said

Ash nodded, "Yeah I know and he loves it I guess it runs in the family"

"So, Ash how have you been?" Misty asked

"I've been fine though I'm getting kind of restless here" Ash replied

"Ash, you've never been able to stay in one place for so long I'm surprised that you've stay here for so long" Misty said with a chuckle

Ash just chuckled and smiled

--

A few days past and Ash began to get tense because May or Dawn are supposed to show up soon and didn't know what to do. He had a great time with Misty, but he didn't know what to do when all three girls would be here. He didn't want any fighting, but he had a feeling he'd have to play peacekeeper like Brock did on their travels. The sound of the doorbell shook him from his thoughts and he went to answer.

When Ash opened the door he was seized in a big hug that sort of knocked the wind of him. When he was able to pull away he saw it was May. He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"It's great to see you May you look awesome" Ash said pulling back to get a better look at her

May smiled at Ash, "Thanks Ash, you look great too"

Ash let May inside and up to the guestroom.

"You're going have to share with Misty, but that shouldn't be a problem right?" Ash asked warily

"It's fine by the way where is Misty I haven't seen her in a long while?" May asked looking around

"She's with my mom doing some shopping so we've got some time to get caught up" Ash said leading her downstairs to the living room.

"So how are you doing? Last time I heard was you were back in Hoenn participating in the contests," Ash said

"Well you're news is old I'm done with those and I got second place at the Grand Festival, which was alright though I wish I won it" May said.

"Well, second place is great too so what's next?" Ash asked

"Well, I'm taking a break right now, but I'm thinking of heading to Sinnoh for their contests" May said

"Well if you're thinking of going to Sinnoh I might go with you" Ash said

"Really, that'd be great you could show me around and it'll be just like old times" May said smiling

"Yeah it would, but I'm also considering taking the frontier brain position that Scott offered me because it might be a nice change of pace" Ash said

"Well, that'd be great too though I hope you accompany me to Sinnoh to act as a guide" May said giving a hopeful smile

"Well, there is Dawn also she lives there and I'm sure she won't mind" Ash said without a thought

"Yeah, that's a thought" May said frowning

Ash gulped and cursed himself for not thinking before he spoke. There was a silence that hung in the air, but that was broken by a knock at the door. Ash got up to open the door thinking it was his mom and Misty, but ended getting a surprise.

"Hey Ash" Dawn said

"Dawn? Hey" Ash said stunned

"Did you forget that I was coming to visit" Dawn said with a giggle

"No, I just thought you'd be here later not now" Ash said getting over his shock

"Well, are you going to let me in or are you going to make me sleep outside?" Dawn said with a smile

Ash shook his head and step aside to let her in. When he closed the door he saw May was up from the couch and saw Dawn, which made him gulp.

"Hey Dawn" May said coolly

"May, oh wow, I didn't know you'd be here also" Dawn said a little shocked

"Yeah, well, Misty is here also" May said

"She is?" Dawn said a little stunned

May nodded

Both girls looked at Ash and he felt like he was in hot water for sure, but thankfully that's when his mom and Misty showed up.

"Honey I'm-" but was cut off when she saw Dawn and May both here, "Hello May, Dawn it's nice to see you two"

Misty, who came in behind saw May and Dawn put on a friendly smile and greeted the two younger girls.

"Hey you guys it's great to see you it's been too long" Misty greeted

Both Dawn and May put on smiles also and began to catch up with Misty.

You owe me Ketchum thought Misty

"Ash since your guests are talking why don't you help me with the groceries" Delia said

Ash nodded and grabbed the bags from Misty and followed his mom in the kitchen.

"Ash what is going on?" Delia asked as soon as they were out of earshot

"I have no idea really I didn't think it would get like this so fast" Ash replied

"Well, I'm glad Misty is here to help you with this problem" Delia said

"Misty, but I thought she was part of my problem?" Ash asked

"Not anymore she and I had a good talk while we were out and she, well I think she should be the one to tell you and not me" Delia said

"Okay" Ash said

They put the food away and then set up snacks for the others. Ash went back to the living room while his mom decided what to make for dinner. When he arrived May was in one chair on one side of the room while Dawn was in another chair on the other side and Misty was in sitting in on the couch in the middle. Ash felt the tense immediately as he walked in and as he did all three girls turn to look at him.

"Hey Ash, what took you so long?" Misty asked/demanded

"I was helping my mom with this" Ash said showing the snacks

Misty seemed to approve and she settled down. Ash felt relieved since he's faced Misty's wrath too many times to count. He set down the snacks and then had to think on where to sit. Misty sensed this and moved a bit and patted the spot next her as a sign for Ash, which he saw and took. Both girls gave Misty a glare, but it didn't faze her one bit.

"So, what have you girls been talking about?" Ash asked warily

"We've been trading travel stories about you, of course" Misty said with a smirk

"Thanks, I bet you told them how immature I was, huh?" Ash said

"I might've said something about that" Misty said thoughtfully while tapping her chin pretending to think

"Ash wasn't immature at all really when I traveled with him, in fact he helped me and taught me a lot and I don't think I'd be where I am without him" May put in smiling at the trainer

Ash smiled at her and May returned the smile with a brighter one of her own

"Ash was a good friend to have when we traveled together also though I think I'd could've got to my contests sooner if it weren't for his gym battles" Dawn said

(A/N: Sorry for all you Dawn lovers)

"But that's part of what was so fun watching him battle and how he's able to come up with such great strategies to win" May argued

"I don't deny that it was interesting watching Ash battle, but I wanted to get to my contests" Dawn said

"Is that all think about is your contests?" May asked quirking her brow

"I care because I have to live up to my mom since she was a coordinator like me and I want to be like her so excuse me" Dawn said as she started to glare at May

May returned that glare right back at Dawn and you could feel the tension building. Ash turn to May then Dawn then to Misty hoping she had a way of settling this down before it got out of hand. But thankfully his mom sensed this and called them for dinner.

During dinner things were still tense, but it cooled down a bit in front of Ash's mom. After dinner everyone settled down in the living room.

"It's so nice to have some of Ash's friends over he's been a little lonely" Delia said smiling at her guest

Ash smiled awkwardly

The girls smiled at this and everything went smoothly until Delia decided to go to bed. Once She upstairs the tense was back in full force. Ash prayed that he was anywhere else, but here. He looked from one girl to the next with his gaze ending on Misty, who smiled. He then felt a little relieved that she would help him and made him wonder what changed her mind. The four of them talked mainly about their adventures they had with Ash. It was late when they decided to turn in. May was the first to go and before she went she gave Ash a hug and then said goodnight. Ash felt May's lingering warmth on him as she left. Misty was second to go and she said goodnight to Ash and left. Ash and Dawn were the only ones left. Ash stretched and yawned and told Dawn that he was going to bed and said goodnight to Dawn.

When Ash was upstairs he was about to enter his room when he heard a sound.

"Who's there?" Ash asked

"Ash?"

"Misty, what's up I thought you were going to bed?" Ash asked curiously

"I am, but I wanted to talk to you before I do and in private" Misty replied

Ash nodded and led Misty into his room and closed the door

"So, what is it you want to talk about?" Ash asked

"Well, your mom has probably told you that I'm not interested in you anymore" Misty said taking a seat on his bed

"She did, but she didn't tell me why she thought you ought tell me" Ash said sitting right beside Misty

Misty nodded then took a deep breath, "the reason is that, well, I kind of like Tracey"

Ash just smiled, "that's great Mist, I know you two have been hanging out more"

"Thanks Ash, your mom said you'd understand" Misty said with a smile of relief

"Why were you so worried about telling me?" Ash asked curiously

"Well, you're the first person I've told, really and I wanted to tell you first since you're my best friend and I was worried how you'd react" Misty said nervously looking down

"Mist, you don't have to ever worry about how I'll react I'm still your friend and will always be" Ash said pulling Misty into a hug that she returned

"So, since I'm out the equation does that help you any?" Misty asked as the parted

"It kinda does, but I'm still confused I like May and Dawn both and I don't want to hurt either of their feelings" Ash said with a sigh

"You're going to have to hurt one of their feelings Ash there's no way around it, but if you dance around it, it's going to be worse" Misty said

"I know that, but this so much harder than any battle I've been in" Ash said with a sigh

Misty put a comforting arm around Ash and said, "You don't have to worry I'm going to be here to help you"

Ash smiled and thanked Misty for her help. They both say goodnight and Misty leaves Ash to his thoughts.

Okay Misty isn't a problem any more and she said she's going to help me so that's also a plus, but what I going to do with May and Dawn. Maybe I should go out with both of them and I can make up my mind after that sounds like a plan I'll run it passed Misty tomorrow Ash thought as he got settled into bed.

--

The next day Ash told Misty his plan he thought of last night and Misty thought it was a good idea, but told him that they should all hang out together for the first day or two. Ash had to agree with that even though he wanted to get it over with right a way.

"Fine, we'll do it your way Mist" Ash said folding his arms and sulking

Misty laughed at this, "Well I see that something's haven't changed"

Ash couldn't help, but laugh a little as well

After breakfast the foursome went out to explore Pallet since May and Dawn never really saw Pallet at all aside from Prof. Oak's Lab, which of course they'd be stopping at.

"So, Dawn how are your contests coming?" Ash asked turning to the blue haired girl

"Well, the Jhoto contests are really interesting since I'm seeing Pokemon that I haven't see before not to mention the ones in Hoenn" Dawn said

"You've been to the Hoenn region?" May asked inquisitively

"Yes, I have I went there right after Sinnoh because Ash kept telling me about the Hoenn region and how amazing it was" Dawn said

Ash blushed at this, but covered it up fast Misty noticed this and smiled

"So, how did you do?" May asked eagerly

"I got into the top eight" Dawn said miserably

May smiled at this since she got second place, well above Dawn

"You smile now, but remember I beat you in the Wallace cup" Dawn said smirking

"I've gotten better since then Dawn and I showed that by placing second in the Hoenn Grand Festival when you placed in the top eight" May shot back

Dawn glared at May and May returned the glare right back

"Why don't head to the Professor's Lab?" Ash suggested trying to break the tension

"That sounds like a good idea" Misty said jumping in

The four of them went to Professor Oak's lab to visit Ash's Pokemon. When they got there they were greeted by Tracey.

"Hey guys how are you?" Tracey greeted

"Great" they said at once

"Say Tracey where's the Professor?" Misty asked

"He was called away to a conference so I'm keeping an eye on the lab until he's back" Tracey said

"Well, it's great to see you Tracey and I'm pretty sure Misty here is happy" Ash said with a smirk

Misty blushed a bit and tried to hide it, neither of the girls noticed this

--

They went to the back where the Pokemon were kept

"So, Ash where are your Pokemon?" Dawn asked looking around

"Oh they should be here right about-" Ash was cut off by the sudden stampede of Pokemon

"Here they are" Said Misty seeing the herd of Pokemon

Ash was almost trample over by his own Pokemon if weren't for them stopping just close to him

"It's great to see you guys" Ash said getting down low to greet his Pokemon

"Wow! Ash I didn't know you had so many Pokemon" Dawn said looking at each and every single one of them

"Yep and they've all helped me win every match I've been in" Ash said gesturing to his Pokémon

"Don't forget Charizard and Squirtle, Ash" May said

The four of them spent the rest of the day playing with Ash's Pokemon with May, Misty, and Dawn adding theirs in to join the fun.

"Man, I don't remember the last time I was so tired" Ash said yawning

"You've got very active Pokemon, Ash and they get that from their trainer" Dawn said winking at Ash

"Huh?"

"I'm hungry" May exclaimed with her stomach growling at the same time

Ash just laughed, but his laughter stopped when his stomach began to growl also

"I guess you're not the only one" May said with a smile and a chuckle

They left heading back to the Ketchum residence and when they got there Ash's mom was ready for them.

"I got a call from Tracey and he told me you were playing with your Pokemon so I had a feeling you'd be hungry" Delia said with a smile

Ash and May were practically drooling from the aroma of the food, which made Misty laugh because of their mirrored look.

"Let's eat!" May and Ash yelled

--

During dinner Ash and May were stuffing themselves with food that it was amazing that they could breath while they shoveled food into their mouths. Dawn looked at the two with a bit of disgust while Misty just shrugged and smiled. Delia was just smiling at the sight and was happy that the two had a good appetite.

"That was a great meal Mrs. Ketchum" May complimented sighing with content

"Yeah mom you've outdone yourself," Ash said patting his stomach

"Thank you May, dear I do my best" Delia said with a smile

"Where have I heard that before?" Misty said helping with the dishes

"What do you mean Mist?" Ash asked confused

Misty just sighed at Ash's thick-headedness and went back helping

Dawn pitched in also leaving Ash and May sitting there resting their stomachs

"You know May you could help" Dawn said looking at the said girl

"I would if I could, but I'm so stuffed that I can't move" May said struggling a little to get up

Dawn was about to say something, but Delia cut in, "Don't worry about it Dawn May's done her part already"

Dawn looked at Ash's mom with a confused look

Delia saw the look and smiled, "May promised to help me in my garden tomorrow"

Dawn looked to Delia then to May wondering when this took place

Ash's mom is giving me a way out I better take it May thought

"That's right I did" May said

Delia smiled at May and the young girl smiled in return and mouthed a 'thank you' when no one was looking that Delia returned.

--

After dinner they settled down in the living room and shared more travel stories.

"So, Ash has always been risking his life to protect Pokemon?" Dawn asked

"That's right I remember this one time in the Orange Islands when Ash risked his life to save a Lapras" Misty said laughing

"Isn't that Lapras the same Lapras you used to get around the Orange Islands?" May asked the orange haired girl

Misty nodded

"I would love to go to the Orange Island I heard that it's quite amazing" Dawn said

"They are we went to every island in the archipelago" Ash said looking at Misty

Misty nodded smiling at the memories

"So, what were the gyms like in the Orange Islands?" May asked excited to hear more

"Well, there were five gym leaders to start with and they were called the Orange crew and each one was totally different from the last" Ash said thinking back

"Different, how?" Dawn asked now interested

"Well for starter you didn't just battle the gym leader for your badge like usual" Misty said

"What else did they do?" May asked intrigued

"Well one of them we first had a shoot out of sorts then we had to race our water Pokémon while we on their back, the second I climbed a mountain without the help of my Pokémon then had to freeze a geyser and sculpt it into a bobsled and race it down, the third whom had a thing for Misty," Ash said winking at Misty, who blushed, "I had to go through a trial of shooting targets then battle him in a three on three match, and the fourth and last I had to have a double battle"

"Wow that sounds amazing" May said

"I know to think someone could actually find Misty pretty" Ash said as he chuckled

Misty took one of the pillow and whacked Ash on the head

"Ow Misty what was that for?" Ash asked rubbing his head

"That was for the wisecrack you made" Misty said setting the pillow back

Both May and Dawn laughed at this

"Anyway the final Orange crew member that I had to face we had a six-on-six match" Ash said

"That would've been so cool to see" Dawn said

"I'm not sure seeing Ash make such amateur mistakes would be cool" Misty cracked

"Hey I didn't make that many" Ash said in rebuttal

"No, I guess not" Misty said with a smile, "I just wanted to get a rise out of ya"

Ash stuck his tongue out at Misty

"Very mature, Ketchum" Misty said laughing

"I remember how hard Ash tried to get my Torchic back from Team Rocket" May reminisced

"I remember that" Ash said thinking back also

"So, what other adventures do you guys have in Hoenn?" Misty asked though she's heard them before

May told them more tales of her travels including their time with a Pokémon ranger and of they saw two rare Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre.

"So you met Lance then" Misty said

"Yes we did it was kind of scary though Team Aqua and Magma really were bend on going through with their plans" May said

"Oh wow that would've so cool to see" Dawn said

--

A little later on

"Team Rocket, how long have they tried to get Pikachu?" Misty asked out-loud

"Too long if you ask me" Ash muttered

"You'd think after blasting off for the hundredth time they'd get the hint" Dawn said shaking her head

"I highly doubt that Dawn they've been after Pikachu for as long as I've known Ash" Misty said

"Which by the way didn't you destroy her bike" Dawn said

"I didn't mean to, honest" Ash said

"Yeah, like you didn't mean to fry my bike" May said jumping in

"Or mine" Dawn said

"Hey I really didn't mean to destroy all of your bikes and besides it worked out in the end" Ash said cowering a bit

"How'd it work out, Ash?" Misty asked helping the two girls gang up on the Pokémon trainer

"Well, if I Pikachu didn't destroy your bikes we'd never have traveled together and become the friends we are now" Ash said hoping this would end it

"So you're saying that you're glad you fried our bikes" May said standing up along with Dawn and Misty

"No, of course not I would never want that" Ash said now getting flustered

The three girls looked at Ash and then at one another and then busted out laughing. Ash look at them flummoxed.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked suddenly

"We really had you going with the whole bike thing, huh?" Dawn said between her laughter

"You mean you did that to me for your own amusement?" Ash said a little bit angry

"Oh don't be such a hothead Ash it was just for fun" May said winking

"It still it wasn't funny" Ash said slouching into the couch pouting

"Ash, you can't take this personally we were upset at you destroying our bikes, but we got over it" Misty said

"Misty, you were more than upset with me when I wrecked you bike" Ash pointed out

"Alright, you've got me I was totally pissed, but I'm over it now I got over it as we traveled" Misty said putting a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder

"Besides Ash I was upset for you frying my bike I got over when I got to know you and Pikachu" May said

"I, too was upset when you destroyed my bike, but I got over like May" Dawn said

"I'm glad you guys aren't mad at me, but don't that to me again you can be scary when you're angry" Ash said

"Which one are you talking about, Ash?" Dawn asked curious

"All of you, of course" Ash stated plainly

"WE ARE NOT SCARY!!" the three girls shouted at Ash

Ash jumped at the united voices

"Anyway now that's over with why don't you share some of your stories about Ash" Misty said gesturing to Dawn

(A/N: I want to let everyone know that everything Dawn says here is made up and not from the show at all)

"Well once when we were in this town Ash had to pretend to be dating this girl this guy she likes would pay attention to her" Dawn said

"You mean Ash actually went on a date with someone?" Misty said stunned

May looked stunned also

"Yeah it was quite funny Brock and I had to coach him on what to do on a date and then Team Rocket had to crash it with the boy saving the girl in the end" Dawn said

"I'm still shocked Ash went on a date" May said

"Believe me I was shocked too, but the girl asked Ash for a favor and you know Ash always willing to help others" Dawn said

Ash lowered himself into the sofa hoping to disappear

"What else happened during your travels?" May asked wanting to hear more

"Well, there was this time when these guys won't leave me alone and Ash had to pretty much act like a jealous boyfriend to get them to leave me alone" Dawn said smiling at the memory

"Really?" May asked feeling a bit jealous herself

"You know Ash he will help a friend in need no matter what and I guess no matter what means to pretend to be a jealous boyfriend" Misty said seeing May's jealousy

"You're right Misty" May said feeling better

"Any other stories?" Misty asked the blue haired girl

The four shared more stories of their travels with Ash making the boy nervous and fidgety at times and laugh at others.

--

May was getting ready for bed when Misty entered the room with her toothbrush in hand

"Those were some interesting stories, weren't they?" Misty said to the young brunette

"Yeah it seems Ash did a lot pretending" May said brushing her hair

"May, you don't have to worry about me anymore" Misty said deciding to get it out of the way

"What are you talking about Misty?" May asked confused

"May don't act so dumb that's Ash's job" Misty said with a sigh

May sat down on her bed without a word

"I don't have feelings for Ash anymore so don't be worried about competing with me" Misty said sitting next to the brunette

"Really?" May asked with a twinge of hope in her voice

"Really May, Ash a good friend of mine, heck he's one of my best friends and I thought I liked him like that before, but I've realized that it was just a crush nothing more" Misty said

"So I just have to deal with Dawn" May said with a sigh

"Yes, but don't worry about that I'll help you as much as I can" Misty said giving May a half-hug

"Thanks, but why are you going to help me? May asked questionably

"Because, when I see you and Ash interact with each other I can definitely see a spark" Misty said

"Really?"

"Yeah the way you two look at each other there's warmth and love there" Misty said smiling

May smiled at the older girl and went to bed.

To be continued

A/N: What do you guys think? Let me know