A/N: Hey guys! I got a drabble prompt by nintendohypetrain on tumblr (SamKo on here) for "Steven/May, contests." Your wish is my command, even though I absolutely hate writing contest-related things. You're lucky that I respect you as fellow HoennChampionShipping trash.
This takes place during the main story line of ORAS, when your playable character is chosen by Lisia to star in the next contest. Hope you enjoy!
"Oh, darling, you look fantastic!"
I feel ridiculous, May thought, staring at herself in the full length mirror before her with burning cheeks. Lisia had dressed her in a fluffy pink dress, and while May agreed that it didn't look half-bad on her, she desperately longed for her familiar shorts and tank top.
"Now, sit! They have to do your hair and makeup, and quickly! It's starting soon!" Lisia pushed her towards a spinning chair in front of one of those mirrors surrounded by small, bright lights, like you see in movies. The lights served to accent all of the flaws in May's skin, things she had never really cared about before, and she quickly averted her eyes.
"Isn't the focus supposed to be on my Pokemon, anyway?" May questioned, looking up at the star coordinator who was sorting through makeup brushes on the counter.
"Of course!" Lisia cried, not taking her attention off of whatever she was doing. "But no one's going to complain if there's a cute coordinator up there, too, if you know what I mean," she said, throwing a flirty smile and a wink over her shoulder. When she turned back away, May rolled her eyes.
The next few minutes were a hustle-and-bustle of stylists (Lisia's personal team) coming in and out, doing May's hair and makeup and whatnot. At Lisia's suggestion, May let her Masquerain out of its Pokeball so it could fly around and start to get pumped up. Lisia flitted out of the room to enter May and Masquerain in the upcoming Beauty contest.
By the time Lisia returned, May's transformation from rag-tag Pokemon trainer into beautiful Pokemon coordinator was complete. Lisia gasped dramatically, and May could feel her face heat up. "May, you look stunning," the other girl said, and now, with just the two of them in the room, there was no hint of her on-stage act and May could tell the compliment was genuine.
"Thanks," May said with a grin, her Masquerain floating over her shoulder and making a sound that May assumed was the Pokemon's way of saying the same thing.
Beaming, Lisia shooed the girl and her Pokemon out of the dressing room, ordering her to get backstage immediately and wishing her good luck. Out in the lobby, people stared, and she wished she could cover her face. She nervously approached the front desk and-
"May?" a voice behind her said. "Is that you?"
May whirled around, trying to ignore the way that her spinning made the dress flow out like a princess' gown. Steven Stone was standing there, a polite smile on his face, but his jaw dropped a bit when he got a good look at her.
May felt like her face was going to burn up and fall off with how hard she was blushing. Great, now Steven was here! She had only met the man once, back in a cave where she had had to deliver a letter, but he had been in her mind ever since. She was embarrassed to admit that she had felt immediately attracted to the man, not just for his dreamy good looks but for the way he talked to her- as if she was an equal. He was obviously much older and more experienced than her, and most people who fit that description, even those who she had known for years, looked down on May as if she was just some rookie trainer- some child. But this man, although only having had met her once for a short period of time, already seemed to believe she would go far.
He didn't even know her, and yet he believed that she was a strong, independent Pokemon trainer. And now he was seeing her like this. This couldn't be any more demeaning. May wanted to die.
"Oh, hey, Steven," she said, giving her best fake grin and feeling a bit impressed with herself when her voice didn't shake.
"Are you, um..." Steven laughed awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. She didn't miss the way his eyes kept drifting down slowly, then snapping back up. "... participating in the contest today?"
Obviously, May thought snidely, but she just smiled kindly, laughed, and waved her hand as if it was nothing. "Oh, you know," she said, as if he had any way of knowing. "Lisia wanted to recruit someone new into the business, and I happened to be there, so..." Steven frowned in confusion, still not seeming to get what she meant, so she changed the subject. "So, why are you in town?"
Steven's expression changed completely, going from the odd confused look to a fierce, determined one, the one that May had seen on his face the first time they met. "I was called here because of some suspicious activity with a gang down at the Oceanic Museum. By the time I got here, though, it seemed as though it had already been taken care of..." Steven frowned.
"Oh, yeah, I took care of them," May muttered nonchalantly, looking back over her shoulder at the lady at the front desk, who was eyeing her with suspicion.
Steven's eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows. "You defeated them?" May nodded. "But... they're an entire gang! How did you defeat them by yourself?"
May just shrugged. "They're not near as tough as they try to seem," she said simply.
Steven stared, bewildered, for a few more seconds before lightening up and throwing his head back in laughter. "You're truly one of a kind, May, you know that?"
May knew that her embarrassment must have been obvious, but she tried to play it off, anyway. "I'm just doing my part." An announcer came over the speaker, signaling that the contest was about to begin and that all participants needed to check-in backstage. "Oh, crap! I have to go." She smiled apologetically. "Are you staying for the contest?"
Steven grimaced. "Well, I actually just came to check in with a contact, but..." He looked her up-and-down once more, not exactly subtly. "I think I can find the time to stay."
The implications of the action and the words sent butterflies into May's stomach, and she had to turn around and start walking towards the back before she called, "See you around!" She couldn't let him see her flushed face.
May got back behind the curtain, and Lisia was already out on the stage, greeting the guests. "Welcome to the Contest Spectacular!" she cried, and the crowd cheered in response. "Today's category is Beauty! And it is a very special contest indeed, as it will feature my own protégé, May!"
Oh, Arceus. Now there would be even more attention on her.
May was the third coordinator to take the stage, and as she started her appeal, Steven Stone was in the front row, cheering louder than the rest.