A/N: This drabble is the result of a dare given to me by the lovely Wubbzy! She dared me to write a drabble by using my favorite flower or a flower that I feel represents Advanceshipping as the prompt. I actually finished it a while ago, but wanted to post it here on my fanfiction account as well. If any of you would like to participate in a round of Advanceshipping-oriented Truth or Dare, then head on over to The ADVancers! Link is on my homepage :)

This drabble is meant to take place in the original Advanced Gen. series.

So, with all that said, hope you enjoy!

Catnip
By S. Muffin

"Whatcha got there, May?" Ash asked as he made his way across the small clearing where he, May, Max, and Brock had set up camp earlier that evening.

"It's catnip," May replied, smiling sweetly up at her best friend and traveling companion once he was finally beside her. She was currently sitting atop her sleeping bag with her legs tucked beneath her. "I found it growing in the woods just outside camp!"

Ash leaned in to get a closer look, examining the herb curiously. In her lap lay a bundle of the catnip in full bloom, its delicate purple flowers springing forth from the tips and its soft leaves splayed out in every which way. "Oh, cool! Are you going to give it to Skitty?"

May nodded. "Yep! I'm going to put it in some of her toys."

Ash smiled at the thought, imagining an excited and rambunctious Skitty positively enamored with one of the many stuffed toys May kept stashed in her bag for her beloved Kitten Pokémon. "That sounds like an awesome idea! Want any help?"

"Yeah, sure!" May scooted over on her sleeping bag and motioned for Ash to take a seat. "Thanks, Ash!"

"Of course," he replied, lowering himself down so that he was sitting next to her.

"First we just need to pick the leaves off," May instructed, "and then we can work on sneaking them into the cat toys."

"Okay. How does this stuff even work, though?" Ash wondered aloud as May handed him a few stems of the catnip. Wanting to examine the plant further, Ash lifted the small bundle to his nose and inhaled deeply, only to go completely stiff as the pungent aroma entered his nostrils and a look of disgust overtook his face. "Ack! This smells awful!"

May threw her head back and began to laugh at his reaction, while Ash grumbled and blushed with embarrassment.

"Well, it does!" he argued.

"Maybe to you it smells bad," she managed to say a moment later, once her laughter had subsided into gentle giggles. "But there's something in the plant, a chemical of some kind, that makes some Cat Pokémon like Skitty go absolutely nuts when they smell it!"

"So, that's how it works," Ash murmured with realization.

"That's not all catnip is good for, though," May went on. "My mom grows catnip in her garden and uses it for tea. Catnip tea is calming, so if you drink it before bed it helps you sleep better at night."

"Really? That's neat," Ash remarked with interest. "Does it at least taste better than it smells?"

May laughed again and nodded. "It has a minty flavor. I really like it with honey."

Ash hummed thoughtfully as he began picking away at the leaves. "I'm not that big on tea, but that doesn't sound too bad, honestly."

"Mom says catnip is also a magical plant," May added with a wink.

"Magical?" Ash repeated. "How so?"

"Well, aside from the obvious cat magic," May said, "catnip is also used to attract beauty, good luck, happiness, friendship, and love. If you hang it above your doorway or grow it in front of your home, it's said to attract good spirits and keep out the bad ones."

Plucking a medium-sized leaf and single purple blossom from one of the stems in her lap, May then said, "Give me your hand."

Ash regarded May with a brief look of confusion, but nevertheless complied with her request.

May placed the leaf and blossom into the palm of his hand, before closing his fingers around the pair and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"If you hold catnip in your hand until it's warm and then hold somebody else's hand afterwards, you and that person will be friends forever," she explained. After a few more seconds passed by, May reopened Ash's hand, took the catnip and set it aside, and then slid her fingers between his. "There. Now, as long as you keep the leaf and the flower in a safe place, you and I will be friends forever!"

Ash glanced down at his and May's intertwined fingers, a warm blush creeping onto his cheeks, before he looked back up at her with a smile.