Author's Note: Well, here we go; my first story, or more likely, my first one shot. It's based on the song Pearl by Katy Perry. Teenage Dream is the most beautiful and inspiring album I've listened to, so a lot of her songs are going to be included in my stories. Pearl is a song about someone that's holding you down; someone that's keeping you from being who you truly are.

Unfortunately, I've had to remove the lyrics due to it being against the rules of FanFiction, and I wouldn't want anyone reporting me, so if you haven't heard the song Pearl then please, listen to it by all means!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Pearl

"Where were you?" he asked as she walked through the door, suddenly making her feel vulnerable, intimidated and weak. She was back in the real world.

"Calm down Brendan, just let me get through the door at least," she answered back, her body trembling. She had to be extremely careful with her words; one slip of the mouth and everything came crashing down.

"No, I want answers," he continued, his voice getting louder and more threatening. "You've been gone for hours, and you didn't even call me to let me know where you were!"

"Please, just calm down Brendan," she repeated herself, carefully closing the door behind her. "I told you this morning that I was going out for the day, so what's the big deal?" she asked, keeping a safe distance away from him.

"You're lying," he stated, his eyes dark and full of hate. "Dammit May, why do you keep lying to me?" he shouted, storming towards her.

"I'm not lying to you!" the nineteen-year-old protested, her words weak and full of fright. "I promise you Brendan, I went out for the day with a few friends! Please, stop shouting at me!" she fought back, lifting up her arms and hands to her head for some sort of protection. Although he didn't hit her, she sure thought he was going to.

"Liar," he spat, lips pursed. "You're a fucking liar May!" he yelled, grabbing a glass vase and throwing it towards her.

"Stop it!" she screamed helplessly, shielding herself with her arms and shutting her eyes tightly. She winced at the sound of the vase smash against the wall just centimetres away from where she was and felt the tiny pieces of glass hit her skin as they scattered all over the floor.

"You're with someone else, aren't you?" he questioned her, tears starting to fill his eyes. She shot a horrified glance at him, her eyes wide with shock. "Don't make me ask you again, May!"

"I'm not with someone else, Brendan! How…" she stopped, shaking her head in disbelief. "How could you even consider that?" she asked, her voice barely present.

"You're lying to me again!" he screamed, grabbing her arms and shaking her. "You're lying to me again!"

"I'm not lying to you, Brendan!" she cried, her eyes red and sore. She stared deep into his own eyes and could see the anger and hate that he was feeling, which made her feel completely lifeless. She then felt his grip get tighter on her and winced at the pain it was sending through her body.

"Don't make me hurt you, May!" he screamed, tightening his grip even further. She screamed at the burning feeling she could feel on both of her arms, but she didn't bother to answer him back; she couldn't even find the energy to.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her whole body shaking with fright. Completely emotionless, she stared into thin air, her mouth dry like the personality that Brendan had.

"Don't tell me you're fucking sorry!" he shouted, pushing her to the floor. She cried helplessly, unable to find the strength to do anything. She heard the door slam, which meant he had left her there, completely traumatised with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Finding the strength to stand, she hurriedly started searching for her Pokégear, her hands still shaking. As soon as she found the small gadget, she started searching through her contacts, looking for Dawn's name. She then paused and stared at the screen; one name hit her, a name that she hadn't spoken of in months, and a name that she knew she could trust. With no time to waste, she started calling them, hearing nothing but her own heavy breathing and the loud ringing in her ears from the nightmare that was Brendan's voice.

"Please, Arceus, please… make them answer…" she pleaded, hopeful. As if Arceus had heard her, the voice spoke.

"Hello?"

She paused and felt herself starting to shake even more.

"Drew?" she questioned, only a whisper. She could feel her eyes starting to fill up with water again, but took a deep breath to try and stop herself from crying.

"May?" he asked, leaving a slight pause before realising something wasn't right. "May, what's wrong?"

"I-I don't know what to do," she stuttered, her lips trembling. "I-I need you, Drew."

"Go to the Pokémon Centre in Petalburg City, May. I'll be there as soon as I can," he told her before hanging up. May grabbed her bag and chucked as many belongings in there as quickly as she could, such as her Pokégear, keys and Pokémon. She then rushed to the door and slammed it shut, running as fast as she could.

As she arrived at the Pokémon Centre, May could start to feel her heart beat faster and faster. Looking around the lobby, there was no sign of Drew, which made her feel vulnerable and frightened about what could happen without him there; what if Brendan showed up? After what seemed like hours of tapping her fingers together nervously, she heard the doors slide open. Turning around, she was relieved to see that it was Drew, unable to control the tears that streamed down her face.

"You don't have to say anything," he said as he approached her, holding her tightly in his arms. He could feel her body start to tremble, which made him shut his eyes and hold her closer.

"I'm, s-so, s-scared Drew," she stuttered, crying uncontrollably into his chest. "H-he was shouting a-at me and s-screaming at me and h-he p-pushed me and I just d-didn't know w-what to do."

"Everything's going to be okay," he reassured her, stroking her hair. "I'm here with you now."

Once he felt May's shaking gradually start to fade, he walked on over to the desk that Nurse Joy was situated at. May never let go of his hand, holding on as tight as she could, like she would see the end of her life if she didn't. Drew silently thanked Arceus that he was still in Hoenn, and that he was only a few cities away. As he got the Nurse's attention, he smiled faintly.

"One room, please," Drew said to her. Instantly, she gave him the key and gave him a small nod, deciding that it was best not to say anything by looking at the state of May. Holding May's hand, he led her up to the room and sat her down on the bed, locking the door to be sure that they were not to be disturbed. Slowly, he walked over to May and knelt down in front of her, lifting her head up and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"Tell me what happened, May."

She took in a deep breath and motioned for him to sit down next to her. Wiping her face, she looked at Drew and started to tell him about what had happened between her and Brendan.

"It's n-not the first time it's happened, Drew," she said, bravely. "This has been going on for m-months, but… I just haven't had the strength to put a s-stop to it."

"May..." he sighed, holding her hand, "You're a strong, dedicated and… confident girl. You need to do what's best for you."

"I realise that n-now, Drew," she said, giving him a weak smile. "When someone gets v-violent to you like that, you just… stop. You d-don't know what to do, so… you just keep moving forward. I was too scared to tell anyone because of what he m-might do, but… I'm not afraid anymore."

Drew stared at her for a short moment before continuing.

"Listen to me," he said sternly. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."

She half laughed and lowered her head, only to find that Drew lifted it again. Hesitation flickered in his eyes, but with a reassuring smile from May, it disappeared.

"I know we both went our separate ways a while back, but… that doesn't change anything, May."

Excitement filled her stomach as he spoke.

"I know that," she said, grinning for a brief second. She gently stroked her thumb on his lips, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath of the scent that stuck to him; the scent she always loved. He lifted her chin and slowly, he gently placed his lips on her own, closing his own eyes. A sudden warmth went through them both, and they then knew that this was exactly where they were supposed to be; together. As their lips parted, they both opened their eyes and rested their foreheads against one another.

"Thank you, Drew," she whispered, smiling weakly. "Thank you."

He smiled briefly before putting on a more serious expression.

"There's a way out of this you know," he said. "But, you've got to gain the courage to do it, May."

"I know," she sighed, placing her hand in his. "It's going to be hard, but… I've got to try."

He held her once again before letting her grab her bag. She pulled out her Pokégear and noticed that she had had several missed calls from Brendan, which didn't surprise her. Searching through her contacts once again, she stopped at Brendan's name. Drew joined her and held her hand, stroking his thumb across the top of it. She smiled at him and took one last deep breath before making the call. After just one ring, Brendan answered.

"May, where the fuck are you?" he asked, shouting at her. "Arceus, May, you don't realise how fucking mad I am, do you hear me? When you get home-"

"I'm not coming home, Brendan."

"What do you mean you're not coming home? You get your arse over here right now before I come out looking for you!"

"I'm leaving you. I can't go on like this."

After a short but anticipating pause, Brendan spoke.

"You're… leaving me?"

"Yes," she answered bluntly. "I'm leaving you for good, Brendan… and I'm never coming back."

It was as if May could almost hear him grit his teeth down the line.

"Do you know what, May? Fuck you, go ahead and walk away, you'll soon be crawling back to me, just you wait," he said, managing a short laugh at the end of his sentence. "You're an idiot, May, and you're about to make the biggest mistake of your sad, pathetic life!"

"Goodbye, Brendan," May said shakily, ending the call. She swallowed the lump that she could feel in her throat and looked up at Drew. She started laughing uncontrollably and embraced him securely, her feet lifting from the floor as he picked her up.

"It's done, May," Drew said, grinning. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. He's gone," he added, cupping her face in his hands.

"H-he's gone," she stuttered, a stunned but exasperated look on her face. "He's finally gone."

. . .

Quite a dark story, not your typical 'I love you I love you too' kind of thing, but I think it worked. What do you guys think? Please leave a review to let me know. I don't mind constructive criticism, just nothing too mean… it is my first try!

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed it!

Charityx