Happy Contestshipping Day my lovelies! I'm sorry about the bad writing, I've been busy making anime music videos. For some more contestshipping love, visit the YouTube channel PokeContestStudios, which I own! Oh, my little bbys are so cute together!
I don't own Pokemon.
Until The Rose Dies
After our Hoenn group (Ash, Brock, Max and me) split up, I went back to Petalburg. I needed a break. Travelling with three boys was tiring. And you couldn't forget a certain green-haired rival who made my heart beat fast every time I saw him, and made me go crazy.
It was hard for me, I guess. Ever since the very beginning of my Pokemon journey, I was guided by Ash and his ambitions. The group revolved around Ash, as you might say. So as I lazed around at home, I couldn't decide where to go, and who to go with. Funnily enough, Brock and Ash had found another girl, Dawn, I think her name was, so I couldn't really tag along with them now, to be honest. Besides, I wanted to go to Johto, not Sinnoh.
And then, the answer came to me by my dad.
"You know what? You've been here for at least three months now, and I can tell you're missing the outside world. Why not go alone? Max is staying at the gym for a while, whilst I train him up to be the next gym leader."
I took the opportunity immediately. I missed my freedom of roaming the lands and meeting new people and Pokemon. So I packed up my bags, kissed my parents goodbye and waved to Max. And I was gone. May Maple was back in the coordinating community!
My happiness didn't last long. The nights were lonely as I pitched my tent, the days were long as I hiked across Johto alone. I lost track of time, and when I reached New Bark Town, the contest had ended. It was a new coordinator who won, and as I traced my finger down the list of contestants, I realised I knew none of them. My heart gave a sudden lurch of disappointment, but I swallowed it down, and told myself that I could survive through Johto in the state I was in.
I bought myself a watch with some money I had earned through errands in some smaller towns. I was saving all my other money for the grand festival, for a new dress. Though, I was having second thoughts. I probably wouldn't even get to the grand festival, knowing my luck so far.
It was annoying, I thought, as I sat down at a table in the Pokemon centre, that I forgot to bring the pamphlet of where the Johto contests were. I was so certain I had memorised it, but apparently, I had not. For once, Nurse Joy wasn't there at the counter. I groaned. Was my journey of Johto cursed? Then, I saw a huge map plastered on the wall. I stumbled over to it, running a finger slowly across the paper. I was sleep deprived. It was hard to think.
"Now where's the next contest?" I muttered quietly, trying my best to remember.
"Cherrygrove City." a voice answered.
I turned around, leaving myself face-to-face with someone I hadn't seen for a while. Yep, a certain green haired coordinator named Drew. My eyes widened, and he smirked. He had grown up so much - he was taller, and he just looked more mature than I had remembered.
"Drew?" I whispered.
"Yes, May, it's me."
And then I ran into his arms, and didn't let go until I stopped crying.
I realised later that he never let go of me until then.
;;
"I'm sorry. I've just been stressed lately. I didn't mean to…hug you like that."
He flicks his hair as he smiles at me. Nice to know that hasn't changed.
"It's fine. We all have our moments. Travelling alone?"
He looks around, as if expecting Ash or Max to pop out of nowhere. I sigh, twisting my hands around nervously. I haven't spoke to anyone for a while, I realise guiltily, as I try desperately to clear my voice. It's gone husky from the lack of talking.
"Yeah. It's been strange."
"I know the feeling."
I look at him in surprise. The great Drew has felt lonely?
"Oh? So it will fade away after a while? The loneliness, I mean?" I ask desperately.
"How about you travel with me?"
He ignores my question. But I don't snap at him; I'm too busy gaping at him. Him? Travel with me? I'm touched.
"O-only if you want to." I stammer, still surprised.
"Of course. It's getting late. See you tomorrow?"
He leaves, but not before throwing a rose at me. I smile.
Some things never change.
;;
"Hey, you ready?"
I stifle a yawn. Why the hell would he want to leave at 6:30 in the morning?
"I guess. Where're we going first?"
"Cherrygrove City. I told you yesterday, May."
"Well I'm sorry that I don't have an amazing memory like the cabbage-head standing next to me."
He has that annoying little smirk on his face again. Ew. That makes me so annoyed.
"You're just jealous, May."
"Am not!"
"Pfft, I don't have time to be arguing with you. Let's go."
I almost expect him to turn and leave, but at the last moment, he grabs my hand, unexpectedly, and drags me along. I don't pull away though. My sense of loneliness has disappeared, now that I'm with Drew.
;;
We compete in most of the contests in Johto. We're doing well, I suppose. If we actually arrive at the contest, either me or Drew win. Yep, we're equal as of now. The grand festival is coming up in a few weeks, and since we've done so well at winning most the contests, we're here early, staying at a small hotel.
"I'm so excited!"
"Of course you would be. Get ready to lose to the great Drew."
"What? You call yourself the 'great Drew'? Such an obnoxious idiot. I'm surprised I've managed to travel with you through most of Johto without strangling myself."
"I'm only speaking the truth."
"How about we make a bet?"
He perks up at that. Boys are so competitive, I sigh.
"What bet?"
"Whoever loses the grand festival has to be the winner's slave for a week."
"Oooh, I can't wait to boss you around. I already have some tricks up my sleeve."
"Who said you were going to win, Mr Know-It-All?"
"Me, of course. I'm always right."
I growl at him, and he smirks. He always knows how to get me irritated. A raindrop slips onto my head.
"It's raining," I say, surprised.
"That's good. It hasn't rained in a while,"
"I don't like the rain, let's go inside!" I cry, scrunching up my nose.
"No, let's stay."
And so we stay on the bench, the rain falling around us.
;;
I see a lot of people that a recognise at the grand festival. It's annoying, I think, that I never ran into them. But I meet up with them anyway, and talk about the old times. Even Solidad is here, with Harley by her side. They're engaged, to my surprise, and they invite me to their wedding. They're only watching the festival, thank goodness, since they've been busy for a while. They heard Drew and I were competing and came to watch.
Drew has a strange reaction. He's always thought of Solidad as an older sister, even as a mother figure occasionally. I know his parents were abroad for most of his childhood. So when he found out Harley and Solidad were engaged, he was more angry than shocked. I don't think he trusts Harley much, not after all the tricks he's played on me.
He stares at Harley stonily for a few minutes, then glares, then turns away. It's his way of accepting Harley, I think, and Harley knows that. He smiles, and hugs Drew. Which I know is a bad choice of movement. Strangely, Drew doesn't punch him or anything, just pulls away quickly.
"Take care of Solidad, okay?"
"Sure, Drewy."
"Don't call me 'Drewy'."
That's a surprise. He's changed a lot since last year. He probably would've slapped Harley. Things have changed. I'm not sure whether I actually like the change, though.
;;
The grand festival came, and it went so quickly, I barely had time to stop. Eventually, I made it into the finals, with Drew as my opponent. We were given a day to rest, and train, and I took the time to go hiking with my Pokemon.
I was nervous. But I wanted to win. I wanted to prove to Drew that I was a good coordinator. I wanted him to notice me. I wanted him to see me as his equal.
So I trained hard, and when I got back to the hotel, I collapsed into the nearest armchair, and slept. In the morning, I found myself in bed. There was a knock on my door, and I crawled weakly to it.
"Hmm? Who is it?"
"It's me, Drew. You awake?"
I opened the door slightly.
"Good morning, Drew. Did I train yesterday? Because it felt like a dream…maybe the last few days were a dream! What if my whole life had been one stupid dream!"
"Calm down, geez. You collapsed in the waiting room so I carried you up here."
He…carried me?
As in bridal style, right?
I could feel my cheeks burn, and I looked away quickly, humming awkwardly, trying not to look into his eyes.
"Oh uh…thanks. W-well, good luck. You know, in the grand festival."
He smiles at me, not a smirk, for once.
"You too, May."
;;
It wasn't easy.
Seeing Drew come onto the stage looking like a professional with many years of coordinating in him, and leaving me breathless was not what I had planned. He looked so majestic, as he threw out a pokeball, signalling for his first Pokemon to come out. I followed suit after him, though I tried not to look at him, in fear of my face going red. I still had my pride after all.
The battle was intense, as our Pokemon threw attacks at each other, and slowly, both the Pokemon were chipped down to a low health. I gritted my teeth, and told Glaceon to blizzard, just as he commanded his Flygon to Dragon Breath.
Then it was over. The two attacks somehow cancelled each other out, and there was a small poof of dust, before our Pokemon fell. I pulled out a pokeball, and told Glaceon to come back, wondering whether drawing was better than winning.
Drew comes over to me, and lifts his hand. I shakily reach out and grasp his hand to shake it, bracing myself for the sparks that will explode out into the dusty air. And the sparks come flying, and I'm pretty sure he feels it too. We hold the trophy up high in the air, and I finally dare to look into his eyes.
And to my surprise, he's already looking back at me, and he smiles again, and I can feel my heart explode, my stomach fluttering with those stupid butterflies.
I ask him later, when we're at the hotel, whether he minded sharing the glory of winning. He pauses, and turns back to look at me for a few moments. Then he reaches out, and pats my head, before saying that he didn't mind at all.
"Why not?" I ask.
"I like sharing things with the people I love."
And with that, and kisses my forehead, and leaves to go to his room, rendering me speechless in the hallway.
I didn't mind sharing at all, either.
;;
There comes a few weeks, where Drew and I would be interviewed a lot, and I received a letter on all the dates of the photo shoots and the speeches we were to go to the morning after the Grand Festival. Drew got one too, and we talked briefly about it at breakfast. Although, we talked nothing of the night before, as if there was an unwritten rule to not talk about the kiss.
We walked to the interview together, as it wasn't too far away, and the silence between us was clearly evident to both of us.
"What will you do after the interviews have finished?" he asks, after a long silence.
"After the interviews have finished? When we're not needed?" I confirm, wincing at what comes to light.
I'm slowly realising what he's saying. We would have to head back to Hoenn, to our hometowns to see our families. Then what we did next was undecided, and besides, none of us wanted to ask the other whether we would travel together again. I loved travelling with Drew, more than I would ever say, but our pride blocked us from asking.
"Yeah, after the interviews, when we're not needed in the spotlight. What will you do?"
The unanswered question of whether we would travel together again lingered heavily in the air. I looked down at my shoes.
"Home, I guess. Then maybe to Unova, or Sinnoh."
"Oh."
He looks into the distance, and we keep walking in silence, as we drown in our thoughts.
;;
The interviews finished, the paparazzi died down. We headed home together, and we were about to part ways, when he turned to me.
"It's been nice travelling with you."
"Same. You're not that green headed snob I once knew."
He grins at me, flicking his hair casually.
"You're not that ditzy brunette I once knew either."
We laugh. The laughter dies after a few seconds, and we know we have to say our farewells. The boat to my hometown would soon leave, after all.
"Hey," he whispers, and my eyes widen in shock as he throws one last rose to me.
I finger it carefully, and realise that it's fake, made so prettily with polystyrene, and I glance at him, confused.
"I…I want to say this now. Before you go, I mean. I've never been good with these things. You see, May-"
He coughs awkwardly. He looks nervous, I think, and I've realised I've never seen him so weak before.
"I will love you until this rose dies."
"But Drew, it's a fake rose!"
"I know, it will never die. Our love will never die."
I'm stunned into silence, as he walks away slowly into the distance, the sun setting behind him.
Drew had just confessed to me.
And he was leaving.
So I had no time to think it over, I just ran.
I ran until I caught up to him, hugging his back, and when he turned his head, I kissed him. I had been waiting for this for so long. It felt right. His lips tasted of strawberries, and I could keep doing this forever, melting into him, but we had to leave eventually.
"I love you too, Drew," I whisper as I run towards the ferry.
He didn't answer, but I knew what he was going to say anyway.
;;
Both of us ended up abandoning our coordinating career. He was accepted into a prestigious university in Kalos, and I got asked to be an apprentice for Professor Birch. We were maintaining a long distance relationship well, though. We skyped every evening, and I would text him constantly throughout the rest of the day.
Three years passed since our parting in Hoenn, and Drew was graduating. I got myself onto a plane, heading over to the university. We hadn't seen each other in person since three years ago, so I was nervous.
He surprised me, jumping up on me from the back, and it felt like my other half had been restored, I felt happy and in love. I was so lucky.
I took the fake rose everywhere with me. Naturally, I took it on the trip to Kalos, and when we reached Drew's dorm room, I placed it carefully on the windowsill, admiring the way the bright sun shined on its petals.
"There's this nice café downtown. We should go there; you must be hungry."
"How did you know?" I teased, twirling a strand of my hair around my finger.
It was technically our first date as a couple. But there were no nerves. It didn't feel like I had missed out three years of my life without Drew. It felt like we had been together for the past few years, but at the same time, this felt special. I could barely contain my happiness.
'Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, phone call, phone ca-'
Drew frowned, and picked up his phone. I frowned too, it was our first date! I didn't want anything to spoil it.
He paled at something the caller had said, standing up quickly, pulling my hand.
"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, I had never seen Drew so pale.
"My dorm building is on fire."
My eyes widened. He glanced back, his face white as a sheet.
"May? Did you leave anything significantly valuable in there? I can get you new clothes, new laptop, anything!"
"Drew…the rose! I left the rose in there! Oh no!"
He gulps, sprinting down the streets, me chasing after him frantically.
It's too late. Half the building was reduced to ashes already, people were standing outside crying, phoning relatives and friends. Part of Drew's dorm remains, and I spot the rose still perched on the windowsill. I let out a sob as I realise it's too late, the firemen and squirtles wouldn't put it out on time.
Drew must've heard the sob. He dodged the police officers, and ran up what remained of the stairs, towards his dorm. I screamed, and tried to reach him, but Officer Jenny held me back, saying one in the fire was already enough.
I could see him, dancing between the flames, and he grasped the rose triumphantly, looking back down at me. I had never seen him more proud.
The floor beneath him groaned, and it collapsed, taking both Drew and the rose down with it. Down with it went my soulmate, and I would never recover from it.
The crestfallen look he has on his face as he falls still haunts me at night, when I'm alone.
His funeral was a sad affair. People begged me to go make a speech, but I refused, but they kept nagging, so I agreed to say a sentence. His roommate, Brendan, went up before me, and glanced at me wistfully.
"Drew was going to propose to you at the café. He told me that all he ever wanted was for you to become May Hayden. He was a great friend, very dedicated to everything he did."
I'm already crying, but fat tears roll down my face. May Hayden. I would've loved that. My father gently pushes me towards the platform, and I stumble towards the centre, my tears blinding me. The rain pours down heavier, as if it was crying along with me. Drew had always loved the rain. He said that the clouds were just crying for all the pain and suffering in the world, and when they stopped, they would be pretty and beautiful again. It gives me confidence.
I step forward.
"Drew was wrong for once in his life; because even though the rose is gone, I still love him with all my heart, and forever will."
;;
I'm alone. The last people to go were Drew's parents, and I stand in the dripping rain with a red rose in my hand. I let out a tear and I kiss the rose for luck, before placing it gently on top of the grave.
I collapse onto my knees, staring at his grave. We could've had such a good future. A family of four would've been nice.
The rain stops, and the clouds part, the sun bursting through like a newborn baby. A rainbow forms, the colours bright like ribbon in a crafts shop.
I stand there mesmerised, my hair blowing in the wind, the birds singing to each other. Eventually, the colours fade, the illusion gone. All that's left is the vibrant red of the rainbow, and I smile.
It's the same colour as a rose.
;;
A/N: oh my gosh, don't kill me please. I can't help but write angst recently, I don't know why! I actually started this in late April, but I've been busy with trips and exams lately.
I've always thought Drew would like the rain. He would always see the good out of it. Let me know whether you liked this or not! Review and favourite!
Cat xx