Chapter 20: I've Got What it Takes

The sun's rays shined through the window and the curtains, aiming itself right on May's face. Although the brunette would have enjoyed sleeping longer, she knew the sun was trying to say it was time to start a new day.

She gently opened her drowsy eyes, struggling to keep up her eyelids since she still felt somewhat sleepy. Her vision was blurry at first, but after a few rubs she could see clearly again. She saw that it was morning yet wondered, "What time is it?" the girl blinked a few times.

As the girl slowly acknowledged her surroundings, she realized she had a blanket over herself. She pulled it away and looked at it, "I don't remember going to sleep with a blanket." May looked puzzled as she turned to the table, immediately noticing a plate with sandwiches on top. The girl walked over to the table but not before taking a glimpse of Litleo, who still slept soundly. "I wonder if someone came in while I was sleeping…." The sapphire-eyed girl spoke to herself.

Suddenly, her stomach grumbled loudly, making May stand weakly on her feet with a sheepish grin. "I should eat first, it's been a while since I fed myself," the girl giggled with embarrassment as she picked up one of the sandwiches. The girl enjoyed the taste of the cheese even though the sandwich had gotten cold and tasted a bit like something burnt. May was visibly hungry since she managed to eat the two sandwiches in just three bites each.

"Pretty good," the girl licked her lips while grinning contently. Abruptly, her stomach grumbled again, making the coordinator sigh, "Guess that wasn't enough." May decided to leave the room in order to get some more food or she would be dragging her body along for the rest of the day.

At first she seemed hesitant to leave. Her sapphire eyes gazed at Litleo with care. She saw that his injuries had been healed and he was back in one piece thanks to Heal Pulse and other medical procedures done by the nurse Pokémon. She still worried for Litleo though, and it might have been her paranoia but May feared Litleo would awaken with fear, especially since it was clueless about what had happened to it.

Eventually, May knew she wouldn't be able to properly look after Litleo with an empty stomach. "I promise I'll be right back Litleo," May assured the sleeping Pokémon, hoping it wouldn't awaken while she was gone.

May quietly exited the room, slowly shutting the door. Her head turned to the hall before her, but something else caught her attention. On the bench where she had waited for Litleo's condition with so much concern, she saw Ash sleeping soundly with Pikachu. Ash had his back against the wall while Pikachu was also in the same position. The caring boy had his arm around Pikachu as they slept together, symbolizing the incredible bond the pair shared.

The coordinator got surprised when she saw they had slept there for the night. It must have been Ash who came into the room last night, the girl slowly walked towards the two to see if they were still in deep sleep. She smiled when she saw how innocent and peaceful the pair looked in their sleep, it was really nice of him to bring me those sandwiches and put a blanket on me, May appreciated Ash's kindness as she stared at the young adult with a childlike nature. I'd hate to wake them up, they look so at peace.

She grinned once more as she turned to the exit, deciding to leave them resting. May walked quietly to the door, thinking about what she should eat until she heard, "May." The sapphire-eyed girl turned her head to see Ash and Pikachu sitting up. Both of them were rubbing their eyes while May sighed, thinking she had woken them up with her presence.

"Hey Ash and Pikachu," the girl warmly greeted them as she walked back to the bench.

"Morning May," Ash grinned as he rubbed his left eye, fighting back any laziness in his body that ordered him to continue sleeping.

"Pikachu," Pikachu greeted May happily and dashed at her. Much to May's surprise, the mouse had climbed onto her shoulder to salute her.

"Wow, didn't see that coming Pikachu," May chuckled as she stared at the mouse resting on her shoulder, enjoying the Electric-type's company.

"Congrats May, Pikachu rarely goes on anyone's shoulder except my own. He must really like you," Ash chuckled as he got up to rub the top of Pikachu's head, making the mouse smile.

"Really…." May wondered for a moment about how fast she had earned Pikachu's trust.
"Well I like you too Pikachu," the sapphire-eyed coordinator winked at the Electric-type, making the mouse blush slightly. May instantly took notice and giggled while Ash seemed a bit clueless as to why May laughed.

"So how long have you been up?" the boy placed his hands behind his head as he smiled casually at her.

"Just a couple of minutes," the brunette answered as she scratched Pikachu underneath its chin.

"How's Litleo doing?" Ash became serious as he lowered his arms and looked at May with concern.

May saw that Ash still looked extremely concern, so she knew the next bit of news would instantly change that. She looked at him with her lips stretching across her face, a joyous feeling sinking into her. "The worst has past Ash," she smiled as Ash's face became relieved. "While you were away the nurses told me they had stopped the bleeding and covered up its wounds. They said it was ok for me to go spend the night with Litleo and I just went in to rest with, I was really tired after that whole rush yesterday," May placed her hands behind her head, smiling warmly.

Ash felt a burst of happiness, not only because of Litleo's recovery but the dark cloud of worry that hung over May was leaving and she seemed much more at ease. "They said it would take a while before Litleo would wake up though since they had to use a lot of medication. Today the Pokémon were just going to monitor its health," the brunette said with content, wondering how long it would be till Litleo made a full recovery.

"That's a huge relief May, I'm so happy," Ash chuckled innocently. "I told you everything would be ok," the raven-haired teen flashed his signature smile that all his closest friends knew him for.

"Yeah and I couldn't have gone through it without your help Ash. Thanks for giving me hope when I needed it," the sapphire-eyed girl felt a warmth as she spoke kindly to her companion.

Ash pulled the down the brim of his hat as he spoke back with the same kind tone, feeling warmth inside him as well, "Anytime May." For a second, the two looked as though they were going to get lost in each other's eyes until May's stomach roared yet again.

The grumbling surprised Ash since he had never heard a stomach grumble like a snarling Entei. May quickly lowered her face as a red shade began to color her face. Ash chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "You know May I always thought my stomach grumbling was the worst out there, but you just took the cake."

"Pikachu pi pika," Pikachu laughed with its best friend as May hung her head low.

"How about we get something to eat?" the girl giggled, feeling ashamed for the sound her stomach had made.

"Sounds good to me, I'm pretty hungry myself," Ash nodded with delight while Pikachu cheered as well.

When May felt like could raise her head without a red face of shame, she smiled at Ash sheepishly. "Oh and Ash, thank you for the sandwiches and stuff," the sapphire-eyed girl showed her appreciation.

"I've got your back May," Ash gave her a thumbs up, making May feel even more appreciative towards him just because he had such warm heart. "Now c'mon before your stomach causes an earthquake," Ash joked as Pikachu leaped onto his shoulder.

"Hey!" May grinned slyly at him, "I'll get back at you some time for that Ash Ketchum," the girl warned.

Ash laughed as he just walked ahead of the girl, ready to start another beautiful day in the Kalos region. May followed close behind as they exited the building. When they went out into the open they were surprised to find the Pokémon already up and waiting for them right outside.

"Up and awake so soon?" May raised an eyebrow, happy to see her friends but also surprised.

They all roared cheerfully; glad to see May standing before them after the incident from yesterday. "May, the Pokémon were out here waiting for you till nighttime when we arrived yesterday. They were really worried about you and Litleo, they probably would have continued waiting all night if I hadn't gone out last night," the auburn-eyed boy informed May about the caring act committed by the Pokémon.

May looked at Ash with amazement and then turned to the Pokémon. "You really did that?" the brunette smiled at them compassionately.

Each and every one of her Pokémon nodded with tender grins. May grinned at them, wishing she had arms that would allow her to hug all of them at once. "That is incredibly sweet of all of you. You don't realize how grateful I'm to have you guys as my family, I love all of you so much," the girl stated as all of the Pokémon smiled at her.

Glaceon nuzzled its cheek against her leg while Venusaur rubbed May's back up and down with its vine. The feeling was mutual, the Pokémon loved May just as much. "By the way…something else you should know is Litleo is going to be fine. The Pokémon have already healed Litleo, it only needs to rest now," the sapphire-eyed coordinator grinned.

All of them burst into joy, with Pokémon like Blaziken even firing a Flamethrower to express their relief and happiness. May chuckled then smiled with them while Ash and Pikachu admired the purity in the hearts of the Pokémon, they boy could never imagine anything more beautiful than Pokémon…until he subconsciously turned to May. He smiled as he took a glimpse of reflective sapphire eyes.

"Ash, Pikachu, and I are going to get some food now guys, we'll see you around and hopefully you'll get to meet Litleo soon," May smiled at them, receiving nods. They prepared to walk away together until the brunette abruptly stopped in her tracks.

An idea had suddenly struck May. "What's wrong May?" the black-haired teen placed his hand on her shoulder, wondering why she had halted.

"Ash I'd like you to try some fruit in the forest that the Pokémon grow themselves. It's delicious and I usually have it for breakfast when I want something healthy, but tasty at the same time," the coordinator said to the boy.

Hmmm…I wonder what kind of fruit, Ash thought in his mind, but didn't see why he should refuse. "Ok!" the raven-haired teen agreed gleefully.

"Awesome," May gave him a thumbs up.

"Saur venusaur saur," Venusaur had been near them and offered to take them to the fruits.

"Venusaur, you sure you want to take us?" May asked, always wanting to be sure her Pokémon were willing.

"Venusaur!" Venusaur nodded contently, never losing the energetic nature it had as a Bulbasaur back in Hoenn.

"Thanks a lot Venusaur, this is going to be fun," Ash fist pumped in the air as he became excited, remembering how awesome it was to get a ride from a Venusaur.

The Grass-type showed Ash that was happy to help in any way as he picked May up with its vine, gently placing her on top near his flower. Just as Venusaur prepared to get Ash though, the brunette stopped him, "Don't worry Venusaur, I've got this," May instinctively decided to help.

Ash wondered for a moment with Pikachu as to why May had intervened but in the end assumed it did not matter. May reached her hand out to pull Ash up. The trainer immediately jumped and grabbed her hand.

All of a sudden, strange emotions spurt from within the pair. Ash could feel the warmth from before except this time it literally felt hotter. He took advantage of the moment as he enjoyed the feeling of holding May's hand even though they both wore gloves. May felt her entire body heat up as she held Ash's hand. She couldn't understand why it had gotten hotter or why she felt somewhat uneasy, but as she pulled Ash up she could feeling a touching sensation beat inside the longer she held his hand. They both timidly smiled at each other as Venusaur helped May pull the last of Ash up.

"Th-thanks," Ash faked a chuckle as he tried to make himself comfortable.

"Y-you're welcome," May grinned sheepishly, yet none of them realized they still held hands.

They stared at each other then looked down as they tried to fight back the reddening of their faces. Ash couldn't understand why he felt himself burning up, especially in the face, am I really blushing? He thought.

Why am I blushing, I was only pulling him up, May curled her hair with the finger of her free hand.

"Pi?" Pikachu spoke, bringing the two back to reality.

They looked at Pikachu and saw that his eyes were on their hands, they were still glued together. Already embarrassed, the two pulled away immediately. They chuckled nervously at each other as they said "Sorry," in unison, which startled them a bit more.

Pikachu and Venusaur got a bit suspicious of the situation, but thought it was none of their business in the end. The Grass-type began to walk into the forest as he carried the trio on top. For some minutes it was silent as Ash and May stared in opposite directions. They admired the beauty of the forest, which was peaceful yet filled with life. Ash could see some Mankey swing by and saw the Fletchling evolutionary line nestle among the trees.

May smiled while gazing at a herd of Sawsbuck eating with their younglings, who playfully ran around the woods with no fear of anything. Butterfree flew past them innocently, taking advantage of the gorgeous day. There were countless other wild Pokémon out who were just as excited to take advantage of the sunlight.

The brunette then turned to Ash, who was still looking at everything the forest had to show. She decided she should talk to him again in order for them to move on from the strange moment from earlier. That was something she would think about later in her own time. "You know, whenever I ride Venusaur I like to lie down," May said as she smiled.

Ash looked at May with curiosity, he still felt a bit strange about what happened earlier but thought that shouldn't keep the two quiet for the rest of the ride. He would put more thought into that moment later in his free time. "How come?" Ash inquired her.

"I just like to stare at the trees and sky over me, it relaxes me," May adjusted herself so she was lying down comfortably on her large friend.

"Let me try," Ash did as May had done. Pikachu also tagged along and lied down next to Pikachu. The raven-haired teen had his hands behind his head as his eyes focused on the cloudless blue sky and beautiful tree branches that gave more appeal to the sight. "You're right May, just feels nice," Ash grinned.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Yep, so just relax and enjoy the ride till we get there," May said.

Ash, May, and Pikachu smiled as they rested nicely. The world seemed at peace for the moment. No worries ran in their minds, no tournaments, no titles, no media, and no madness. Venusaur simply continued to quietly walk through the forest.

"Water Pulse and Ice Beam, then Iron Tail!" May ordered her Glaceon.

Glaceon fired a Water Pulse that shot as fast as a paint ball. The Ice-type then unleashed an Ice Beam that froze the sphere, which was as large as a Venusaur. Then with all her might, Glaceon jumped forward and crushed it into a million pieces of ice shards that flew like bullets towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded, looking fearlessly at the deadly combination attack.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu braced itself, surprising May. The sapphire-eyed teen looked with shock at her formidable opponents. She had fought countless others in the past, but none proved as powerful or persistent as Ash Ketchum.

"Pika pika pika pika pika," Pikachu started to charge with its full might, becoming enveloped in a powerful electric storm. The violent electricity it emitted vaporized any measly ice shards that were meant to cut Pikachu's skin.

Volt Tackle destroyed the resistance and when it felt the timing was right, Pikachu leaped forward. "Pikachuuuuuu!" the mouse cried out as it rammed Glaceon with its electric power.

"Gla!" Glaceon squealed as it flew violently with sparks coursing through its body. In a second the Ice-type had crashed harshly against the rocky floor.

May looked with astonishment. Her Glaceon was out; it could no longer go on. Although hurt by the loss, she was not a sore loser and got proud by what she saw. "He's stronger than he's ever realized, all he ever needed was to rediscover his confidence," the sapphire-eyed girl smiled at her opponent, who was busy celebrating with Pikachu. The pair jumped and laughed joyfully over the victory.

"Ash, Ash, Ash!" May's voice cried out his name with angst.

She could feel her body get taken carried away like if it were the ocean dragging her.

Ash looked around frantically until he saw the formidable crowd. He saw camera flashes and people roaring. To his horror though, he saw May get dragged along by some men in black. "May hold on!" Ash ran to the crowd.

"I can't take this anymore!" May tried to pull herself away from them, but they were much stronger.

"Let go of her!" Ash yelled as he ran with all his might until she disappeared among the sea of people. "I'm not giving up on you May, I'll do everything I can to help you! I promised it!"

He threw himself into the crowd of people, who began to push him and threw stuff at him. Ash didn't care; he was just as rude and pushed through. He couldn't let May slip away, not again. "I'm not going to let you get hurt again!" Ash charged through many people, all desperate to see May.

Luckily, he had reached the center where May was getting dragged into the limousine by the emotionless men in black. It became hopeless for her to fight back as they dragged her by the arms. When she saw Ash bursting out of the crowd though, her eyes lightened up.

"It's ok May!" Ash tried to muster a reassuring smile as he charged at her, pushing through men in black who tried to hold him but his determination overwhelmed them.

"I'm scared!" May shouted at him.

"I know I know, I'm coming for you May. I said I'll look after you, that's what I intend to do," Ash jumped forward before they could push May into the limo. The brunette managed to free one of her arms and reached her hand out.

Ash reached his hand out and grabbed May's. "Got you!" the raven-haired teen sighed with relief as he squeezed May's hand and pulled her out of the prison that was represented by the limo, the men in black, and the crowd all around them.

Ash opened his eyes instantly, feeling something tickle his nose. "Wha?" Ash looked to see who the perpetrator was.

A giggling Aipom looked down at Ash, who sat up and turned to Aipom and Pikachu, who was also chuckling. "Nice," Ash smirked as he adjusted his hat in the right position.

May felt something lick her face, making her giggle in the process. The brunette opened her eyes to see who was leaving drool on her nose and cheeks. She smirked when she saw the mischievous Pokémon.

"Zigzagoon!" Zigzagoon cheered when he saw May reveal her sapphire eyes.

"Nice to see you too Zigzagoon," May wiped her face as she grinned at the Normal-type.

"Whoooooaaa," Ash looked around after being awakened by Aipom. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Some of the rarest berries in the world were hanging from the trees.

"We're here," May smiled after taking a look at Ash's face. She jumped off Venusaur and thanked it for bringing them here, which made Venusaur grin.

Ash could see multiple colorful and odd-shaped delicious berries as far as the eye could see. "These all look so good don't they Pikachu?" Ash looked at his buddy.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu got just as awed by the berries. The mouse jumped on Ash's shoulder and they got off Venusaur together, thanking the Grass-type as well and Venusaur showed content over helping them out.

"How about a natural breakfast for the morning Ash?" May said joyfully as she stared at all the fruits.

"Don't mind if I do," Ash was eager to get a bite from one of the berries.

Venusaur pulled off some berries from the trees and gently handed them to the trio with its vines. May, Pikachu, and Ash took a bite from their sweet Nanab berries. Ash's eyes sparkled as he held it in his hand; it was sweeter than candy, softer than a banana. "This is so good!"

"Isn't it?!" May squealed as she took big bites from the berry, once again showing that she had an appetite as fearsome as Ash's.

"Pika!" Pikachu hugged itself from how tasty the treat was.

As Venusaur handed them some berries to eat away, Ash and May would finish each in fewer than 30 seconds. These weren't small grape-sized berries either, despite its name. For the most part, all these berries were the size of an apple or bigger.

Much to Ash's amazement, the trees even had Liechi berries. He remembered learning about them when he traveled Hoenn with May, but chose not to speak of it since she seemed busier eating each new berry Venusaur handed to her. Ash took a bite of the Liechi berry and licked his lips over how sweet it was but then cringed for a second since it had a sour aftertaste. Nonetheless, the boy enjoyed the bizarre-tasting berry.

"Hey Ash, one of these days we'll come back and get some Liechi berries so I can make pie, sound good?" May smiled adorably, especially since she had bits of berry juice around her mouth.

"Sounds plenty good," Ash chuckled as he took another bite of the Liechi berry, trying his best to ignore its sour aftertaste.

The pair grinned at each other as they ate some more with Pikachu and other wild Pokémon as well. They were in heaven for some minutes while eating the berries. Suddenly, while eating his berry Ash noticed that there were two Pokémon having a battle.

It was a Linoone and a Mightyena having a sparring match. They would pounce on each other, but then move swiftly to dodge. Mightyena would fire a Shadow Ball, but Linoone easily countered with Hidden Power. They seemed have fun as they smirked at each other.

The battling Ash witnessed made his trainer blood boil as he remembered all the hard work he and Sceptile had done yesterday. He felt the urge to battle and train as hard as that Linoone and Mightyena. He hadn't trained at all today, so he thought it wouldn't hurt at all to get into some action. "Here little guy," Ash handed the last of his Liechi Berry to Aipom, who happily ate it although regretted it later.

The raven-haired teen found himself taking out a Pokéball and looked at it with a fire emerging in his eyes. As he stared he immediately remembered bits of his dream. He quickly recalled the energy and dedication of the fight Pikachu put against May's Glaceon and knew he needed to kick it up a notch if he wanted to keep up with his friend.

"What are you doing Ash?" May raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was thinking.

"I think I'm gonna train," Ash smiled at her confidently as he held his empty Pokeball.

Ash nodded with his confident grin still attached, but he also remembered the good manners his mother taught him, "If that's alright with you?"

May seemed surprised at first since Ash had randomly decided to get to work. However, she couldn't blame him; she's felt like that too. Ash had an even bigger incentive though, after every loss he's had, it's no surprise that after training together yesterday he was determined to get back his skill. The brunette could see in his eyes yesterday, how his fighting spirit had gotten damaged from the losses he suffered prior to meeting her. She saw the fire in his eyes getting stronger as she stared at him. He looks so fired up and I want to get in some practice too but…

"I know you want to go check on Litleo after this May and its fine, Litleo needs you and you need to make sure if it's doing alright," Ash said like if he what May was thinking

May smiled since Ash read her mind and saw that she might not be able to stay with him to train right now. "I'm sorry that I can't stay and train with you as much as I'd like too, but thank you Ash," the brunette smiled, glad that Ash understood the reason why she couldn't stick to training right now.

"We have plenty of other days May. I'll catch up with you later and thanks for the breakfast, I haven't eaten anything like that in ages," Ash winked at her, showing his gratitude.

"I'm just glad you like it. Most people don't seem to enjoy fresh food anymore," May winked back at Ash, making him smile in the process. "Catch up with you soon, Venusaur…why don't you stay and train with Ash? He'd love a challenge," May suggested as she prepared her return to Litleo.

"Saur," Venusaur nodded confidently, knowing that Ash could prove to be a worthy opponent.

"Perfect, I'll see you guys later," May waved goodbye to the gang as she took off.

Ash waved until she was no longer in sight. The raven-haired teen and Pikachu looked at each other. The auburn-eyed male looked at Pikachu with a sheepish grin, "You know Pikachu, I feel kinda guilty that we aren't there with May and Litleo, but we'll catch up with her soon."

"Pi pika pikachu!" Pikachu assured Ash that Litleo and May would be fine, plus the mouse believed they needed to get their gears shifting if they want to be winners in the next region.

"Alright buddy! Whatever it takes to get in the game! Go big or go home!" Ash spoke proudly as he and Pikachu showed high spirits. It was like watching intense flames grow around them.

"Charizard, Greninja, Krookodile, Heracross, and Sceptile come out!" Ash shouted as he stood in the thick forest.

Venusaur smirked, confirming that there had been a group of Pokémon following them this whole time simply out of curiosity. Krookodile emerged from underground with his arms crossed and looking like a celebrity with his sunglasses. "Krook!" the gator roared.

"Herac!" Heracross flew down from a tree and slammed his fist on the grass, making a crack in the earth.

"Gren," a sly frog dashed through the tree tops and somersaulted himself towards Ash. Greninja struck its signature pose as it eyed Ash coolly.

Ash and his Pokémon heard a twig snap and turned around to see Sceptile slash through a branch with Leaf Blade. The large Grass-type landed in front of them, grabbing a twig that fell from the tree branch he slashed through, "Scep," the Grass-type Pokémon smirked.

Then they heard the door of a formidable Pokémon up above. They felt the wind get stronger as Ash held his hat down. Suddenly, they felt the earth shake as one more Pokémon stood beside them. Charizard spread its wings proudly and released a Flamethrower into the air.

Ash and Pikachu smiled confidently as the raven-haired trainer turned his hat. "Time to test our limits and break through," the boy spoke to them.

"It's not even noon yet," May stared at the clock in the room where Litleo rested. It already felt like a long day, so she wondered at what time she and Ash had woken up. She looked around quietly, unsure of what to do.

She looked at Litleo once again and saw it sleep in the same position as before. It had not awoken once since she left with Ash. "Chansey, do you know when Litleo should wake up?" the sapphire-eyed girl asked.

Chansey, who had also been in the room making sure Litleo was in one piece, shook her head sideways. "Chansey," the Pokémon expressed its sadness for not knowing. "Sey chan," the pink Pokémon informed.

"Soon huh?" May thought, but she wished she had a precise answer.

The sapphire-eyed girl rubbed Litleo's paw as she sat there with nothing to do. Even if it would have been great to train with Ash, I wouldn't be able to focus with Litleo on my mind. I hope he's having fun and is working hard. He's already a powerful trainer…he just needs to rediscover his confidence, May thought, which was exactly what Ash had heard in his dream. I do feel guilty though…I could be there helping Ash regain his confidence and get stronger. However, she remembered what Ash told her earlier before she left him.

"We have plenty of other days May," Ash winked at her. The flashback put May at ease for now, knowing that Ash had a point. "Once you're healed little guy, I'll make sure to help out my other friend," May mumbled.

She decided to turn on the TV just to avoid suffering from boredom. Unfortunately, the first thing the TV showed was PMZ. To make matters more annoying for May, it was about herself, which was PMZ's favorite topic.

"Well apparently, George this chick just decided to take off to lord knows where and all we really know is she dropped everything…went on vacation…and to make matters more interesting…she took a strange fellow who we've nicknamed 'boytoy'," a hippie-looking fellow told one of his costars.

Everyone in the room erupted into laughter as May appeared with Ash in a photo of them in the car the day she had gone to speak with Wallace, making the brunette roll her eyes in disgust. "Boytoy?" the bald-headed lead star of the gossip show chuckled as he looked at his costar.

"Hey what's wrong with having a boytoy?" a sassy tan woman raised an eyebrow at George. Then everyone continued laugh, amused by the topic.

"Gosh, well you can't blame the top coordinator for liking her boytoys," George chuckled as he stared at the camera with amusement.

May squeezed the remote as she tried to contain her rage. "Apparently, the board was pretty pissed off that May decided to just drop everything and take off though. Who can blame them though, I'd get ticked off if my employee ditches for a one night stand," a shaggy-looking male stated, making everyone in the room go "Uuuuuuuu".

"Guess Miss Perfection ain't so perfect after all," a blonde woman commented and chuckled. The topic of May seemed to amuse all of them, but they weren't finish trash talking.

Just as they prepared to gossip some more, the coordinator turned off the television. "There's never anything good on anyway," the girl glared at the TV while speaking with a vain voice.

What she heard had put her in a seriously bad mood, not only did they mock her but they wiped the dirt with her name. "Where do they get this stuff, I never even considered myself perfect. I'm far from perfect if you ask me even if I have perfectionist tendencies," the girl crossed her arms, frowning at the floor.

"Chansey," the oval Pokémon patted May on the back, hoping to cheer her up.

"Thank you Chansey," May gave her a small smile, although it was obvious that May had gotten her feelings hurt.

The sapphire-eyed girl crossed her arms as she hid her face in her lap. She fought back any tears; she wasn't going to waste her tears on people as despicable as that. That's what they want, they want to damage May and make a profit off her emotions with tabloids. "Don't feel…don't feel…don't let them get to you," May mumbled as she felt her fears come back to haunt her after just two days of tranquility. Why did I turn on the TV? May complained in her mind.

"I can't let this get to me," May whispered as she clenched her fists.

Abruptly, as she fought back the negativity that attempted to take over her mind, a gentle purr brought her attention elsewhere. "Chan!" Chansey jumped with surprise.

May raised her head to see what was going on. Then when she saw creature, all her fears traveled back to the bottom of her mind where they would rest for now. The brunette's eyes shined with joy as she saw Litleo stretch its body a bit and let out a yawn, sticking its long tongue out. "Litleo, you're awake! Thank goodness!" May cheered with joy.

"Li?" Litleo looked at her with confusion then looked around and became further confused by everything it saw. It certainly didn't look anything like her home. "Leo…" Litleo became frightened by the unknown as it lowered its head in fear and took a few steps away from May.

"Awww, you're scared aren't you, come here," May tried to get the little thing to feel better by reaching out her hand.

At first Litleo was hesitant. It looked at May's hand and then at her. The cub had never seen a human before, so it was distrustful. "Don't be afraid little guy, I won't hurt you. You can trust in me, I'll look after you and protect you," May gently placed her hand on his bed and made a "tch, tch, tch," sound to make it come over. Litleo stared at her and saw how hard she tried to reach out to him.

She turned to Chansey, who seemed much friendlier, but still distrusted the nurse. "You're probably wondering what happened and how you're here, aren't you Litleo?" May questioned.

Litleo nodded shyly as he eyed her curiously. May looked sad as she explained what she had witnessed, "When we found you Litleo, you were on the side of a river completely soaked and bleeding heavily. You had countless wounds and we rushed you to this place to heal you. Chansey and some other Pokémon took good care of you…they healed all your wounds then made sure you rested till you were finally awake. We've all been very worried about you."

Although it didn't understand English, Pokémon always had a special sixth sense for understanding the language of other creatures. When May mentioned the river, Litleo immediately recalled everything in its mind like a movie.

It remembered the towering, dinosaur-like Pokémon with enormous spikes and its fearsome power. The flashback allowed Litleo to remember what happened to its pride and how hard it tried to escape. Unfortunately, it had ended up at a cliff and preferred suicide over death by a monster. He dropped into a river and remembered his best to swim, but the lack of energy and his inability to swim properly caused him to drown, it was a miracle for him to be alive. Of course, what startled Litleo most was the terrifying eyes of his attacker.

This was enough to make Litleo jump into May's chest instinctively, which caught the brunette by surprise but held him in her arms. May felt sympathy for the feline, so she started to caress it while Litleo looked at her curiously. "It's ok Litleo, sssshhh, nobody will hurt you anymore. I promise to make sure you're ok," May said with a tender voice and kissed its head, making the Fire-type blush.

Litleo's blushing made May, but her kiss wasn't enough for Litleo to feel completely safe. He hid his face shyly as he tried to deal with his emotions of sadness and curiosity. "Are you feeling better?" the sapphire-eyed girl asked.

"Lit," Litleo responded in confirmation as it remained in May's arms, feeling that her arms were safer than any other place right now. The little lion-like Pokémon looked out the window, recognizing the blue sky. It became sad when it saw the outside world from the window.

"You probably want to go outside don't you?" May noticed his sad expression.

Litleo nodded, disliking the enclosed room it found itself in. "Don't worry Litleo, you'll be able to leave once you've recovered enough," the girl petted the Pokémon, who seemed to allow May to touch it. "How long will it be till it's allowed to leave Chansey?" the girl asked.

"Chan," Chansey replied, eyeing the pair with a smile.

"Awesome…you hear that Litleo? You get to leave tomorrow, so you'll have a chance to see the trees, grass, and the sky again. Today will fly by, I guarantee it," May said to the little one.

"Litleo," Litleo got disappointed that it couldn't leave now, but it is what it is in the mind of the helpless lion.

"Until then, I'll keep you company in here ok," May winked at Litleo, making the cat look at her curiously, in its thoughts it wondered who this beautiful and strange thing was.

Suddenly, the cat's stomach began to grumble. The noise startled Litleo for a second until May giggled. "No need to be afraid Litleo, it's just your stomach. You're probably hungry," the girl reassured it as she placed him on the bed.

"Li," Litleo looked around again, liking it better in May's arms than on the strange white bed.

"Chansey, could you bring Litleo some food?" May smiled sweetly at Chansey.

Chansey nodded as it exited the room to bring some food, leaving May and Litleo to stare at each other. Litleo eyed her with curiosity while May just grinned.

May's words rang in Ash's head as he gritted his teeth, Remember, defense, attack, and speed always have to balance out so you have a better advantage. Too little or too much of something could throw you off and this applies to any Pokémon you use in battle.

Gotcha May, Ash nodded. "Charizard use Flamethrower on Glaceon!" the raven-haired teen ordered.

Charizard roared as it went flying down towards Glaceon with all its might even after suffering major damage against the sly fox. The Fire-type unleashed the stream of fire, but Glaceon reacted quickly with a Water Pulse. "Gla!" Glaceon let out a Water Pulse almost Charizard's size.

The two attacks collided and just like Ash had planned it, the collision formed a cloud. Unluckily, Glaceon wasn't in the clear and yet and from out of the cloud burst the dragon-like Pokémon like a missile. "Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded.

Charizard charged forward with its claw glowing brightly. Note this is a moment where you can transition into another strategy. Sceptile could use Quick Attack and Agility to move away and surprise Blaziken with the false alarm, Ash recalled another useful battling tip. Charizard was fast, but Glaceon's reflexes were faster and the Ice-type released another Water Pulse.

"Spin and make it lose its balance!" Ash extended his arm to the right.

Charizard's eyes widened when it saw Water Pulse just two feet away, but it reacted fast to Ash's command. The Kanto starter spun 360 degrees and used its tail to sweep Glaceon off its feet, catching it off guard. "Now!" Ash instructed. With all his power, Charizard unleashed Dragon Claw while Glaceon was open for a hit. Dragon Claw sent Glaceon flying and squealing through the air, but the evolved form of Eevee still had one more trick. With the last of its willingness to fight, the Ice-type let out a Water Pulse during its squeals. This caught Ash and Charizard off guard since they didn't expect a final comeback after such a deadly hit.

Charizard roared in pain as it crashed against a tree from the force of Water Pulse, getting severely hurt. Glaceon hit the ground and rolled a few times until it lied still, recovering from the intense hit from Charizard.

Well it went better than when we started, Ash thought as he let out a deep breath. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and smiled confidently at Charizard, who was getting up after the Water Pulse struck it down. Glaceon also stood up and the two Pokémon exchanged smiles. They thanked each other for a great sparring match, even though they never completely finished. Based on statistics, Glaceon dominated most of the battle, but Charizard's true potential would show itself in the direst moments and showed he could bring Glaceon to its knees including at the end of the match.

"Great job Charizard, you improved so quickly. I'm proud of you," Ash high-fived Charizard, making the Fire-type smile contently.

"We're all going to keep training more and more guys," Ash turned to his other exhausted Pokémon. Sceptile, Krookodile, Greninja, Pikachu, and Heracross were cooling under the shade after sweaty and intense fights, but they all smiled or gave Charizard a thumbs up for its incredible resistance and comeback.

Ash thanked Venusaur and Glaceon for battling with them and they were great sparring partners. Venusaur and Glaceon even had their own tips for Ash's Pokémon that will certainly come in handy in another fight. Once they had wrapped up training for the day though, Venusaur and Glaceon returned to their homes in the forest and left Ash with his Pokémon.

"We won't become as strong as May in a day or two days or a week, but we'll get there. I know we can. We'll sweat and cry together guys, we're all a family here so we go through all struggling together," Ash made a fist, projecting a confident image for his Pokémon. His Pokémon shared Ash's praise and determination, but a question continued to haunt Ash in the back of his mind. Could all their training bring them back into the game as victors? We just have to get stronger; Ash gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and vowed they would do whatever it takes to be the best.

Chapter 20 guys! The last part was supposed to be longer since I wanted it to be more emotional and intense, but it's a school night because school begins tomorrow for me -.- Although I'll save that part for another chapter. First off I'd like to thank Hawpdude and SuperGV88 for pointing the missing part of this story. I admit for some time I wasn't satisfied with the direction this story is going because something felt out of place and I couldn't figure out what. It was thanks to those reviews I realized where I had lost touch and this chapter is aimed towards the flaws that the story had recently faced.

This chapter is meant to reintroduce the Ash we're all familiar with and many more chapters will continue to focus on Ash being more than just a hapless trainer who's in love with May. Chapters in the future have also been outlined to focus on the very deep and scarring flaws May has in her character, which will also become gradually evident and not immediately obvious like Ash. This chapter probably didn't do an excellent job at making Ash like his former self and it didn't introduce much of an imperfect May, but it's only the start and more chapters will explore that part of these two important characters. This is why I always appreciate your reviews and enjoy the feedback because it gives space for improvement, it reminds me and shows me how I can do things differently and possibly make them better.

SO REMEMBER TO REVIEW, PM, ETC GUYS! FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED! Obviously there wasn't anything incredibly thrilling about this chapter or new except Litleo is awake and I'm trying to formulate a way to make Litleo a bit different from the usual "Ash and May take care of a Pokémon and fall in love while acting as parents" just because I'm trying to escape that overused theme, which I have already used in another story and is another reason why I don't use it here.

The reason I tell you that is because I want to share something with you guys and When I wrote Man in the Mirror, I intended this to be better than any fanfic I've posted before and any I'll post after (but everyone has a different opinion and that's cool!). I want it to be bigger than Advanced Wishes because this is supposed to go into deeper emotional territory that explores difficulties we experience in the real world like trying to find confidence in ourselves or trying to escape the shadow of approval. I'll talk more about this in another chapter, I'm sure you guys are tired of my blabbering. I'll catch you guys soon, which is hopefully soon! Take care and thank you again for all your support!