Author's Note: Nothing to say, really. Just another AAMR from me…so I think you all know what to expect.

- Replace -

- By Brian -

"Combusken, finish it off with Ember!" she exclaimed confidently, her fiery pokémon spewing fire at the poor Ralts that just happened to walk right in front of our path only minutes ago.

She's gotten really good at battling over the last few months, even better then how I battled back in Kanto. When I was traveling with Brock and…

Misty.

"Good job, Combusken! Now, pokéball, go!"

A familiar flash of red enveloped the tiny psychic pokémon, before it got captured in the Premier Ball that May had been saving for this moment. I'm guessing she wanted her sixth pokémon capture to be something special, or maybe she just ran out of your garden-variety pokéball…

One tilt, two tilts, three tilts…and it's over as the light on the pokéball dims, signifying a successful capture.

I walk up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Great job, May."

To my surprise she looks me right in the eyes for a few moments, then blushes and whispers "thanks".

I smile nervously at her, unsure of what to say…because I feel guilty.

And I don't have a clue why.

* * *

I let out a contented sigh as I slip into the hot springs, silently thanking Flannery, the Lavaridge Gym Leader, for recommending that I should take a well-deserved rest here. I haven't been this comfortable in a long time…

I let myself slide in further, thankful that I was the only one in here. This way I could have some time alone with my thoughts, especially since they've been troubling me for quite a while.

I wonder how my mother is doing. She seems content with her life, especially with Mimey helping her out around the house. Ever since dad left she's been a little lonely, so I'm glad she has a pokémon around the house.

No one wants to be lonely, after all.

Professor Oak, Gary, and Tracey…how is their research going along? I'm sure that the Professor has documented more pokémon species, while Tracey has been busy sketching all of them in that notebook of his. Gary…I hope he's all right. I never imagined him as someone staying in one place, especially when he would always remark about how he would travel all over the world.

"You know, Red," he says, using my nickname to grab my attention, "one of these days I'm gonna travel all over the world, catching and training Pokémon so that I can be the best!"

I look at him and nod, before returning my attention to a picture of Squirtle. "I can't wait to do that too, Blue. Mommy said that daddy is almost done with his journey across Hoenn, and that he'll be back real soon. I can't wait for him to show me all his cool Pokémon!"

I'm glad that Gary and me are friends again. It's nice to know that we've been grown up, and we're not so immature and arrogant as we once were. I hope his dream of becoming a pokémon professor comes true, since I'm sure he'd be just as good as his grandfather.

Dad never returned from his trip to Hoenn, but mom never told me why. I don't miss him, and I try not to think about him too much. For all I know, he could be in the next town, with a new wife and a daughter, not even bothering to tell me why he hasn't returned yet.

He wanted to be a Pokémon Master, just like I what I'm trying to do now, but to leave his family just to do that…it's wrong. I'll never forgive him for that.

My thoughts wander to other things, such as how all my pokémon are doing at Professor Oak's. I hope they're having fun, since they get to lie back and relax for a while. They deserve it, after doing such a great job during our matches in the Johto league.

I wonder how my other pokémon, like Butterfree and Pidgeot, are doing. I bet both of them are fathers now, especially since it's been so long since I've seen them. Just once I'd like to battle with the both of them, for old time's sake.

The water's so comfy…I feel I can just drift off into sleep-

"Ahhhhh-!"

I instantly jump out of the hot springs, my thoughts of sleep instantly shattered by a loud shriek.

"Wha-what-what?" I say frantically, rubbing the water out of my eyes.

I can see the shape of a female, and for a second I think it's M-

But it's just May, clad in a two piece swimsuit. As soon as I realize this I turn around, as well as attempt to cover my swim trunks. "What are you doing here, May?"

She blushes, but makes no attempt to cover herself up. "I couldn't sleep. I thought I would relax in the Pokémon Center's famous hot springs…"

"Oh. I guess I'll just go take a shower then-"

She puts her hands on her hips, a look of confusion on her face. "Why?"

"Because it wouldn't be appropriate."

She comes closer to me, and I absently notice her hair looks nice when it's loose; I quickly shake that thought loose from my head.

"It's not like you're a pervert, Ash. I trust you."

A small smile starts to appears at the corners of my mouth. "Thanks…but still-"

"Don't be so scared Ash. It looks like you and me both need some time to relax."

And before I know it, we're both in the hot springs, although I'm trying my best not to glance at her direction. Brock once said that glancing a girl's way could cause some mixed signals to occur, and I certainly didn't want any of that.

I chuckle inwardly. When did Brock ever give any good advice about the matters of love in the first place?

I let myself slide deeper into the water, hoping it'll help me clear my mind, even though I'm currently sharing the water with a friend.

Water…I've been thinking about water a lot lately. It's probably the most important element, since it we use it everyday, for just about everything. We use it to drink, we use it to bathe, we use it to cook…it can be warm, it can be cold, it can be solid, and it can be a gas…

It adapts to fit any container it's in…when you look into the water you can see your reflection…and nearly half the pokémon discovered so far are water types, since the ocean is so vast…

But for me, the first thing I associate with water is my best friend-

"Ash?" asks May, in a hushed voice as she gazed upwards, "Don't you think it's a beautiful night? All the stars are out, and the moon is shining…"

I look up, and realize that it was really beautiful sight to behold. Just like-

I suddenly felt the water around me move, along with a little bit of splashing. I gulped hesitantly-May was now shoulder to shoulder with me, causing me to feel very uncomfortable.

"Have you ever see anything this beautiful before?" she asks, eyes still tilted upwards at the sky above. Just as I was about to answer "yes", she turns her eyes towards me, with that same look that she had given me earlier today.

I suddenly feel very embarrassed. "What? Something wrong, May?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just like the view, that's all." she says quietly, causing me to shiver slightly.

I don't like where this is heading. No…I have a bad feeling about this…

She turns her eyes away for a second, and asks, "Thanks for helping me on my journey through Hoenn. Without you, I'd probably still be at Petalburg, too scared to go on my own…"

"Hey, I'm just accompanying you. You've improved very well, May…you handle your pokémon much better then I did back when I first started out…" I say, glad that the subject had been changed.

She flashes a quick smile before returning her gaze towards the stars above. "Do you have a special someone, waiting for you after your journey is over?"

I blush immensely as I dwell on her question, knowing exactly who that special someone was.

"Yes." I answer simply, unsure of what else to add.

"I do too. I mean…I did. His name was Brendan…" she says, with a sad tone in her voice, "but I don't think that's going to happen anymore…"

I don't know what to say. I never know what to say in a situation like this, so I simply say, "Oh…I'm sorry, May…"

She turns her head to look at me, with that strange look in her eyes again. "Tell me Ash…who's that special someone waiting for you?"

As I look into her eyes I feel sad. I don't know why or how, but I just do.

"Her name's Misty. We met when I first started out-"

"Then why isn't she traveling with you right now?" she cuts in, her voice taking on a harsh tone.

I nervously smile in an attempt to calm her down. "No, it's nothing like that. She had to take over the gym in Cerulean City, since her sisters had to go on a trip around the world…"

"Oh."

For the next few moments all I can hear is the sounds of far off pokémon growling, which comforts me somewhat. I've always loved pokémon, ever since I first colored a picture of Squirtle. I close my eyes as I remember that picture, just asking to be colored-

And the next thing I know, I feel lips on mine. Soft, velvety lips that I always imagined Misty would have-

I open my eyes, and find May look right at me, a sad, desperate look in her eyes before she closes them again, putting all her desires, dreams, and love into the kiss we were sharing.

Despite the immense feeling of guilt, I don't do anything to stop her. After a few more moments, she moves her away from mine, allowing me to breathe.

"I know what you're going to say, Ash." she says softly, our faces only inches apart, "but please, just hear me out."

I nod dumbly, not trusting myself to say anything aloud. I'm still reeling from the fact that I just had my first kiss, and not from Misty…

"I really like you, Ash. You're so much better then that Brendan…you're so much nicer and caring and funnier then any guy I've ever met, actually." she says, her eyes glancing downward, probably from embarrassment.

"I know that I can never replace Misty, but since you won't be able to see her for at least a year…I was thinking…maybe…maybe you and I could try something. Just a small little…relationship, I guess. Just until this year is over, you know? Then after that, you can go back to Misty…I know this sounds very selfish, but…I really do like you a lot. I'm sorry for just kissing you like that, but…I just wanted to see what it would be like, before you said no."

I like Misty.

Scratch that, I really like Misty…a lot.

May's right…she can never replace Misty. I feel like I'm betraying her if I even consider giving thought to May's "request"…but…when I look into May's eyes…

I can't say no.

I smile at her and take one of her hands into mine, even though I'm filled with unbelievable guilt. "Whatever gave you the idea I would say no, May?"

Even though I'm going to regret my decision, at least I can enjoy the warm smile on her face as we kiss once again, forgetting about all our troubles and mishaps in love and just getting lost in the moment…

- End -

Well, I didn't lie this time. This really was an Ash and Misty Romance, as well as an Ash and May Romance. It's just that the May side won out in the end, but the Misty side will never quite be forgotten.

I like Ash/Misty and Ash/May. I just feel Ash/May is more interesting to write due to the conflict that arises from it, since everyone thinks that Ash and Misty are supposed to be together.

I really enjoyed writing this, since it gave me a chance to include the hot springs from Lavaridge City, from Ruby and Sapphire. Quite a few girls in that game invite you to join them in the hot springs, which is kind of disturbing considering that Ruby and Sapphire is aimed at kids. Oh damn, I'm ranting again, aren't I? Anyways, one person in the hot springs mentions that the springs can solve romantic problems, so in this story, it's um, true…in a sense. May, having lost Brendan before the start of her journey, now has a chance to see what a great guy Ash can be.

One last final: I'm working on three stories at the moment. Cool, huh? It's all thanks to all the wonderful people who read the stuff I'm writing, so thanks for all the inspiration to do better!

Next stories:

Reality - Ash's life, as he knows it, is not real…so what is?

Relent - How does Ash feel when he realizes his father is Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader? How does May feel, knowing she has a big brother?

Realize - When your two best friends (Misty and Brock) are in love, where do you fit in?