Hi guys,

This is just a one shot, I had no idea where I was going with it, but enjoy :)

With an angry glower, a familiar brunette, clad in her sapphire travelling suit, stomped away from the Contest Hall, her fire and fighting type following her with bemused apprehension. She didn't turn back to watch the crushed rose she left behind, nor to see the chartreuse haired man watch her leave, a small smirk playing his lips.

'Why does he always have to bring up his strengths and my weaknesses, Blaziken? I don't think I can handle much more of this! I've been putting up with it since practically day one, and I can't pretend it doesn't affect me anymore. I'm not this angry girl, you know I'm not. Why do I let him affect me so?' The woman ranted, not looking where she was going as she turned a corner, taking her sapphire bandana out of her hair to clench it in her fist.

'Maybe it's time for a change,' she muttered to herself as her as her pokémon called his name, his eyes widening at the sudden appearance of an auburn haired man, who was talking on his Xtransceiver.

'Look, Ash, I can't just drop everything because you want—ooft!' The man scowled before walking head first into the infuriated brunette.

'Ouch, oh I'm so sorry!' May yelped as her bandana fell to the ground, her hair an unruly mess as her sapphire eyes looked up to behold the familiar visage of Gary Oak.

With a flush, the woman glanced at her feet, hoping he didn't recognise her. She hadn't seen the man in roughly a decade, and had no clue as to how she should react.

'Ash, I'll call you back,' the man scowled into the device before promptly hanging up, his eyes widening at her sudden appearance

'May?' The man questioned before revealing a charming smile that would have had May swooning if she remembered she didn't obsessively swoon at anyone, especially the Hoenn man she'd just given an earful.

'Hi Gary, it's been a while,' May whispered with a small smile, her eyes flickering from his face down to her feet.

'I'll bet it has. Last time I checked, you left Johto so fast I couldn't catch up with you, no matter which region you were in,' the man chuckled before pulling her into a hug.

'I'm sorry, my dad had a job offer he couldn't refuse,' May let out a light laugh, nervously running a hand through her hair once he'd released her. She'd been dreading this encounter, knowing that it would have to happen soon. After all, the man was best friends with Ash Ketchum, not that Ash knew they were already acquainted. She didn't know how he'd react if he heard that she was the man's other best friend.

'And you didn't think of seeing me or gramps when you were in Kanto?' Gary scowled irritably, releasing the woman to cross his arms in clear anger.

'Oh come on, Gary! I was thirteen, maybe fourteen! Besides, Ash had already raved about how you were off in another region. I didn't think you cared, and Professor Oak didn't say anything about whether you missed me or not. I just assumed you'd rushed off to be the best Researcher you could be,' May let out a slight giggle, slapping her childhood friend's arm softly.

'Well at least you look well. Is lemonade ice cream still your favourite?' The man questioned, arching an eyebrow at her.

'You bet it is,' the woman grinned, all irritation at her rival disappearing in a flash at the reappearance of the man who had once been her best friend, especially when he mentioned food.

'Come on, my shout. Is this your infamous Blaziken? He looks strong, but not as strong as my Blastoise,' Gary mused as he sauntered ahead of the woman, not noticing the way she pouted her cheeks at him.

'Gary Oak, don't you dare start criticising me or my pokémon!' May hissed, clenching her hands as she stomped her foot in irritation, lashing out at him uncharacteristically.

Hearing her tone, the man stopped to stare at her. He frowned as he noticed the tears which were threatening to spill from her eyes, as well as the ever so subtle tremble of her lips.

'Who did it?' The man scowled as he took a step forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Shaking her head, the woman tried to blink back her tears, though the man steadied her face with his hand, holding her cheek with a tenderness she hadn't expected from him after the time that had passed since she had last seen him.

'May, you're one of the strongest girls I know. Granted, I haven't seen you for about a decade, but someone as strong as you doesn't just break over nothing. You were my best friend then, and I still love you now. Who did this to you?' Gary scowled at her, his blue eyes filled with an emotion May couldn't decipher.

Taking in a shaky breath, May whispered, 'it's nothing, Gary. Please, just make me forget about the stupid Contest. I shouldn't have bothered, anyway.'

'Yes, you should have. Do I have to go back there and ask Nurse Joy?' The Kanto man scowled as he saw a chartreuse haired man saunter towards them, his emerald eyes intent on the pair.

'Please don't!' May squeaked as a single tear slid down her cheek, surprising the Kanto man further so that he turned to stare at her.

'May?' The other man questioned, his Hoenn accent thick. He turned his calculating gaze onto Gary before letting out a protective growl, 'who're you?'

'Gary Oak's the name, not that that should concern you,' Gary snapped back before turning his attention to the woman he'd been secretly searching for for years. When he'd encountered Ash in Sinnoh, he'd been disgruntled to find him travelling with another Coordinator. After Hoenn and Kanto, he'd been almost certain she'd travel with him to Sinnoh, but he'd been wrong.

'What did you do to her?' The man persisted, a dangerous edge entering his voice, though Gary ignored it.

'May, if you don't want lemonade ice cream, what about ramen?' The Kanto man persisted, knowing that May, like Ash, loved food. He couldn't think of a faster way to cheer either of them up, and was banking his money on that now.

'Can you make the same ramen that gramps used to make?' May whispered, sniffing slightly as she glanced up at him, surprising him by slipping into the nickname he'd given his grandfather.

'You bet I will! In fact, I'll make the best ramen you've ever tasted,' Gary chuckled as he saw her bite back a smile.

'Better than Brock's?' She mused, appearing oblivious to Drew from LaRousse's angered expression. The man clearly resented her familiarity with Gary, though the older man chose to ignore it.

'You bet it will be!' Gary winked back, seeing her grin up at him with the same childlike glee he'd come to love.

Unable to stop himself, he continued, 'and Max won't be there to tell you you're eating too much.'

Realisation dawned on the woman's face before she grabbed his hand and squealed, 'yes, no annoying kid brother to tell me off! I can finally eat as much as I want! What're we waiting for, Oak? I want three portions!'

'Are you seriously going to go off with the man that made you cry?' Drew sneered as he held a rose to his lips, his emerald eyes glancing from Gary to May.

Hearing this, Gary let out a growl, though May retorted for him, 'try again, Drew! Gary's never made me cry—ever! He's been nothing but kind to me, and I've missed his company. If only you both could have such a clean track record!'

'Wha-when did I make you cry?' The Hoenn man blinked at her, his expression filled with a confusion that Gary mirrored slightly. The latter had often heard about the chemistry shared between May and Drew, and couldn't imagine anyone succeeding in making the Johto woman cry.

'The question isn't when did you, but when don't you. All you do is belittle me, Drew. Yes, you give me serious pointers, but you don't need to be quite so harsh about it. Now excuse me, I have a date with my long lost best friend,' May responded sadly before she stormed off, still holding Gary's hand fast in her own.

Watching May glance around at the tall buildings, Gary couldn't help but chuckle at her child-like delight at everything, her anger forgotten.

'So, what've you been up to? I see you're over your fear of pokémon,' the man mused as he pulled his hand away from May's. Seeing the woman pout at the lack of contact, he almost chuckled. However, rather than visibly display his contentment at her desire to be with him, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

'Yeah, Blaziken helped me overcome that, so did Beautifly. I can't believe you remember that! It's so embarrassing!' May squeaked, hiding her face in her hands.

When the man simply chuckled in response, the woman pouted subtly.

'Other than Contests and sampling cuisines, I haven't been up to that much that I can say. Have you had much success with your research?' May questioned as she glanced up at the man, her face subtly flushing as her eyes met his.

'You know about my research?' Gary blinked at her, watching the flush enter her face again.

'Ah, well, you see, umm, Ash mentioned it a little,' May chuckled sheepishly, poking her fingers together in a clear sign of anxiety.

'So, you're still a terrible liar. You missed me, face it,' Gary chuckled at the woman, relishing her flustered and flushed visage.

'W-what? No way, why would I miss you?' May scowled, crossing her arms and scowling in faux anger.

'Because you love me and Brendan doesn't cut it. You even told him that he was nothing compared to me when you rejected him,' Gary grinned triumphantly, relishing her surprised squeak.

'Gary! He told you that I rejected him?' May gasped, stopping so suddenly that the pedestrian following them almost fell over their feet in a bid to avoid colliding in her back.

'Yes, he looked pretty crushed, too,' Gary smirked as he pulled the woman closer, sending an apologetic glance to the disgruntled stranger.

'Oh, great, now I've gone and hurt Brendan,' May moped, her forehead crinkling in clear worry.

'I wouldn't be too concerned about it. From what I've heard, he's moved on to a Unovan professor who does something with dreams. I didn't enquire too much,' Gary consoled, noticing the way May's frown deepened.

'What?' The man questioned, arching an eyebrow at her. He was feeling extremely grateful that she, like Ash, were extremely stubborn and immature. It meant that he could read their expressions with ease and still knew exactly how either of them would react to him.

'He said I loved you?' May whispered, glancing up at the man, her sapphire eyes widened ever so briefly, her face flushing as she licked her lips.

'W-well not in so many words,' Gary laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair.

'What did he say?' May questioned, her hands shaking slightly, though Gary didn't notice.

'Something about you waiting for someone who wasn't going to come back for you. He was pretty pissed off, too,' Gary grimaced, his eyes intent upon May's, searching for a reaction.

When he saw her expression turn crestfallen, he blurted out, 'was it me?'

'What? No way!' May gasped a little too fervently, shaking her hands before her in a flabbergasted manner.

'Really? Because I was trying to find you for years,' Gary questioned, his voice, thankfully, not showing just how nervous he was feeling. He'd been trying to find his childhood friend for so long, that he'd almost given up on finding her. However, fate had been kind to him, and let him walk into her life again—literally.

'Y-you were?' May questioned, her face flushed in embarrassment.

Seeing this, Gary felt the back of his neck warm as well, as he became suddenly very aware of the rumours circulating around May and her rival, Drew.

'Of course. You didn't even say goodbye,' Gary responded lamely, feeling extremely grateful that none of his friends were there to laugh at just how lame he could be. Why was it always May that send his brain out of his body? Didn't his mind know that he needed its support most when it came to May from Olivine City?

'I,' May began, but faltered. Her expression softened, and Gary braced himself for the inevitable rejection that would come. How could it be that the one woman he'd always desired for could possibly reject him? Arceus, the world was a cruel place.

'I get it. Let's have that ramen and I'll get out of your hair,' Gary smiled at her, running a hand through her hair for the sake of the old joke.

Hearing those words, and feeling his hand skim through her hair, May couldn't help but giggle endearingly up at him. Just the sight of her bright, sunny smile made Gary want to wrap her in his arms and kiss her. However, he knew that he'd never have a chance with someone as pure and thoughtful as May.

'Ramen sounds delicious,' May grinned before taking his hand in her own and leading him to the Pokémon Centre.

Gathering the ingredients in the kitchen, Gary let his eyes linger on the brunette who sat on the island benchtop, her eyes scrutinising his movements. He couldn't express just how much he'd missed her sunny smile, nor her quick laugh. When he'd heard from Ash that he was travelling with a May, he hadn't dared to hope it was the same girl. However, meeting the woman, Ash had sent Gary images of his travels with her, causing Gary's heart to lurch. He'd dropped a hint to Professor Oak to have Ash head to Sinnoh, and was disappointed to find May not there. Instead, she'd Swanna'd off to Johto.

'Did you at least miss me?' Gary asked, almost kicking himself for letting the words escape his lips.

'Of course I did, what kind of a question is that? You're my best friend, Gary, always have been. Did you keep your promise and get a Squirtle as your starter?' May smiled as she watched Gary place the ingredients in a pot and put it to bowl.

'Yeah, did you at least get a Totodile?' Gary chuckled as he put the lid on the pot.

'Nah, I never got to talk to Professor Elm about it,' May grimaced, scratching her cheek with clear anxiety as she pulled her feet under her.

'That's a shame, but at least you've found your calling with Contests and Blaziken,' Gary chuckled as he unashamedly let his eyes linger on May's figure. He knew he was making his physical desire for the woman extremely obvious, but after he'd made his move on her and been rejected, he would accept what he could.

'Have I?' May mused as her expression became pensive.

'Yes, you're a strong Trainer and you show a lot of talent with Contests. Why would you doubt yourself?' Gary questioned, as he crossed his arms. When Ash had asked for his advice during his travels in Hoenn, Gary hadn't believed his ears that May could lack such confidence. She'd always had a way with pokémon, although her fear of Tentacool had caused her to fear other pokémon.

The woman hesitated obviously as guilt filled her expression.

With a grim expression, Gary realised what the reason would have to be—Drew.

'Does he put you down a lot?' Gary questioned, his tone unusually clipped as he busied himself with their meal, adding some more spices to it.

'All the time,' May grimaced, her voice shaking ever so subtly.

Stirring the contents of the pot, Gary considered his options. With a heavy sigh, he said, 'May, you're a babe, and you are extremely capable. Ash has told me that you've got confidence issues, but I never thought he was telling the truth. Have some faith in yourself and your pokémon, you're far more capable than you think. Drew is just taking out his anxieties on you because he's scared of losing you. Now, if you want to be with him, I won't stop you. You're still my best friend, and your happiness is more important than my own self-gratification of having you. Just make sure that you know what you're doing, because I'm not hanging around for you. I've done my waiting, and you've got to make your choice. '

The woman swallowed obviously, her expression palling at the man's uncharacteristic lecture.

Appearing as unperturbed as possible, the man continued the preparations in silence before taking two bowls and filling it with their meal. He couldn't meet her gaze as he busied himself by taking out the chopsticks and spoon, hoping she didn't notice just how anxious her rejection made him.

'Do you mean it?' May questioned as she took the chopsticks from him.

Taking a moment to notice her flushed face, as well as the way she chewed her bottom lip, Gary sighed, 'May, I've always wanted you. When you left, I couldn't believe it. I tried to replace you, but no one was ever good enough. Having said that, I'm not going to be the pathetic loser you see in those rom-coms Dawn watches. Guys like me don't pine after the women. No, you make your choice, and you stick to it. I'd rather be miserable knowing you're happy than be miserable thinking you might give me a chance.'

'So you really like me?' May asked, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

'Why wouldn't I?' Gary scowled at her, hoping that she wasn't going to be cruel enough to make a joke of his emotions. Sure, May was stubborn and immature, but if his luck was running as it had been lately, he'd get teased by her. The thought alone almost made him walk out of the room.

'Really?' May squeaked at him, her face darkening considerably.

'May, where are you going with this?' Gary scowled at her, stabbing at his noodles in clear resentment as he focused on his promise to her—this would be his last meal with her.

'Sorry, it's just I—I like you too,' May said as quickly as she could, her face as red as a tamato berry.

'You what?' Gary questioned, blinking at the woman who flushed at his question.

'I like you too,' May repeated, her eyes focused on his.

'Prove it,' Gary mused, knowing that May was too innocent to have done anything with anyone else, as well as to even consider kissing him.

'B-but we're eating!' May gasped, her eyes widening.

'Exactly, if you want to prove you like me, I want half of your meal,' Gary chuckled, knowing just how crushed it would leave her.

The woman hesitated only slightly before giving him her plate, pouting up at him.

Letting out a laugh, Gary grinned, 'so you really do like me!'

'Of course, why wouldn't you take my word for it?' May pouted, crossing her arms in clear frustration.

'Don't you dare take that tone with me, May! I've seen you lie for food. Do I need to remind you of what you told Max to get his chocolate cake? What about that time where Brendan had the sugar cane you wanted? Do I need to remind you how often you pulled tricks on me to have me give you my food?' Gary retorted, pointing his chopsticks at her in an accusing manner.

With a light giggle, May grinned, 'point taken.'

'Good, now eat your food, I don't want it,' Gary laughed, pushing the bowl back to the woman.

'Really?' May grinned up at him.

'Really,' Gary chuckled as he popped a mushroom from her plate into his mouth.

'Hey!' May scowled at the man, who winked in response.

'Hey, you said I could have it,' Gary chuckled.

'You'd better make it up to me tomorrow,' May retorted with a scowl before hurriedly eating her food.

'You bet I will,' Gary responded, feeling his mood increase drastically.