A/N: I really don't do much Pokemon writing, but watching the entire Orange Island arc really got me started. I have a tendency to delete my stories an hour after publishing it, and we'll just have to see about this one, I guess. This chapter's short, and it's more of a prologue than a chapter (which is why I shall label it prologue.)

Enjoy it anyway? :)


"Good morning, May!" Caroline sang over the video phone. "How's Cherrygrove City so far?"

"It's great, Mom," she replied, smiling. "Beautifly really loves it here. I'm so glad you sent it to me—it'll be good for it to participate in some contests again. Psychic's coming along well."

"I've got some news for you, honey. See, your father and I got a letter from Vivian. She invited you to the Cambi Gala! We sent it to the Pokemon Center in Cherrygrove City, so stay put, okay? It'll come in a day or two." Caroline smiled. "We're so proud of you. Max is, too. He's a bit busy with your dad's Vigoroth right now, but I'm sure he says hi!"

"Thanks. This call was just what I needed! Bye, Mom."

And May hung up the phone. Cambi Gala, huh? A letter from Vivian herself! It sounded exciting.

"Will May please report to the main lobby? Repeat: Will May please report to the main lobby? We have a letter for you. Thank you."

May stared up at the speaker in excitement. "The letter!" she exclaimed. "Already? That was fast." She rushed out the door and into the lobby. "Nurse Joy?"

The Nurse Joy of Cherrygrove greeted her warmly. "You must be May, from the Petalburg Gym! You're Norman's daughter, aren't you?" Her eyes flashed stars. "I've seen all your contests, May. They're absolutely beautiful, and I must say, your Pokemon all appear to be in excellent condition. And what adorable Pokemon they are!"

She blushed. "Oh, it's really all thanks to them that I got these ribbons, anyway," she said embarrassedly. "They were the ones who earned them."

"Spoken like a true coordinator," Nurse Joy gushed. "Oh, yes, the letter. I'd almost forgotten!" She pulled out an envelope. "Here you go. Good luck in all your upcoming contests, and enjoy your stay in Cherrygrove City!"

"Thank you very much." She bowed and reentered her room. Tearing apart the envelope, she read:

Dear May:

How long has it been? I do hope your Johto contests are doing well. Anyway, no time for small talk. I'm sending you this letter to invite you to the Cambi Gala! I'm sure you've already heard about it by now, being the wonderful coordinator that you are. Should you choose to attend, just RSVP to this exact address and the Pokemon Enthusiast Club will provide you (and all the other entrants in your region) with a private jet. All hotel fees and the such will be covered.

I do hope you'll attend, and I certainly hope to see you there. May the best coordinator win! I'll be rooting for you all the way!

Vivian

Normally, May would have blushed, as she had absolutely no idea what the Cambi Gala was. But at the moment, she couldn't have cared less. She was being invited to the Cambi Gala (whatever it was)! And that took priority over everything.

Turning on the nearest public computer, she began typing up her RSVP.


May walked back inside the Pokemon Center, having sent her reply. Startled, she noticed that the lobby seemed a bit more crowded than usual. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked toward the cafe, spotting a particular redhead along the way. "Solidad?"

The girl turned around and exclaimed, "May? Harley! Look!"

May's heart sunk, and wondered if backing away was still an option.

"May!" Solidad repeated, waving.

"Solidad, it's great to see you! What are you doing here?"

Before her question could be answered, however, Harley cut in with, "And don't forget me, hon. It's so nice to see you!" He gave her a grin and held her hands eagerly. "Are you going to enter the Cambi Gala too?" he asked, gesturing to the envelope May was still clutching. "What a coincidence!"

She laughed nervously. "Gee, Harley, it-it's nice to see you too. Yes, I've already entered it, but..." To Solidad, she asked, "What exactly is this gala? I just got my invitation yesterday. I've never heard of it."

"How... expected," a familiar voice replied.

"Drew," May exclaimed. Frowning, she added, "What do you mean, expected?"

Drew waved his envelope in the air. "I mean, I wouldn't expect you to know about something so high class." He smirked and flipped his hair. "Better?"

"No!" He laughed as she scowled. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be in some fancy hotel?"

"Unlike some coordinators, I've actually heard of the Cambi Gala, and was invited by Mr. Contesta himself." (At this point, he inserted a smirk.) "So I'm here to give my Pokemon a check-up, and make sure they're all ready and in perfect shape."

May smiled, albeit stiffly. "That's great, Drew." She repeated, "What's the Cambi Gala?"

"I'll answer that for you, May." Drew flicked his hair. "See, the gala is for all trainers who have at least eight badges and coordinators with at least five ribbons. Cumulative, of course. Do you know what cumulative means, May?"

"Of course I do!" she snapped, her face turning red.

"What a surprise," he answered smugly. "Anyway, it consists of a two part competition. There's the Battle League Arena. It's basically a battling competition, with standard league battle rules. But that part's second. First there's the appeal round, and the top twenty get to enter the Battle League. The winner gets that."

He pointed to a poster of a grand crystal trophy. On it read: Cambi Gala—Invited Participants Only. R5, B8. "You could've just read that."

Solidad chuckled. "Really, you two. In any case, Harley, Drew and I met up a while ago, and we thought we'd train together for a while. The jet's coming in just a week, anyway. You see, all of the Johto participants have already RSVPed. Won't you join—"

"Oh, yes, Tenty-honey. You can try my new cookies! I invented my own recipe, just for you." Harley's eyes glinted.

"Eheh... I'm sure they're delicious."

"Then you'll join us?" Harley batted his eyelashes. With a jolt, May realized he had applied mascara to them. "Oh, it'll be no fun without you, love."

Drew cleared his throat and turned away. "I'm going to speak to Nurse Joy."

Paying no attention to him, Harley continued, "Wellllllllll?"

May forced a smile and said tensely, "I've no choice, have I?"

"None!" He threw an arm around her and began dancing. "We'll have such fun together, May! The four of us, together forever!"

"I have a Harley Headache."

Solidad simply smiled. "He always does keep things fresh, doesn't he?"


The Johto region had the most beautiful forests, and Cherrygrove City lay right around the corner. For a shopper like May, the day couldn't have been any more perfect. Drew and Solidad were practicing for an upcoming contest while Harley was baking cookies.

May sat under a grand oak, polishing her Pokeballs and placing them gently on a satin handkerchief. Days like these, she realized, are the best. Aloud, she announced, "I'm not even going to think about Pokemon training today! Come on out, everybody!"

Her Pokemon came out of their Pokeballs and cheered, staring at their trainer enthusiastically.

"Today," she told them, "we're just going to have some fun."

Skitty spent a good three seconds chasing its tail, then bounded off with Eevee at its heels. Combusken took it upon itself to watch over the two, whereas Bulbasaur and Squirtle seemed satisfied resting at their trainer's side. Beautifly took its customary place on May's head. Munchlax, for once, didn't wait for Pokeblock and hurried off in search of food on its own.

It didn't get very far.

"Gardevoir," a voice cried. A moment later, Munchlax ran back into May's arms.

She sighed. "Oh, Munchlax. What've you done now?" May asked, standing up. Beautifly flew into the air above her. "Who's there?"

"Gardevoir."

"There it is, again," May whispered. "Combusken, let's go." She ventured deeper into the forest, catching sight of a head full of chartreuse hair. "Drew? Is that you?"

"Voir..."

There was a rustling sound, and a Gardevoir emerged from the trees. It fixed May with deep red eyes, then vanished without a trace. Combusken stared at the empty space curiously, then at May, who was doing the same. "Was that a Gardevoir? Did you see it, Combusken? Its gleaming green hair, wide eyes, elegant figure... It was... it was beautiful!" she gushed. Her eyes burned with determination as she declared, "I just have to catch it! It'll be perfect for the Cambi Gala."