Nerves
May slid her back down the wall until she was sitting and exhaled loudly in an attempt to relieve her stress. A few pairs of eyes turned to look at her for a moment. The backstage room of the Contest Hall was dead silent, as all eyes of the surrounding coordinators were trained on the television set displaying the battle outside that would determine May's next opponent. She knew all the coordinators around her had been eliminated, but this was the Johto Grand Festival, the final competition of the season, so all of them were determined to watch the final rounds in uninterrupted, tense silence as they waited to see the next finalist.
May had soared through the Appeals Round with relative ease and won two difficult matches against Drew and Harley in the Battle Round. Now it was almost time for the Final Battle Round, and May would be fighting the winner of the current semi-final battle for the coveted title of Top Coordinator. On screen, Solidad's Lapras and Slowpoke faced off against Brianna's Flygon and Masquerain. The competitors were equally matched as their points slowly drained away with each beautifully executed move. It was going to be tough to beat either of them. Waiting for the battle to end was nerve-wracking for May.
"You doing okay?" a voice suddenly whispered, and May looked up to see Drew standing over her, his Roserade trailing behind. She could see fatigue clouding in his emerald green eyes from intensely focusing on battling earlier. He had been a tough opponent. Even though May had beat him in the first round of battles, he had stuck around backstage to watch her. May grimaced in response, and her watery sapphire eyes looked up at him. Drew made a motion with his hand to move into an adjacent room where they could talk in private, and May quickly stood and followed him.
"So why's the Princess of Hoenn so nervous all of a sudden?" Drew asked hotly, still facing away, hands in his pockets, after they rounded the corner into the side room where a buffet table was set up to provide light refreshments for the coordinators. Roserade proceeded to help himself to an armful of poffins from the Pokemon food table then stood beside his trainer, looking between him and May as he nibbled.
May looked down at her feet and leaned against the wall separating their room from the TV viewing area. Quietly, she said, "Just… the title is so close now. I could actually do it…But…" She looked up and wiped a tear from her eye. "Solidad and Brianna are incredible. I've been watching them. I'm not sure if I have the strength to win this time…" Her voice cracked audibly and a few more silent tears threatened to slide down her cheeks. She quickly rubbed her eyes to hide them, too embarrassed to be seen crying by her rival.
Drew, detecting her upset tone, turned around to face her. He noticed May struggling to hide her crying and his expression visibly softened. Roserade slapped the back of his knee as if to push him towards the female coordinator, which caused Drew to glare down at his Pokémon partner in response. He looked back to May and took a few steps closer to her. "Your Glaceon and Blaziken are an amazing team. You have nothing to worry about," he said gently, clasping a comforting hand on her shoulder.
May sniffed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "You…think so?" Drew rarely gave her such straightforward, genuine compliments, so she was a bit taken back by his comment. Regardless, it made her feel a little better.
"I know so," Drew said, boldly moving a stray strand of hair away from May's face as he stepped even closer. She flicked her eyes to meet his and he continued. "Now, stop crying. That's not what a Top Coordinator does before her final battle round. Be confident in your Pokémon and trust your abilities. You've got this," he flicked his bangs away with his free hand, closing his eyes as he did so. "Besides, since you're my rival, and I'm out already, you have to win. For me," he added, giving May an unexpected grin which almost made her stomach flip.
May blinked back the last of her nervous tears and her expression shifted to a more determined look. She nodded. "Thanks Drew. I really needed that." Smiling, she made a brisk movement, and before Drew knew it, she was squeezing his lean midsection in a tight hug. He hesitated for a moment before carefully hugging her back, and then ventured to give her a tight squeeze as well. "You're the best rival ever, you know that?" she muttered into his shoulder, her words muffled by his purple jacket. He hummed in response, simply enjoying the feeling of holding May. Neither of them would admit it, but they didn't really want to end the hug. May finally pulled herself back so she was still holding him but could see his face. Their gazes locked and they smiled sweetly at each other.
"Oh why don't you two JUST KISS ALREADY!?"
May threw herself away from Drew and whirled around to find their rude intruder leaning nonchalantly against the doorway that led to the TV viewing room. "HARLEY!?" She squeaked, her cheeks glowed red with embarrassment. Drew exhaled heavily and shared an annoyed look with Roserade.
The lavender haired coordinator waltzed in, swiping a chocolate chip cookie from the table and taking a swift bite. "That's right, my sugar cupcake. You didn't forget about me already did you?" he said between bites. He swallowed, then added, "You know, you better not let the media see you two looking at each other like that. There might be some rumors flying…" he trilled in a singsong voice.
"H-How long have you been standing there?" May asked, touching her pointer fingers together, the blush still evident on her face.
Harley giggled after tossing the last of the cookie into his mouth. "Oh… long enough," he said, flipping his hair mockingly, which caused Drew's cheeks to redden and for him to clench his fists in anger. Roserade giggled knowingly at the embarrassed coordinators and Drew shot his Pokémon yet another warning look. Harley smirked, satisfied, and then clasped his hands together. "Maysies, good luck in the final battle! You know I'm always rooting for my little snickerdoodle, but I have to cheer on Solidad too if she makes it as well. And Drew…" He winked, wickedly. "Try not to get too jealous because you lost in the first battle round." With that, the Cacturne-cosplaying coordinator swiftly turned on his heel and pranced out of the room.
Drew grit his teeth. "He is unbelievable…" he hissed.
May sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, Harley…" She looked back at Drew and realized they were still standing extremely close together. Then she gasped. "THE BATTLE! It's almost over! I have to watch who wins! C'mon, Drew," she quickly adjusted her green bandana and, in a flash, raced out of the room, leaving Drew and Roserade alone in the dust.
Drew blinked and looked at Roserade exasperatedly. The flower Pokémon shook his head at the coordinator and shrugged, as if to say "You were so close, man" and then began following May, still snacking on its poffin treats. Drew sighed, put his hands in his pockets, and reluctantly went to watch the battle with May and the other coordinators. Maybe he'd get another chance later…
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A/N: This was meant as a one-shot (well, a drabble, actually) but… I may add another part if there is a demand for it! I hope you enjoyed!
-Missa