As you all know, I'm an outspoken contestshipper, but this was a request that I could not deny. It was posted last year.
This is one of the first oneshots I ever wrote. It's not perfect, but I do want some constructive criticism for it.
Thanks everyone.
"Oh my ARCEUS! What am I going to do?" Ash paced back and forth in the guest room of a Pokemon Center in front of Brock, who had an unreadable expression on his face.
"Ash, I honestly...well...you're going to have to figure this out on your own," replied Brock, trying his best to keep his voice emotionless.
Ash looked at him, dumbfounded, "WHAT?!"
"I don't think I can help you with this..." Brock stated simply.
"No, no, you can't back out! I have to keep my New Years resolution while I still have time!"
"Oh yeah, let's see, it's about two o'clock in the afternoon, which gives you about ten hours. In the past 364 days you couldn't do it. Why bother?"
"Argh, Brock! You don't understand!" Ash exclaimed, his fingers twisting in anger, "I'm gonna be so freaking mad if I don't do it! I'm gonna die if I don't do it!"
Brock chuckled, "Right, Ash," he said sarcastically, "So why do you need my help for this if it's your New Years Resolution?"
Ash gaped at him, but then yelped, "You know perfectly well why!"
Brock shook his head. "Uh, no."
"You're a, uh, a LADIES MAN. That's it."
Brock burst out laughing, "What're you talking about Ash?"
"Look, I need to ask out May and it seems like everyday you're hitting on a different girl." Ash explained, not able to hide his smile.
"Even if that was true, have you noticed I don't have a girlfriend? What makes you think asking me is a good idea?"
Ash pulled on his hair, "We're running out of time!" he snarled.
"Well, I'm not saying that I'm not willing to help you, it's just that there are better people for the job out there. Friends of yours."
Ash stopped and looked at Brock inquisitively, "Like who?"
"Let's see, there's Drew, there's Gary; Even Steven Stone would probably help you if you called him!"
Ash looked shocked, "Drew? No way he likes May too! And gimme a break, you couldn't pay me enough to call Gary about this stuff!"
"Steven?" Brock asked, hopefully.
Ash thought about it. "Maybe," he said finally, "As a last resort. Only after I'm closer to giving up."
"Okay Ash. Then I'm leaving now," Brock stood up from the desk chair he was sitting on and started towards the door.
"No Brock, wait!" Ash pleaded.
"What do you want from me?!" Brock screeched as his right eye started twitching.
"Oh," Ash stepped back, "Nevermind, continue." He smiled sheepishly.
Brock walked out of the door and disappeared. Ash watched him walk out and then sighed and plopped onto the mattress next to him.
"What am I going to do?!" He held his face in his hands and started thinking about May, "I need to think of a plan. I've never broken a New Year's resolution, and I'm not going to now!" He stood up and pumped his fist into the air, suddenly energized with his own willpower, "Plus," he added with a grin, "I love May too."
So with that, he decided he had no other choice but to call Steven on his PokeNav.
("Ring, Ring.")
"Hello?" Steven's voice answered.
"Oh, uh, hi Steven!" Ash said a little shyly. Ash obviously didn't realize how awkward this phone was going to be,
"Ash? Is that you?" Steven asked with a tone of indifference. Ash didn't know how to read that so he decided to reply indifferently as well:
"Yeah it's me."
"Well, how's it going Ash? You have a problem?" Steven said these words with more concern in his voice, so Ash decided the phone call might be worth it.
"Yeah I do," he said, "Girl problems."
"Ah," replied Steven, "I know what you're talking about. Well who's the lucky female?"
"Uh, it's, well, uh..."
"Spit it out kid," Steven interjected. The tone of his voice sounded as though Steven was grinning on the other side of the call.
"It's May," Ash stated, "Can you help me?"
"May?" Steven sounded a bit surprised, "Really? Wow. I might be able to help you Ash. Are you going to ask her out today?"
"Well, you see Steven, I made a New Year's resolution that I would suck it up and ask her out this year...and..."
"It's the last possible day, right?" Steven finished his sentence for him, "I get it."
"So I called you because I thought you'd know about this stuff. I mean you were thirteen at one point right?"
"Yes I was. I can sort of help you Ash. I can't ask her for you, and I can't stand there and hold your hand when you ask, but I can give you advice."
"Okay," Ash was a little disappointed, but then again, what did he expect?
"For starters, don't stalk her before you ask. Ask out of the blue."
"Got it."
"Second, make sure you talk before you ask. Make sure she's comfortable first."
"Alright."
"And finally, just suck it up and do the damn thing!"
"Okay...whoa."
Steven chuckled over the phone, "That's what my dad used to tell me. I was obsessed with collecting rocks when I was your age, but when I finally told my father I liked a girl that was his advice. I'd say it was the best advice ever."
Ash laughed along with him, "Hey thanks Steven."
"No problem Ash. I got to run but tell me how it goes, okay?"
"Will do. Bye!"
Ash hung up the PokeNav feeling obliged to ask May and all around seize the day. After all, he had two things going for him. One, there was a New years party that night at the Pokemon Center that they were both going to attend, and, two, he could usually have a normal conversation with may because he felt at ease around her.
"I can do this," Ash whispered to himself as he grabbed his hat off the desk and ran out the door.
******
Time had passed by so quickly that Ash barely noticed. He realized that it was now 11 o'clock PM and he hadn't even talked to May.
So down the long hallway he sped, looking in each room for May until he eventually spotted her on the balcony talking to Brock.
"Hey guys!" Ash announced his presence as he opened the sliding door and stepped unto the balcony.
"Oh hi Ash!" May smiled warmly at him.
"Oh I better go say Happy New Year to Nurse Joy!" Brock said quickly, sensing that Ash wanted him to leave.
On his way out he whispered something in Ash's ear when may's back was turned:
"She likes you too."
Ash walked on, taking in Brock's comment step by step and feeling the surge of new found confidence.
"It sure is nice out here isn't it?" May said, looking out into the night sky dotted with twinkling stars.
"Yeah. Are you having a good time?" Ash asked, looking down below the balcony into a deep black lake.
"Of course." May looked at him, "Any new New Years resolutions?"
"Haven't thought of any yet."
"Can I help?" May threw out suddenly.
"If you want to," Ash immediately obliged. Why wouldn't he?
"You should get a new hat," May said while grabbing Ash hat off his head.
Ash was startled, but he let her keep it.
"Hey speaking of New Years, can I ask you something?" Ash inquired, trying to keep his voice steady, but then he thought about Steven's advice: "Just suck it up and do the damn thing!"
"Ask away Ash."
Ash glanced at her and smiled. Hey looked down, "Okay," and then looked back up, "Do you want to go out with me?"
If May was surprised she didn't show it. She just looked right into his eyes and said, "I thought you'd never ask."
A chorus of voices from inside exclaimed "Three, two..."
Ash and May leaned in towards each other, neither one realized what they were doing.
"One!"
May wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and Ash held May's waist. Their lips touched.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the voices said.
This is one of the first oneshots I ever wrote. It's not perfect, but I do want some constructive criticism for it.
Thanks everyone.
"Oh my ARCEUS! What am I going to do?" Ash paced back and forth in the guest room of a Pokemon Center in front of Brock, who had an unreadable expression on his face.
"Ash, I honestly...well...you're going to have to figure this out on your own," replied Brock, trying his best to keep his voice emotionless.
Ash looked at him, dumbfounded, "WHAT?!"
"I don't think I can help you with this..." Brock stated simply.
"No, no, you can't back out! I have to keep my New Years resolution while I still have time!"
"Oh yeah, let's see, it's about two o'clock in the afternoon, which gives you about ten hours. In the past 364 days you couldn't do it. Why bother?"
"Argh, Brock! You don't understand!" Ash exclaimed, his fingers twisting in anger, "I'm gonna be so freaking mad if I don't do it! I'm gonna die if I don't do it!"
Brock chuckled, "Right, Ash," he said sarcastically, "So why do you need my help for this if it's your New Years Resolution?"
Ash gaped at him, but then yelped, "You know perfectly well why!"
Brock shook his head. "Uh, no."
"You're a, uh, a LADIES MAN. That's it."
Brock burst out laughing, "What're you talking about Ash?"
"Look, I need to ask out May and it seems like everyday you're hitting on a different girl." Ash explained, not able to hide his smile.
"Even if that was true, have you noticed I don't have a girlfriend? What makes you think asking me is a good idea?"
Ash pulled on his hair, "We're running out of time!" he snarled.
"Well, I'm not saying that I'm not willing to help you, it's just that there are better people for the job out there. Friends of yours."
Ash stopped and looked at Brock inquisitively, "Like who?"
"Let's see, there's Drew, there's Gary; Even Steven Stone would probably help you if you called him!"
Ash looked shocked, "Drew? No way he likes May too! And gimme a break, you couldn't pay me enough to call Gary about this stuff!"
"Steven?" Brock asked, hopefully.
Ash thought about it. "Maybe," he said finally, "As a last resort. Only after I'm closer to giving up."
"Okay Ash. Then I'm leaving now," Brock stood up from the desk chair he was sitting on and started towards the door.
"No Brock, wait!" Ash pleaded.
"What do you want from me?!" Brock screeched as his right eye started twitching.
"Oh," Ash stepped back, "Nevermind, continue." He smiled sheepishly.
Brock walked out of the door and disappeared. Ash watched him walk out and then sighed and plopped onto the mattress next to him.
"What am I going to do?!" He held his face in his hands and started thinking about May, "I need to think of a plan. I've never broken a New Year's resolution, and I'm not going to now!" He stood up and pumped his fist into the air, suddenly energized with his own willpower, "Plus," he added with a grin, "I love May too."
So with that, he decided he had no other choice but to call Steven on his PokeNav.
("Ring, Ring.")
"Hello?" Steven's voice answered.
"Oh, uh, hi Steven!" Ash said a little shyly. Ash obviously didn't realize how awkward this phone was going to be,
"Ash? Is that you?" Steven asked with a tone of indifference. Ash didn't know how to read that so he decided to reply indifferently as well:
"Yeah it's me."
"Well, how's it going Ash? You have a problem?" Steven said these words with more concern in his voice, so Ash decided the phone call might be worth it.
"Yeah I do," he said, "Girl problems."
"Ah," replied Steven, "I know what you're talking about. Well who's the lucky female?"
"Uh, it's, well, uh..."
"Spit it out kid," Steven interjected. The tone of his voice sounded as though Steven was grinning on the other side of the call.
"It's May," Ash stated, "Can you help me?"
"May?" Steven sounded a bit surprised, "Really? Wow. I might be able to help you Ash. Are you going to ask her out today?"
"Well, you see Steven, I made a New Year's resolution that I would suck it up and ask her out this year...and..."
"It's the last possible day, right?" Steven finished his sentence for him, "I get it."
"So I called you because I thought you'd know about this stuff. I mean you were thirteen at one point right?"
"Yes I was. I can sort of help you Ash. I can't ask her for you, and I can't stand there and hold your hand when you ask, but I can give you advice."
"Okay," Ash was a little disappointed, but then again, what did he expect?
"For starters, don't stalk her before you ask. Ask out of the blue."
"Got it."
"Second, make sure you talk before you ask. Make sure she's comfortable first."
"Alright."
"And finally, just suck it up and do the damn thing!"
"Okay...whoa."
Steven chuckled over the phone, "That's what my dad used to tell me. I was obsessed with collecting rocks when I was your age, but when I finally told my father I liked a girl that was his advice. I'd say it was the best advice ever."
Ash laughed along with him, "Hey thanks Steven."
"No problem Ash. I got to run but tell me how it goes, okay?"
"Will do. Bye!"
Ash hung up the PokeNav feeling obliged to ask May and all around seize the day. After all, he had two things going for him. One, there was a New years party that night at the Pokemon Center that they were both going to attend, and, two, he could usually have a normal conversation with may because he felt at ease around her.
"I can do this," Ash whispered to himself as he grabbed his hat off the desk and ran out the door.
******
Time had passed by so quickly that Ash barely noticed. He realized that it was now 11 o'clock PM and he hadn't even talked to May.
So down the long hallway he sped, looking in each room for May until he eventually spotted her on the balcony talking to Brock.
"Hey guys!" Ash announced his presence as he opened the sliding door and stepped unto the balcony.
"Oh hi Ash!" May smiled warmly at him.
"Oh I better go say Happy New Year to Nurse Joy!" Brock said quickly, sensing that Ash wanted him to leave.
On his way out he whispered something in Ash's ear when may's back was turned:
"She likes you too."
Ash walked on, taking in Brock's comment step by step and feeling the surge of new found confidence.
"It sure is nice out here isn't it?" May said, looking out into the night sky dotted with twinkling stars.
"Yeah. Are you having a good time?" Ash asked, looking down below the balcony into a deep black lake.
"Of course." May looked at him, "Any new New Years resolutions?"
"Haven't thought of any yet."
"Can I help?" May threw out suddenly.
"If you want to," Ash immediately obliged. Why wouldn't he?
"You should get a new hat," May said while grabbing Ash hat off his head.
Ash was startled, but he let her keep it.
"Hey speaking of New Years, can I ask you something?" Ash inquired, trying to keep his voice steady, but then he thought about Steven's advice: "Just suck it up and do the damn thing!"
"Ask away Ash."
Ash glanced at her and smiled. Hey looked down, "Okay," and then looked back up, "Do you want to go out with me?"
If May was surprised she didn't show it. She just looked right into his eyes and said, "I thought you'd never ask."
A chorus of voices from inside exclaimed "Three, two..."
Ash and May leaned in towards each other, neither one realized what they were doing.
"One!"
May wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and Ash held May's waist. Their lips touched.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the voices said.
