May found Ash resting on the edge of the bed, much like the first day they met. The girl adjusted herself a bit to give him some more space to rest. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect because her moving caused Ash to wake up. "Damn," the girl whispered with regret over disturbing his peaceful slumber.
Ash slowly opened his eyes, but as soon as he saw May sitting, he jolted back up. "May, you're awake!" Ash's eyes came to life with relief and happiness. He knew she'd come back to them.
The moment the brunette made eye contact with the raven-haired boy, she stared at him with wobbly sapphire eyes. Everything started sinking in for May as she looked into his auburn eyes. She remembered him, she knew everything Ash had done to help her grow in her journey. Ash noticed her teary eyes with worry, "Are you alright, May?"
"I could hear everything you were saying in my sleep. You've been nursing me since Tyranitar's attack," May expressed gratitude through her eyes.
Ash modestly rubbed the back of his head, "It wasn't just me. Chansey, Wigglytuff, and Audino helped too, they-," he got interrupted by the coordinator.
"But you're the one who's here. You were always here. As much as I wanted to wake up, I didn't have the strength, but you never left me. Your hope was strong enough to make you believe I'd wake up any moment," May clarified that Ash had gone above and beyond for her.
The trainer lowered the brim of his hat a bit to hide his light blush. Ash softly smiled at her, "Friends don't leave friends behind."
The coordinator unexpectedly reached for Ash's hands to squeeze them. Her action surprised him, "Do you know how I found the strength to wake up, Ash?" He nodded sideways with confusion. May warmly smiled, "You gave me the strength. Listening to you, especially now, gave me everything I needed to come back from such a close call."
Ash curiously raised his eyebrows. He did not expect his words to hold that much weight, "Wow, May."
May's glistening sapphire eyes started to release a few tears as her warm smile widened. "That's not everything. Ash, I remember."
Ash's eyes were perplexed, "Remember what, May?"
Her tears dropped on Ash's hands. She took a deep breath to speak without crying, "I remember everything. I remember we met the day I got my Torchic. I remember all of our traveling together up until the Wallace Cup."
"Really, May?" Ash's heart started to race as he realized his old friend had returned. He squeezed her hands while she still held them.
May slowly nodded with her loving smile. "You've always been there for me, haven't you?" the brunette spoke softly.
Ash started to blush again, but he laughed nervously. He made his confession, "I care about you, May. I always have, but I messed up as your friend because I didn't stay in touch. I wish I had arrived sooner to support you more through all this."
May shook her head in disagreement. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Ash. You're here now. That's enough to show that you never forgot me." Her heartbeat started to quicken as she said it.
"May, I-," Ash tried to follow up, but May lunged at him with an unexpected kiss. His shocked eyes grew when he felt her lips press against his.
Coincidentally, Pikachu popped up at the window that moment, but the mouse's jaw dropped without alerting them. Pikachu's eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. Not only did he discover May was awake, but she was kissing his best friend. He quickly hid under the window sill to avoid detection.
May held Ash's face with both hands as she pressed her warm lips on his. She thought her heart would burst out of her chest as she felt the warmth of his body. Ash put his hands on her waist while he absorbed the passion May was giving him. He could feel his heart rate match May's. The adrenaline from their kiss transported them to a different reality for a moment, but that reality was incredible.
If their lungs allowed it, they could have kissed all morning, but they stopped to catch their breath. May immediately backed away with shock over what she had just done. The coordinator pressed her hands against her chest with worry.
Ash became confused by her sudden change in demeanor. "Did I do something wrong?" he worried he sucked at kissing.
The brunette shook her head sideways frantically, "No, no! That was actually a really good kiss. I just- I just didn't expect myself to do that." The coordinator had mixed feelings over her hasty reaction toward Ash's affection. Her expression remained frozen with regret and confusion.
Her friend tried to ease her by placing his hand on her shoulder, "It's alright, May. Don't worry yourself." He was still confused by her reaction, but he knew she had just woken up from a near-death experience with regained memories, so there was a lot to process.
When Ash touched her shoulder, the girl could feel her heartbeat quicken again. May wanted to keep kissing Ash. She wanted to keep holding his face while she melted from his touch, but the Petalburg girl felt she had gotten ahead of herself. She lowered her hands with a sigh, "I'm sorry, Ash."
Ash pulled his hand back from her. He stood up with a gentle grin. "Let me get you something to eat. You must be hungry and will need to get your strength back." He recognized May's need for a moment.
May quietly agreed with a nod. Ash stepped out, but he nearly jumped when he saw Pikachu outside her bedroom. The mouse had seen enough and overheard enough to understand that his best friend was in uncharted territory. "Pikachu," Pikachu raised its eyebrow.
"Pikachu, you saw all that?" Ash shook off the startle and crouched down to talk to his buddy.
Pikachu bobbed its head to indicate it had. "Pi," Pikachu wanted to know the details straight from the source.
Ash sighed, "It's more complicated than I think, buddy. Why don't I tell you more about it after I give May her breakfast?" Pikachu agreed as he followed Ash into the kitchen.
After a few minutes, Ash returned to May's bedroom with Pikachu on his shoulder and a grilled cheese sandwich on her plate. "Pika!" Pikachu leaped into May's arms with joy.
May's face glowed with happiness when she received Pikachu in her arms. "Pikachu, it's so good to see you!" the coordinator squeezed the mouse in her arms. The Electric-type nuzzled against May's face, making the girl giggle from his tickling.
Ash smiled over the cute sight as he set the food on her nightstand. "Here you go, May. Eat up," the auburn-eyed boy smiled. Pikachu separated from May as the brunette thanked Ash. Then the Pallet trainer informed her, "I'll leave you to eat and do what you need to do. Pikachu and I will be outside training, but if you need anything, just let us know."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu reminded May that they were ready to help her with anything.
May appreciated Ash's attentiveness, "Alright, I'll catch up with you soon." She tried to keep a positive face in the presence of Ash and Pikachu. Ash smiled at her as he turned to the door. When he was about to exit with Pikachu, May managed to say a few more words with a soft voice. "Thank you, Ash."
Her friend looked back at her with a warm smile, "Any time, May."
With that said, Ash and Pikachu were gone. May was left alone to deal with her thoughts. She lowered her head with a distraught look. She tried to eat in her pensive state, but truthfully, she wasn't hungry, especially after what happened with Ash. Her sandwich was going cold as she only mustered the energy to take two bites. The coordinator set the plate back on the nightstand with her thoughts being her only focus. By kissing Ash, she knew she had thrown herself from one problem into another. "What have I done?" May muttered.