A/N: I would simply like to point out why I use the Japanese names, rather than English. It's quite simple, really: I can't stand the Pokemon characters English voices. As I write, I imagine them talk as I write, and when I use the English names, I imagine English voice actors. When I use Japanese names, I imagine the Japanese voices. To anyone who can't stand Japanese names, I am sorry.
Chapter one:
Haruka walked into the pokecenter with her latest ribbon in hand. It was her last one for the Sinnoh region and the Grand Festival was tomorrow. She couldn't wait. She had tried her luck at the Sinnoh Grand Festival when she was 14, however was unable to collect all 5 ribbons in time. This time, four years later, she knew for sure she would win it all. As she put her ribbon back into her ribbon case, she looked at the 6 foot human-like chicken pokemon next to her.
"Okay, Blaziken. Lets find a place to stay for tonight and get some rest." Blaziken replied to her with its name. She walked to the front desk for Nurse Jōi. "Excuse me, Nurse Joi, are there any rooms available tonight?" The nurse turned to look at the board of keys, showing all of the available rooms.
"You're in luck. It would appear as though we have one more. It's the Grand Festival, you know." Joi stated as she handed the last room key to Haruka.
"I do!" Haruka said enthusiastically. "I'll be competing in it!"
"Really, now? If that's the case, you should leave your pokèmon here overnight. I'm sure you'll be doing lots of training, and they'll need to be in tip top condition before doing so." May nodded her head in agreement. She reached into her pack and pulled out four pokéballs, each containing the partners she'd obtained over her journey, then handed them over.
"I'll leave Blaziken and Glaceon with me." she said. "Never hurts to get some light, late night training."
"Sounds great! They'll be ready for pick-up in the morning. Have a good night!"
"You too!" With that, May and her Blaziken departed the center and headed off to the Pokèmon Park across the street. It was an open area, with nothing more than a few bushes, trees, benches, and lamp posts lighting the way. It was meant to serve as a training ground for trainers who wanted to train for the Hearthrome gym, but at night it was always quiet.
The night was cool, with a light wind blowing softly. A full moon that seemed exceptionally close shone brightly. There were no clouds, giving full credit to the stars. Haruka reveled in the perfect night, letting the wind caress her face. Her moment of peace was interrupted by a call from her Blaziken, attempting to get her attention.
"Sorry, Blaziken. I'm just so excited. This year, I think we're finally gonna win it!" She confided, enthusiastically. Blaziken nodded in agreement. Haruka pulled out her last pokéball from her pack. She threw the capsule into the air. "Glaceon, come on out!"
The capsule opened, releasing a burst of red laser-like lights, which formed into a light blue, fox-like pokemon.
"Glaceon." The creature mewed. It looked up to its trainer, waiting for its command. Haruka looked at the two pokemon.
"Okay, guys, I think we're going to try THAT move tomorrow, so we need lots of practice!" She gave a sigh, as she thought of the task ahead of her. "Are you guys ready?" Unsurprisingly, they both called their own names in excitement. "Okay, lets go!"
The rest of the night, Haruka continued to work hard with Blaziken and Glaceon.
Shu roamed the city of Hearthrome. He was not in the best of moods. He hated weather like this: Breezy, icky weather. He traveled through it, in attempts to return to his room at the Pokèmon Center. He'd been staying there for 2 weeks already, even though most coordinators had been arriving this week, or today even. He didn't want to waste any time traveling. He had wanted to put everything he had into training. It was the Sinnoh Grand Festival, after all, which seemed to bring the more stronger coordinators for some odd reason. He had concluded that it was due to the different nature of the contest, being more formal, as well as more challenging. This was why he had to train. He planned to win the Grand Festval once more, having already conquered the Unova Festival exactly one year prior. He would continue his streak.
Shu continued through the city. He heard a voice calling his name.
"Shu! Woohoo! Shuuuu!" sang a familiar voice. The voice itself cause Shu to tense his shoulders. He slowly turned around, praying his mind was playing games. It wasn't.
"Harley." He said through his teeth.
"Don't be so tense, love! It's only me!" Harley gave Shu a pat on his shoulder. "Woooow, you've gotten so taaaall!" Shu simply glared as Harley rambled on. "New hair, new clothes, it's been so long since I've seen you, and now you're all grown up!"
It was true. It's been a little under a year since they'd parted their ways. In that time, Drew switched his turquoise pants for kakis, and traded his plain purple shirt for a polo of the same color. He kept his long sleeved black compression shirt and shoes, however, feeling as though they were essential. His hair was cut above his eyebrows and styled. Unfortunately, however, his hair had grown since he'd last dyed his hair, making his natural brown roots slightly visible. He'd grown much since their last meeting, seemingly hitting his last growth spurt quite late. Now at the grown age of 18, he was a full 5'11, his height even rivaling Harley's. He was quite proud of it, having always been self-conscious of his height.
Harley himself didn't change much since the younger years. He still wore his Cacturne outfit and had his hair dyed the same shade of purple. The only real difference is that his long hair was tied loosely in the back, giving him somewhat more of a fancy look, if possible.
As Harley continued to analyze him, Shu slowly lost interest in the conversation. He rolled his eyes and explored his escape routes. Then, Harley said something that grabbed his attention.
"...At this point you MUST have a girlfriend right?" He questioned innocently. Shu knew Harley was simply looking for some type of leverage over him; a weak spot. Over the years, Harley's desires to conquer had driven him to put more into villainous antics. Drew decided not to amuse him.
"What?" He said. Harley shrugged.
"Or boyfriend, if that's what you're into." He gave Shu another pat. "You know Harley isn't here to judge you!" Shu glared, clearly unamused.
"I'm single, Harley." He answered. "I don't have time to look for that sort of thing." Before Harley had a chance to reply, Shu's back was already towards him, walking away.
"Lighten up, love! Haven't you heard? 'All work and no play makes Shu a dull boy!'(cit: quote from The Shining by Stephan King)". Shu ignored him, continuing to walk away.
Finally, Harley's voice was drowned out. As if the weather weren't enough, Harley seemed to put more of a weight on Shu's mood. He scowled as he finally arrived at the Pokèmon Center. He reached for the handle when a new voice caught his attention.
He turned to the street, seeing the park. Shu's eyes widened as he saw a roaring display of fire and ice. He knew it must be a coordinator. His eye twitched. Is THAT what he would have to face during the Grand Festival? For the first time, in the split seconds that he saw this, he questioned his ability to win this contest.
He looked around for a trainer. He had to see the coordinator that was capable of mustering up such a display. His line of vision was blocked by the fire, however. He continued to watch, waiting for the show to settle down.
Suddenly, the fire seemed to consume too much ice. The performance that had held so much power and balance, had lost the latter quality.
"Blaziken! Blaziken, too much, too much!" A muffled female voice came.
Indeed it was. The fire that this Blaziken lost control of began feeding upon the nature. The tree was now on fire, causing the Mothim surrounding the tree to fly away.
"Oh no! Oh, no, oh, nooo!" The trainer was clearly panicked. Shu pulled a pokéball from his belt.
"Sawsbuck, come out and use rain dance!" He ordered, tossing the capsule. From it, emerged a deer pokemon, it's antlers covered in brown and red leaves. Sawsbuck obeyed its trainer, putting out the fire, saving the lives of Burmy still in the tree. He stroked the head of his pokemon, thanking it, before looking up to see what trainer who managed to put up such an amazing performance could possibly lose control like that. Again, Shu's eyes widened. In front of him was the site of his rival comforting her Blaziken for its dangerous mistake.
"Haruka?" He was shocked. She was the trainer who caused him to question himself?Haruka seemed just as shocked to see him.
"Shu!" She smiled. " Shu! It's you!" She rushed to him and looked at his pokemon. She seemed intimidated by it. "Is this a new friend?" Shu nodded.
"I caught Sawsbuck in Unova. I had him in the PC for awhile, but I figured he'd be good for the Grand Festival."
Haruka timidly reached to pet him. She admitted she was slightly frightened. This pokemon seemed to be so majestic, so powerful that she felt as though she were attempting to touch royalty itself.
"Saws." The pokemon stated in approval. She pet him and looked up at Shu.
"So you'll be completing in the festival, huh?" She asked.
"Well, naturally. Why else would I be here?" He stated, leaning against a park bench.
For the first time, Haruka looked at him. He always seems to change so much everytime she saw him. It had only been two months since their last meeting, but already he'd changed significantly. Stubble darkened the bottom half of his face. He's lost the baby fat that made his face bigger, leaving it to appear more slim and squared. He looked much more mature this way. His shoulders were much more broad, another addition to his masculinity. One thing that failed to change, however was his seemingly critical, teasing nature.
"You lost control." He stated simply. Haruka's shoulders slumped. She looked down in shame. Shu noticed her immediate change in expression. He noted the way her hair caressed her face. "Never lose control."
"It was a new technique, I...I just kinda..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say. Shu smirked.
"It just needs some practice is all. But for now, you'll need rest." He looked around, then his roaming eyes settled on a building. "Lets go get some dinner. My treat." Haruka grinned.
"Really?" He nodded. "There's a nice restaurant right over there, next to the Pokèmon center." He pulled out Sawsbuck's pokéball and called it back. May did the same with each of her own pokemon, giving them each praise for their hard work. By the time she had her pokéballs back in her pack, Shu was already half way across the street. She caught up to him when he opened the door.
"Do you like sushi and dumplings?" Shu asked as they found their table.
"I do!" She picked up a sushi menu and examined it.
Shu stared at her. Even after the few minutes after their meeting, he was still shocked at how much Haruka had grown as a coordinator. He remembered back to the day he'd met her, how inexperienced she was. Now she was giving Shu a run for his money. It wasn't the first time she'd surprised him though. Throughout the 8 years they'd known each other, she managed to beat him quite a few times.
"Shu?" Haruka called, getting his attention.
"Hm?"
"What are you thinking about?" She asked the question so casually, it was as though they did outing like this once a week.
"Nothing, just some coordinating stuff." he replied. She sighed.
"Shu, not everything is about coordinating, you know. Relax, why don't ya?" She placed her hand over his and shook it a little, before letting go.
"Relaxing is what caused you to lose control back there." He teased. Haruka glared.
"What was that, mister? What about that time your Pupitar's sandstorm drowned the whole pool in sand, at Johto?" She rebutted. Shu blushed.
"Well, I supposed every coordinator makes mistakes, sometimes..." He admitted.
"And what can I do for you two, this lovely night?" interrupted the waitress.
"Oh! Uhhh..." Haruka continued to make her order. When she was finished, Shu closed his menu.
"I'll just have what she has." he said. The waitress nodded, as she wrote on her pad.
"Alright, I'll have that out in about 10 minutes!" She informed, walking away.
Shu looked at Haruka, who was fiddling with her thumbs. He'd noticed that was a habit she seemed to pick up somewhere along Unova. Everytime she was thinking, she'd play with her thumbs. It was quite cute, he noted.
"Nervous?" he asked. Haruka looked up.
"No, just kinda thinking about something."
"Coordinating?" Haruka glared.
"No, not 'coordinating'. Seriously, Shu, don't you think about things other than coordinating?" She criticized. Shu shrugged.
"Not really. What else is there?" he questioned. Haruka resumed playing with her thumbs.
"Like...dating?" If Shu had been drinking something, he was sure he'd spit it out. The idea of dating was the absolute last thing on his mind at the moment. Not that he hasn't thought of it before. He knew he had a crush on Haruka, since they were kids even. He didnt bother hiding it either, making it a point to give her a rose every time he felt she deserved one.
"Dating..." he repeated. She nodded. "Are you interested in anyone?" Another nod. "Is this person someone I know?" He expected her to nod. After all, who does she know that he doesn't? She always talked about the people she met. She shook her head this time. He was taken aback.
"My boyfriend. He-"
"I'm sorry, you're what?" He asked. More thumb fiddling.
"Ah, Yuki, my boyfriend...you don't know him..." Shu felt pained. He wasn't quite sure why he was surprised. Haruka was 18 now. She'd grown up quite well, even. Over the years, she'd lost the time to cut her hair, so she simply let it grow out, only cutting and styling her bangs and the sides. Her body remained slim and fit and even at the young age of ten, he knew her breasts would one day be the attraction of many men. Not too big, not too small, perky. He always mentally slapped himself when he found himself staring as they grew older.
"And you're bringing him up, why?" he asked, a little more harsh than intended. She didnt seem to notice.
"Well, he's coming tomorrow. We'd actually started dating about a year now, but most of it is long distance, because I travel a lot. But I've known him since we were kids, and I've kinda been crushing on him long before." The more she talked, the more he became annoyed.
"What's this got to do with me?" he grumbled. Her shoulders slumped.
"I just..kinda wanted to ask you something." She looked serious. "If you were in a relationship, would you do anything to make your girlfriend happy?" She asked. Shu thought back to all of the times he worked hard to impress Haruka and went put of his way to care for her.
"Yes." he answered. "I would. I'm with her cause I love her right? And she'd do the same for me, right? So naturally, I'd do anything to make her happy." Haruka smiled sadly.
"Thanks."
The waitress returned with their food and drinks. After assuring her there was nothing
more she could do for them, she went off to wait other tables. Shu returned to their conversation.
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, uhm...Yuki is feeling he can't really handle a long distance relationship anymore..." She confided, as she slowly ate her food.
"So he wants to break up?" he guessed. Haruka shook her head.
"He wants me to retire from coordinating."
"What?" He was shocked. What type of boyfriend would ask their girlfriend to give up something she loved so much? Something she'd put her life into?
"I mean, it'd be okay, right? You said it yourself, you'd do anything to make your girlfriend happy. Shu didn't know what to say. He had just convinced Haruka to give up coordinating; to give up her dream.
"Haruka, maybe this is a little different."
"Not really though." The two sat in silence for a few moments. They both thought of the same thing: their lives without her coordinating. If she didn't coordinate, she wouldn't see Shu as much, maybe not at all. What would happen the their friendship?Their rivalry?
"He'll be here tomorrow, to see my last Grand Festival, then we'll be going back to Hoenn."
,Shu was angry. She never told him she had a boyfriend. All this time, almost a year, and he didn't know a single thing about this boy. Then, suddenly she tells him that she'll be going away to live her life as some house-wife. He attempted to picture Haruka in an apron, cooking food, as a young, thin, dark faced man came in, wearing a hat and glasses. 'Honey, I'm home!' he'd say. Shu felt shivers down his spine as he imagined it.
"What does he do? Is he a trainer?" Shu questioned. At the very least, he could
"He works with his father, Dr. Odamaki, as a research assistant." She replied. Shu's eyes widened.
"THE Dr. Odamaki?" May nodded. "How do you know him?"
"My father and him are good friends. They would visit a lot or we would go to see them. Yuki and I would always stray and play somewhere." Shu didn't say anything. He often forgot that Haruka was the daughter of Senri Tanaka, a famous gym leader in Hoenn. Of course he'd have connections. He ate the last of his sushi, enjoying the spicy taste, as the waitress set their bill on the table and thanked them.
Haruka sighed, having finished her meal already. She was sure she upset him. His reaction was understandable, as well. After all, if he told her he had a girlfriend after all this time, she'd be pretty upset as well. She was never able to bring herself to tell him, though. She didn't know why. Every time she'd attempted to tell him before, she felt as though she was lying or doing something bad.
She wasn't sure what the future would bring. Tomorrow, it would change and she didn't know where Shu fell. Would they still talk as much as they did? They never called, so the most they chatted was when they saw each other. She wasn't even sure if Shu had a way to communicate. She thought of the few times they'd spent together outside of contests. They way they just sorta talked.
"I like when we do this" Haruka piped up, sharing her thoughts.
"Do what?" Shu asked her.
"This. Just kinda hang out. It's nice." Shu stood up and set his money on the table.
"It is getting late. You need rest for the Grand Festival tomorrow." he said. "Come on."
The two arrived in front of Haruka's room door. She smiled.
"Thanks for bringing me to my room." Shu smirked.
"What are you talking about? I didn't walk you to your room. I was just walking to my room and you just happened to follow me." He pointed to a door across the hall. "It's right there."
"Shu!" She playfully hit his arm.
"Hey, I'm not the one jumping to conclusions here." he defended.
"Still!" she said, grinning. He watched as her grin slowly turned into a frown. "Shu..." He looked up, into her eyes, her deep blue eyes full of worry and concern, before she looked down, fiddling with her thumbs. "Shu, is all that connects us to each other our coordinating? Our rivalry?"
Shu was unprepared for this question. He didn't know what to make of it.
"What do you mean?"
"If I stop coordinating...does that mean you and I will just forget about each other? Marry other people and refer to each other as "that kid I used to try to beat?" Shu looked at her for a moment. At that angle, she was nothing less than perfect: he brow creased in worry, her eyes filled with concern, her bottom lip poking out in a small pout, her hair caressing her face. 'Any artist' he thought 'should be excited to catch this picture right here.'
"Haruka, over the years we've known each other, we've become more than rivals. Rivalry was always an aspect of our relationship, but we are friends. Nothing will change that." He assured. Haruka smiled. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around him.
Shu didn't know how to react. She'd hugged him before, but he would always freeze up. He decided to wrap an arm around her.
"Thank you, Shu..." She told him. "Good night. And good luck tomorrow." With that, she turned into her own room and closed the door. He turned and did the same, before pressing his back to the door and letting out a sigh.
"Nothing will change that..." He muttered to himself.
A/N:
This is the first chapter, the exposition. So most of the characters have been introduced now. I'd like to point out that this is not solely romance, but is also action. Furthermore, in later chapters, there may be a couple scenes that will cause me to bump up rating to Rated M. Heavy Criticism is welcome. Thank you.
extra note: I may change or edit this chapter soon.