#aamayl

"Hey, May."

May spared him a brief glance. "Hello," she said neutrally.

Ash quirked an eyebrow when she didn't say anything else. He fiddled with his hat, which was blatantly against the dress code, and waited for a moment more before asking, "So, uh, are you ready to get started?"

May turned a questioning eye to the boy, eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Um, I'm guessing you're the person I'm here to help? With the pokemon practicums?"

May's eyes bugged with shock. "You're my tutor?!" she exclaimed. "But you're just a scholarship kid!"

Her outburst echoed in the empty space, and she winced with every reminder of her tactless statement. Ash's polite, open face—ready to meet a new tutee and get started on working—morphed into an unimpressed look. "Alright, cool. I'm gonna head out, then," he said dryly as he went back for his bookbag.

"Wait!"

May got up and reached out for Ash before he could get too far, but his pikachu swiftly jumped in her way and began powering up an attack. May stumbled back several steps, trying to maintain some distance from the pokemon.

"I'm sorry, that didn't come out right," she scrambled to say, her eyes still trained on the angry pikachu. She was trying for genuine apology, but her voice wavered at the end from fear. Unfortunately for her, it sounded more like a laugh.

Ash shouldered his bookbag and turned to face May with with his arms crossed. "Oh, was there a more polite way to say 'No way could you be tutoring me if your parent isn't even important enough to be on the board of this school'?"

May frowned at him. "That's not what I meant," she defended, her guilt easily turning into offense.

Ash's angry stance deflated, and his pikachu followed suit. There was no use in getting worked up over something as inconsequential as this. "Listen, it's obvious this isn't going to work out. Just tell your dad to get another tutor," he responded tiredly as he made to leave.

May frowned deeper, not accustomed to being blown off. She huffed, "Maybe I will. What can you possibly teach me anyway?" she jeered at his retreating form.

Ash stopped and turned on his heel with a fire in his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.

May stood her ground, unfazed by Ash's aggression. "Daddy was supposed to get me a real tutor, like one who wasn't still in school."

Ash stalked towards the arrogant girl, his voice pitched low. "I'll have you know there is no one in this entire city, maybe this entire coast, who gets pokemon like I do." He punctuated his statement with a thumb to his chest and a final step in May's direction. She could laugh at his pitiful attempt at looking threatening.

May took her own step forward, looking up in order to maintain eye contact. "Mind what you say in front of the Gym Leader's daughter," she warned.

Ash only shrugged, which made May's eyes narrow in contempt. "Maybe I couldn't beat him in a battle, but battling isn't the only way we interact with pokemon. You'd have learned that if you bothered bringing one in for Applied Pokemon Husbandry," he quipped.

"Well, that's what you're here for!"

"Not anymore, remember?" Ash abruptly spun and beedrill-lined for the door, his pikachu hot on his heels.

There were so many ways May wanted to respond to that, but indignance at being unable to have the last word lost the battle to her pride. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this!" she demanded, releasing all her pent up frustration with that final command.

"Whatever," Ash dismissed. "You're not the first legacy that needed a little help."

May rolled her eyes for her own benefit. "Not that part," she said without antagonism, which was the only thing that slowed Ash's pace. "The fact that I needed a tutor for my pokemon practicums specifically. I don't want word going around the school that…" she trailed off, thinking of a diplomatic way to put it.

"… That the daughter of the town's gym leader doesn't like pokemon?" Ash ventured as he slowed to a stop in front of the door, his head turned so that his voice could carry over his shoulder.

May's fury returned with a vengeance at perceived betrayal. "Did Dad tell you that?!" she accused.

Ash faced forward again, successfully hiding his smirk. "No. You did, just now."

May gaped, flabbergasted at how easily this random student figured out one of her deepest secrets. "Well, you definitely can't tell people that," she said finally. "My reputation would be ruined!"

Ash waved her off, and his pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. Your secret's safe with me."

Couldn’t resist doing a photoset of my favourite childhood ship, since it’s been such a long time since they were on TV together. Missing the good old days of watching this movie to help me sleep.

Advanceshipping didn’t really have many hints, it wasn’t massively played upon but it was the first ship that really got me enthralled (and taught me about what shipping even was!). This movie was pretty much the best thing we advanceshippers got in terms of hints. I mean, king and queen of the damn sea? Hell yes! And oh so noble Ash preciously caring for May and making sure she was safe first? Oh man, my heart. AND HEART SWAPS? Oh, you’re killing me now.

This movie’s dubbing is terrible, the computer animation is sometimes all over the place, but as a kid I didn’t care about any of that stuff. I still hold this movie close to my heart as it was always there to cheer me up.