Hey everyone! smilingbutbroken and Sapphayn here. Welcome to Shattered! This story is the result of one year of planning, exchanging documents, and fretting about details. ;) We're proud to announce that we've finally decided to post the first installment to our very complex plot. We hope that you'll enjoy reading this as much as we've enjoyed writing it so far.
It has been so much fun, and both of us are having a blast working with the other and making a new friendship :') Seriously though, this plot is serious business so hold on to your pants because they're about to fly off.
The shippings in this story are as follows: Contestshipping, Oldrivalshipping, Ikarishipping, and Pokeshipping. Minor side shippings may be included to accommodate the plot, but don't worry. Certain things will happen to certain characters, but in the end, everyone will be happy. Hopefully. c;
So anyways, plz read and revew bcuz dis is our 1st cullab. ;)
Disclaimer: We don't own Pokemon because if we did, it would be a soap opera like this, you feel us? Seriously though, we only own the plot.
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SHATTERED
PROLOGUE
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The aroma of coffee quickly overwhelmed his senses. He consumed it eagerly, savoring the combination of bitter and sweet. His eyes slowly wandered to the window adjacent to his seat, and he found himself staring at the empty sidewalk outside.
The town was moderately occupied, but people preferred staying home over roaming around in public. Gary didn't blame them - people of all ages resided here, and each age group had completely different interests. Any interaction outside the little cliques would be considered odd. With that being said, he could easily admit that this town meant nothing more to him than a simple place to live.
He paused, abruptly setting down his empty cup on the table. No, this town was actually significant to him. The caffeine shot through him suddenly, forcing him to recall his suppressed memories. Memories of her.
It was the summer going into sixth grade. The air was hot, humid, and sticky - everything he disliked. He preferred the coolness of autumn and the bitter cold of winter. That explained why he sat inside his room, staring out his window at the children his age playing games in the street.
He internally scoffed, "Have fun getting run over."
He didn't really have any friends. Many people claimed he was too cocky and self-centered; therefore, they didn't want to spend time with him. While he was okay with no friends, it was also lonely sometimes.
Suddenly, a big moving truck pulled up to the house next door to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. He was confused - he was never told of his new neighbors' arrival prior to this moment. Out of curiosity, he went down the stairs and slipped out of the front door. Just as he had stepped outside, another car pulled up to the driveway of the house.
A girl hopped out of the car excitedly, her brown hair flying with the movement. She looked around the street, noticing the kids playing as well as the boy standing on his porch. A smile grew on her face as she waved. He saw her say something to who he assumed were her parents before she walked over to him.
"Hi," she greeted, the smile still present on her face. He immediately took notice of her eyes. They were bright and enthusiastic, somehow highlighting her personality.
"H-Hi," He stammered. He didn't know how to react to his weak response, so he ended up talking about himself for the duration of their first meeting, coming off as rude and once again, cocky.
He didn't remember much about the meeting and didn't want to, either.
"Yes, I'm really the grandson of Professor Oak," he concluded, no longer nervous. "I go by Gary."
He mentally slapped himself for being insensitive, but his regret was immediately forgotten. She did something that honestly surprised him. She laughed at him, rolled her eyes, and stuck out her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you, the almighty Gary."
It took approximately thirty minutes to make the pair inseparable.
He was confident and convinced that he had finally acquired a best friend, so he simply continued his methods. Now that he had someone to share his stories with, he thought she would enjoy hearing them one after another.
He winced, feeling disgusted at himself as he recalled how selfish he had once been. He bit his lip. I'm still selfish.
He never asked about her interests or things going on in her life.
"The idea never occurred to me," Gary muttered to himself, getting up from his chair. He covered the distance to the trash can easily, tossing the empty coffee cup into the disposal.
For some reason, she always tolerated it. She would even say she liked having him as a friend.
He swallowed, regretting the trip to the coffee shop as soon as he left the building and its aromas behind. Now, there was no doubt that he was awake. He would spend the next few hours immersed in guilt, remembering an encounter that happened years ago.
Still, he couldn't get her out of his head.
It was then in the summer going into high school when she announced that she was moving once again.
"My dad got a job offer," she explained to him. "That's why we moved here in the first place. But taking this job means that our family has to leave and go to the city."
"He didn't take it, right?" he asked. "You have a nice house here, and you're settled already!"
He walked faster to Professor Oak's house, ashamed of how weak he had been. At that moment, he could've confronted her parents and asked them to reconsider. They probably wouldn't have changed their answer, but at least he would've tried to prevent her move.
Things could've been different.
"No, he accepted it," she said softly. "I need to go now. It was nice meeting you, Gary."
But instead, he simply watched her go.
She had muttered one last goodbye before climbing into the car where her parents awaited her. Then, she was gone.
He walked past her old house, refusing to look at it. They didn't even exchange phone numbers! The thought never occurred to him until weeks after her move.
Gary kicked a nearby stone, sending it flying across the pavement. Not asking for her number wasn't even the worst part of their departure. It was the fact that he didn't know anything about her.
He hesitated before stepping on the porch, remembering their first meeting even more vividly than before. It made him feel bitter, and he almost convinced himself to go inside and suppress his memories again. But for some reason, his feet were immobile. His brain, however, was not.
He could feel himself tensing as he recalled the encounter for the second time.
"Nice to meet you, the almighty Gary," he murmured to himself. His eyes traveled down the street, and he forced himself to look at the neighboring house.
Only one question pulsed through his mind at that moment, and he panicked because he didn't know the answer to it.
What was her name?
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May smiled to herself as she finished reading the material from her textbook. Leaf, who sat in the desk beside hers, smirked at her when they made eye contact. She scribbled something on a sheet of notebook paper before passing it to her.
Sophomore year just began. Why are you so excited? Freak.
May stuck her tongue out in response, provoking laughter from her best friend. She rummaged through her bag to find a pen before scribbling her answer.
Brendan Birch is in our class, that's why.
She grinned before tossing the note at Leaf's head. The other brunette giggled, disrupting the silence, and the teacher glared at her from his desk.
Drew Hayden is here, also.
When she was sure that the teacher's attention was diverted, Leaf folded the piece of paper into a paper airplane and launched it towards May. She caught it easily, unfolding the note to read the response.
She grimaced immediately and scribbled furiously.
He's so egotistical and annoying! Eww.
Leaf suppressed a giggle as she read May's reply. She hesitated before discretely kicking the paper back to May.
He's pretty cute, actually. I like confident guys.
May's expression turned sour as her eyes scanned the page.
"Leaf! You've gone crazy!" she whispered, emphasizing each syllable. "What's wrong with your taste in guys?"
Leaf simply laughed in response, ignoring her question. "May, you're so oblivious. The guy likes you, you know."
"So what?" May said indifferently. "I could care less. You know who I actually like."
"Who would that be?" someone asked. The girls looked up in alarm, searching for the source of the voice. When their eyes landed on Drew, who sat three seats down from them, they cringed. Had he heard their conversation?
"None of your business," May said smoothly. She directed her attention to Leaf. "You're the freak."
Leaf giggled as she closed her textbook and stowed it in her messenger bag. The bell rang, and the two girls walked out of the classroom quickly, wary of their teacher's irritation.
"Do you think he heard us?" May asked once they were a good distance from the classroom.
Leaf glanced behind her, relieved that Drew was nowhere in sight. "I hope not. I don't think so, though, or else he would be-"
"Ugh, he would probably be going on and on and on about how great he is and how everyone likes him," May groaned, rolling her eyes. Her friend laughed, finding it humorous how May despised the green-haired boy so much. "It's just, he pisses me off so much I-"
"Who pisses you off so much?" The two girls jumped as the boy they were talking about showed up, seemingly out of thin air. A smirk graced his lips. "Did I scare you two?"
May quickly composed herself, turning to face Drew with a fake smile. "Not at all. We don't have much time to chat, so we should be going."
"I see," he mused, "I didn't randomly stop you to just chat, though."
This attracted Leaf's attention as she heard him say it rather seriously. May, however, paid no attention to his tone of voice. "What do you need, Drew?"
"I was actually hoping I could talk to just you," he said, shooting a pointed look at Leaf. She took the hint, knowing what Drew was going to talk to May about. It wasn't that hard to figure out.
"See you later," Leaf said, a smile forming on her lips. She walked away quickly.
"Wait, you can't just leave me, Leaf! He's the enemy!" May protested. Leaf completely ignored her, laughing and continuing to walk down the crowded hall.
"The enemy?" Drew asked, an amused expression on his face.
May stuck her tongue out at him. "Yes, the enemy. Now, what do you need to talk about that's so important that even my best friend can't hear?
"You're pretty dense, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?"
He ignored her, pulling a rose out of his pocket and tossing it towards her. She clumsily caught it, expecting to be pricked by the sharp thorns. To her surprise, the stem was smooth. Her eyebrows furrowed as she curiously stared at the flower before directing her attention back at Drew. "What's this for?"
Drew shook his head slowly. She really was dense. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime."
"What?" she exclaimed, thrown off guard by his request. "You want to go on a date with me?"
He nodded, bringing his hand to his hair to give it a small flick. "That's why I asked, isn't it?"
May blushed, staring down at the flower. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go on just one date with him...
"No, I'm in love with Brendan," May reminded herself. Brendan was so nice and sweet. She had a crush on him since the beginning of freshman year, and planned to stay infatuated with him throughout the remainder of high school. No way was an egotistical, grass-headed jerk ever going to change that.
By this point, Drew was confused. He didn't think she'd hesitate as much as she did. He expected an immediate 'yes'.
"You know what, Drew?" she said suddenly, getting his attention. "No, I will not go out with you. In case you didn't know, I'm not attracted to liars."
"What?" Drew responded, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"
"Your plan!" May exclaimed, frustrated. "Nice try. You almost got me to believe you. I know I'm supposedly 'not good enough' for the great Drew Hayden. I accept that. Now leave me alone."
With that, May spun on her heel and walked away. Her face was red from annoyance and anger – he was irritatingly persistent. He pulled countless pranks on her and teased her too often for her to believe that he was honestly asking her out. Most likely, his 'request' was just another way to amuse himself.
She didn't even look back to see his dejected expression. He was confused beyond belief, wondering what had gone wrong. No one had ever rejected him.
"He's a jerk, anyways," May reassured herself.
She plucked the petals from the scarlet flower absentmindedly, scattering them on the floor as she continued to walk to class. Before she took her seat, she disposed of the remaining stem in the nearest trash can. The flower is gone. It doesn't exist anymore. Nothing happened.
Drew, however, was following her trail, picking up each delicate petal.
"I'll pick up the pieces and put them together again," he decided to himself. It would take a long time, but he was determined.
He would figure her out.
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"Are you sure this move won't affect you?" Professor Oak inquired, scratching his head. They sat in the car rather peacefully, following the moving truck to their new home. He seemed puzzled that his grandson wasn't protesting against him.
In fact, he seemed to secretly elated.
"We're going to the city," he repeated to the boy. "The city. Are you okay with moving?"
Gary blinked and nodded quickly, hoping that he didn't seem overly eager. He closed his eyes and envisioned meeting her again. This time, he would be the new neighbor, and she would be on the porch, waiting for his arrival.
"Gary," his grandfather said softly, recognizing his expression. "Let her go."
The boy's eyes popped open and he clenched his jaw. "I'm not thinking about her," he lied, staring straight ahead. The sun was shining directly above, reflecting off of the skyscrapers in the distance.
"It's unlikely that you'll find her again, even if you'll be in the same city," Professor Oak said, broaching the subject carefully. "The city is a crowded place, unlike this town."
"I know that, Gramps," Gary snapped. "I probably won't ever see her again."
He said this mainly to convince himself to give up, but he still hung on to a thread of hope.
"I don't even know her name," he continued regretfully.
The old man looked at his grandson with sympathy. "I can't remember it, either. It's been three long years, and they've certainly affected my memory. Perhaps that's for the best."
Gary opened his mouth to protest, but found that he didn't have a reply. He sighed and bit his lip, considering a solution. "Maybe I'll find her at school."
"Unlikely," the professor said, his expression grim. He was quite the pessimist when it came to these situations, but he didn't want his grandson to get hurt in the process of trying to find her. He decided to change the subject to make Gary feel more comfortable. "But anyways, we're approaching our new home."
Gary looked out the window, seeing that they were, in fact, slowing down as many houses passed by. Professor Oak turned into a street, waiting patiently before following the moving truck at a reasonable pace. When they pulled into the driveway of their new home, Gary sighed, turning to open the car door. He was hesitant; his mind had wandered to the encounter once again.
Let her go.
"It's okay, Gary," Professor Oak reassured him. He smiled and nodded at the door, hoping he seemed genuine instead of impatient. His grandson was easily distracted, especially when it came to the girl he met years ago.
"Yeah," Gary mumbled in response, opening the door and hopping out. Professor Oak followed suit, making a beeline towards the moving truck. He exhaled slowly, unaware that he had been holding his breath up to this point. "I guess this is home now."
He looked around the new area, taking it all in. Neatly trimmed grass was present in every yard, adorned with bright flowers and the occasional tree. His attention suddenly wandered to a girl who walked out of the neighboring house. She was scowling and visibly irritated, although the reason was unknown to him. Gary furrowed his brows, surprised when a sense of familiarity washed over him. The girl stood there for a few minutes, fuming, before she eventually looked over. Her anger was temporarily replaced with confusion before a smile broke out on her face. She stood up, making her way towards Gary.
"Are you the new neighbors?" she asked, now standing in front of him.
Gary hesitated, continuing to stare at her with curiosity. "Yeah. Me and my grandfather. He's rather famous. Do you know Professor Oak?"
The girl's face lit up. "I've heard of him! Only great things of course," she laughed.
"Smart and pretty," Gary said aloud, smiling cheekily.
She rolled her eyes, sticking out her hand. "The new neighbor's already trying to flirt with me? I'm May, by the way. May Maple."
"Gary," he responded, taking May's hand in his.
The two continued their conversation for the next five minutes. May's mood improved dramatically, and Gary found it hard to believe that she had been scowling only moments ago. He felt comfortable with her, like he'd known her for years.
The thought snapped him out of his stupor, and he couldn't help but grin.
This was her.
"Ooh, I need to go back inside," she said remorsefully before smiling at him again. "Welcome to the city! Feel free to come and get me anytime. It was nice meeting you."
"Again," Gary added, trying his luck.
"Again," she responded, her face brightening suddenly. "Yeah. It was nice seeing you again, Gary."
Gary smiled at her and tried to keep his composure. "Likewise. See you later, May."
He entered his house as soon as she stepped on her porch, unable to contain his excitement any longer. "Professor Oak, I've found her!"
The professor emerged from a room around the corner, attempting to appear incredulous. "What a coincidence!" He exclaimed. "I'm happy for you."
But he knew better. He remembered the variation between the two brunettes.
The girl's eyes had been green, not blue.
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Um, so, wow. That's pretty intense and it's only the prologue? DAMN RIGHT AND IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. Haha, seriously though, drop a review and tell us what you think! This is the first time either of us have written a story like this, so feedback would be much appreciated!
The next update will be posted a little later, because Sydney (smilingbutbroken) will be unavailable for a week. We promise to continue writing after that period of time, so please be patient. :)
-ღ, Sydney and Katherine