AU where Ash and Eiji are well known pole-vaulter.
In every competition, it was always the same : the Japanese and the American were always the first two. They both are great friends, always glad to be reunited in any country to challenge each other. One day in Japan, Ash won this one.. But with a huge price. He hurt his knee pretty badly. The doctors couldn't do better than 6 months out of competition. That destroyed Ash, since pole-vaulting was everything to him. From the moment Ash announced his friend that he will miss a lot of competitions, Eiji kept a kind face on, never showed pity, and helped emotionally the American to get through this dark period, reassuring him about how 6 months can be short, that he'll still wait for him... Everytime he had a breakdown, Eiji was avaible in person or via a phone call. The Japanese tried to have as many tournaments or gala as possible around America to stay a few days at Ash' mansion, and always by surprise. The 6 months flew by, the Lynx was back on the rails, in Japan, challenging another time his best friend.
Fin.
