She stared at her reflection in the mirror, sapphire eyes wide and sad, the fluorescent lights of the locker room making her skin look sickly pale. She lifted a corner of her silken pink skirt and rubbed the material between her fingers. Why oh why had she chosen such a ridiculous, over-the-top outfit? It just wasn't her style.
She had been so excited and overconfident that she would win the Wallace Cup. She had been planning this big comeback for ages, hoping to show everyone that she still had style, that the Princess of Hoenn wasn't down for the count just yet. But instead, she had lost miserably. To Ash's new traveling companion, no less.
May wasn't bitter, no. She was just… disappointed? Embarrassed? Angry at herself? Or maybe a combination of the three?
Can't even beat an amateur, eh May? asked a nagging voice in her mind. You'll never be at my level – just give up now. She could almost envision that familiar smirk and those haughty green eyes, and her hands unwittingly clenched into fists.
As much as she hated to admit it, whenever he had been around to make fun of her, she had always done just a little better at her contests. Something about that annoying flick of the bangs had inspired her to do her best, as if he had used some weird kind of reverse psychology. The more he had told her she couldn't do something, the more she had wanted to prove him wrong.
May sighed, turning around to look at the beautifully arranged basket of flowers on the table. A card was positioned among the petals.
May –
Good luck, and do your best! We'll be rooting for you!
– Ash & Brock
As she read the card, May felt her eyes prickling with hot tears. Obviously, they had been expecting her to win as well. The amount of experience between her and Dawn was vast, after all, and any gambling man would've put his money on May to win the Cup. She felt like she had let everyone down.
The tips of her fingers brushed against the soft petals of a tulip. The arrangement had so many lovely flowers – orchids, peonies, hyacinth, heather…
But no roses.
-x-
She sat on the end of the pier, swinging her feet in the water. It was around sunset, and the sun was sinking slowly behind the horizon, making the water of Lake Valor look like it was on fire. Her Wartortle floated by, disturbing the peaceful water with ripples, content with himself for his stunning appeal earlier. But unfortunately, contests weren't judged solely on appeals. One could put on the most gorgeous performance of their life only to fall flat in the round of battles that followed…
May sighed again, tracing along the warped wood of the pier with her fingernail. Her Munchlax nuzzled against her hopefully, and she proffered up a small, sad smile before rummaging in her bag and taking out a Pokéblock.
"Here you go," she murmured, and watched as the Pokéblock was devoured in a mere millisecond.
"Hey Mayyy!" A voice suddenly rang out across the water, and she half-turned to see Dawn running down the pier towards her. The blunette girl skidded to a halt, smiling brightly, and then promptly sat down next to her. Obviously the excitement of victory had not yet worn off.
"Why are you out here all by your lonesome?" Dawn asked, tilting her head to the side.
What was she supposed to say to that? Sorry, it's just that I should've won that contest, not you? Sorry, you just totally ruined my chance at a successful comeback? Yeah, that would go over well. May liked Dawn quite a bit – she seemed to be a bit easily excitable, sure, but May had traveled with Ash for a while – and she didn't want to be rude to the poor girl.
"I'm just… thinking about things," May said simply, with a fake smile. "Trying to decide what to decide what to do next. You know how it is."
Dawn nodded enthusiastically, but May could tell that she had no idea "how it was". She hadn't been traveling the world long enough to know what it was like to drift from place to place, sometimes with goals in mind and sometimes as aimless as the wind.
"Are you going to Johto, you think?" Dawn asked, swinging her feet as well.
May felt a sudden twinge of pain in her heart. Johto… That's where he was. Maybe she could go to Johto and find him, and hearing that annoying voice would snap her out of this losing state! Maybe they could even travel together, and go to contests together –
She shook her head quickly, a fierce blush coloring her cheeks. What was she thinking?? Like she would ever want to go on a road trip with that guy. He would do nothing but smirk at her and flick those stupid bangs of his every five minutes, ridiculing her every move with his oh so charming sarcasm. No, going to Johto (especially to meet up with up with him) was definitely a terrible idea…
"I think I'll go home for a while," May said, as the sun finally slipped behind the waves. "It'll be good to see my mom and dad again. I could use a break from contests anyways."
"They can get pretty tiring, can't they? I might need a break myself!" Dawn laughed quietly, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. She suddenly got very quiet, and looked over at May with solemn eyes. "Listen, May… I might have beaten you, but I still think you're the better coordinator. My winning today was more luck than anything. So… don't beat yourself up about it, okay? Everyone has those days when luck just isn't on their side."
She put a hand on May's shoulder and smiled, then stood up and ran off quickly, waving to someone in the distance.
May stared after her. Don't beat yourself up about it, huh?
Easier said than done…
-x-
A/N: In this story, May never went to Johto after AG. Just had to clear that up real quick!
Anyways, this is just a short intro. The other chapters should be longer… (Hopefully.) This is my first ever Contestshipping fanfic; let me know what you think! If I mess something up, feel free to point it out. :) Oh, and I might not update really often… Stupid school getting in the way.
- Haruka Tenshi