A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to my first first story, "A Trial of Will!" I can't wait until this story really takes off. Anyway, I just want to straiten a few things out before you start reading. First off, this takes place about 2 years after Kalos. For the sake of the story, Kanto thorough Johto took only one year where as Hoenn/Battle frontier and Sinnoh took 2 years respectively with Unova again taking only one year. Also May and Dawn will both be the same age of 17 in this story with the reason being Dawn waited a year to get her first pokemon (Meh... why not.) More character's ages will be revealed as they are introduced. Also, pokemon leagues take place every two years instead of every year; that just seems to make more sense since all the trainers have to travel for so long.

Ash: 18

Brock: 24

Serena: 18

May:17 (nearly 18)

Dawn:17 (nearly 18)

A Trial of Will

It wouldn't be hard to believe that the cheers could be heard throughout the entire region. The only thing that could have been louder was a gang of Explouds. At the center of it all was the one and only, Ash Ketchum.

Standing on one end of the battle field, inside the newly refurbished Indigo Plateau was, of course, Ash. In front of him, looking a little worse for the wear but still standing, was his faithful Pokemon and best friend Pikachu. At the call made by the referee, Pikachu seemed to gain some new found energy and took off running towards Ash and jumped into his arms with a huge smile on his face.

At the same time, on the opposite side of the field was a boy slightly older than Ash with long purple hair and an expressionless look plastered on his face. Paul, as he was known, recalled his Torterra and quietly thanked it for all of his hard work.

Back on Ash's side of the field, the celebration was beginning.

Ash froze when he heard the referee. He'll never forget his words, "Torterra is unable to battle, which means Ash Ketchum from Pallet town is this years winner of the Indigo Plateau Conference!"

It was only when Pikachu catapulted into him that he came out of his stupor and finally realized what had just happened.

He had done it.

He had finally won a league tournament.

"Pikachu! We did it! We Finally did! We won a pokemon league! This is our first step to becoming pokemon masters!" Ash screamed to the yellow rodent.

"Pikachu Pikapi!"

Ash was too caught up in his celebration to notice Paul, whom had made his way over to his side of the field. He coughed in order to get Ash's attention. Ash, hearing this, stopped dancing around to see Paul standing in front of him.

"Well Ketchum, I can't say I'm too happy with the results, but I came over her to say congratulations. As much as it pains me to say it...the better man won today." Paul seemed to struggle a bit with his words; Being nice was still kind of new to him.

Ash continued staring at Paul for a few seconds until offering him a handshake, "Paul. That was the greatest battle of my entire career as a pokemon trainer and I'm glad it was against such a great trainer and an even better friend."

At his words, Paul actually smiled, something he still rarely did and took Ash's hand for a shake.

Paul had changed drastically from when Ash first met him in Sinnoh, most people say for the better. He stopped verbally abusing his pokemon and actually began treating them right. It was this change, Ash believed, that was the reason why Paul was his opponent in the finals. His change is also what made the two men such good friends.

After Kalos, the two met up again in Johto and upon seeing how Paul had bettered himself first hand, Ash had offered Paul the opportunity to travel with him, Brock and Serena. Paul thought it over a lot and eventually accepted, but just for a while.

During that time Ash and Paul became very close friends, realizing how much they had in common now that they weren't always at each others throats.

Paul and Ash went their separate ways after Johto, however, due to Paul wanting to re challenge the Sinnoh league where as Ash wanted to go back through Unova. And so the two split up, knowing that they had a great friend and rival in the other.

After the handshake, Paul had taken Ash's arm and raised it above his head, signifying that he was the champion. At this, the crowd went wild and many were touched by this great showing of sportsmanship.

At this point, Charles Goodshow made his way onto the field and on to the referee platform, microphone in hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I don't think I need to mention just how incredible that battle was." Cheers erupted throughout the stadium.

Goodshow smiled warmly as he waited for the crowd noise to die down, "Now, at this time I would like to welcome up onto the podium, the winner of the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash Ketchum!"

"Good luck up there. I'll see you in the locker room after the trophy presentation." With this said, Paul took his leave, strolling into the annals of the stadium.

Ash wasted no time in getting to Mr. Goodshow, who welcomed the young man with a handshake and a congratulations.

"Thank you Mr. Goodshow! This is all so incredible!." Ash said as he eyed the massive crowd of over 100,000 people, an bright and enormous smile gracing his features.

"You deserve it Ash. You really do" Goodshow responded as he turned to the microphone to address the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would now like to present Mr. Ketchum with the Indigo League trophy!"

As this was said, a young man made his way up the stairs of the podium with a large, golden trophy in his grasp. He handed the trophy to Ash and quickly took his leave.

Ash stared at the trophy with wide eyes. He truly couldn't believe it. After all of his hard work, all the times that he had come so close, he had finally taken the first step towards pokemon mastership.

He couldn't help to think back to all of his near-victories. His 2nd place finish in the Kalos league followed by two more 2nd place finishes in both the Johto league and the Unova league. These losses no longer mattered, however, because here, now, he was holding the proof that he had won the Indigo Plateau Conference in his home region of Kanto.

"Well Ash, do you have anything you would like to say to the crowed or maybe anyone watching at home?" Goodshow asked Ash, who looked a little taken aback by the question.

Ash moved uncomfortably toward the microphone stand. Despite his confidence when it came to battling, public speaking wasn't something he particularly loved. It was obvious to see that he was struggling to find something to say.

"Uhhh...ummm." Ash mumbled out before taking a deep breath and calming himself. "First off, I have to thank Paul for that incredible battle. A match like that is truly a once in a lifetime event." Ash paused as the audience cheered.

"I'm not sure how many of you have followed my career as a pokemon trainer but-" Ash was cut off by the roaring of the crowd. He knew that with all of his near-victories as well as his successes in the orange league as well as the Kanto Battle Frontier, he was bound to have accumulated at least some fans. That being said, he was definitely not expecting that this many people knew who he was.

Ash laughed a bit as the crowd began to die down, "Okay, so it seems a lot of you know me, but that's beside the point. Right now, I'm the happiest man in the world, but I wouldn't be where I am without the support of many people; too many to mention really, but I am going to try."

Ash couldn't help but give credit to all of his friends; his travels with all of them were what gave him the strength and knowledge to be that point.

"Misty Waterflower, the first person I met on my journey and one of my best friends. To all of you, she's probably just the Cerulean City Gym leader but to me, she will always be the girl who's bike I fried and the person that was there for me when I needed her the most. And also the girl that taught me more than anyone else. Thank you Misty." Ash finished looking directly at the camera.

"Next I want to acknowledge Brock Harrison. The worlds first traveling pokemon doctor to most, but again, to me, he is my absolute best guy friend on the planet. He taught me so much and traveled with me for so long that our bond has grown far beyond that of just friendship. Brock and I are brothers, and nothing less."

"Max Maple. I know most of you don't know of him yet but trust me, you will. With his knowledge of pokemon, there is no way he won't take the pokemon leagues by storm. He's only 14 now and hasn't really done anything to make a name for himself as of yet, but that kid taught me more about pokemon than anyone else I have ever met. A time will come when he will be sweeping through leagues and destroying challengers at the Petalburgh City Gym, you can quote me on that."

"May Maple, the princess of Hoenn." The crowd cut him off once again, obviously recognizing the name. "Yeah, she's amazing isn't she? She hasn't won a grand festival yet, but she has made a huge impact on the world of coordinating, and an even bigger impact on me. She was always there for me and has never let me down. I can't help but smile every time I think of her and I can't wait until I get to see her again... whenever that may be. Oh and did I mention... I kind of accidentally destroyed her bike as well." This earned a laugh from the crowed.

Ash sighed and shook his head, letting out a short laugh before speaking,"Jeez, I feel like one big cliche right now. Only a few more, so bare with me."

It was easy to see that no one in the crowd minded his long winded speech and were interested in learning more about the new victor and those closest to him.

"Next up is Dawn Berlitz. An excellent coordinator who I'm sure all of you have heard of. Like the others, we met by total accident and I couldn't be happier that we did. Similarly to May, I like to think I helped her along but really, she never needed my help. She was amazing from the start. When I talk about her, I get so incredibly happy because she is just such a great person. I don't know when we will see each other again, but I hope it's soon." Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before continuing, "Oh and...I kind of destroyed her bike as well."

This earned a roar of laughter from the crowd. No one could believe he had destroyed three of his best friend's bikes.

Ash went on to speak kindly about Iris, Cilan, Clemont and Bonnie as he did all the others before coming to his last personal thank you.

"And last but not least is Serena Yvonne. Me and her go all the way back to when we were just 6 years old. I helped her out of a jam during summer camp and she never forgot. We didn't meet up again until a few years ago, but she's been by my side ever since. I can't thank her enough for all of the support she has given me over the years and I know she understands that I will always support her as well." Ash managed to spot her in the crowd, locking eyes with her as he continued. "She reminded me to never give up and I can't even begin to repay her for all she has done for me. She is one of the most important people in my life and another of my best friends. Thank you Serena."

He was still looking at her but couldn't read her facial expressions as she was too far away.

"Anyway, I'm being told I now have the record for longest speech in Indigo League history so I'm going to get going, but thank you all for supporting me and watching me take my first step to become a pokemon master."

The crowd gave one more earsplitting cheer as Ash gave Goodshow a handshake. Ash then proceeded into the locker room, Pikachu on his shoulder and his new trophy in hand.

"This still doesn't feel real, you know Pikachu?" Ash asked his electric friend while sitting in the empty locker room.

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu said while nodding his head.

"I wonder where Paul is."Ash thought to himself. "He said he would be in here when I was done."

Just then, he saw his purple haired friend enter the locker room, contently munching on a hamburger.

"There you are. I was wondering where you wondered off to." Ash said to the new arrival.

"Sorry. I got hungry, so I gave some kid an autograph for his hamburger and soda." Paul mumbled through his full mouth.

"Seriously Paul? Don't you think that's a little below you?" Ash questioned incredulously.

The only response he got was a shrug as Paul continued eating his burger. It was at this time that both men heard a commotion from outside the locker room door.

"Hey let us through, we're friends of the winner!" The voice was muffled, but Ash could definitely tell it was Serena's. He quickly rushed over to the door and swung it open, catching the eyes of his friends, Serena and Brock, as well as the body guard keeping them out.

"Let them in, they're friends of mine." Ash spoke sternly to the security guard who simply shrugged and moved aside, allowing Brock and Serena entry.

While walking through the door, Serena couldn't help but stick her tongue out at the 'mean security guard' as to taunt him. Ash saw this and let out a giggle, it was just so like Serena to do something like that.

Ash closed the door and made his way over to the couches that now occupied Serena and Brock.

Before his friends could get a word out, Ash spoke, "Hey guys, I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick, be right back."

Ash entered the restroom and took stance in front of one of the sinks. He turned on the faucet and let the cold water run onto his hands. He then brought his hands to his face, hoping to rejuvenate himself after the long and tiring battle. He then brought his head up until he was staring himself down in the mirror.

"You finally did it Ash. You've finally a true step toward completing your goal." Ash said to himself, smirking all the while.

Ash'd gone to the restroom in order to just be alone for a few more moments, hoping to let the fact that he had won really sink in. Now that he was alone and had some time to reflect, he could definitely say that this was the best day of his life thus far.

Satisfied, Ash left the bathroom to return to his friends. However, as he left through the door, he was stopped in his tracks when he was hit by something. Ash looked down and saw a blonde head on his chest and felt arms wrap around his body. It turned out that this "something" was actually Serena who'd ran to Ash at full speed and tackled him into a hug.

Only looking up to meet Ash's eyes and not separating from the hug, Serena began to speak, "Ash, you did it! After all of those close calls, it's finally your time to shine, and I couldn't be prouder of you."

"And what you said during your speech...about me, it was just... so amazing. I-I didn't know you thought so highly of me." By this time, Serena had a noticeable blush on her face and released Ash from the hug iso that she could try to hide it.

Ash responded immediately, "Of course I do, Serena! You helped me so much throughout my journey. There's no way I'd be where I am right now without you. And I can't thank you enough for everything you have done for me. I meant every word I said up there. Hell, I would've said more if I thought I had more time." Ash finished with his signature smile.

Serena's face turned even redder at the praise, but it's not like she was wasn't used to it by now. If Ash could've seen Serena more closely while he was talking about her during his speech, he would have noticed another massive blush on her face, paired with a breathtakingly beautiful smile.

It was no secret that Serena had feelings for Ash, well... no secret to everyone butAsh. Naturally, with being around him so much, she could help but become great at hiding her blushing face whenever that would happen.

All in all, traveling the regions with Ash had by far been the best years of Serena's life and she didn't plan to leave his side any time soon.

"Hey, congratulations...brother." Brock chimed in with a grin plastered on his tanned face.

Ash could help but smile himself at this. What he said was true, him and Brock were basically brothers. Out of all of his companions, Brock had been with him the longest and he wouldn't soon forget everything the older man had done for him over the years.

After Brock's departure before heading to Unova, the depression Ash felt from his best friend leaving hurt more than he imagined. Similar feelings were also shared by Brock.

But luckily for them both, Brock's love for travel and friendship with Ash encouraged him to try something no one had ever done before him. After becoming certified as an official pokemon doctor, Brock decided to take his practice on the road. It seemed odd to his colleagues at first, but traveling allowed him to visit places that didn't have their own pokemon doctors; Brock was a godsend to most of his patients.

Becoming the first traveling pokemon doctor not only allowed Brock to do what he loved, but it also allowed him to travel with his best friend again and now. All in all, everything was working out great.

"Thanks Brock-O. The same goes for you as well, I meant every word I said out there." Ash said, pointing in the direction of the arena.

"Don't worry Ash, I had no doubt in my mind that you were being genuine. And I've got to say, I'm really glad to have another brother." Brock responded.

Ash smile widened as he walked to Brock and pulled him into a quick, manly hug.

Off to the side, Paul was trying to talk to Serena, but she was trying her best to ignore him.

Serena had never really liked Paul all that much, despite the fact that he was one of Ash's good friends. During the time they all traveled together, Ash spent most of his time hanging out and training with Paul and she couldn't help but blame Paul for taking Ash's attention away from her. She knew this was petty, and she actually did enjoy having Paul around more often than not, but he could also frustrate and annoy her to no end.

Paul was used to her silent treatment by now, but he he knew there was one subject that would always get her to talk, "You know it's stupid, right? That you haven't told him yet. I really don't know what you're waiting for at this point."

Serena finally acknowledged Paul's words and blushed red while glaring at him, a little surprised by his words. She pulled him further away from her two companions and began to speak, "SHHHH! Do you want him to hear you?" Serena was furious at Paul for being so reckless.

"Serena, you know you're being ridiculous. Just tell him already! Don't you want to be happy?!" Paul said the last sentence much louder than all those preceding it.

"Tell who what Serena?" Ash asked innocently, honestly having know idea what was going on, only having heard about Serena needing to tell someone something.

Serena was horrified, but tried her best to act quickly and keep a relatively neutral look on her face, "Oh...I...uh... nothing Ash. Just forget about it, okay?"

Ash, never being one to pry, just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his conversation with Brock. Breathing a sigh of relief, Serena turned her attention back to Paul.

"Don't ever do that again, or you won't like what happens!" Most of the time, there was no way you could be afraid of Serena, with her being way too cute to be considered as any kind of threat, but the look she gave Paul was enough to strike fear into him.

Sensing that her mission of instilling fear into Paul was complete, Serena dropped the glare and spoke softly. She knew that Paul had mostly brought this up simply to get her to pay attention to him, but she knew that there was always truth behind what he was saying regarding this, "Listen Paul, I'm just not ready. I-I really just don't want to ruin our friendship. If I made thing uncomfortable between us...if I lost him somehow...I just can't live without him, Paul."

"When will you be ready? It's been more than two years and you still say you're not ready? If you ever want this to happen, then you have to make a move because Arceus knows that Ash won't." Paul responded. Despite the teasing, he actually did want to help her.

Serena sighed, "Maybe you're right... I promise that I will do it soon, how about that?"

"Sounds good to me, just make sure you actually follow through with it. You don't want to end up losing him to someone else." Paul mentioned, using this tactic to hopefully scare her into action.

Though, there was a level of truth to his statement as Paul recalled the blue haired girl, Dawn, having a pretty obvious rush on him back when he was traveling through Sinnoh. With this experience, it wasn't hard to believe that Ash could've captured the hearts of others that would surely act as competition for Serena. Just because it hadn't happened as of yet doesn't mean that it couldn't. And if he was being honest, Serena was his friend and he really did want her to end up happy, and he knew the only way this would be accomplished was if her and Ash became a couple.

But Paul didn't dwell on the topic too much, having never really been one for such things. Plus in the end, this really all came down to Serena.

Serena gulped at the thought of losing Ash. Quickly however, that fear was replaced by the determination to one day soon, find the courage to tell him how she truly feels about him.

Petalburgh City, Hoenn Region

"May would you shut up about Ash and just watch the battle?" Max yelled to his sister.

May laughed nervously, "Hehe... sorry about that."

She truly was sorry about interrupting the match with her talking, but she just couldn't help it. One of her best friends was looking like he was on his way to winning his first pokemon league, and she was excited to say the least.

Around her sat both of her parents, Norman and Caroline. Her friend and rival Solidad as well as her rival Drew, who appeared to be not the least bit interested in the match. May had also allowed Glaceon, who'd let herself out of her pokeball as soon as Pikachu hit the field, to watch the match.

Drew, instead of watching the match, was more interested in watching May. As she grew up, May had become even more beautiful. Her face had matured from that of a young girl to that of a woman. Her figure had slimmed down. And let's just say that puberty had been...very good to her.

Her chest was very large her rear was firm and cute. Her body made a perfect hourglass shape that would make most guys drool and Drew was no exception. However, he was too drowned in jealousy at the moment to be enamored by May's appearance.

Drew couldn't help but be envious at May's admiration towards the boy on TV. May talking so highly of Ash pushed him over the edge, "Hmph, no matter if he wins or not, he will always be a loser. I can't believe you think so highly of him and attribute him for making you who you are, May. That's just ridiculous! That should be my honor. MINE! I'm surprised this dense idiot even made it passed the first round, let alone the finals!"

Everyone in the room was now looking at Drew. Solidad appeared mostly surprised while Max, Norman and Caroline were fuming. But no one could've matched the furious glare that May was shooting at Drew.

Once she'd left Ash to travel with her rivals, May began to really struggle in her contests. Without Ash's support, it seemed as though she had lost it. In fact, she hadn't even gained enough ribbons her first year away to enter the Grand Festival.

However, a late night phone call with Ash seemed to repair what was wrong with her coordinating after Johto. After that night, she was back and better than ever, knowing that Ash would always support her, no matter where he was.

When she failed to reach the grand festival, May didn't hear the end of it from Drew. He would constantly berate her and make her feel terrible about herself after a win ora loss. And there was always one person he blamed for her not performing well, and that one person was always the same...

Ash Ketchum.

He would constantly talk about how it was Ash's fault for making her battle too much like a trainer and not a coordinator. Even when he wasn't scolding May after a contest, he still always brought up how Ash was bad in one way or another.

May would always defended her best friend, but Drew would never relent. Just days into her journey in Johto, she became completely sick of Drew. She would now never accept his roses or his advice while training for contests. For that, she relied on Solidad and the past teachings of Ash.

Back at the gym, May was glaring daggers at Drew. How dare he come into her house, uninvited no less, and continue to bad mouth Ash, especially in a moment as big as this one?

"You know what Drew, the only loser I see here is you! Not only did you follow me and Solidad to every region we visited after Johto, even though we clearly didn't want you to, but you also have to audacity come into myhouse and bad mouth my best friend! The person I care about more than anyone else in the world!" May shouted, letting out years of pent up anger and frustration towards Drew. She was speaking directly from her heart, not allowing herself to really think before she spoke. That being said, everything she was saying was exactly what she was feeling.

"I gave you another chance to change when we met up halfway through this past year in Hoenn, but you just wouldn't stop not only berating me, but Ash as well. You never could accept that I was better than you...that he was better than you." May continued, her harsh, icy tone never faltering.

"I wasn't berating you, I was only trying to help you become a better coordina-" Drew tried to jump in but was cut off by May.

"Trying to help me?! Is that what you call constantly telling me that I'm a bad coordinator?! That I will never amount to anything in the world of coordinating?! But I proved you wrong didn't I? When I won this years Hoenn grand festival just yesterday!"

"You're taking what I said out of context-" Drew was again cut off.

"No I'm not Drew!" May held a venom in her voice that was intimidating everyone in the room. "You want to know how I know for a fact that is exactly what you told me? It's because those words hurt, Drew! They're branded into my memory forever! I thought you were my friend, but all you ever did was hurt me."

Drew tried to butt in yet again, "But May, I am your friend. In fact, I've always wanted to be more than frie-"

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" May screamed incredulously. Her parents were slightly taken aback by her foul language, but decided to let it slide since this boy really deserved to be chewed out. "You actually expect me to like you after all you have done? You're even dumber than you look! You've had enough second chances Drew, our friendship, whatever was left of it, is officially over."

Upon processing her words, Drew actually looked like he was about to cry. Caroline, who had been bottling up her anger during this entire argument decided now was a good time to speak. "Drew, May is our daughter and anyone that isn't kind to her deserves no place in her life. And as for Ash, that man is like a son to us and I have had enough of you bad mouthing him! You are no longer welcome in this house or anywhere near my daughter!"

By now, Drew had let a few tears stroll down his face. In all honesty, he should have known this was coming. He was rarely nice to anyone and that included those he called friends. But he simply refused to change and just continued to be an asshole, not knowing any other way. He turned to leave, before being halted by May's sweet voice.

"Wait, Drew don't go...not yet." May said in the kindest voice she could muster. Drew felt a glimmer of hope flutter through his chest, only to have that feeling was crushed by May's next words, "I want you to watch Ash win. I want you to see just how much better he is than you."

Drew was hurting badly at this point, but he still decided to stay, wanting to spend as much time with May as possible before likely never talking to her again. Everyone turned their attention toward the TV just as Pikachu delivered the final blow to Paul's Torterra with a well placed Iron tail.

When the referee announced Ash as the winner, the entire room, save for Drew, went absolutely crazy with cheers and screams of joy and excitement. May looked to Drew, a satisfied smirk on her face as she saw the defeat in Drew's eyes.

Drew was frozen, trapped in the gaze of May's beautiful sapphire eyes. Even though they were filled with malice and hatred, they were still heavenly. May stood, glaring at Drew, only turing away when she heard here name called by Ash on the TV. She quickly turned her head to see Ash, trophy in hand, speaking into a microphone.

"May Maple, the princess of Hoenn... Yeah, she's amazing isn't she. Although she hasn't won a Grand Festival yet, she has made a huge impact on the world of coordinating,..."

"He must not have heard yet."May thought to herself.

What Ash said next surprised her to no extent,"-but she has made a much bigger impact on me..."

May couldn't hide the goofy smile on her face when she heard this.

"She was always there for me and has never let me down. I can't help but smile every time I think of her and I can't wait until I get to see her again... whenever that may be."

May curled one of her hands into a fist and put it next to her heart as she listened to his kind words. Ash always knew how to make someone feel special. While this was happening, she slid her other hand into her pocket and wrapped her hand around the half of the Terracotta ribbon she always kept with her, no matter what.

Drew stood completely still, silently watching as Ash praised May. If he wasn't already broken before, then he was when he saw May in this moment. She had a large, but soft and tender smile on her face, her cheeks were flushed slightly red and she looked happier than he'd ever seen her before.

After Ash finished his speech, Norman walked over to Drew and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I think it's time for you to leave."

His voice was forceful and intimidating, causing Drew to abandon all hope of trying to mend things with May for the time being. On his way out the front door, Drew vowed to himself that he would get May back... no matter what it took.

Back inside, Ash had finished his speech about May and had moved on, but the aforementioned brunette was no longer paying attention to what he was saying. She was still caught up in the incredibly sweet things he'd said about her.

She knew she really shouldn't have been surprised, it was just Ash being Ash, but she just couldn't get over it, over him, who he is as a person. He'd credited so much to her, told the whole world how much she meant to him. May caught herself thinking, for what seemed like the millionth time, why she had ever left the companionship of Ash.

Just seeing Ash on the television made her yearn to see him again. It was easy to see that he had matured a lot since they'd last seen each other in person back in Sinnoh. He now had a muscular build and a deeper, but still comforting voice.

His face was a lot less childish in appearance and he was considerably taller. He towered over Mr. Goodshow and May, having met the man before, used this to put Ash somewhere around 6'4". If she was being completely honest...she thought Ash looked incredibly attractive; she'd always found him to be a good looking guy, but this was something else, something more, it seemed. And the more she watched him, the more that feeling of longing grew; the more she wanted to see him again.

May was so busy in her own little world that she didn't notice Max tap her on the shoulder. She finally came back to reality when Max began to speak. "Hey May, you alright? You're kind of spacing out."

May blushed at her thoughts and shook them out of her head before responding, "Yeah Max, I-I'm fine. I'm just so happy that Ash is one step closer to his dream!"

Max seemed to accept the answer as he was feeling the same way, but both Norman and Caroline had watched May this entire time. It was incredibly obvious to tell what she was thinking about and both parent's faces were plastered with large smirks because of it.

As Max left the family room to go brag to his friends that his "big bro" had won the Indigo league, Caroline walked over to May and sat next to her on the couch.

"You must be very excited, May. You win your first Grand Festival and the next day, your best friend wins a league. I'd say that's a pretty incredible two days." Caroline spoke with a smile.

"You can say that again! Of course I'm happy that I won and all, but I can't help but feel even happier that Ash is finally one step closer to his dream." May declared, the huge smile never leaving her face.

Caroline dropped her smile for a moment as she figured out how to word what she would say next, "Honey, I'm really sorry about Drew. I know you told me he was sometimes mean to you and would talk badly about Ash, but I had no idea."

May shrugged and gave a sad smile. "It's okay mom, really. I think maybe I was just spoiled by how Ash always treated me. I mean, I guess Drew was trying to help me as well, it's just...well, he sucked at it."

"And he's an asshole." Caroline said seriously before both mother and daughter broke out into laughter.

"You can say that again. I don't need a toxic friend like him when I have others like Solidad over here who truly help me out and care about me." May said, gesturing to her good friend sitting to the right of the two women in a chair. "I just can't believe that Drew was about to tell me that he wanted to be more than friends. Honestly, I don't even like him as a friend!"

Caroline plastered a smirk on her face as she began to speak, "I don't blame you. And besides, I'm pretty sure your heart already belongs to someone else..."

May looked at her mother quizzically, "What do you mean-" May was interrupted by her mother gesturing her head towards the TV which housed a picture of Ash with the words 'champion' written beneath it.

May's face instantly went deep red as she realized her mother's implication and remembered her thoughts about Ash from just moments ago.

May began to speak, albeit very shyly, "Mom, I-I don't like Ash...like that. He is my best friend and that's-that's it..." Even though she'd said it, May wasn't sure what she was feeling for her raven haired friend. If she was being honest, she hadn't been sure for a long time.

Caroline just smirked at her daughter, "Whatever you say dear. Just know that people like Ash are hard to find in this world. Someone's going to snatch him up if you don't do it first."

May's face turned a deep shade of red and for some reason, a wave of panic rushed through her when she thought about losing Ash to another woman. Her mom obviously thought that the two belonged together. May, being confused about her feelings, opted to remain quiet.

"He's probably going back home to Pallet after his win. I think you should go see him and congratulate him in person. I'll leave you to think about it. Come on Norman, Solidad, let's go prepare dinner for tonight." With that, Caroline took her leave along with her husband and Solidad.

May didn't move an inch, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts. It was true that Ash was a one of a kind person and that she had never met anyone as kind, loving, and warm-hearted as him And sure, she'd had a pretty big crush on him during their journey together but because of the amount of time spent away from each other, she tried so hard to force it away due to them no longer traveling together. And at one point, she'd even convinced herself that she'd succeeded... at least, she thought she did.

With her recent outburst at Drew, May was really looking at who would truly be there for and make her feel special. People that made her happy just by being around them. People who cared for her while expecting nothing in return. And in the end, she could only think of one person that fit this description completely...

Ash.

"Ughhh, I'm so confused!" May yelled in frustration. Although she was conflicted with her emotions at the moment, she knew one thing for sure...she desperately wanted to see Ash again.

May shook the thoughts out of her head for the time being before deciding to do something that, regardless of how confused she was with her feelings, would make her happy.

May had a huge smile on her face as she spoke to herself while pulling the Terracotta ribbon out of her pocket and looking at it, "Well... looks like I'm heading to Pallet Town."

Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh Region

Twinleaf Town was small and peaceful, very much like that of both Littleroot and Pallet Town. Many of the residents would enjoy the warm afternoon air that seemed ever present in this little town on their porches. It was always so peacefully quiet here and that was something that people loved about it.

However today, nobody was out on their porches. Nobody was enjoying the afternoon sun. Instead, all were inside, no one daring to miss what some were calling 'the battle of a lifetime' because of the rivalry the two competitors shared. Two elite level trainers battling it out was something that everyone, everywhere could enjoy.

To say that Twinleaf Town was peaceful and quite on this day would be a blatant lie solely because of one resident's house in particular.

"Come on Ash, I know you can do it! Keep it up! I know you'll win!" These were the shouts of a particularly bubbly and happy blunette by the name of Dawn Berlitz as she watched the match upstairs in her bedroom. Her friends were running late, so she'd opted to watch the battle in her room until they arrived.

Johanna, Dawn's mother who was stationed in the family room, also watching Ash's match, sweat dropped at her daughter's over the top enthusiasm. Kenny and Leona, Dawn's childhood friends, had just arrived as Dawn continued cheering loudly in the early stages of Ash's battle.

Johanna let Dawn's friends in the house and called to her, "Dawn, your friends are here. Now come down here so we can all watch Ash's battle together.

Johanna knew that Ash and Dawn were best friends who always supported each other, but when Dawn came down the stairs, to say that she was surprised would be an understatement.

Dawn shyly walked down the stairs of her house wearing a larger, but...skimpier version of the cheerleading outfit she'd worn for Ash's gym battles back in Sinnoh. Johanna's jaw hit the floor when she saw her daughter in a less than prude cheerleader outfit. However she soon recovered and smiled at her daughter, knowing that she was doing this just to support the person she cared about more than anyone, her best friend... even though he couldn't see her.

Kenny's jaw dropped as well, but for a different reason. He quite literally couldn't take his eyes off of her. His less than subtle crush on Dawn was even more apparent than usual as a bit of drool made its way out of his mouth while watching her descend the stairs.

Leona was the only one that didn't seem surprised by Dawn's outfit. With herself and Dawn being so close, she knew all about how Dawn had worn a cheerleading outfit to cheer for Ash's when he had a big battle. For her, this wasn't out of the ordinary in any way.

Buneary followed behind Dawn in a similar outfit, which earned a giggle from Johanna and Leona.

As Dawn approached her mother, Johanna turned her attention to her tentative looking daughter.

"H-Hey mom. Hey you guys." It was obvious just from the tone of her voice that Dawn was embarrassed about her mother seeing her dressed like a cheerleader in support of her closest friend. Johanna tried to stifle her laughter, but she just couldn't. Dawn looked at her mother with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"MOM! I'm doing this to support my BESTfriend. He has a chance to win a pokemon league here!" Dawn exclaimed, red faced.

Kenny flinched a little as he was broken out of his stupor when Dawn began to speak. He thought of Dawn as his best friend and it hurt that it seemed she didn't think the same.

Johanna finally settled down after a good-hearted laugh at her daughter's embarrassment, "Oh honey, I know and may I say that you look absolutely beautiful in that outfit."

Johanna was right about that. Dawn had also matured quite a bit. She, like May, had turned into a beautiful young woman. Her cheerleading outfit showed off her toned midriff as well as her long legs. Her blue hair was a bit longer than it used to be and that amounted to Dawn caring for it even more so than in the past. Although Dawn's chest was not as big as May's, she was very happy with what she had. The real head turner in Dawn's case was her perfect, large rear. Years of training alongside her pokemon had left her in great shape. All in all, Dawn was absolutely gorgeous and no one could dispute that.

Dawn couldn't help but smile at her mother's kind words as she felt her nervousness begin to melt away. That is, until her mother spoke again.

"And I think that it is so sweet of you to dress up for your boyfriend's big match. I'm sure he would really love it if he could see you." Dawn's face reddened at her mother's words. Kenny's face also went red, but with anger.

Leona just giggled to herself, knowing that if the opportunity presented itself, Dawn would get together with Ash in a heartbeat, even if she would deny it.

"Mom! You know he's not...,my..." Dawn was too embarrassed to even finish her sentence.

"In that case, I would love to date him. From what I've seen and heard about him, he seems amazing." Leona said dreamily. Even though there was a hint of truth behind her teasing, she would never do such a thing because she knew that Dawn had feelings for Ash, even if she wouldn't admit it.

"You would not!" Dawn shot a glare at her friend, becoming very defensive over Ash for some reason. Seeing the shock on the faces of her company, she realized what she'd just said and done.

The look of shock on Leona's face morphed into a smirk as she watched Dawn's face turn bright red, "Don't worry Dawn, I won't steal your boyfriend. It's cute how defensive you are over him though!"

For a long time, it was obvious to Leona and Johanna that Dawn had feelings for= Ash, even if she wouldn't admit it yet.

"Ash is not my...boyfriend." Dawn said in a shy voice, barely audible to those around her.

Even though her voice was hardly full of confidence, Kenny still calmed down a little when he heard her say this.

Johanna continued to smile at her daughter, deciding to stop the teasing for now "Whatever you say dear. Let's just go back to watching the match."

Everyone nodded in agreement as they sat and resumed watching the biggest battle of Ash's career, which was just entering it's final match up; Torterra Vs. Pikachu.

Dawn couldn't help but stare at Ash during his battle. She hadn't seen him in person in nearly three years and had only talked to him on the phone one time over that period. With people traveling around so much in this world of theirs, it was hard to find where the person you wanted to call was at any given time. Dawn and Ash were not immune to this problem. She longed to see him again but didn't know when it would be a good time.

"What if he's changed..." Dawn thought to herself, but quickly shook the idea out of her head. Even if Ash did change, it could only be for the better. This was Ash she was talking about after all.

Right before Ash called for the final iron tail that would ultimately knock out Torterra, Dawn jumped up and began cheering...loudly.

"You can do this Ash! Kick his butt! You're the best there is!" Dawn screamed as if Ash might be able to somehow hear her if she was loud enough.

Kenny was feeling a mixture of anger, jealousy and sadness over how much Dawn supported Ash. For a long time now, he'd had a feeling that she might like Ash as more than just a friend, and this day was just another that continued to back up his suspicions.

With Dawn obviously caring so much for Ash, with it being more evident today than ever before, Kenny decided that he would have to make his move today if he even stood a chance at winning Dawn's heart. Dawn talked about Ash in some way or another pretty much everyday, and today was a more extreme example of that. This, along with all that has happened in the past is what finally motivated Kenny to act.

As the referee announced Ash as the winner, the whole room burst into ear splitting cheers, although Kenny's were noticeably quieter.

"He did it! I'm so proud of him! He's finally one step closer to his dream!" Dawn screamed out as she danced around with Leona. Johanna even joined in at one point smiling with her daughter and her good friend. The only one absent was Kenny. He didn't hate Ash by any means, but he was a rival for Dawn's heart, and that was all he could think about at the moment.

Kenny mustered up all of his courage and approached Dawn who was still jumping around in joy, "Umm, Dawn?" Hearing this, Dawn calmed down for a moment and looked to Kenny. "Can I talk to you for a sec."

Dawn was wondering why Kenny had picked now of all times to talk about something and was slightly annoyed that he'd cut her celebration short but sensing that it was something serious, she simply shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the couch. All the while, both her mother and Leona continued bouncing around and celebrating in happiness.

Kenny took a deep breath and began to speak, "Dawn, we've known each other for a long time and we're pretty good friends, right?"

"Umm, yeah..." Dawn said, uncertain as to where Kenny was going with this.

Hey took another deep breath. "Dawn, I-I'm just gonna say it. I've liked you for a really long time and I think that you might like me, so... willyoubemygirlfriend?" Kenny said the last part very quickly. Despite this, Dawn still heard his words.

She went slack jawed as even her mother and Leona stopped dancing around once they heard the man's words. Dawn knew that Kenny'd had a huge crush on her for a long time, but he'd never acted on it, and that was how Dawn liked it.

She thought of Kenny as a friend and nothing else. To be honest, Dawn was a bit uncomfortable with Kenny's obsession over her. She had caught him staring at her multiple times from his house next door, as their windows to their rooms were adjacent to each other and it kind of freaked her out. Despite all of this, herself and Kenny had been good friends for a long time and Dawn didn't want to just throw that away. But with what Kenny just said, it was obvious that nothing would ever be the same between them after this.

Kenny stared at Dawn, hope and desperation filling his eyes, waiting for Dawn to speak, "Kenny I...I don't know what to say. I'm flattered... but... I don't feel the same way. I only see you as a friend and that's all I will ever see you as. I'm sorry."

Kenny's heart broke immediately. He'd really thought he at least had some chance but now, all hope was squashed. For some reason, instead of feeling sad, all Kenny felt was anger. He needed someone to blame and that blame fell on the only person he could think of at the moment...

Ash Ketchum.

Kenny's face turned dark and his voice level dropped very low, "It's Ash isn't it?"

His voice was so low that Dawn couldn't hear it, "What, Kenny?"

By now, Kenny had blown past his boiling pint, "Don't play dumb with me! I said, it's Ash isn't it? That's why you don't like me, because you already like him! Huh Dawn? Is that it?"

Dawn, Leona and even Johanna were a little scared at how aggressive Kenny was acting, but Dawn, through a red blush, managed to speak. "I-I don't know what you're talking abou-"

Kenny cut off Dawn, "Oh cut the crap. It's obvious to anyone with two eyes and a brain that you have feelings for Ash, even when you haven't seen him in what... three years? How can you still like somebody after that long? I have been by your side that whole time and you don't like me? Dawn I love you! You have to love me back!"

Dawn was now completely terrified. She had never seen this side of Kenny before. "Kenny, that's not it... I-I just don't like you in that way."

"Well then, I'll just have to make you love me!" Kenny howled aggressively.

He quickly forced Dawn up off of the couch and pulled her into a kiss. Dawn's eyes became wide as she immediately pulled away and slapped Kenny as hard as she could in the face. This seemed to break Kenny out of his blind rage and make him realize what he'd just done. He looked at Dawn, who was now crying, and knew that he'd messed up big time

He looked over at Leona who appeared to be frightened and then at a fuming Johanna. It didn't take long for his eyes to land back on Dawn.

"I-I'm sorr-" Kenny was silenced with a hand from Dawn.

Through her tears, Dawn spoke. "Don't. I thought you were my friend, but then you do something like this. How could you? Just because I don't want to be your girlfriend?! I can't even look at you right now. Just...go."

"But-" Kenny tired to butt in, but couldn't.

"GO!" Dawn screamed through her tears of both fear and sadness. Kenny realized any attempt to talk to her right now would be pointless so he opted to take his leave.

Dawn sat back on the couch after Kenny left and cried. Both Johanna and Leona sat on either side of her, each placing a reassuring hand on each shoulder.

Dawn intended to sit and cry until, somehow, she would feel better. But Ash apparently wouldn't allow that, even if he was in another region. Dawn was forced to slow her tears when she heard her name coming from the television. She looked toward the TV and saw Ash standing on a podium, obviously giving a speech. Dawn listened intently.

"Next up is Dawn Berlitz. An excellent coordinator who I'm sure all of you have heard of. We met by total accident and I couldn't be happier that we did. Like May, I like to think I helped her along but really, she never needed my help. She was amazing from the start."

Ash's words seemed to cheer her up instantly as her tears stopped and a wide smile formed on her face. She couldn't help but smile and blush a little at Ash calling her amazing on live TV. It baffled Dawn that Ash could always help her, even when he was in a completely different region.

"-When I talk about her, I get so incredibly happy because she is just such a great person. I don't know when we will see each other again, but I hope it's soon"

Ash said that last part looking directly at the camera, making Dawn feel as if he was actually talking to her, filling her with absolute joy. A smile was plastered on her face and wasn't leaving anytime soon. This didn't go unnoticed by Johanna, who was formulating an plan in her mind.

"Go to him." Johanna spoke softly to her daughter.

"Huh?" Dawn's responded, so lost in her happiness that she hadn't heard her mother completely.

"I said, go to him. Go and visit him in Pallet town and congratulate him in person. I don't care if you like him as more than a friend or not, it's obvious that he makes you happy, and you need to be happy right now. And plus, I'm sure that Ash will be ecstatic to see you." Johanna responded with a smile.

Dawn couldn't help but blush again at thinking about Ash and her being more than friends. She then pondered the idea of visiting him. In all honesty, there was no reason not to go see him. She knew he would go to Pallet Town to see his mother after this journey and she desperately wanted to see him again. It took only seconds for her to decide.

"You're right, Mom. I'm going to Pallet Town to see Ash!" By now, her tears were gone and the only thing that filled her eyes now... was hope.

A/N: There it is guys! The first chapter of "A Trial of Will". I hope you all enjoyed it. This chapter was more of a set up. Next chapter we will meet up with our gang in Pallet town and get our first taste of some Team Rocket action. Don't worry, eventually this fic will have a good bit of action in it as well as romance. Also, this story will contain character death so be aware of that. Anyway, please stay tuned and make sure to catch the next chapter of "A Trial of Will"

Thanks guys and See Ya!