Johto
The First Day
"Look - oh look over here Drew!" Her voice lilted in that way it only did when something really caught her attention and gave her that giddy, effervescent excitement that he found annoyingly sweet. She climbed onto the railings of the ship, stood leaning out over the sea slightly, embracing the salt spray and the breeze that caught her hair. Her left hand was balanced neatly atop her head as she held her new bandana in place. The green suited her, he thought. Green matched her eyes nicely.
"What is it now," he asked tiredly, moving forward a little but feeling his stomach lurch. Perhaps not that shade of green. "Erp… just, er, tell me. I don't feel like going all the way out."
"You can see the port! We're nearly there Drew, we're nearly in Johto!" She jumped down from the railing carelessly and turned to her rival in concern. "Oh, are you still feeling sea sick? Is there anything I can do?"
"It'll pass." Drew tried to end the conversation there, as talking felt like it was tempting bile to travel up his throat. He gulped noiselessly at the thought. May hovered next to him awkwardly, dancing between forcing her help upon him and merely choosing to sit next to him quietly while he steadied himself. "It really will pass, May. You don't need to look at me like I'm about to leave this world."
"I'm sorry, I just… I just don't want you to feel sick" she said softly, almost sorrowfully, and he looked at her incredulously. Her eyes were big and blue and sad and he couldn't bare it when she looked at him like that because it was just so in her nature to get upset over the fact he was feeling unwell because every cell of her body was just built to be empathetic. Drew sighed, leaning back. May would be happier helping than leaving him in peace, and he just had to resign himself to that.
"If it's killing you, you can get me a bottle of water" he said meekly, and she beamed at him confidently, declaring how quickly and efficiently she would achieve her goal and - 'You can count on me!' - she had rushed away, even sprinted, probably running from vending machine to vending machine to find the bottle of water that had the most vitamins and added health bonuses that she could. May was a big believer in labels on food packaging, and claimed they never lied, and Drew didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. A little time passed, and the boat kept up that lovely, inconsistent sway with the ocean that did such wonders for his comfort. Every rolling wave that hit the side of the ship sent a new shudder of nausea through his very core, and he wondered how long it would be before he vomited again. He'd managed to keep it private thus far, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to his room without leaning over the side of the boat and emptying his stomach. May suddenly rounded the corner, presenting an icy cold water bottle with a fancy label on the side, grinning from ear to ear.
"It says it's got lots of iron and calcium dissolved into the water" May stated proudly. "You'll be feeling better in no time!"
"Thank you, May." He was too sick to mock her, and she picked up on that quickly, sitting next to him quietly and rubbing his back softly. Drew groaned, letting his head fall forward, feeling both numb and overly sensitive all at once, and the rest of the world faded into a dizzy haze with the only coherence being that blissful sensation along his spine. May hummed in his ear in a gentle, soothing tone, and suddenly he was being pulled upright and she was tucked under his arm.
"I'm going to put you back to bed, where you have a bucket available and another hour or so to sleep it off before we dock, okay?" Only able to moan weakly at her stopping the slow rubbing on his back, Drew staggered slightly in her arms, feeling terribly embarrassed that he was in this sort of state. With May of all people. May.
But as she took the key from his front pocket, and half carried him into his cabin and lay him down on the bed, he was suddenly so happy it was her that was with him. She was kind enough to untie his shoes and slip them off his feet, and tug his jacket away from him, and wrap the covers around him to keep out that chilly air that they would have to get used to in Johto. There was a bucket sat daintily next to his bed before he could even notice her shifting around the room, and her hand was suddenly grazing his shoulder blades again, working the sickness away with a gentle, warming touch.
"Thanks," he managed to mutter, and rolled over to face her. "I owe you." She blushed bright pink and smiled, and suddenly stroked his cheek in a tender, intimate way that made Drew suddenly feel very much more aware.
"No, it's fine" she whispered, and he was filled with this overwhelming desire to thank her properly. He struggled upright, looking her firmly in the eye, and she blinked, aware of his presence and suddenly unbearably shy. Drew began to shift forward slightly, his eyes flickering between her pretty blue eyes and the lips she was chewing nervously.
But then he fell back, over his bucket, and began to choke slightly on his own vomit as it poured from his stomach. May exhaled sharply, shaking herself awake, before resuming rubbing his back.
"Don't worry," she smiled, a little amused. "I won't tell anyone you threw up in front of me."
"I appreciate that" Drew groaned, his head suddenly pounding. "I've worked really hard to make people think I don't have bodily functions. You still got that water?"
May wasn't sure whether to bother him or not. He looked quite pale and withdrawn as he collected his Pokémon from Nurse Joy, a hangover of sorts from the sea sickness, and she knew better than anyone Drew could be touchy when he was in a bad mood. So instead, she just sat and watched as he headed for the lobby door, sat cross legged on one of the sofas as she organised her belongings a little before heading out herself. Drew had mentioned as they had checked into Olivine Pokémon Center the night before that he was headed straight for a contest somewhere called Mahogany Town, which was quite far from there and quite a time away - he didn't want to join her in Cianwood straight away, where she was headed, and now she'd seen his seasickness first hand she understood why. But it made her a little sad, somehow, to think she didn't have a definite idea of when she'd see him again until the Grand Festival (if they both qualified). At first, she was convinced he hadn't seen her, and busied herself with arranging her Pokeballs in the right order to keep her mind from straying and changing her mind. But it wasn't long until May heard a deliberate sort of clearing of throats, and she looked up sharply, feeling her eyes widen slightly.
Drew was looking at her with a smirk, leaning his weight on one leg and one hand loosely shoved in his pocket. Roselia was stood next to him, giving her an aloof sort of smile. May stood, leaving her bag to the side for a moment, returning his look. He nodded, hovering at the exit, like he wasn't quite ready to leave.
"Thanks for the water," he quipped, and she flushed a little. "I really felt the extra… what was it, calcium?"
"And iron" May filled in helpfully, and Drew rolled his eyes a little, sparing her a fond glance.
"Of course." He shut his eyes for a moment, chuckling. "Good luck in Cianwood."
"You too, in Mahogany" she replied brightly, giving him a grin that she didn't think could stretch any further. "When will I bump into you next?"
"When you stay on the mainland, for one thing" he snorted derisively, and she waggled an eyebrow teasingly. "Ah, don't worry May. I know you live for our next encounter, so I'm sure it won't be too long until you've stalked me down."
"That's not true! Hey!" May had begun to storm across to him, feeling her face heat up significantly at his implications, but just before she could come up with any kind of witty retort or expression of her rage, he'd placed a rose neatly under her nose, stopping her right in her tracks.
"Thanks for the water," Drew repeated, smiling sincerely, and May's face stayed hot for all new kinds of reasons she didn't really want to process in that moment. "I'll see you around. Soon."
While she watched him walk away, with Roselia looking back at her suggestively, May felt her grin stretch further.
The Third Ribbon
The first thing May had discovered about travelling without any companions was how much quicker she could get to contests. No more was she bound by Ash's desire to get to the closest gym as competition for her own ambitions, and it was reflected by how many contests she'd actually been able to compete in since arriving in Johto. Convinced this was why Drew was always a step ahead of her in ribbons, May had felt a new surge of excitement as to besting him again this season and showing him what she was made of. She had won the contest in Cianwood with relative ease, and had the judges on their feet during her appeals. However, when she got back to Olivine and travelled around to Violet City, things hadn't gone as well. She'd picked up another ribbon in Cherrygrove, thanks to a well-timed evolution from her Squirtle, but really it had been a lucky win. After this she'd headed straight back up to Violet City and circled through Azalea Town, where she'd picked up another loss, and then up to Goldenrod, where she was desperately trying to pick up another ribbon. Somehow, this new style she'd been trying to discover with her Pokémon wasn't connecting particularly well, and her moves weren't flowing together like they used to as they adjusted to their only influence being her own. Her battling had always been so offensively based, and in trying to pull that back and change up her technique, she'd let ribbons slip through her fingers. It was nearly embarrassing, some of the losses she'd faced, and it felt like one disaster after another.
She'd skimmed through the appeals round with the help of Munchlax being brilliant and pulling off a fantastic solar beam that she hadn't even planned for - he'd saved her from a bad outcome, and she knew if she won this ribbon it wouldn't have been down to her skill as a coordinator but the sheer ingenuity of her Pokémon's autonomy. The battle rounds were going a little better though, with Blaziken making neat work of most of a much lower levelled series of opponents. Coordinators didn't always level up their Pokémon too well, something her main powerhouse was good at exploiting.
It was a few hours until the final, and May was just draining a can of some kind of energy drink when she saw him. Drew was stood in the corner of the locker rooms, looking across at her with a slightly smug expression, with folded arms and a raised eyebrow. A surge of relief caught her off guard - travelling alone hadn't been without its repercussions, and it had been awhile since she'd encountered a friendly face.
"Drew," May greeted, a little breathless from her drink, and he approached her, weaving past a trainer who had just lost to the coordinator May would face in the final.
"May" Drew replied coolly, offering her a hand to help her up. Gently, she took it, and they stood eye to eye for a moment, waiting for the other to say something first. It had been a few months, and they hadn't kept clear of each other so effectively since they'd met. "You seem a little off your game." He hadn't said it to rile her, but as a factual statement that May couldn't argue against.
"How many ribbons have you got?" She asked tiredly, not wanting to fall into that pitfall of a conversation, and he pursed his lips slightly.
"Three" his voice was blunt, and May shut her eyes for a moment before meeting his, and nodding, plastering a smile into place.
"Well, me too. Soon." May's voice was falsely optimistic, and Drew nodded, as though hopeful he could agree.
"Exactly."
It was a real relief when she did, actually win. Something about knowing he was watching let her up her game a little, and Blaziken had always reacted well to high pressure. The relief at matching Drew ribbon for ribbon left her a little breathless, but May was still happy to see him waiting for her at the end of the ceremony, leaning against a fence and watching as she approached, smiling that same cocky smile as she approached. They got food together, as May was starving, and Drew claimed Johto was so cold he had to keep eating regularly to keep the chill away. It was nothing spectacular, just a small fast food joint where the floor seemed slick with grease and the tables smelt fresh with disinfectant. They grabbed a couple of burgers, and May ordered extra onion rings and fries to go alongside it because goodness, how could she not, and they sat pleasantly together.
"So how many contests have you entered since getting to Johto then?" May asked cheerfully, between fries, feeling brighter with a third ribbon and a big pile of fried foods. Drew frowned, looking at her a little oddly.
"I told you, I have three ribbons. So three. This was your third contest, right?" Drew paused to drink from a bottle of water - he refused to get one of those disgusting slurpy fizzy drinks, he was too aware of the chemicals and the sugar and he wanted to keep as many brain cells as possible.
"No, I've had a couple of duds. This was actually my fifth contest in Johto" she replied, a little embarrassed, before taking a big mouthful of a burger to wave the conversation away. Drew groaned, rubbing his forehead slowly.
"You're rushing from one contest to the next without your old friends to pace you, aren't you?" He shook his head a little, and May flushed, nodding.
"Combine that with trying to work against being an offensive battler. I'm trying to change things up at the same time and it's creating loops I'm falling through" May admitted nervously, and he exhaled through his nose, giving her a curt nod.
"That's expected, I guess. I had a couple of loses in Kanto when I was first trying to think up something new" he admitted warily, and she looked at him with big eyes.
"You never told me that," May was a little surprised, but Drew shook her amusement off quickly.
"It's fine. This is all good practice" he told her confidently, and she paused, looking at her burger unsurely.
"I feel like it's not going to work" May admitted, a little sadly. "I'm not… I'm not very good without Ash telling me how my battling works best or Brock helping me with caring for my Pokémon or Max being…" she paused, frowning. "Well, Max was just sort of there. But he was from home at least. I dunno, I'm finding this hard."
"That's allowed." Drew looked at her strangely, smiling at her, and May felt a little cold air come through her lungs. He was looking at her in the same way he'd looked at her in Fennel Valley, sat in that contest hall when he was decoding what was going through her head in that analytical yet gentle way he'd picked up from somewhere. She remembered how surprised she'd been at his kind words, and his ease in picking her back up, and his hand brushing hers when the group had all stood together in the contest hall figuring out their next move. "You're allowed to find this season hard, May. You're on your own for the first time."
"I know" she said in a small voice, not wanting him to pick her apart just yet. "It's just… I know I don't even have a shot at the Grand Festival like this. It's not looking pretty, you know?"
"The Grand Festival is eons away. You have three ribbons, so you're in a really good position right now" he told her firmly, and May blinked at him. "You just need something to shake your perspective. You're using the same Pokémon you used in Hoenn and Kanto, aren't you? Did you leave yourself any space to catch new Pokémon here in Johto?"
"Well, no" May replied, frowning a little. "No, I didn't. I've got Blaziken, Beautifly, Eevee, Munchlax, and my Bulbasaur and Squirtle both evolved into Wartortle and Venusaur."
"That's a pretty difficult contest team to work with when you're working on a new style, May" he told her pointedly. "You've got a lot of big hitters there, and you're trying to move away from an offensive style. Maybe you need to change the structure of your team to work with a new style."
"You could be right" May replied evenly. "I… yeah, you could be right, that could really work in my favour."
"I think it could too." Drew agreed, nodding. "As for… well, I know it's lonely."
"I've got my Pokémon" she said hastily, ducking her head. "How can I be lonely?"
"Because you haven't seen Solidad or Harley since getting here. I know, because I saw them a week ago" he filled in, trying not to laugh. "You've never been to Johto before. It's a big, cold, and lonely place to be sometimes."
"I have been to Johto before" she replied hotly, crossing her arms. "I grew up here!"
"You grew up in Johto?" Drew logged that somewhere as new information.
"Yes - my Dad spent a lot of time training with Whitney, the normal type gym leader here. We spent most of our time with Professor Elm in New Bark Town though. I think I was seven when we moved to Petalburg, Max was only four and he doesn't really remember it" May explained lightly, tracing her fries with her finger. "I liked Johto. I preferred Hoenn, and being in Petalburg and the lovely hot weather, but I liked Johto."
"That doesn't necessarily mean you wouldn't be lonely though" he pointed out briskly. "You're allowed to admit it."
"It's just a little quiet sometimes" May mumbled timidly. "That's all." She hid her face behind her drink for a moment, letting the loud suction noise of her draining the last of her lemonade fill the lull in conversation. Drew glanced at her occasionally, looking up from where he'd focused his eyes on a little spot on the table.
"You're not doing so good, huh?" He finally broke the awkward gap, and May gave him a slightly defeated sigh in return.
"No" she admitted softly. "I dunno, Drew. I dunno what to tell you."
"It'll get better" he tried to tell her, but May shook her head a little, smiling weakly.
"I don't want you to pity me" she told him firmly, rearranging the empty packets of food in front of them so they'd be easy to dispose of. "I'm alright, really. I'll change up my team like you said. And I'll figure out something to get my head straight eventually. I just… yeah. I'll be okay."
"I don't have any doubts I'll face off against you in the Grand Festival." Drew expected her to chime in with her usual optimistic grin and for her to claim she'd take him down, or see him there, or something to that effect. Instead though, she shrugged with a watery smile.
"That'd be nice" she said softly, and Drew felt his stomach plummet. They left together, walking side by side in relative silence. Goldenrod was a pretty city, May always thought, with its towering buildings and amber hues. It was particularly beautiful in the autumn, where the colours just seemed to sit right, and the trees that paved the main walkways became the city's namesake. It wasn't a long walk to the Pokémon Center, where they'd wordlessly agreed they were walking, but they kept a slow pace. The city was winding down, and the sun was hitting that sweet spot in the sky where it gave everything a rose coloured blush. The streets were emptying, but they'd fill again soon with nightlife and excitement.
"I like Goldenrod" Drew announced, slightly offhand. May looked at him with a quirked smile. "What? It's very beautiful. It has the life of La Rousse but without being so sterile. La Rousse makes me think of one big open air hospital."
"Must have been fun to grow up there, though" May replied measuredly. "I mean, the battle tower, and those fun moving sidewalks… I bet it was a great place to be a kid."
"It was okay." Drew shrugged, a little unenthusiastic. "I didn't really care for it."
May was about to ask him to elaborate, suddenly intrigued at the opportunity to know a little more about him, when their conversation was cut off by one of those intrusively loud billboard advertisements that splintered their conversation. They each looked up at it, immediately irked by the interruption, when a crackly voice came from a speaker of sorts and told them all about a contest coming up in Sinnoh.
"This year's Wallace Cup has finally been announced!" The billboard blared across the city. "At the beautiful Lake Valor in the Sinnoh Region, we see the interregional contest return!"
"So it's in Sinnoh this year, huh?" Drew glanced at May, to see her eyes had suddenly focused in a way he hadn't seen since she beat him in Kanto, and her fists balled up by her sides. "May?"
"As ever, the Wallace Cup Ribbon is redeemable in every Grand Festival being held this year, so don't let your region stop you from entering! A contest of real prestige and honour, please make your way to Sinnoh now! Airports in Sunyshore City and Jubilife City, or Boat Terminals in Snowpoint City and Canalave City, are ready to make your acquaintance!"
"You're thinking about it," he said, in a low, knowing voice, smiling to himself a little. "Aren't you?"
"I read an article" May replied, only half paying attention to him. "There was… there was an article in some magazine I read in a Pokémon Center lobby, about Eevee evolutions that react to certain places in Sinnoh."
"Evolving Eevee would be a good way to start changing your team a little" Drew agreed, still smiling, although more to himself. "Eeveelutions are all very different though. So think about it carefully."
"Mmm" she hummed back, still not quite listening. "Ash and Brock are in Sinnoh. It would be nice to see them."
"Sure would." There was a slightly harder edge in Drew's tone this time, and she turned to him quickly.
"Are you going?" May was suddenly focused in on him in a way he'd not anticipated. His lips quirked into a small smile, and he shook his head slowly.
"There's a contest coming up in Ecruteak - I know Solidad and Harley will both be there" he explained softly. "But I think you should go. I think it would do you some good to… wake yourself up."
"I've never been to Sinnoh before" May told him bluntly, her eyes a little nervous. Drew gave a low, long chuckle that warmed the pit of her stomach. "I haven't. It's bad enough being here on my own, let alone somewhere totally new." Pausing, he gave her a funny smile.
"Go to Sinnoh. If you evolve Eevee, great, if not, when you get back I'll meet you. And I expect you to tell me all about what you've learnt and what you're going to do to change things up" Drew told her firmly, and she flushed, giving a shy nod. "Now, let's go to the Center and we can look up those evolution options you mentioned."
"O-Okay" May nodded, allowing him to lead the way back. "Drew - I've gotta say I'm surprised. I mean, I know you're not the total dweeb you were back in the day anymore, but I never expected you to… well, directly help me this much. I mean, you kinda did after my battle with Solidad but that was different and… I mean, you know what I mean right?"
"It's not very nice to say I was a total dweeb when I'm being so pleasant" Drew snorted, grabbing her arm to pull her out of the way of someone she was about to walk into. Embarrassed, she thanked him quietly. "Plus, dweeb might be the most juvenile comment I've ever heard from you. I just want to make sure when I beat you it's because I'm better than you and not because you're not on your game."
"You sound pretty sure you'd beat me" May challenged quietly, smiling a little as they walked side by side. Drew gave her a sidelong look, smirking.
"There you are."
"I know I said I'd help you with all this," Drew said slowly, almost in a drawl. His head was resting against the wall behind him, with his eyes rolled shut and his arms folded, perched on what a passer-by had referred to as the 'boyfriend chair', which irked him. "I know I did. I really meant it May, I honest to Mew did."
"Well that's nice of you to remember, Drew" May called from inside a stall, a silvery curtain separating the two. He could hear her shuffling around, tossing clothes about chaotically and the curtain bulged as she caught it, and he flushed as he realised one wrong move and she'd be somewhat exposed.
"Where I was going with that, was that I really did not think that involved going shopping with you" he told her gruffly, shrinking into his jacket a little.
"Huh, I guess you were wrong there!" May chimed back, pulling the curtain away dramatically. "Is this a yes a no or a maybe?" Drew blinked, but couldn't deny she looked pretty. She'd pulled her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head to make changing easier, and had a knee length blue dress that cut nicely around her collarbone in a rounded neckline. There was a white sash around the middle, and simple blue shoes with no heel and an open toe. She looked pretty. But it wasn't a particularly new kind of pretty.
"You'd struggle to move around," he pointed out briskly. "It's quite close cut around the knees."
"You're right," May agreed, looking down and shifting her weight from one foot to another, testing the movement restriction. "For someone with such bad taste in clothes, you're pretty good at this."
"What do you mean, bad taste in clothes?" He sat upright, offended, as the curtain slid shut again.
"Oh come on Drew!" Her voice was a little muffled from pulling the dress over her head. "Aqua pants? I would say something like 'oh, the seventies called they want their colour scheme back' but I wouldn't want to offend the seventies, or any other time period, with that kind of abomination."
"Is this a widely shared opinion?" Drew suddenly felt very self-conscious. He liked his trousers. They were comfortable, and they had travelled well, and the pockets had just the right amount of depth. He was as emotionally attached to them as someone could really get to a pair of trousers.
"Solidad and I spent half our time at the Kanto Grand Festival giggling about it" May replied, a little apologetically, though not enough that she actually sounded guilty. "If you're worrying about it, when I'm done why don't we shop for you?"
"I like my trousers" Drew replied, in a bit of a sulk. "I don't need new ones."
"Well there's no harm in looking, now is there?" He could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "Can you help me zip this up? I can't reach the back of it."
"Is that… entirely appropriate?" Drew dodged, suddenly very nervous about seeing May in any kind of state of undress.
"Oh it's just the top of my back, you're a big boy Drew you can handle it." May calling him out a little was enough of a motivator, and Drew shakily pulled the curtain back, only to pause. She had a pretty, amber coloured skirt that flared out from her hips, and a cropped shirt, though still slightly unzipped, with beaded designs on the front, with a shimmery veil that covered her face and shaded her shoulders in an orange glow. The colours reminded him of sunsets, and sunsets reminded him of May. Quietly, he let his fingers find the zip, and couldn't resist letting his finger brush the top of her spine. It was innocuous enough to be passed off as an accident, and he was sure the blush in his ears would convince May that's all it had been. She gave him a shy, teeth biting lip smile, silently asking his opinion. The skirt swished about her knees, loose layered, like it would catch in a breeze. There was a little fake emerald on the top of the veil, and his heart thudded a little as it caught the light and brought out her eyes.
"I reckon this is good" he mumbled, a little apprehensive about using words at that point. May's face lit up, turning to the mirror with a big grin.
"You think? I think so too!" She burbled, twisting her feet in the little flat shoes she'd found to match them. "And it's very easy to move in. I just love the colour, the faded burnt orange thing is so pretty, right? And the little veil, it's adorable. I know I'm gonna blow everyone in Sinnoh away!"
"Yeah, I reckon you'd do well in super contests. They've got the right kind of style for you. A little flashy, but same basic idea." He nodded at her, ducking out of the changing room and returning to his seat. "I'll make sure I watch."
"I'm looking forward to it" May smiled, a little shyly. "Although, er, I do need your help with… unzipping it again?" Drew looked up at her with a pained, cornered look that only left her to giggle.
Olivine Port
May had tried really hard to have her eyes calm down a little before she got to Olivine Port, she really did. She tried everything. Dawn had told her during their mock sleepover that she sometimes used tea bags and rested them over her eyes for a few hours, but May tried that and they just fell off a lot and stained her eyelids a weird muddy colour, so she had to plaster on a few layers of foundation to cover it up. She drank lots of fluids and splashed her face with ice water and slept as best she could but as she passed her reflection in a dark window on her way through the port, she knew her eyes were still puffy and bloodshot. It was irritating, more than anything. Everyone around her knew.
Drew was waiting for her, as he'd promised he would, sat cross legged in the lobby of the port. He was wearing the dark jeans they'd picked out together in Goldenrod. She wondered if she could distract him, just tease him about how limited his consciousness had been the last time they had been there together and hope he wouldn't mention anything, but she saw the way his eyes sharpened when he locked onto her, and the way he stood in a deliberate, gruff way. She felt her shoulders drop and her eyes prick a little, but blinked quickly.
"You've been crying." It wasn't a question, but a factual statement, as he stood opposite her and looked her up and down as she stood meekly before him. May inhaled deeply, blinking again, but then looked him straight in the eye and nodded.
"Yes." Her reply was blunt and unwavering. Drew frowned, giving a bit of a sigh.
"Well. You shouldn't have been" he grunted, craning his neck to look the other way. "Come on, there's a diner near the coast I got coffee from earlier. I have no idea how the food is but the coffee was really good."
"That sounds nice" May gave him a meek smile, and he softened. "How was Ecruteak?" They fell into an easy rhythm, walking at a natural pace for them both, enjoying the morning sun.
"It was… it was a learning curve" Drew admitted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Solidad and Harley both entered, so it was tougher than the other contests I'd been in this season. Harley beat Solidad - which I'm still kinda freaking out over - and then lost to this girl in the semi-finals, who then turned around and beat me in the finals."
"No way." May paused in the street for a moment. "All three of you lost?"
"Yeah - flattened actually" Drew continued, holding a single finger to his temple. He liked Olivine City a little more now he was enjoying it as someone who had been on land for an extended period of time. The air was salty and fresh, and the walk along the promenade by the main beaches was pretty. "Her name was Marina or something. Scary strong. Local to Johto too."
"Well, I guess she's one to look out for" May mumbled, a little unsure. "I'm sure she'll crop up at the Grand Festival." They'd found themselves in front of the diner Drew had mentioned, and he held the door open for her. The smell of ground coffee beans and pancakes greeted them, and May was instantly at ease.
"Without a doubt" Drew agreed. They took a booth, facing each other, and glanced through the menus out of courtesy. After making the trip from Hoenn to Johto together, they were very familiar with each other's breakfast orders. A waitress darted around a few chairs to reach them, skirting through them effortlessly. Her hair was bright red and piled on top of her head neatly, and her lipstick seemed to match it exactly.
"Morning folks! You're both up very early!" She greeted happily. May offered her a smile.
"She just got off the overnight ferry from Sinnoh" Drew filled in. "Don't think for a second she ever gets up this early, ever."
"That's completely untrue!" May scowled. "You're making me out to be all lazy and incapable of functioning."
"Yes, yes I am" Drew agreed, barely looking up from the menu. "She'll get the pancakes with the pecha berries, and a white coffee with a disgusting amount of sugar."
"Yeah, well he'll get the omelette with mushrooms and a black coffee because he doesn't have a soul or understand how breakfast food works." May stuck her tongue out at him childishly, and he rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to presume that your immature behaviour is a result of limited sleep on the ferry, and not actually a representation of your character, although I should know better." Drew gathered up their menus and passed them to the waitress with a polite smile. "That'll be everything, thank you."
"You guys are the cutest couple" the waitress cooed, taking the menus from him with a bright grin, and the two coordinators flushed a matching shade of crimson instantly. They froze in their seats, watching the other for some kind of reaction, but by the time one of them had thawed enough to deny it, the waitress had fluttered away with a squeaky giggle.
"Agree never to mention that again?" Drew quirked an eyebrow. May nodded eagerly.
"Agreed." May knotted her fingers together under the table, a little subdued.
"So how was the ferry?" He asked lightly, tapping his own fingers against the table.
"It misses you, Drew" May replied sombrely, putting a hand over her heart. He rolled his eyes. "No, really. It was calling out to you. It was weeping, heartbroken. It really thought you two shared something special, and that you weren't the kind to just throw up on the deck and leave - but I had to break the bad news and I don't think the ferry will ever be the same again."
"You need help" Drew deadpanned, leaning back in his seat. "Professional. You need your head examined."
"Late at night, all I could hear was the dull, morose cry of the fog horn, bleating out to the empty ocean. Drew, Drew, Drew…" May wrinkled her nose, dropping a little of her dramatic facade, and Drew arched an eyebrow.
"Are you sure that wasn't you, so desperate to see me again? I can hardly blame you for hallucinating about me May, I know how vital I am to your existence" Drew quipped. May scowled.
"You talk too much." Their conversation was cut short by the same waitress from earlier bringing them two steaming mugs, placing them neatly in front of them.
"Two coffees!" She chirped, passing May a small milk jug and a small bowl of sugar. "I didn't know how much sugar your boyfriend meant, so I just brought the bowl."
"Oh - Drew - he's really not my boyfriend!" May burbled quickly, waving her hands in the air. "We- we're just friends. Really."
"Oh!" The waitress looked a little taken back for a moment, before laughing. "Oh, I see. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me!"
"No, really..." May tried to continue, but she was already gone again. "Aw man…"
"Well done on convincing basically everyone in the diner we're involved May" Drew nodded, sarcastic. "Job well done. Be proud. I would give you a gold sticker if I had one."
"Bite me" May growled, pouring a large amount of the contents of the sugar bowl into her mug. He smirked, pursing his lips a little.
"Well that would just make them think even worse things about us" he muttered suggestively, snickering, and May felt every pore on her body burn red.
"D-Drew! That's so inappropriate!" She squeaked, and he shrugged, sipping his coffee.
"It's a shame you don't have a sense of humour. You'd be much more fun." His words fell flatly between them, as May was too busy anxiously stirring her coffee to look at him. Sighing, he looked down himself. "Are we going to talk about it then?"
"I lost. Nothing more to talk about." She took a big gulp of her coffee, which was really more sugar and milk than anything else. He gave her a pointed look.
"Did you see Ash and Brock?" Drew asked lightly. "Actually, I know you saw Ash, I saw his Buizel. He isn't really made for contests, is he?"
"He did okay, considering" May laughed a little. "It was nice to see them. Seeing Brock again was like seeing one of my parents, he knows all the right reassuring things to say. And I met Dawn - the girl who beat me, she travels with them now. She's super nice, and she'd been going through a tough spot herself, so it was nice to see her get her confidence back. And I met one of her rivals, Zoey. They've got this really nice sibling rivalry kinda vibe going on, it's sweet."
"So Dawn beat you" Drew noted, taking another sip of his coffee. "Is she an experienced coordinator?"
"This is her first season, but her mother was a top coordinator, so she knows her stuff…" May explained lightly, chewing on the inside of her cheek a little. "She's really good."
"So are you. Your Glaceon is very beautiful, and your appeal and battling were much better than the last contest I saw from you" Drew commented sagely. May nodded, smiling.
"I know. It felt better." She looked at the table studiously, not wanting to meet his gaze. Drew frowned.
"So she beat you, May." Drew shrugged. "You've lost before. It was close, and you had her on the ropes a few times. It was a good battle. No shame in losing a battle when it's a good one."
"I guess" May shook her head from side to side a little, before looking up at him with a big smile. Drew relaxed. "So you think Glaceon was the right choice?"
"Definitely. You can do a lot with ice type moves in a contest, and it'll give you a lot of new type advantages" he encouraged, and her smile lifted. "Have you thought more about the rest of your team?"
"Well, Blaziken and Beautifly are staying, as is Glaceon obviously" May furrowed her brow as she spoke. "Venusaur, Wartortle and Munchlax have all gone home. And Mom transferred me Skitty - I have a few ideas for Skitty that could go somewhere with Glaceon. And I want to catch a new Pokémon, maybe a flying type or a psychic type… something I haven't quite decided on yet, I guess."
"That sounds like a really sensible idea" Drew agreed, nodding, and May relaxed at his approval. "Beautifly is your best appeals Pokémon, in my opinion, and Blaziken can lend you the muscle for some of the battle rounds. Glaceon has a lot of potential, and I'm looking forward to seeing your new ideas with Skitty."
"We'll see" May giggled a little, and the waitress reappeared, placing food in front of them deftly.
"Here ya go guys, enjoy your meal!"
The Final Ribbon
The Blackthorn City contest was well attended. It was the last contest of the season, so May was quite anxious to pick up her final ribbon. Without it, she would miss the Grand Festival, and she would have let her Pokémon down, after they had worked so hard. She had a feeling Drew had snuck into the crowds, not letting her know because he didn't want to throw her off, but she felt his watchful gaze as she stepped out into the arena, letting her Delcatty bounce out in front of her eagerly. They presented to the crowd, overflowing with keen spectators, and she couldn't help but scan the crowd for a flash of green, but it was invisible if it was there.
A combination of double team and echoed voice filled the arena with a beautiful, harmonised song that looked like it was coming from a choir of Delcatty, and the audience were entranced, just as May had hoped. She received high praise from the judges, and high marks too, and when she returned backstage she could only give off a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. It had gone very well, and it was unlikely she wouldn't make it through to the next rounds. She could relax, for the time being. Watching the other appeals was always one of May's favourite parts of contests. Not only did she get to see lots of different Pokémon showing off lots of different styles, but sometimes something would pop out at her as a really good idea, and she could go away and try and figure out how to put her own spin on it. It was a good way of expanding her combinations, and they often relayed nicely to battle moves if she thought about it enough. But this time, every appeal she watched, she was scanning the audience on the grainy backstage television. Really, she knew she should have been watching her competition, but she was curious, and he had a habit of showing up and watching her contests when he had nothing else to be doing.
The interval passed without much excitement, and she was announced to have passed into the next round with ease. The battle rounds were a good opportunity to test out her Glaceon paired with Blaziken, which was a combination she was excited about. Fire and ice looked beautiful together. Beautifly had won her last ribbon, and then her new Pokémon wasn't quite contest ready - but she was confident by the time the grand festival rolled around she'd be more than ready. As the pairs were announced, she felt a little lump swelling in her throat. Not in this round, perhaps, but someone else was in the contest and she'd been so distracted during the appeals she hadn't even noticed. Her name was illuminated under the picture of a pretty, pale girl with tufts of light blue hair. Marina. Panic began to set in, and she glanced around the room to spot her. Marina was in the first battle round so she made sure to watch carefully - her Bayleef and Xatu made a terrifyingly gorgeous pair. She'd nicknames them along the way; the Bayleef she'd called Megaree and the Xatu was Xatee. They battled offensively, too, with clever combination moves that May had never even thought of before, psy waves and petal dances combining into a whirlpool of petal dance that filled the arena and took out opponents with ease. May was instantly strategizing. Maybe if she combatted it with Blaziken's overheat… but it would take more than brute strength to knock it back, so maybe Glaceon's blizzard could change the direction of it and add to the moves. But she wasn't sure if psy wave was there as an added defence to avoid that, and she would just get sucked into it, or add to the power that was coming against her. It was risky, but all she could think to do if it was used against her. May bit her lip, anxious to the core. If Drew was in the audience, and she beat Marina, she knew she would have proven to him, and to herself, she'd bounced back, and she really was ready to take them all on in the Grand Festival.
The battle ended, and Marina won. When she came backstage, May watched her. She moved with a natural kind of grace, and dropped herself onto a bench nearby with a puff of breath. Steeling herself, May approached her, tucking a stray bit of hair into her bandana nervously.
"Marina?" May's voice wobbled a bit. The girl looked at her, a little startled, but smiled brightly and stood to greet her, and they shook hands politely. "Sorry, my name is May, I'm from Hoenn. I just wanted to congratulate you on your battle, you're incredibly strong!"
"Oh, that's really sweet of you May!" Marina smiled brightly, her easy going grin throwing May off a little. "I really liked your appeal. Everyone goes for visual appeals these days so it's refreshing to see someone is thinking outside the box. Are you going to be competing in the Grand Festival?"
"Well, if I win today. I'm pretty sure everyone here has four ribbons though!" May blinked, a little confused. "Don't you?"
"Oh no, I got my fifth ribbon months ago!" Marina giggled. "I'm just practicing. Like you said, most of the coordinators here have four ribbons, so it's a good practice run!"
"Oh" May nodded, biting her lip a little. "Hey, I don't know if you remember performing in an Ecruteak contest ages ago, but you beat out a lot of my friends that day and you really left an impression!"
"Ohhh, yeah I remember Ecruteak - that was my fifth ribbon!" Marina smiled, nodding. "The guy in the final really gave me a run for my money though. What was his name again…? He had this bright green hair and I overheard him arguing with someone backstage about aqua pants…"
"Oh, that's Drew!" May snickered, the image of him arguing with Solidad and eventually changing too funny to be ignored by her nerves. "He's a big dweeb."
"Hey, looks like you're up!" Marina nodded to the match up board, and May pursed her lips, glancing at her.
"I'm not going to lose to you, Marina. I have a lot to prove to someone, and I'm going to do that by winning here. And then I'll take you on in the Grand Festival, and I'll win there, too." May promised. Marina blinked, a little taken back, but tilted her head back with a knowing smile. "I'm not going to be intimidated by the fact you beat my friends. Because I've a different style to them, and I'm not going to be easy."
"I'm looking forward to it," Marina smiled, clearly meaning it. "I've never lost a contest before. It would be nice for you to challenge that."
"Watch me." May turned on her heel and began to walk forward, her fists a little clenched. "But - er, oh!" She paused and turned her head, concealing a smile. "It doesn't mean I dislike you. It's nice to put a face to the name, and you seem really nice."
"Go battle, May" Marina laughed openly, waving to her as she ran forward to the arena entrance, a little mystified.
Drew pursed his lips. The match was going well for May, and she beat her opponent in the semi-finals with ease. She was still battling offensively, and it was no longer reserved by doubt. But it did have this caution to it, a finesse and a moment of pause now and then to allow her fellow competitor to move forward and allow her to counter their moves deftly, knocking them back with barriers or reversals. It was clever, and tactical, and he was reassured to see it. But there was something in wait, he could tell from when the camera focused in on her face and it flashed up on the big screen overhead. Her fists clenched and unclenched quickly, like they did during their battle in Kanto where she unveiled her water and fire combination that knocked him back. With a smile, he wondered if she'd thought something up just for Marina. It wouldn't surprise him. The huge smile she used to have after winning a match was gone, he noticed. Her face was harder, and knotted in concentration. Nerves were emanating from her like she was shivering, they were almost visible.
"I can see what you meant," Solidad mumbled from next to him, leaning forward. "She's… not herself."
"I don't think she has been all season." Drew folded his arms as he spoke, leaning back in his seat. "The boat trip over from Hoenn, she was herself. But then next time I saw her she was really struggling. And then when she got back from Sinnoh… yeah, I'm worried."
"Have you spoken to her about it?" Solidad glanced across at him. "I mean, I'm still surprised neither Harley nor I have even crossed paths with her all season."
"Briefly, not to the point where she's really talked about it" he replied softly. "I think she's lonely, though, without her friends."
"And if she's lost a few contests, she won't have had anyone to bounce those doubts off, so they'll just have been sat with her." Solidad pulled a sympathetic face, tilting her head as the finalists came out. Marina and May. "Well, if Marina wins and May isn't in the Grand Festival, at least we're here for this loss."
"I don't know," Drew paused, tilting his head a little as he watched her. "I think she has something up her sleeve. Something seems a bit different today."
"You do seem to watch her very closely," Solidad observed dryly, and Drew shot her a look.
"Stop with your absurd theories. She's a good friend." He narrowed his eyes at her as he spoke, trying to defuse the colour in his ears, but Solidad just gave a short, bark of a laugh and ruffled his hair.
"You're adorable. I'm glad to see you caring about someone like this. You've become a much nicer person though knowing May." She gave him a sidelong glance, and Drew puffed out a huffy breath. "Well, at least, you're much nicer to her than you are to any other big rivals you've ever had."
"I've never had any other big rivals" Drew scowled. "You, maybe. But you're different. May is…"
"I know, Drew." They caught each other's gaze for a moment, her interruption making him feel incredibly uncomfortable, and they watched the two coordinators call out their Pokémon. "I'm excited to see Glaceon in person. When we watched the Wallace Cup I was really impressed."
This is a battle between May of Petalburg City and Marina of Violet City! The battle will be two on two, and lasts five minutes, starting now!
"Mm, same" Drew agreed. The battle started as most of Marina' battles had started in that competition, with a setting up of basic defences, of light screens and defensive walls being built by the two Pokémon, layering and stacking. Solidad winced, watching May pause and think. They were both taken back by the shout of a laugh that came from their friend, steeling herself and grounding her feet into the arena floor.
"Blaziken, use brick break on Bayleef!" May ordered, sweeping her hand across as she spoke. "Take out all of those barriers. And then Glaceon, follow up with a shadow ball and iron tail combo on Xatu!"
Blaziken drove through the barriers, which flashed and turned to beautiful sparkles around him as he charged forward, his arm glowing as he disintegrated the blocks between them. Glaceon charged a shadow ball and tossed it up in the air, following it with an iron tail that blasted it forward, chasing Blaziken through the lights, sneaking up on the psychic bird while Blaziken knocked Bayleef backwards.
"So Blaziken learnt brick break, very useful for breaking down defensive battles" Solidad smiled with a hint of approval, crossing her legs over. Drew grinned, sitting forward a little.
"Her battle style has changed. It's still very offensive, but it's much more thought through" Drew commentated, and Solidad agreed with a low hum.
"Maybe she has struggled this season," she acknowledged, wrinkling her nose. "But it's paid off in her battling. And after all her losses, now she's battling like she's proving something."
"She's never needed to prove herself" Drew muttered quietly, and Solidad looked at him with shining eyes. "What? She hasn't."
"Oh but she did, Drew" Solidad gave a tinkling laugh. "When you two first met? She had to prove herself to you, didn't she?" Drew paused, frowning, but then turned back to the contest. "In fact, if I know May, I bet she wants to do this to show you she's taken on your advice, and that she's working hard."
"She doesn't know I'm here" Drew countered, blinking a little, but Solidad just snorted a laugh.
"I bet she does."
The points are even, and there are only fifteen seconds left on the clock! Whoever lands the next big move will win the Blackthorn Ribbon!
"Alright May, no time to think. What are you going to do?" She was coaching herself under her breath, as she had been through most of the match. Marina had started the match relaxed, with her weight on one leg and was somewhat careless in how she ordered her moves, but over the course of the battle her feet had become planted in the ground and her back arched forward, a grit in her eyes that May knew meant she had surprised her. Bayleef was looking weaker than Xatu, and Xatu was harder to hit with his ability to dodge with the whole field. But Marina would be expecting that.
Before she had a chance to decide a move, Marina called for her psy wave and petal dance combination, and May knew she had no choice. Bayleef and Xatu built up a huge wall of glistening pink petals, twisting in a periwinkle gust of wind that twisted it around into a beautiful swirl of light. It reminded her of Dawn's whirlpool attack in a way, which gave May a really sudden, bright spark of an idea she had completely forgotten about.
"Glaceon, move into the petal storm and use mirror coat!" May called forward quickly. "Blaziken, lend Glaceon a hand by pushing it back with the biggest overheat you can give it!"
As Glaceon glowed with a silvery, shimmering light, and began to absorb the power of the attack, May knew it was a risk. If the attack was too strong, Glaceon would be knocked out and they would lose instantly, but she trusted that her Glaceon would hang tough for her - after all their training together, all of her Pokémon wanted it just as much as she did. Glaceon let out a loud cry as she absorbed the power of the attack, and her knees looked like they might buckle as Blaziken's flames wrapped around the petals and absorbed the psy wave that had previously worried May, instead creating a swirl of petals coated by searing hot embers that she recalled from her battle with Drew in Fennel Valley, carrying to momentum of the psy wave that gave it the beautiful spiral she'd wanted.
"Go!"
The attack charged forward, and Glaceon flipped backwards out of the firing line, light shining as it left her body. The attack wove its way forward, knocking back both Xatu and Bayleef in one swift drop.
Time is up! And the winner of the Blackthorn City Contest is May Maple from Petalburg City!
Marina was shell shocked, from the look of things, her eyes blank with surprise. It only lasted a second though, and she ran forward to check her Pokémon and make sure they were alright. Bayleef crawled into her lap as she knelt on the ground, and Xatu was bundled under her arm weakly, crowing apologetically. Marina shushed them both, telling them quietly they had both done extremely well and they should be proud, before she returned them to their pokeballs to watch May squealing and being spun around by her Blaziken, before she scooped up her exhausted Glaceon and snuggled her closely. Marina smiled, a little confused but pleased, and walked forward.
"May from Petalburg City" Marina greeted, holding out her hand. May turned to her new rival in a flourish, grinning from ear to ear.
"Marina from Violet City," May echoed, taking her hand with a giggle. "That was one of the best matches I've ever had, Marina. Thank you!"
"No, thank you. A lot of coordinators have broken my defensive wall before, and a lot of them have tried mirror coat to knock back my big moves before. But no one else has ever managed to pull it off so well!" Marina gave a trilling laugh. "Your Pokémon must really have wanted to win for you. It says a lot about you as a trainer, they must really care about you." May looked back at her two Pokémon, where Blaziken was trying to steady a somewhat woozy Glaceon. May nodded, beaming.
"They're the total best. So I guess that just leaves us the Grand Festival, huh?" May chimed, giving Marina a long last look.
"Yeah, I guess it does" the Johto native gave a knowing grin. "Say hi to Drew for me. I'm pretty sure I spotted him in the rafters getting really pumped by our battle."
"Huh?" May turned and span to look where Marina was gesturing. There was a flash of green next to a flash of pink in a sea of the cheering throngs, and May's chest swelled with pride. "Huh. I thought he'd be here somewhere."
"May, you were totally awesome!" Solidad greeted her first. She and Drew were stood outside of the contest hall, waiting for her to arrive. After getting her ribbon, she and Marina had talked more in the waiting rooms at the back, waiting for some of the crowds to clear before they made an exit. When May spotted her two old friends, she dashed forward, dragging Marina along with her a little, only to be crushed by Solidad's hug. "I mean seriously. You have grown so much since I last saw you in Kanto!"
"I can't believe I haven't seen you all season!" May whined, hugging Solidad back. "It's been way too long. Of course, you'll have your five ribbons!"
"Yep, sure do!" Solidad grinned, pulling back. "And now so do you! I'm really excited to see if we can have our rematch at the festival, I am dying to battle you after watching that."
"I'm more than ready!" May promised, filled with a confidence she'd lost somewhere at the Indigo Plateau.
"You did good, May" Drew commented, giving a hint of a smile. "Glaceon was a good choice."
"Thanks," May smiled, a little embarrassed. Marina gave Solidad a questioning look, tilting her head forward, and Solidad flared her eyes a little wider in a silent confirmation of something May and Drew completely missed. "Well, I couldn't have done it without you, so, um, really. Thanks."
"Just make sure it's not too easy to beat you at the Whirl Islands, okay?" Drew replied loftily, and May pouted, exhaling quickly through her nose.
"I guess the era of Drew being nice to me is long over, huh?" May sulked, and Solidad laughed heartily.
"Oh guys, dry up" she snickered. "Come on, let's celebrate! Marina, you want to come grab dinner with us?"
"Thanks, but I've gotta get going. I've got a gym match in the morning and my Pokémon are exhausted!" Marina smiled brightly. Drew paused, before looking at her in a barely veiled surprise.
"You challenge the gyms as well?" He asked lightly, and she nodded, smiling.
"Some of my Pokémon love contests, some of them love good honest plain battling! Who am I to deny them that" she giggled. "Anyway, I best be off. It was nice meeting you, May from Petalburg. I look forward to battling you again."
"Me too," May nodded, smiling brightly. "Thanks again, Marina. I'll see you around. Good luck with your match tomorrow!"
"Thanks, see you later guys!" As Marina walked on, Drew turned to Solidad with a sullen look.
"Well that explains the ridiculously high levelled Pokémon then," he grouched. Solidad gave a tinkling laugh.
"Well, look who is still sore from getting his butt handed to him" she teased, and Drew scowled. "Come on, come on! We have to go celebrate - let's go!"
Solidad had to be put to bed. She was twenty one as of about a month ago, and was starting to get excited about drinking. Neither May nor Drew were partial to the idea of drinking illegally (they were only seventeen, after all), so they ended up with a slumped woman leaning on each of them heavily, each tucked under one of her shoulders as she swayed, unable to use her knees, as they half carried, half dragged her through the Pokémon Center, into the trainer's rooms where they were all staying. May wished Blaziken was with them, and not with Nurse Joy, or he could have done all the work for them.
"I'm so sorry guys" Solidad slurred. "I'm supposed to be… the responsible one."
"It happens, Sol" May giggled, trying to mask her discomfort at the older girl's weight. "You're allowed to not be responsible sometimes."
"Jeez, May, are you even trying here?" Drew grumbled, and she shot him a look.
"It's not my fault! You're taller than me, of course she's propped up more on you" May sniped back, offended at the idea she wasn't putting in effort.
They found her room (Drew had checked in at the same time as her, so at least he could remember the number) and May took the key from her pocket to unlock the door. They laid her down carefully on the bed, and Drew found her a glass of water while May took the girls shoes off and took a face wipe to her older friends face, cleaning some smudges of mascara away from under her eyes.
"You guys are great" Solidad mumbled, taking a big gulp of water and falling back into the pillows. "When you're old enough, I am taking you both out and you're getting drunk and I'm looking after you."
"Sure thing" Drew commented dryly, as though perfectly confident it would never, ever happen. "Go to sleep Sol."
"Yeah, night night Solidad!" May chirped, letting Drew lead her out. "I'll come wake you in the morning!"
"Probably not wise" Drew snorted, as the door shut behind them.
They stood in the hall together, both a mix of relieved, exhausted and amused at her antics. It was late, and they both knew they needed to get to their own rooms, but there was a little hesitation in both of them. May glanced at Drew unsurely as they hovered in the hall, wondering what they were waiting for. The corridor was badly lit - there was a light directly above them that was flickering a little, like the bulb was about to die. The floors had a thick, but shabby fuchsia carpet, and the walls were a pale, grubby shade of pink that really needed a new coat. But it was free accommodation, and for travelling trainers it was a home away from home.
"So, um, which is your room?" May asked lightly, her voice thick with some kind of tension she didn't really understand. Drew looked at her with a pursed, entertained smirk.
"Seventeen" he replied with closed teeth, sweeping some of his hair out of his face.
"I'm in twenty four" she nodded back, and they were silent again, not moving. May looked up at the flickering light again. It was irritating. Moments passed, and Drew eventually made some kind of decision that they'd be there for a while, by lowering himself to the ground and sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. May watched him for a moment, and he looked at her, still with that repressed, amused smile. After a moment, he shrugged at her, watching her carefully. So she sat next to him, feeling the rough carpet under her fingers and closing her eyes as the back of her head gently met the wall. "So, Grand Festival. That's a thing."
"That's a thing. It's gonna happen." He rolled his head towards her. "You haven't battled me this season. Or Solidad, or Harley. And none of us have battled you."
"It'll be pretty exciting to see how everyone has changed over the season" May nodded, smiling to herself. "I guess you have an advantage, seeing as you and Solidad saw some of my new tricks today."
"I'm sure you've plenty more where that came from" he frowned, thinking for a moment. "I'm looking forward to this festival. I've got a good feeling about it that I didn't have for the others."
"I'm excited too, I really thought for a while I wouldn't make it" May admitted, with a sudden big, splitting grin. "I… I'm really happy."
"Good" Drew suppressed a pleased grin of his own, letting his hair fall over his face a little to hide the colour in his cheeks. "I'm glad." They sat in silence a little longer, letting the lights slowly die above them, until they were surrounded by darkness from the broken bulb.
"... I really meant it, when I thanked you earlier" May mumbled, suddenly shy. "I wouldn't have done it without you."
"You would have, it just would have been in a different way." His voice was heavy and full of an emotion May didn't recognise, but she felt her fingers tremble at his words. "But anyway, I had to pay you back for the water, right?"
"I guess that makes us even" May rolled her eyes, laughing quietly at how ridiculous it all felt. There was another long, empty pause, and Drew felt the urge to fill it.
"It was my birthday today" he told her offhandedly, not all too concerned. May stared at him in horror. "What?"
"I didn't know!" She groaned, letting her head slam against the wall in mock penance. "I would have gotten you something."
"I don't really tell people, it's not a big deal. I just figured I'd… you know. Tell you." His logic failed to make any sense, even to him. She stood up, full of a nervous energy she couldn't place. He stood up after her, watching the outline of her face, cast over by shadow. They waited for a moment longer, and he felt this incredible urge to brush her cheek with his fingers. "I'm not worried May."
"Well, happy birthday" she told him lamely. He suppressed a grin. "You know what, next year we are going all out. I am going to champion your birthday so hard. You are going to turn nineteen like it's the biggest occasion of your life."
"I find the prospect both terrifying and intriguing" he snickered, watching as she floundered. "Its fine, May. No one knows my birthday."
"Well I do now." Her resolve melted a little at a sudden proximity between them, and she hovered uncomfortably. "... I'll see you in the morning, I guess."
"Yeah" he nodded, glad the lights were off. He'd done a good job of hiding the blush that tended to come out around her. Over the years he'd learnt to turn and walk away when it began to build, or flick his hair to hide his ears better, which were the worst culprit for it. But now, covered by bad technology, he could face her without concern. She lingered a moment longer. Physical contact wasn't something they had ever really engaged in. Other than when she had half carried him to his bed when he was sea sick, they had been limited to brushes of hands and pleasantries. But she'd clearly been waiting on something, and had grown tired of waiting, as her hands reached out in the dark and found his shoulders, letting her arms slide past them and hook around his neck, her face pressed sweetly into the shoulder of his jacket. She was hugging him, and it was the warmest Drew had ever felt. Of their own accord, his arms found the small of her back and his hands sat on opposite sides of her ribcage. She was so small, and slender, he could fit his arms around her neatly. He swallowed heavily. Neither were wholly sure how long they stayed like that, but her face felt really really hot against his shoulder and her body trembled a little when she pulled away. He knew she was smiling at him from a vague outline of her face, and that was enough for him at that point. Her hands were still on his shoulders, and hers were at her sides.
"Thank you," she repeated, though whether she meant for the advice over the season or for the hug, he wasn't really clear. He didn't want to say your welcome, it felt forced and formal, and not really appreciative of the situation they were in together, and he wasn't all that sure his vocal chords were working. So instead, he just nodded in acknowledgement. The light above them gave a warning flicker, before bursting back to life, filling the corridor with colour again, and though initially panicked, Drew was pleased to see her face filled with as much red as his was. "Well, happy birthday again. I-I should…"
"Yeah, me too" he pulled his arms away just as she did, and unconsciously they each took a nervous step backwards. "I'll, er…"
"The morning. Morning" May bumbled, tripping over her feet a little. Drew laughed, mostly to himself, at the sight, turning away. "See you then."
"Well done on the win today" he choked out, facing away giving him a little more confidence in his voice. "It was nice to finally see your new style."
"Thank you" her voice was quiet and yet boomed in his ears, and he couldn't bear her presence any longer. So he walked on wordlessly, counting down the doors until he found his own, glancing back to see she hadn't moved just yet, watching him go.
The Grand Festival: Greeting
It didn't take long for May to decide that the Whirl Islands were her favourite place in Johto. It was a small cluster of islands, once impossible for humans to get to due to thrashing whirlpools and almost unnaturally difficult conditions, but with advances in technology and careful timings, had become a beautiful tourist destination. The Whirl Cup was held there once every three years - Ash had told her about one he and Misty had entered it, and she had even come in the top four. It was a water specialist tournament, but had been home to the Grand Festival also when contests came to Johto, and for the purpose of the battles, the pool like arenas were covered to give all Pokémon an equal chance, though the pools could be requested for appeals if a coordinator wanted.
The Whirl Islands themselves were beautiful. Every Island had a distinct character, and in the weeks before the festival began, she explored all of them as best she could, taking full advantage of the underground tunnels connecting them together. Occasionally, she bumped into her rivals and her friends in the area - Ogi Isle she visited with Solidad, who had heard rumours of Lugia sighting in the area, and even families of them. They didn't find any or see them themselves, but villagers in the area had assured them sightings had happened within the last decade and the mere thought of it sent the two girls into a state of awe. On Silver Rock Isle, she bumped into Robert who was helping Drew train. She hadn't seen since the Hoenn Grand Festival. They'd never known each other very well, but he remembered her with a little prompting from Drew and was happy to show them around his hometown, and tell them more of the folklore surrounding the area, and the silver wings that were said to have hardened the rocks here to create impressive jewellery, which May became excited at the thought of. Red Rock Isle she went to alone, exploring the Diglett Village and befriending the usually quite shy Pokémon cheerfully, and similarly enjoyed meeting and playing with the Corsola on Yellow Rock Isle, where she bumped into Marina who was in the process of catching one. When May asked if she would use it in the contests, she just told her that her Mom was really fond of Corsola and it would make a nice birthday present down the line. Harley was keen to go to the somewhat difficult to reach Pudgy Pidgey Isle, and May was drawn to the idea of looking at lots of waddling, fat Pidgey, and was not disappointed. It was nice to see Harley in a non-competitive environment as well, and they found themselves getting on a lot better than they had in the past, although May knew when it came to contests she wasn't going to put her faith in his advice.
Blue Rock Isle was where she registered for the Grand Festival, and where her accommodation was. It was full of tourist attractions and stalls lined the streets, selling souvenirs and merchandise, and for someone who loved to shop as much as May did, it felt like heaven. There was also an abundance of hotels, which meant when May got a call from her mother asking where she should look to stay, May could give a whole list of suggestions. Caroline had told her only to expect her, as her father was busy with the gym and Max was somewhere in the deep depths of Hoenn challenging gyms, and while May was disappointed she understood.
Stood out on the pier waiting for the ship to come in was always a rigorous test of May's patience. She hadn't seen her mother in far too long, and traveling without her friends had left her a lot more homesick than she had been in previous seasons. But she knew that would melt away as soon as she smelt her mother's flowery perfume that she always wore, and the thought of her big comforting smile was making May wish she could move time forward. Beautifly waited with her, looping through the air and trilling eagerly as the boat approached, creeping its way towards the docks. In the end, May nodded Beautifly off, letting her fly towards the oncoming boat with nervous energy. Beautifly had always been very fond of her mother.
"Waiting for someone?" May turned at the familiar sound of Drew's voice. He was stood at the other end of the pier - she hadn't even noticed him arrive. May nodded, smiling.
"My mom" she explained lightly, shrugging. Drew nodded. "You?"
"Yeah, my Dad" Drew looked away, almost embarrassed. "He's never come before, so I was surprised when he called."
"Yeah, I've never met any of your family. You've never really told me about any of them before" May commented, and Drew pursed his lips a little.
"It's just my dad. No siblings, my mother wasn't really in the picture." Drew wrinkled his nose, as May immediately made a sympathetic noise. "Ah, it's fine." They waited quietly together, watching as the ship dragged closer and closer, eventually to the point where May could probably swim to it if she wanted. The sun was still high above them, and the heat was exhausting, but the sea looked beautiful with the light glistening off the choppy waves that surrounded the islands. It was a long, concrete pier, full of other trainers presumably waiting for their own families, and more and more arrived as the ship grew closer. It pulled up next to the dock with a loud, ringing foghorn, leaving May to wiggle her eyebrows pointedly at Drew and for him to roll his eyes.
"May!" May immediately recognised the voice from the ship, but it wasn't one she expected, as a boy pushed his way through the people who had waited patiently at the front of the ship. She felt her eyes well up as she burst out into disbelieving laughter. He'd changed so much since she'd seen him last; he cut his hair a little shorter, though it was still dark and limp, and his glasses had thicker rims, probably because they used to break a lot when they travelled together.
"Max! I thought you weren't coming!" She gasped, letting the boy fasten himself to her in a tight embrace. He was still shorter than her, but he was catching up fast. "Oh my goodness, Max!"
"Mom said I should wait and not spoil the surprise, but I got excited and I just had to see you!" Max grinned, practically bouncing. "And look - I got my last badge!" He opened up his denim jacket, a new look for him that May hadn't anticipated, and she saw eight glistening badges catch the light.
"That's so exciting!" May cheered, hugging her brother tighter. "I'm so prouda you, Max!"
"Hey Drew!" Max turned to his sister's rival, holding up a hand in greeting. Drew nodded, acknowledging him. "I hope you're ready, because my big sister is going to kick your butt!"
"Ah, we'll see about that" Drew's eyes flashed good-naturedly, and May suppressed a giggle. "Well done on your badges."
"Thanks!" Max beamed. "Maybe we can battle at some point, after the festival before we all leave!"
"That would end badly, I can see it now" May deadpanned. "Someone would end up crying and I'm really not sure who. Maybe me."
"Probably you, you are pretty wimpy" Max teased, and May slapped the back of his head lightly, tsking quietly. Drew suppressed a snicker. "Look, look, there they are!"
"They…?" May's voice dropped, quiet. "Is Dad here too?"
"Yup! Though I guess I spoilt the surprise again, huh?" Max was too cheerful and excitable to care. "He wanted to see you compete in person so he closed the gym!"
"He closed the gym?" May's voice trembled a little and she was scared she might cry. "He never closes the gym."
"Well, he does for you, I guess" Drew filled in quietly, guessing this meant a little more to May than she wanted to let on. She nodded quickly, feeling her eyes turn pink with tears.
"May!" Her mother's voice was easy to distinguish, as she waved from atop the crowds moving along the pier, still perched on the ferry exit. Her long, mousey hair was swept up out of her face, into a comfortable bun, Beautifly perched on top with ringing, happy chirps, and she had her slouchy pink sweater and white cargo pants that she only ever wore if she was travelling. Norman stood slightly behind her, their hands interlocked. He looked exactly the same, with the orderly short hair and the intimidating jawline and his crimson jacket. He gave May a big grin as she spotted him, and May felt her lower lip tremble as they made their way down towards their children. Max stepped to the side slightly as their parents finally reached them, and May's arms fastened around Norman before she had chance to pause. Caroline gave off a light giggle that reminded Drew of May's laugh, as May pulled back and hastily rubbed her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"Dad" she stated, really quietly. Norman nodded, understanding.
"Figured it was about time I came to one of these things" he stated casually, shrugging. "I've seen enough of them on tv."
"I'm really good Dad" she assured him, more determined than Drew had ever seen her, he noticed with a small smile. "I know you thought I wouldn't be very good at Pokémon when I left, but… I am. I'm really glad I can show you that."
"I don't doubt you kid," he put a hand on her head, smiling.
"And Mom, you're so sneaky, why didn't you tell me they were coming!" May turned to her mother and wrapped her arms around her with a flourish, Beautifly fluttering up and then back down onto the top of May's bandana. Caroline laughed, squeezing her daughter tightly.
"I wanted to watch you cry" Caroline teased, pinching her daughter's cheek. "Ah, this is Drew, right? We met at the Hoenn Grand Festival!"
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs Maple" Drew replied politely, rubbing the back of his neck a little.
"I'm Norman, Petalburg Gym Leader," Norman introduced, offering his hand for Drew to shake, which he took slightly awkwardly. "I've heard a lot about you from May."
"I'm sure she never tires of talking about me, I'm pretty great" Drew shot May a pointed look, and she stuck her tongue out with a sulk.
"All about how you're a stupid dweeb" May grumbled, and Max laughed.
"You need better insults" Drew retorted. Caroline and Norman shared a look, both suppressing a chuckle. "Oh - sorry, I've just seen my Dad. I'll catch up with you later May, it was nice to see you all." He gave a polite wave as he moved away, and May craned her neck to catch a look of him greeting his father. The man Drew approached was tall, with the same green, messy hair as his son and the same sharp, piercing eyes. He had a loose grey shirt and dark, pressed suit trousers on, and looked a little nauseous as he stepped off the boat. May pressed her lips together to stop from laughing - it appeared seasickness ran in the family. His father clapped a hand onto his son's shoulder, and they walked on wordlessly, looking like there was no conversation between them. She watched them curiously, until Max snapped her back into attention by tugging on her arm a little.
"Earth to May" he drawled, and May jumped a little, blushing. "Stop staring after your boyfriend and tell us where we need to go."
"Boyfriend?" Caroline's ears pricked up. "Have there been some developments I haven't been filled in on?"
"Absolutely not!" May denied quickly, throwing her hands up into the air defensively.
"Your mother did tell me when she came to the Hoenn Festival there was a moment between you two on the beach" Norman questioned dryly, giving May an inquisitive look, and May flushed bright red.
"This is ridiculous!" She stomped her foot petulantly. "Drew is a really good friend, but there's nothing like that going on, I swear!"
"You never used to call him your friend" Max snickered as they made their way along the pier. "It was always 'Drew's such a jerk, I can't wait to beat him, wait till you see the look on his stupid gross face'..."
"Max if you don't stop talking I will push you off the pier" May barked, her arms folded in a sulky huff, storming ahead slightly.
"He was very polite" Norman noted quietly to Caroline.
"You should have seen them in Hoenn," she whispered back, conspiratorially. "He gave her roses and everything. Totally smitten with her."
Grand Festival: The Opening Ceremony.
Caroline had brought along with her a selection of May's favourite dresses from home, and the sight of them all had filled her with joy. Most of the coordinators she knew would buy some new clothes as soon as they arrived at the Grand Festival location, and were limited in their options as to what they might wear to the various gatherings that came with the Grand Festival, like the opening and closing ceremonies. The opening ceremonies were that evening, and after spending the day showing her family parts of the island she'd come to know well, Caroline accompanied May back to her Grand Festival doom room while the boys went to change in their hotel rooms. May had never been good at things like makeup or doing pretty things with hair, she'd always admired other people's and how pretty it could look but never had the deftness of hand to replicate the looks herself. It didn't take long for May to pick out which dresses she wanted to wear, and which she might wear for the contests, as she had the option; she had a very clear idea in her head how she wanted to look, and Caroline was a good help in pairing things together.
The dorm room was nice. It was very simple, but had a beautiful view of the coast, with a wall full of windows to look out over the sea, and blinds to pull across when she was dressing. The flooring was a lovely, dark wooden pattern, and the walls were creamy and off white, framed itineraries on the wall next to the door, a small wooden wardrobe and mirror, a door to her ensuite and a single bed with soft, silky bedding and lots of cushions. Caroline had even brought along some soft blankets and plush toys from her room at home. It was little thoughts like that that made Caroline so invaluable to May.
The dress she'd chosen for the ceremony was light and airy. It had a sheer look to the material, and shimmered a little as it folded over itself and around her. The neckline was low, but Caroline had a small white camisole that made sure everything covered up nicely, which May was pleased for. It fell to her knees, and caught in the air attractively when a breeze caught. In the way only a mother can really fuss, she did May's hair, brushing it gently to ease out any knots and scolded her mockingly, telling her that there were split ends that needed seeing to. May squirmed under her mother's touch, but allowed her to braid her hair into a pretty pattern across one of her shoulders, and touch the lightest dab of blush to her cheeks and lips. Caroline didn't believe in heavy makeup, and neither did May, really.
"You look very beautiful" Caroline murmured gently, and May felt the warmth of her breath as she spoke, touching a little mascara to her daughter's eyes. "You might break your father's heart, you know."
"What do you mean?" May asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Caroline tsked her, pulling them back into place with her thumb to keep her access to May's waterline open.
"Well, with that little proving yourself speech when we arrived, and how…" Caroline paused, moving her thumb to brush her cheek. "How grown up you've become. You're not our little girl anymore, you're out there taking on the world. And he sees that and he's very proud. He's just sad that so much of who you are, you became when you travelled. You're a very different girl to who you were when you left home, and he recognises that and he's sad he wasn't a part of it."
"I don't understand" May replied honestly, blinking as Caroline stepped back, clicking her mascara wand away. "I always called home, and told you all what I was doing, and I invited him to my contests and… I don't know what more I could have done."
"Oh, honey, it's nothing you could have done. It's a natural part of being a parent I don't think he was prepared for" Caroline gave a tinkling laugh. "He is adjusting to the fact that there's a shift in the relationship. You're not ten and wide eyed and staring at him like he's your hero. You're standing up in your own right, and looking him in the eye and proving yourself to be an incredibly competent adult woman. You turn eighteen next year May, and you've been away from home for a long time. He didn't watch this part of your growing up."
"I… I think I get it." May grimaced, looking away. "Is there any way I can…?"
"No, he needs to see what I saw in Hoenn." Her mother smiled, brushing some of the bangs from May's face. "He'll be fine. This is just what he's going through, and it had to happen at some point. I don't think seeing the way Drew looks at you is helping him, either."
"How did I know that Drew would be brought up at some point" May grunted darkly, folding her arms across her chest defensively. Caroline snickered.
"You can keep denying your feelings to him all you want, I'm not going to push you" she tinkled, tucking her make up bag into her purse. "But you can't deny his. If even your father noticed it, it's pretty irrefutable."
"Let's not talk about this Mom." May's voice was almost tired, having had this conversation with just too many people now, and Caroline nodded, pursing her lips in a smile.
"Alright, just let me gush about how pretty you look then" she beamed, offering a hand to her daughter to twirl her around. "Oh you're like a princess! I don't know where you got such a pretty face."
"I dunno, you, Mom?" May arched an eyebrow as she fell back into place, and Caroline laughed effervescently, winking at her daughter.
"That was the right answer."
Opening ceremonies were always fun. The crowds were full of super fans, and friends and family of all the coordinators. All of the competitors would walk out together, standing in the arena where they would soon be competing with each other, and the opening announcements would be made, the judges would be introduced and the prizes would be laid out. Coordinators would then attend a party - some regions this was casual, as it had been in Kanto and Hoenn, and others more formal, like in Sinnoh, or here in Johto. Their family would be invited, and all the coordinators could spend some time getting to know their rivals for the contests a little better, and blowing off some of their nervous energy before the contest began the day after the next., giving those coordinators who were a little overly enthusiastic with their partying a chance to recover, although it always seemed to be rookies who made that mistake, and everyone who was serious about it would spend the next day practicing their two appeals.
May said farewell to her family in the lobby, and they hurried off to their seats, only Norman pausing to squeeze her arm in a reassuring sort of way. When she made it to the waiting room, she found Solidad and Harley already there, stood talking and eyeing up the competition. The waiting room was much bigger than any of the others she'd seen in Kanto or Hoenn, with booths where people could sit, and lockers that competitors could rent. Everything was a sterile, perfect white, and May's heels clicked awkwardly against the floor. Only she could hear them over the sound of the bubbles of conversation flying around the room though, and May was relieved to reach her friends. Solidad had a pretty dress that she'd clearly bought at one of the stalls, with bright, festival colours and tribal patterns, falling to her ankles. It was the first time May had seen Harley in anything but his Cacturne suit (bar the time he dressed as her, which May had worked hard to repress), but he looked good with his hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing smart, navy trousers and a rather loud button up shirt. She fluttered over to them brightly, and they greeted her cheerfully.
"Solidad your dress is lovely" May complimented sweetly, and Solidad smiled, looking unsurely at herself.
"I'm not one for dressing up!" She admitted openly. "I would much rather be in my ratty old coat. But thanks! You look completely gorgeous."
"Yeah girlfriend, though I hate to admit it you really do" Harley echoed, looking her up and down. "Your hair looks like normal hair instead of like Weepinbell leaves."
"You're the king of compliments, Harley" May deadpanned. "So did Drew ever turn up?"
"Oh he's somewhere being antisocial I'm sure" Harley waved off nonchalantly.
"He's been really absorbed in his Dad being here" Solidad commented, glancing at May. "I get the feeling it's a big deal."
"Yeah, I'm sure" May nodded, looking around. She couldn't spot him anywhere, so let it pass.
"Oh, looks like it's time to head in!" Solidad grabbed Harley's left hand and May's right, pulling them forward. Doors that May hadn't noticed began to swing open in front of them, the roar of the stadium greeting them and covering May's skin in goosebumps. The night sky was brilliant above the stadium, floodlight illuminating the grounds. Everything felt spectacular and powerful, and the crowds were packed and screaming for them, and she knew among them her family stood screaming for her. Her stomach flipped, but she managed to put one foot in front of another respectably, and waved to the audience with both arms and a huge smile. Harley was doing the same, though prancing euphorically, and Solidad laughing as she gave a one armed greeting, holding her fist high in the air. A little way away from them, May and Marina caught eyes, and they grinned at each other in a way that made May's blood run faster, a competitive gleam in the other girl's eyes. May was sure she wouldn't let her loss go easily. Marina was the home favourite as well, with a small section of the crowd dedicated to her, squealing riotously when she waved to them, flourishing the draping white sleeves of her dress. The commotion settled a little as a man stood on a podium in the centre of the floor, Mr Contesta, and began to speak into a microphone that made his voice echo around the arena, reverberating through the floor powerfully. He was dressed in the same red blazer he always wore, with his black bowtie, although his hair was streaked with more and more grey every time May saw him.
"Good evening, Johto!" He greeted, creating a further burst of screams and shouts. "Welcome, to this year's Johto Grand Festival! I will be your head judge for this occasion, along with my esteemed panel. This includes my dear friend Mr Sukizo, the president of the Pokémon Fan Club, and a Nurse Joy from here in Whirl Islands, as well as the Nurse Joy from the Silver Conference, and the Nurse Joy from Goldenrod City!"
At his words, three identical Nurse Joys appeared behind him and waved to the crowds cheerfully, dressed neatly in their white pinafores, and Mr Sukizo stood just behind him, his same old grey suit looking a little wrinkled as he leant on a cane. He said something the microphone didn't pick up, but May was certain he'd said 'Remarkable'.
"This year's festivities are going to be the best yet, I'm sure!" Mr Contesta continued, gesturing forward to the coordinators, and May felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. "Why, the winner of this year's ribbon cup is stood right before us in this room!"
All of the coordinators burst into huge cheers and screams, years of preparation for every individual feeling as though it was coming to a head, and May couldn't help but stamp her feet and scream along with the crowd, bouncing from the burst of adrenaline at the mere thought of it. The ribbon cup. It could be hers.
The party was full of a similar kind of energy that was in the stadium. Most people ignored the buffet out of nervous stomachs, which May took full advantage of, and gorged herself silly. Marina was doing the same, and they exchanged slightly shameful nods as they each hovered around a particularly large plate of cupcakes. Music was blaring and alcohol was pouring, and Harley was on top form, dancing around majestically and dragging a somewhat reluctant Solidad with him, spinning her not-so gracefully wherever they went, leaving others to duck and dive and keep a clear path for them. Caroline and Norman sat spectating, talking quietly and happily between themselves. Max bounced between sitting with his parents and eating with May, so when there was a moment where Max headed off to find them, May slipped out of the festivities unnoticed.
The contest hall was beautiful to look at, and May wandered along next to it quietly, not sure where she should be looking. It was right next to the main beaches, pristine white and soft, so May took off her shoes and carried them in her hand, leaving little footprints behind her as she pottered along, looking around. It was a pretty night, and warmer than she'd ever thought Johto could be, although Nurse Joy had said at one point that the temperature fluctuated between the different islands. There was a small cliff cutting into the beach up ahead, but it would be easy enough to walk around it.
"That's enough for now," she heard a voice. It sounded familiar, but it was lower and a little gruffer than she recognised. "You're getting better though."
"Thanks." That voice she definitely recognised. Suddenly nervous, she ducked in behind the cliff, not wanting to interrupt. "It's not quite there yet."
"We'll work on it more tomorrow. It's not an easy combination." It didn't take May long to figure it was Drew with his father, and her heart swelled at the thought of them training together. She'd wondered, since seeing them at the pier, what their relationship was, and it warmed her to think it was a close one. "But you are much better than I remember. You've come on a lot these past years. Particularly Roserade."
"She's pretty tough" Drew agreed, a proud tinge to his voice.
"If you play your cards right, you could win" his father continued, and May held her breath. "But you can't get distracted. I'm glad you missed the opening ceremonies tonight, but you can't let your guard down."
"I know" Drew muttered, a little darkly, like he felt patronised.
"I mean it, Andrew." May bit her lip at the name. "You need to focus. I think you know what I'm talking about."
"Look, it isn't a problem" Drew bit back, and there was a clear tension growing. "I'm not distracted. I know exactly what I need to do, and I've been doing it for a long time without your support."
"That was your own choice. You left. You didn't warn me, or tell me you were competing - I could only follow what you were doing through keeping up with Grand Festivals on online streams." Any ideas May had about it being a good relationship crumbled away. "I wanted to help you."
"Well, I didn't want your help" Drew's voice was a little shaky and forced. "I'm glad you're here, Dad. But I don't need you to advise me on what to do with her. I don't need you in my personal life like that."
"You lost to her because you got distracted." It was with a shudder that May realised they were talking about her. A wave of nausea hit her like she'd never felt before. "Just remember that. I'm going back to my hotel room, do what you want." There was a long, long silence, punctuated by the crunch of shoes against sand. May let out a long, slow breath, not realising she'd been holding it. She stood, hoping she could leave unspotted, and began to walk back up the beach, retracing the footprints she'd left. Confident she'd left unnoticed, she looked behind her and checked the empty expanse of beach. She could see him now, he'd moved forward so he was stood in the surf, looking upwards. Pausing, she turned to look at him. She thought maybe, for a moment, he might have looked back, but he was too far away to tell.
She went straight back to her dorm room, not really feeling like re-joining the party. Knowing her parents would understand, she texted them a quick message saying she'd overeaten, felt a bit woozy and gone for some air, and was now going to bed, and then switched her phone off. Sitting on the edge of her dorm room bed, she didn't quite have the energy or the heart to get undressed or take off her make up yet. So she sat, quietly for a moment, hugging her knees against her chest and pouting against her kneecaps. It felt colder than it had before, and she was regretting that last bowl of ice cream.
There was a light, almost timid knock at her door, and May froze. She didn't move, so they knocked again, a little more forcefully, but May again stayed still, not daring to move, or even breathe.
"You left footprints" he said through the door. "Let me in, May."
"No." She was surprised at how sad she sounded. "After everything you did this season I'm not going to distract you."
"You're not a distraction, May. Please open the door." Hesitating, she stood, but let her hand hover over the door handle for a moment, still unsure. "Please, May. I'll tell you where I get the roses from." Curiosity won over her better judgement, and she clicked the door open, gulping as he appeared. Clearly, he'd intended to go to the ceremony. He was dressed too nicely to not have. "Roserade grows them."
"I knew it was something to do with her," May mumbled under her breath, the mystery solved, and he blinked, his face unchanging. "You can come in, if… if you want."
"I do." She stepped aside, and he walked in meekly, as though waiting to be scolded. "What did you hear?"
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop" she said quickly, closing the door behind him. Drew sat on her bed, picking up a plush toy of a Swablu. "I just… I was looking for you when I couldn't find you at the ceremony, and then I heard you talking and I just didn't want to interrupt, and then when I realised it was… about me, then well, I just couldn't… you know. It was too awful."
"Are you offended?" He asked, glancing up at her. "Awful in what way?"
"Awful as in the coincidence of me being there at that particular moment" May explained, fiddling with her braid. "I don't mean you. I just… I didn't want to make anything worse."
"I understand" he nodded, and she breathed out. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, anyway. I'm sorry that my father said those things. He doesn't understand anything, really."
"Am I really a distraction to you?" May asked, sadly. "I don't want to be."
"You're not" Drew stared firmly, looking up at her. She sat next to him, doubtful. "You didn't beat me in Kanto because you distracted me, you beat me because you performed better than I did."
"Well, there's always that" May conceded, giving him an amiable smile, and he snorted with laughter.
"Dad gave up coordinating when he got someone pregnant with me," Drew explained briskly. "She was a coordinator as well. When she gave birth, she stuck around for a few weeks and took off, leaving it to him to raise me. She became a top coordinator, and he became nothing."
"Oh." May made a face. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise."
"It's fine - I mean, I'm fine. Dad is a little hung up over the situation, and I never really forgave him for giving up on himself like that, I mean he could have gone back to competing many, many times and he never did" he continued, folding his arms. "It's why I went into coordinating, anyway. I wanted to prove that she wasn't better than us. And I didn't want him to be involved because he gave up."
"I understand," May mumbled, folding her legs underneath herself. "But why does that make me a distraction?" Drew stared at her, unblinkingly, and May remembered with a sudden chill the conversation she'd had with her mother earlier that day. "Oh. Y-You…"
"Draw your own conclusions if you will," he scoffed, standing up. He was faced away from her, but May could see the back of his neck was burning. "But I'm going to bed. So should you, tomorrow will be your last chance to do some proper training."
"Alright" May mumbled, facing down. "But... um… what should I do with those conclusions?"
"Do whatever you want, May." Drew looked back at her again, his eyes a little wider and his lips a little tighter. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."
"Okay." She wasn't even sure what she was talking about anymore. Drew's eyes softened, and he sighed a little. He reached forward, looking like he might brush her cheek for a moment, but thought better of it and pulled his hand back rigidly, before walking away and reaching the door. He pulled it back, and turned to see she hadn't moved, still hunched over on her bed.
"May?" Her eyes shot up to him, focused and yet confused. "I just…" he paused, floundering, and there was colour in his cheeks. "I just think you look really pretty. Sorry for being…" there was a moment, where he lifted his hand and it dropped back to his side, and he was unable to find the right word. But he thought of it, and it made him smile. "Sorry for being a dweeb."
"You can't help being a dweeb, it comes naturally" May replied softly, giggling, looking back at him. Drew gave her a weak grimace that she supposed was meant to be a smile, and shut the door behind him.
Grand Festival: The First Round
The first round of the Johto Grand Festival consisted of two stages. Everyone did their primary appeal, after which all but one hundred and twenty eight would be eliminated, and then a second appeals round would eliminate another half of that, leaving sixty four to go into the battle rounds. The first appeal was a solo, and then the second was a double appeal. The coordinators were back to their comfortable, usual clothes, wanting to be able to move around with their Pokémon easily as they gave their appeals, and May could tell a lot of them were much more comfortable, herself included. She didn't feel herself without her bandana.
There were a lot of separate arenas - five, in fact, due to the mass amount of coordinators competing that day. Appeals usually lasted a couple of minutes, but with judging and marking each one, it would take a lot longer than one day for every single coordinator to perform without breaking it up. There was one judge at each stage, and all of their marks were moderated, so it was kept fairly equal. There were screens showing each of the arena's performances in all of the waiting rooms, so May could see everyone's performances, but the only person she knew on the same stage as her was Solidad.
Marina was up first out of the people she knew, and the announcer informed the audience she'd won the Johto Grand Festival in the past, which was new information to May but it didn't surprise her. She looked collected and calm, which May had expected, and she called out a Smoochum she called 'Chumee'. It gave a very sweet performance, filled with sweet kisses and little shapes made from psychic attacks to make a cutesy shadow puppet show, in which Chumee was the star. The audience were enamoured, as were the judges, and she flew through with near top marks. Harley wasn't long after, his Ariados creating a network of webs, layered to create fantastic lighting for Ariados to display its toxic attacks. His marks weren't as high as Marina's, but they were still awfully high, enough to make May nervous. There were a lot of competitors, enough to create a long break before anyone else she knew was up to perform on.
"Marina and Harley did well," Solidad commented, and May agreed, humming to herself. "You seem preoccupied. I hope you're focused."
"Completely" May assured her, rubbing her Pokeball over in her hand. "I'm very ready. It's just that this is this Pokémon's debut, so I'm really hoping it goes well - for her sake."
"A new Pokémon?" Solidad let out a low whistle. "I didn't see that coming, I'll be honest."
"I'm full of surprises" May teased, grinning, and Solidad nodded, smiling.
"Well, you're not the only one" Solidad taunted back, straightening her back. "I'm up. Wish me luck!"
"Good luck!" May called after her as Solidad disappeared. The announcer introduced her as the previous winner of the Kanto Grand Festival, and the crowd went wild at the news a top coordinator was about to perform. May watched closely as Solidad let out a Pokémon she'd never seen her use before; an Ampharos, which looked both sleek and furiously strong all at once. Fully expecting to be blown away, May bit her lip, waiting to see Solidad dazzle the audience. She was right to expect it, as the light show that they gave was perfect to honour the reputation of the lighthouse Pokémon, with glowing ambers and illuminating zap cannons that fizzled through the air and created static at Ampharos' feet. May smiled, tilting her head. Solidad had a knack for appeals like no one May had ever seen before. However, it wasn't long until her attention was caught by another screen.
Drew was being introduced on another stage, and he stood confidently in his noticeably not-aqua trousers, which made May smile. He was using Roserade, who gave a beautiful petal dance sequence, intertwined with a solar beam that illuminated the whole arena, the petals fracturing the light and making it shower down around them. They bowed together, neat and precise, and May couldn't help but beam at the sight. He scored high - even higher than Marina, although she had missed Solidad's scoring so she wasn't sure if he'd beaten her. She made sure to tear herself away as Solidad remerged, congratulating her and gushing over her Ampharos.
"It really was amazing, Sol" May gesticulated wildly as she spoke, bouncing on the spot, and Solidad grinned.
"Thanks! I'm really pleased, and I'm over the moon with the score. What did you think?" Solidad looked back up at the televisions, checking each of them frantically for their top score of the day, but they were starting up an interval and the screens were temporarily blank. "Damn."
"I thought it was well deserved!" May could lie with the best of them when she needed to. "You missed Drew's performance by the way."
"Oh!" Solidad's face dropped; she'd really wanted to see it. "How did he do?"
"It was incredible, really" May flushed a little as she spoke, smiling softly. "He got a twenty nine point seven."
"The little rat beat me," Solidad pouted, not a hint of malice in her words. "Only point three away from a perfect score, too."
"It was really beautiful. Roserade seems unbeatable." May looked back to the screens where they'd started showing interviews with some of the judges. Drew had performed on Mr Contesta's stage, and he was busy justifying the ridiculously high score and praising the way in which Roserade was raised, while on another, showing a shot by shot replay of the highest score of the day. Solidad watched intently, smiling and nodding slowly as it played through, freezing on their bow, so perfectly in sync and the little proud smirk on Drew's face as he became aware how completely he'd nailed it. The two girls shared a look, knowing he was going to be unbearable.
"You're up after the interval, right?" Solidad asked lightly, and May exhaled heavily, nodding. "Nurse Joy won't know what hit her."
May stood quietly, feeling the eyes of the audience and the focus of the camera cling to her. The announcer was saying something that sounded vaguely like her name and her media given title, the Princess of Petalburg, but all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears.
"Azumarill," she murmured, holding her Pokeball to her lips, kissing it softly. "Azumarill," she repeated, bending her knees and springing forward, twisting as she tossed the Pokeball skyward; it shone out like a beam of light before her newest Pokémon spiralled with her, landing neatly next to her. "Take the stage!"
The crowd cheered, excited by the high movement entrance, and May threw her finger forward. "Use bubble beam, and give it some spin!" Azumarill bounced up and balanced on her tail, allowing her to spin with ease as she sent of a spiral of bubbles into the sky, filling the air and covering the audience with slowly popping, colourful orbs, delighting the younger fans. "Follow it up with aqua tail!" May continued, and the tail that Azumarill balanced on began to swell with water, before pushing Azumarill up into the air in a jet of water, controlled entirely by the careful rotation of the flexible blue tail. "Aqua ring!" Azumarill surrounded herself in a watery veil, shimmering inside oaf the protective bubble she'd made herself, still hovering in the air. Nurse Joy was staring upwards, entranced by the height Azumarill had gotten herself to. "Let's show them just how serious we are, and play rough!" As Azumarill's orb or water began to descend, Azumarill sent the water around her flying out, throwing her arms up and spinning as she violently threw it away, showcasing her huge power. The audience was treated to a light shower from the bursting water as Azumarill fell to the ground, landing neatly with May and posing alongside her, waving to the crowds. She laughed, thrilled it had gone down well, and scooped Azumarill up to give her a big, enveloping hug.
She was halfway back to the waiting room when her scoring was announced - a twenty eight point one, which she was more than pleased with, although she'd dipped below Marina. But it was enough, and she was satisfied.
The results of the first set of appeals went by without much drama. Drew was at the top of the list, his Roserade securing him first position moving through to the second appeals round, with Marina chasing close behind and Solidad solidly securing third. There was a dozen more who'd beaten May, but she made the top twenty, and Harley dipped down somewhere around the thirties mark. But they were all easily though, and based on those marks they would all get through to the battle rounds as well, which boded well as the marks would be carried over. Now there was only one hundred and twenty eight left. With all five stages being used, there were only twenty five or twenty six performances on each stage, which meant it would only take a couple of hours or so. The earlier appeals had taken them from first thing in the morning through to early afternoon, which meant there was plenty of time for the appeals to run straight on through to the evening.
The stages were swapped, so no one would have the same judge twice. May and Solidad were separated as Solidad moved on to be judged by Mr Contesta along with Harley, and May was placed with Mr Sukizo along with Drew and Marina, who'd had one of the other Nurse Joys before.
Drew wasn't in a talkative mood backstage, which May had anticipated, but she made a point of congratulating him on his incredible score, and he thanked her and had complimented her new Pokémon in turn, telling her she had made a good choice. So she sat with Marina, who was psyched to see she was having to work a lot harder than she was used to.
"The last time I competed in Johto, contests were new here, and everyone just lay down and handed it to me because I had a bit of experience" Marina explained to May, draining a takeaway cup of coffee as they watched the screens together. "This year, well, the competition is so much more intense. I mean, I lost in one of the contests! And I'm not top of the appeals! It's very new."
"I'm glad you're enjoying your experience with us mere commoners" May retorted sarcastically, and Marina giggled behind her hand, apologising.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that offensively, it was meant to be a compliment, really!" She continued. "Your Azumarill looked really great, by the way."
"Thank you," May acknowledged, giving the girl a warm smile. "Your Smoochum is really cute."
"Thanks! Chumee was my first Pokémon" Marina explained, folding her hands behind her back. "She's a real toughie. It looks like you're up next, right?"
"Right." May gave Marina a firm look, remembering her promise at Blackthorn. "Tell me what you think when I'm done."
"Will do!" Marina smiled, but as soon as May had turned away it folded away slightly, and it turned into a nervous glance. May hadn't noticed, and continued on her way towards the stage, passing Drew wordlessly as she did. He followed her with his eyes, watching as she sprinted forward, a Pokeball in either hand. He turned his attention to the screen, waiting quietly as the announcement began.
"And here she is again, the Princess of Petalburg - it's May Maple!"
"Beautifly, Bellossom! Take the stage!" She was still running from her starting point from backstage, and she tossed the pokeballs up above her in a huge leap. Drew arched an eyebrow, impressed. He knew she'd have picked up at least one new Pokémon along the way, but two have picked up two and fully evolved them and have them Grand Festival ready was an accomplishment. Watching critically, he observed her twist petal dances and silver winds together, creating a dance between two fairly adorable Pokémon, and he stifled a smile. It was like a take-off of some of their battles, he thought dryly, of their early days. His Roselia would spam petal dance, and her Beautifly would spam silver wind, and it always looked very pretty. He supposed that's why he'd raised Masquerain, and she'd raised her Bulbasaur, and now her Bellossom. They took a lot from each other, early on. It was her better performance of the two, he decided, although he supposed he had a reason for his bias. He knew anyone who knew of their ongoing rivalry and their friendship would place that appeal with him as much as her.
Her marks were high again, just brushing above the twenty nine mark, and he nodded, more to himself than anything else, glad to see the appeal really was stronger and it wasn't just his own sway. She was exhilarated as she came back through, swinging Bellossom in her arms with Beautifly fluttering around them, laughing giddily and breathily as she twirled on one foot. There was a lightness to her movements that made Drew look away eventually, for the same reasons he'd walked away from her in the corridor in Blackthorn. She looked towards him, and hovered uncertainly.
"What did you think?" She asked lightly, and he knew his ears were burning again and giving him away, because she was smiling shyly and her own cheeks were pink, although hers could have been from the adrenaline of performing. Conceding, he smiled, nodding.
"I can only wonder where you came up with such a wonderful appeal idea," he teased, and she flushed brighter.
"W-Well…" she floundered, looking away. "You… you were a big help to me this season and I think it's only right that my appeal reflects that." Bellossom looked up at him from her arms, chirping happily, and he petted her head fondly.
"Your bellossom is very sweet" he praised, much to the small Pokémon's delight. "Ilex Forest?"
"Yeah, I won the sun stone at National Park. I planned it all out after I got back from Sinnoh. I went to Mt Mortar and caught a Marill, too, and she clearly evolved into Azumarill." May beamed, very proud, and Drew nodded. She had every right to be. "Whirl Islands is all about water, so I wanted one appeal to reflect that, and then the other… well…" she paused, shrugging. "You figured it out already."
"You actually thought that far ahead," Drew raised his brow, before looking down, hiding a smile. "You're no rookie anymore, huh."
"Guess not." May bit her lip, also looking away. "Can… we talk at some point? About last night? Not right now, obviously, you're going to perform at some point, just…"
"Let's rain check for now" Drew swallowed, not really sure he was prepared for the conversation they would have. "I need to focus on the festival, and so do you."
"You're right." May chastised herself under her breath. "You're right. I'm, er, sorry. I'm gonna go grab a drink, do you want anything?"
"I've got a bottle of water in my bag, but thanks" he nodded, and she scurried away with a nervous grin, chatting away to her Pokémon as she went.
Harley's performance came on screen - he was using his Wigglytuff and a Sneasel, a new addition to his team. They were bouncing off each other and creating powerful, clashing combinations that were risky, but pulled off a strangely pleasing, discordant performance. Solidad wasn't long after, with her Pidgeot and Butterfree circling each other, Pidgeot's physical attacks cutting through Butterfree's special moves, another slightly jarring appeal that worked, fluttering through the air in a powerful aerial display. Marina was silent, a little way away, observing. She looked irked, and had done since May's appeal. Drew noted it, logging it as some new information, and turned back to the screens quietly.
The Grand Festival: The Second Round
"Well, that was exhilarating to watch" Caroline chimed, spooning a mouthful of soup to her lips. She drank it quickly. "It's nice that all of your friends got through too."
"You have some very talented rivals," Norman nodded, tearing some bread with his mouth. They were eating in a small, upscale restaurant near the hall to celebrate May's high seeding place for the battle rounds, much higher than she'd anticipated after the first appeal left her in the twenties. She smiled, nibbling at her salad demurely. It was only the starting course, and she was saving herself for the three desserts she had been promised.
"Drew was scary good" Max commented darkly. "You'll have to watch out for him, this year."
"I have to watch out for Drew every year" May rolled her eyes. "It's cool. Being number one seed from the appeals doesn't mean he'll win, it means he just has a very good chance."
"But that second appeal with his Houndoom and Absol, it was breath-taking" Caroline gushed, and May pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to go on, but it really was."
"I'd never seen his Houndoom before," May admitted, agreeing quietly. "I wondered who his new Pokémon for this festival would be, there's always one."
"And who was that girl, Marina" Norman continued, chewing thoughtfully. "She had a Bayleef and an Arcanine."
"Yeah, she's super strong, but also really nice. I only met her recently, but she's a real sweetheart" May replied brightly, sipping at her water between words. "She definitely deserves that number two seed."
"Enough about everyone else, though" Caroline fussed, reaching across to cup her daughter's cheek, who beamed. "You, in particular, were brilliant."
"That Azumarill can jump" Norman echoed, pointing at May with his fork. "That could come in handy in a battle situation, never be afraid to go from another angle if you're getting stuck with a defensive wall."
"The routine with Beautifly and Bellossom looked familiar," Max said slowly and deliberately, flexing his eyebrows at May as he took a long sip of his drink. She stared at him, silently, daring him to say another word, as he replaced his glass on the table. "But I must have been seeing things."
"Must be," May replied through gritted teeth.
"Well, I thought it was very pretty!" Caroline chirped, oblivious.
The next few days were full of battles. Drew and Marina, as the first and second seed, were as far apart on the battle map as they could possibly be, Drew in group one and Marina in group four. May and Solidad, seeds six and three, respectively, were both in group three, and Harley joined Drew in group one as seed twenty five. When everyone blitzed through their first round match with ease, she quickly realised if they all kept winning, she'd have to eventually battle Solidad, and then Marina, and then either Drew or Harley in the final, depending on which of them beat the other, and quietly hoped that some of her rivals got knocked out by people who weren't here. Not out of spite, but out of fear. She knew individually they were the strongest coordinators she knew, all for very different reasons with different styles, and she knew she'd struggle to overcome them all.
Especially when they all seemed to be getting on so well. Ignoring Drew and Harley, who had a permanent state of mutual dislike going well for them, they all fit together very nicely as a little group of five. May found herself growing closer and closer to Marina as well, who seemed to share her sense of humour perfectly and they often got coffee between watching matches together, when May wasn't watching with her family (if it was a match between competitors who May likely wouldn't face, or it didn't particularly interest them, they had taken to looking around Whirl Islands, and Norman would be helping Max train for the league). Drew, alternatively, she saw relatively little of over the course of the battle stages, as he spent most of his time either doing last minute training by the cliff faces, or he'd be with his father, whom was growing a more prominent presence, which did nothing but frustrate May.
May had just won the last battle she had before the quarterfinals, her Delcatty and Glaceon pulling off some stunning combinations that had saved her in the last minute. It had been a little gruelling, but they'd gotten there in the end, and she had a little time to watch Solidad's battle for a place in the same quarter final as her. She was just about to place the final blow, knocking her opponents out before the time was even near running out with her Lapras' sheer cold, creeping up and causing them to shiver and collapse while filling the arena with a beautiful chill. May hardened herself. Part of her had been looking forward to this match, but the other part of her had been dreading it. Solidad had been the root of all of her insecurities over the past season, the first thing that knocked her back and made her doubt her style of battling. The idea of losing to her again was unbearable, but the idea of beating her while battling in a way unnatural to herself somehow felt worse. With that in mind, she promptly made her way to the Pokémon Center and asked if she could please transport some Pokémon.
Harley and Drew had their quarterfinals match up first though. Her family were in the audience, but she opted to watch in the waiting room with Solidad and Marina. As much as her family were weirdly in tune with them, they did not understand the intricacies in the relationship between Harley and Drew as well as Solidad, and May enjoyed Marina's commentary on contest matches; it was always astute and worth hearing. The body language between Drew and Harley was almost frightening, as stood opposite each other, eyes locked in a competitive glare. Solidad commented offhandedly that she didn't think they'd ever battled before, and May agreed that she at least had never seen it personally.
The timer began, and Drew sent out his new Houndoom and Masquerain. Harley sent out his Cacturne and his Wigglytuff. Within seconds, it was clear Harley was at a severe disadvantage in power levels. While Masquerain distracted Harley's Pokémon with flutterings of silver wind and bubble beam, not enough to cause real harm but enough to keep Harley on his toes, Houndoom was in a deep, meditative state, staring at his opponents with a watchful eye, a dark glow shining across the intimidating Pokémon's coat. Marina quietly commented that he was using nasty plot, boosting Houndoom's already ridiculously high special attack ability, and May bit her lip, wondering what he would do with it. Suddenly, Drew was calling out flamethrower on Cacturne that knocked it out in moments, boosted by Masquerain's silver wind to push it along with a beautiful, grey shimmer around the extreme heat of the attack. It was a stunning display of raw power, and blew Harley away for a moment, numbing him. He bounced back, calling on Wigglytuff to counter with a thunder attack on Masquerain, but Drew was smirking so widely as he called it May knew he had something up his sleeve. The crackle of the speakers was getting a little irritating, sometimes jumbling words with static as they came out, so as Drew called out his counter, May was certain she hadn't heard him clearly. But still, she inhaled audibly, covering her mouth with her hands in total shock and enamourment as she realised what he was doing.
"Houndoom, counter with assist."
Firstly, she knew Houndoom did not naturally learn assist (after she'd seen it in his appeal, she went away and studied Houndoom intensively between battles in case she came up against it), and how on earth he taught it to his new Pokémon she would never know. Secondly, the fact he would have gone out of his way to teach it could only have been to make a damning point to someone who had previously toyed with her, in a bitter, revenge is best served cold kind of way. Thirdly, pairing it with his Masquerain, who was ploughing away with powerful silver winds to back him up, left May no room to keep on her feet. She fell back onto one of the benches, her eyes swelling with tears because finally, finally, everything Drew had done since they'd met made complete and perfect sense to her.
Harley was dumbfounded as the assist turned into Absol's razor wind, slicing through the thunder attack and breaking it apart, knocking Wigglytuff backward, not powerfully but enough to counter. Assist was a risky move, and Drew did not battle with risk. It could only have been to make a point.
"May?" Solidad turned to her and frowned. "May, why are you crying?" But May couldn't speak, she was busy trying to swallow back gulps of sobs that were fighting through her throat, because she did not want to be wailing when he came back to the waiting room. She shook her head wordlessly, and Solidad paused, and then smiled. "So you finally caught on."
"I knew… there was something" May breathed, hiccupping a little. "I just didn't… I didn't realise."
"You didn't realise how much" Solidad filled in, and May flushed, nodding. "I figured it out some time before the Kanto Grand Festival, when he talked about something to do with some Wynauts. I mean, I'd known he was attracted to you before then, but…"
Harley had seemingly come to the same conclusion as May, on stage. He was nearly pulling his hair out, screeching how of course boyfriend planned his attacks in order to get some petty revenge for some stunt he pulled years ago, and how rude and obnoxious little boyfriend could be, and couldn't he just let the past go already, but Drew just stood there with his arms folded and an eyebrow raised in what May recognised as the stance he took when he was bored, and he called out a dark pulse attack that ended the match fairly quickly after all those nasty plots had built Houndoom up. He didn't say anything for a while as he was announced the winner, just returning his Pokémon and thanking them with a low hum. May, Solidad and Marina watched the screen with bated breath, waiting for some kind of fall out or brawl.
"The best part of that match, I think, personally" Drew said, in a light, measured tone; he almost sounded cheerful. May could barely believe what she was hearing, and was convinced it must have been a fault in the speakers. "Was that I did not trick you, or lie to you, or manipulate you in anyway. I was just a lot better than you."
"Let's stop talking about this" May hissed through her teeth, seeing the two coordinators leaving the stage, Harley very clearly furious. "Let's stop talking about this, right now." She stood, removing her bandana swiftly and rubbing it over her face to try and stem the tears, trying to convince herself that if she believed she hadn't been sobbing, maybe no one else would think it either.
Harley stormed past them without even looking at May, the noise of doors slamming behind him louder than thunderclaps. May winced at the sound, and she could tell Solidad was torn between dashing after him and seeing the aftermath between herself and Drew. Marina dropped herself down onto a bench, watching with a fascinated, wide smile.
Drew appeared shortly after, looking a lot more relaxed than May had seen him in a long time. His eyes went straight to her, and he coughed to hide his laughter. It was the most open and unguarded he'd been towards her through the whole festival, and her heart hammered at the sight.
"You were totally crying again, weren't you? You need to stop being such a wimp, May."
Drew was a little surprised that, while sat on a bench in the waiting room, his thoughts were interrupted than none other than Max Maple, who practically hopped into the seat next to him, greeting him cheerfully.
"Hiya Drew!" Max chirped, grinning at him conspiratorially. "Security here is pretty lax, huh?"
"Apparently so," Drew replied slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"
"Well, last time May faced Solidad, she had a bit of a meltdown in the corridor coming out." Max was far too nonchalant on the subject, but Drew didn't care to press. "So if she loses I want to be there, and if she wins I definitely want to be there. Plus, I've never gotten to watch from backstage before, so I want to."
"I guess you're… here then" Drew conceded, a little awkward.
"Yup!" Max was either completely oblivious to Drew's discomfort, or didn't really care. Regardless, he settled himself down happily to watch the penultimate quarter final match. May looked nervous, but grounded, as she stared down the top coordinator on the other side of the match, and was clearly trying to forget that they were also very close friends. As they called out their Pokémon, Drew winced. Solidad had called on Slowking and Ampharos, both high levelled and clearly well trained. May called out Munchlax and Venusaur, and Drew got this sudden, overwhelming feeling she'd not learnt a single thing since the Kanto Grand Festival, although he knew it couldn't possibly be true. "Venusaur!" Max clearly didn't share his concern. "Wow, I didn't realise Bulbasaur had evolved so much!"
"Her squirtle is also now a wartortle" Drew added helpfully, and Max made another awed sound.
The battle started quickly - May immediately started charging a double solar beam, which Ampharos deflected by shooting off Zap Cannons that took a few attempts to block the beams. May lost points for the dud move, but Solidad lost points too, because her counter block had low accuracy and it made the whole move look messy, but it was the only move she had strong enough to block off a double solar beam. It turned into a fairly gruelling battle, much more even than the battle Drew witnessed in Kanto, at least, although it still seemed like Solidad had the upper hand and May's suddenly renewed, overtly offensive strategy was letting her down again. Solidad seemed just as disappointed as Drew, and a crackly conversation could be heard through the speakers.
"I honestly thought you'd gotten past this, May" Solidad called forward, frowning. "You know better."
"If I can't beat you with the strategy that comes naturally to me, I haven't really beat you" May informed her firmly, her fist clenched. "I am going to battle you with Munchlax, who you beat last time, and Venusaur, who I've been told won't suit contests, time and time again. Because they deserve this win just as much as I do, after all this time. It's not about what will make me win, it's about winning with the Pokémon who got me here!"
"Admirable, but ethics don't win trophies, May!" Solidad gave a short laugh, like she should have expected it. Max looked up at his sister with bright, shining eyes, and Drew also had to repress a smile. She never failed to surprise him, but by that point, he should have learnt to expect it.
The battle raged on. May seemed like she might have been pulling back some ground, after Venusaur landed some sinful toxic attacks that caught Solidad off guard, and Munchlax landed a particularly tough focus punch when Ampharos was preoccupied. The points seemed to be evening out, and Solidad's usually cast iron defence was slipping. Max was getting jittery and excited next to him, which ordinarily would have irritated Drew, except he was just as on the edge of his seat as his unwelcome companion, drawn to the upset that would be May overcoming Solidad with the same strategy that had foiled her the first time around.
"My sister is pretty damn cool, huh?" Max bragged happily, jabbing Drew in the ribs pointedly. He didn't reply, but Drew's quiet smirk told Max that he agreed wholeheartedly. Another well placed Focus Punch. A surprise Frenzy Plant. A final double solar beam that Solidad didn't have the accuracy to block.
The timer ended, and May had beaten out Solidad with sheer force, brute strength, determination and an unwavering belief in her Pokémon, and Drew could barely believe his eyes.
Max and Caroline were sat in front of them, while May and Norman sat in the row behind, quietly watching the semi-final match between Drew, and some coordinator that May had never really noticed before. She should have, because he was a tough competitor, but she'd just never clocked his face before. But his Quagsire and his Umbreon were falling hard against Drew's Roserade and Butterfree, and May recalled being beaten by that very combination of Pokémon the last time they had battled."
"He's really good, isn't he?" Norman had his eyes narrowed in the way he did whenever he tried to be critical, but was struggling. "You know, when your mother told me about him I really wanted to dislike him, but his focus is admirable."
"You know, ever since you've gotten here you've talked more about Drew than you have about, I don't know, me." May pouted a little, but cheered with the crowd as Drew landed a particularly effective psychic attack. As the cheers died down, Norman looked at her, a little bemused.
"May, I'm trying to keep up to date with you" Norman sighed, running fingers gruffly through his hair. "What can I say about your battling that honestly you wouldn't rather hear from one of your rivals? What can I saw about your life that will actually get a response from you, other than this Drew that apparently your mother is already planning the wedding for?"
"Oh Mew, she isn't is she?" May felt the blood drain from her face, and Norman shrugged. "Dad, that just… it isn't true. Sure, my rivals are my best source of improving myself, but I want to hear you in all this too."
"I don't know the first thing about coordinating, May" Norman replied honestly, joining a round of polite applause as Drew landed another critical hit, though neither of them had been watching. "What can I offer you?"
"I just…" May floundered, not sure how much she could say without getting upset. "When I left home, I didn't really like Pokémon, you know that. Frankly, I thought if I went travelling and got out, and had my own Pokémon, maybe you'd stop shoving them down my throat. But then when I realised there was a way I could be into it, and then suddenly found myself in love with everything I was doing in contests, all I wanted was this recognition from you that I'd become the kid you'd wanted." She paused, sniffing a little. "Before I got on board with it all it kinda felt like you were disappointed I wasn't the person you wanted me to be. And sure, I never became a great trainer, but I became great at something, and I wanted you to be proud of that."
"May, I was proud of you long before you left on your journey" Norman replied firmly, gripping her shoulders tightly. "And I would have been proud of you if you'd loved Pokémon or if you'd developed some deep, unending phobia of them that scarred you for life. Seeing you find joy in something that has filled my life with joy? Yes, it's wonderful. But I would have loved you the same, and thought of you the same if you hadn't. That doesn't mean I can offer you wonderful advice, however, when it comes to coordinating."
"I don't want your advice, I've never wanted that" May replied softly, swallowing heavily. "I just wanted to hear that. And now I have, so that's good, I guess."
"How are you one of the smartest people I know, and one of the dumbest people I know, all at the same time?" Norman asked with a derisive snort, wrapping an arm around his eldest child. May laughed.
"Dunno. You made me. Kinda got a lot to answer for." She flashed her eyes up towards him. "You don't have to talk about the guy I like to be able to have a meaningful conversation with me. I'll respond to a lot more than that."
"So," Norman suddenly grinned, and May realised her mistake. "You finally admit it."
"Great," May deadpanned, turning back to the battle in a huff. "The first person I actually properly admit it to, and it's my own bloody father."
May's own semi-final match had finally arrived, and the thought of facing Drew in the final left her in a nervous sweat. But before she could think about that, she knew Marina wouldn't make it an easy battle for her. Glaceon had been eager to take on their new rival again, and May had been looking forward to pairing Delcatty with her, her two quadruped, cat like Pokémon poised together. Marina had sent out her Smoochum, Chumee, and her Arcanine, Archy, and May was fully aware they were the highest levelled Pokémon she'd ever faced. May dug her heels into the ground, and called her first move.
The battle was intense, even more so than their first, and May found every combination she tried to pull through ended with Marina blocking with a wide, anticipating smirk. It was becoming a bother, and she was losing points as a result. Suddenly, after what felt like a minute of Marina sizing up her new combinations, she switched tactics drastically, and combinations of Smoochum's ice beam and Arcanine's fire spin were catching May off guard, knocking Glaceon critically and leaving Delcatty with only a split second to dodge - she was lucky Delcatty was as fast as she was. May glanced up at Marina, hoping to find some friendly reassurance that the tension was only in the battle, and not something unresolved, but found a stern, fixed frown that threw her for a moment.
She's been planning this.
May knew she was naturally gullible and naive, and it was no secret she was open with her friends and struggled to battle them (unless they were Drew, which she lived for). But to have burrowed in close, only to soak up all the information about her battling as possible and throw it back at her in a semi-final was jarring, but May didn't have time to process.
"You seemed to understand the passive aggression in Drew and Harley's match," Marina taunted, her fist clenched tightly. "So I was hoping you'd pick up on mine too."
She was even using fire and ice combinations, which May had used to beat her the first time around. May grunted with the shock of her mistake. She had taken this competitor too lightly, and not noticed the edge to their previous conversations. She had been lulled. It was like Hoenn Grand Festival against Harley all over again, and it made her head ache. Determined not to lose to someone who snuck under her feet like that, May jumped back.
"Delcatty, use heal bell for both you and Glaceon" she ordered quickly. "Refresh yourselves. Then I need you both running. I need you doing the opposite of our normal strategy. I need you moving too fast for her to lock in on you."
"Have you forgotten how fast Arcanine can be?" Marina seemed a little too happy. "Archy, use extreme speed on that Delcatty!"
"Delcatty, counter with sucker punch, quick!" May was getting a little desperate, and it showed, but luckily Delcatty landed her hit, and Archy was knocked back a little, giving May a little more time.
"Marina got under her skin" Drew commented darkly, turning to Solidad with a slightly pained expression. It annoyed him that she'd picked seats directly in front of her parents, but he went along with it without complaining. Solidad nodded.
"Right. This could end pretty badly, Marina knows how May battles by now, and she's not willing to back down. This is a pride match, and Marina looks like she wants to draw blood after Blackthorn." Solidad was leaning forward now, engrossed in the back and forth. "Everything about it is really pointed. It's almost as obvious as when you used assist against Harley."
"We're gonna shut up. Right now." Drew didn't have the patience to have that conversation just yet. "May's new strategy is looking interesting though. She's just not stopping. Her Pokémon won't keep still, their momentum just keeps going."
"I think she's trying to wear Marina down, though that won't work with an arcanine on the field. If she can clear Archy away, she's got a chance."
"You know what I love about this situation?" Marina catcalled, as Delcatty tucked and rolled to dodge a flame burst from Archy. "It's how well the seeding worked out for me, in terms of dramatic irony. Because first, I get to beat you, and prove you lucked out, and then I get to beat your boyfriend, and show that I deserved to be the number one seed."
"You are literally so annoying" May replied gruffly. "No one cares about your weirdly well thought out motivations."
"You're going to lose, May" Marina told her forcefully, while Smoochum charged up another psychic attack. "You're going to lose, and then you're going to cry about it, like you cried about a dweeb using assist."
"Hey, only I get to call him a dweeb!" May suddenly shot back, feeling slightly violated. "Delcatty, keep running. Glaceon, sneak in there with an iron tail on Archy and shut her up!"
"Do you have any idea what they're saying?" Max leant forward to Solidad and Drew, who looked just as baffled as he did. "They're too far away from the microphones."
"I heard the word dweeb" Solidad offered meekly. Drew blinked, not sure how to react. "I think that's all we're going to get. That iron tail hit the mark though, May must be getting pretty furious."
"Getting tense, May from Petalburg? Only twenty seconds left!" Marina trilled, her hands finding her hips. "Alright, Chumee, I need you to slow them down with psychic!"
"Mirror coat, Glaceon, take it head on!" May countered swiftly. Glaceon absorbed the attack seamlessly, blasting it back towards Archy, before continuing to dash around the field, weaving in and out of Delcatty's path. Marina gritted her teeth, Archy taking the big hit uncomfortably.
"Archy, stop them with flame burst, fill the field!" Marina retorted, getting a little sloppy. But Delcatty and Glaceon were difficult to hit, moving targets, and Chumee got caught in the aftershock, embers roasting the small Pokémon. Chumee yelped, surprised, and Archy jumped to attention, apologetic. Marina's points plummeted, and May saw her chance.
"Now, Delcatty, Glaceon, twin Iron Tails!" May ordered, enthused. The speed they'd gained from their constant moving threw them forwards, and in the distraction, they hit their mark with ease, throwing the two higher levelled Pokémon backwards.
And our timer has run out! With a late surge, May from Petalburg has knocked back our home grown champ, Marina! What an amazing upset!
May could barely breathe, the most overwhelming feeling of relief rippling through her chest as she fell to her knees. It had been a draining, terrifying match, one that May would never have forgiven herself if she lost. Delcatty and Glaceon padded across to her, both exhausted, and they collapsed into her lap together, panting slightly.
"Oh guys," she murmured, rubbing their foreheads softly. "You were so perfect. It's done now. You did it."
The waiting room was empty when May got there, but she supposed there was no one left to wait. The last day of battles was coming the next morning, and the only competitors left were her and Drew. He'd be training by now, she imagined. He'd have something up his sleeve for her, and she had to be ready for him. Taking a moment, she sat on the benches, staring blankly at the screens showing little recaps, highlights of her performance, alongside Drew's, so far, and comparing who might make it out at the end. They even had clips from Hoenn and Kanto, and it all made May feel a little sick.
She was in the final. She'd never been in the final before. There was this numbing, painful closeness to the end that left her aching, but she knew it wouldn't have mattered if she won if she hadn't beaten Drew at some point along the way. It wouldn't have counted, in her head. It wouldn't have been real.
"Your battle style is chaotic." The interruption to her thoughts made her jump, and she yelped a little, louder than she wanted to admit. Turning quickly, she saw the last person she'd expected to see. "You've changed tactics with every battle you've had. It's been emotive battling, unstructured and frivolous."
"Well, it got me to the final" May countered softly, standing politely. "You must be very proud of Drew, Mr Hayden."
"I am," he replied deftly, tucking strands of that familiar hair colour behind his ear. "But I'm not here to talk about Drew, I'm here to try and figure you out."
"There isn't much to decode, sir" May returned respectfully, watching her tone. "Drew will be the first to tell you I'm pretty simple."
"I'm sure," he snorted, and she was painfully reminded of her first meeting with Drew, with his derisive and dismissive arrogance which pained her and made her want to prove all those negative assumptions wrong. May found herself grinding her teeth, and had to remind herself to stop. "I felt I should introduce myself, at any rate. My son appears to be fond of you."
"Well, he's been very good to me" May replied honestly, looking away. "And I like to think I've been good to him too."
"Congratulations, on winning your match, May" Mr Hayden seemed tired, but still wary of her. "I'm looking forward to the final tomorrow."
"As am I," she nodded, ducking her head. "Thank you." She didn't lift her head until she was sure he was gone, and then scowled in the direction he'd left.
The Grand Festival: Final
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final of our Grand Festival today! Here we have Drew Hayden, from La Rousse City in Hoenn, facing off against May Mable, from Petalburg City, also in Hoenn! He's known for his legions of fans and cool, calculated battling, and she's known for her title, Princess of Petalburg and her passionate, adaptive style! And of course, they're both known for a rivalry that have seen them face off in two Grand Festivals prior to this! There's no telling the outcome when these two face, so let's see their Pokémon!
"Flygon, Absol, let's go!" Drew called, tossing his pokeballs high, watching her face to see her reaction. It was disbelief, mixed with amusement, and she cracked a smile.
"Blaziken," she began, and he steeled himself, hoping he'd been wrong. "Wartortle." He kicked himself. They both needed to stop being so sentimental. "Take the stage!" In the few moments they had left before the timer began, they both burst into nervous laughter, because it was too perfect, too scripted, and too like the pair of them to want to relive the moment they recognised they were equals at this moment where they had to distinguish that they weren't. The judges seemed confused, and the audience a little baffled, but May actually holding her gut she was laughing so hard, and Drew thought he might have given himself a hernia.
"Jeez May, you'd think we'd planned it" he snorted, hiding his face behind his hands. It wasn't even all that funny, really. There was just so much tension that had built over the past few days, of forcing themselves to focus and ignore the painfully obvious, and it had finally seemed to clear.
"The only way this could be worse is if we had Beautifly and Masquerain using silver wind together," May giggled, her cheeks flushed a bright, shimmering red. "Oh man, we have to battle."
"We have to battle," Drew was still sniggering behind his hands. "Get serious Maple, honestly."
"Well, at least the ice broke!" She chimed, settling, and so did he. Somewhat apologetically, they turned towards the announcer and nodded.
Alright… Alright! The timer, starts, now!
"You shouldn't have a problem beating her," his father told him briskly, sitting by him as he polished his pokeballs nervously. "You have every advantage. You know her too well."
"She knows me pretty well too, Dad" Drew replied, reasonably. "Besides, she's given so many contrasting performances this season, both in quality and in technique. I have no idea what she's going to throw at me."
"You're blinded by your affection for her," his father chastised, walking around the room a little. Drew scowled at him, frustrated. "This is what I meant, when I warned you. I knew she'd throw you off."
"She doesn't throw me off, Dad" Drew replied gruffly, minimising the Pokeball. "If anything, keeping ahead of her became one of my biggest motivations along the way. I love battling her, its how I always thought contest battles should be. And at the end of it, she's the first person who wants to compliment my Pokémon, to encourage me further, and to guess what I'm thinking about it before I can say it. And she's kept be in check. I was pushing Absol too hard, in Kanto, and it wasn't right. And she was the only one who was straight with me. She keeps me on my toes, and you're not going to tell me that's a distraction when she's more of a motivation than you've ever been."
"Absol, counter that blaze kick with razor wind! And Flygon, get on the offensive, use flamethrower!" Drew paused, frowning. "And straight after, I want you right into dragon formation!"
"Now then." Following her match with Marina, May felt weirdly at peace. There was a set amount of outcomes now, and while the thought of losing was an excruciating twinge in her side, there was a feeling of familiarity that came with the thought of battling Drew again like this. It was right, and it was how things were supposed to line up. "Wartortle, I need your aqua tail to work like bubble beam used to, and same goes for your overheat and how it worked with fire spin. I want to update our old party trick…"
"Blaziken, charge up that overheat, and Wartortle, get ready with aqua tail!" May's commands were slick, and Drew half knew what to expect, though a little unsure how the format would translate with the new moves. He called to his Pokémon to go on defence, but even he couldn't have anticipated the power of their revised combination. The furious orb of flames that Blaziken gave off was batted towards him with the power of a swirling aqua tail, twirling like a cage around the powerful fire type attack, giving off that signature crackle of her fire and water fusion.
"So what will you do next?" He asked, sitting silently by his son, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. Drew shrugged. "Will you come home?" Roserade had clearly tired of this conversation, and pottered out of the door unseen.
"I don't know yet, Dad." His words were a little sharper than he'd wanted. "Let's just see how tomorrow ends up first. Come on, I need to eat. Let's go."
"Flygon, no!" The combination had knocked out his dragon type, losing him his aerial advantage, and May knew it, grinning at him stupidly. "Absol, take out Wartortle, use your night slash!"
Wartortle was the first to spot the intruder, and loudly exclaimed to May, tugging on her hand and pointing towards where Roserade was watching them curiously, with a slightly tilted head. May paused, but smiled, and moved towards the familiar Pokémon with a soft touch and a warm look. Roserade cooed up at her pleasantly, having always thought well of her trainer's rival.
"Roserade, hello" May greeted kindly, sitting cross legged in front of her. "I'm really glad to see you, actually. I have a little favour I'd like to ask of you."
"Wartortle, no!" May swore under her breath; she'd lost her advantage. Returning her Wartortle with a warm hum of thanks against the Pokeball, she turned to Blaziken with a flourish. "Right, now we get interesting. Blaziken, use your brick break!"
Drew had finally shaken his father, dropping him off at the hotel after a very small, unappetising meal. He'd had no problem with the food, but as much as he hated to admit it, his stomach was in knots. Roserade was flat out on his bed, snoring a little, which was always an entertaining sight to return to, but then stopped at the sight of something resting atop his bedside table, glowing in a ring of light from the lamp next to it.
It was a perfect rose, not unlike those that Roserade would provide him with to gift to May, with a small scrap of paper next to it, a little crumpled. He dropped his jacket over the end of the bed as he moved to pick it up, rubbing the note between his fingers to smooth it out as he frowned at it.
'It's for your Masquerain, dummy. Good luck tomorrow! I'm really looking forward to our battle. See you on the battlefield, dweeb!'
Absol artfully dodged Blaziken's brick break, and the two were back to square one, facing off with tight focus and vicious tension between the two of them. May had lost her bouncy edge, and was fully driven into the match, a mere minute left on the clock and far too even points. There was a moment of pause between them, where Blaziken was focused entirely on Absol, and Drew was focused completely on May. The drive that seemed to link them together felt supernatural, and May was hit by this deep, powerful desperation to win that soaked her through every pore in her body, filling her stomach with ropes that knotted together in heavy, uncomfortable lumps. She'd never felt it before.
Blaziken seemed to respond to her surge of pain, because he looked back at her, linking every emotion they had together. They were bound. Since the moment that little Torchic had shown her how wonderful Pokémon could be, they had been bound. She didn't need to call out to him, or think, or even gesture, to convey the gratitude she felt. It merely existed between them, two partners stood side by side.
As Blaziken began to glow, so did Absol, and May knew she wasn't alone in her emotive state.
There were screams in the audience, awe and shock as new forms of the two Pokémon stood, eye to eye. Absol had gained lithe wings and a much sharper, stronger blade to contend with, and Blaziken's embers flew behind him like ribbons, celebrating his unquenchable strength as he tested a few kicks. It was unexpected, and unwarranted, and both coordinators shared looks of panic and baffled wonder, but they didn't have long to dwell.
"Blaziken," May cried, reaching forward.
"Absol!" Drew seemed to mimic her body language, twisted towards her with his fist pushed forward.
"Go!"
The two Pokémon collided with each other with terrifying speed and power. They rebounded back, but flew straight back in, like they were attached by elastic bands, and the further away they got, the harder they flew back towards each other, each collision impossible to gauge and judge because they just moved too fast. Every step this new Absol seemed to make, Blaziken matched with fury, but neither seemed anywhere close to breaking when the timer finally buzzed.
The two Pokémon flew back to the sides of their trainers, pausing with a little shortness of breath. May felt her arm twist around her Blaziken as they stared up at the scoreboard, the marks identical and perfectly united. There was a ripple of unrest through the crowds.
We… we seem to have a perfect tie! We'll just have to wait a few moments while the Judges confer, please bear with us.
Even the announcer was lost, drawn to these indestructible specimens of Pokémon that no one could explain. Feeling a strange, exhilarating pounding in her chest, May ran forwards and grabbed the hand of the announcer, asking her to please, just give her a few moments before they give any final confirmation as to who won. Once the announcer had nodded dumbly back at her, May smiled gratefully, moving to the middle of the arena and turning to face her rival. Understanding, Drew moved towards her, stood with his radically altered Absol hovering behind him, as Blaziken did for her.
"No matter who wins," she said softly, wanting them to be words shared between the two of them. "That was, undeniably, the greatest battle I've ever had."
"Without question," Drew nodded, reaching forward to shake her hand. She took it, feeling the last of the breath leave her body, as their hands remained clasped in a sweaty, nervous grip. "That was indescribable. Thank you."
"Thank you," May echoed, before turning to the announcer with a grim, reluctant nod.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce the winner of the Johto Grand Festival is,
"It's gonna be you" May realised with a sharp, painful stab, and Drew watched her face carefully.
Drew Hayden, of La Rousse City!
While the audience erupted, Drew didn't move, his hand still fastened around May's. She was silent, staring at the giant scoreboard that was filled with a face that wasn't hers, and words of victory that were not written for her. She shivered slightly, but turned to face him, watching his blank, curious expression, and with a thudding realisation, she knew it was the face she wore when she had beaten him.
Is this okay?
Pursing her lips, she stared him right in the eye and nodded, firmly. His face cracked, filling with the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen as he broke away from her, embracing his Absol with a kind of abandon she thought impossible for him. Blaziken's claw met her shoulder, gently, and she looked up at her partner as a light faded somewhere, and he returned to the form she was familiar with. Somehow, she didn't question it.
"Come on, Blaziken," May murmured, linking her arm together with his. He puffed a warm breath over her that warmed her to the core. "Nothing left to do here. We have some planning to do."
They walked away silently, two partners stood together.
The Grand Festival: Closing Ceremonies
She hadn't met his eyes when he'd accepted the ribbon cup the next day, and had ducked away demurely as they shone the light to her to congratulate the runner up. Ordinarily, he would have pictured her waving, smiling, and making a huge effort to put across that she was alright with the way things had ended, but she couldn't even manage that, and it left him to stew. Afterwards, he'd checked her dorm room but she'd already left, and he presumed she would have been dragged down to the after party by her family.
But everywhere he looked, it seemed he had just missed her.
When he found her parents, Caroline told him that after she'd forced her into a dress, Solidad came along and whisked her away to dance. But by the time he'd tracked down Solidad, May had apparently gone to speak with Max. After speaking to Max, it became clear she'd already left the party, clearly in a somewhat sombre mood from the anxious look he kept throwing to the door.
So he left for the place he'd really hoped she wouldn't be, which was stood out in the surf, the sun beginning to dip in the horizon, with the streaks of burnt orange sunset streaking towards her in the sky; after a while, the summery hues had become synonymous with her in his mind. Her Beautifly was fluttering around above the surf, and she was training, ordering their signature silver wind to fly up into the darkening sky, filling it with shimmering, glittery gusts that were carried away in the sea breeze. She didn't notice him approach, or at least if she did, she pretended not to.
"I never really liked parties," he told her gruffly, pulling his shoes and socks off neatly and rolling the lining of his suit trousers up to stand with her in the tide. Her dress was very simple, a loosely cut, white, flimsy fabric that pressed against her figure when the wind caught it, leaving it to billow behind her. Her hair seemed untouched, and he imagined she'd fought her mother off fiercely to leave it be.
"Even ones thrown for you?" May replied softly, giving a light, airy laugh. He looked at her, worried. "I'm not sad Drew. Honestly. I'm really, really happy for you."
"You were really great" he tried to begin, but she shook her head, still laughing.
"It was a really good battle, and there's no shame in losing a good battle, remember?" Her words left Drew silent, so they just looked out over the sea for a moment while he tried to think up something new to say.
"Considering you thought you were going to miss the Grand Festival," he commented dryly. "I think you can chalk this year as a win."
"Not quite, I made too many mistakes early on" May replied bluntly, fiercely self-critical. "I know what I need to do next though. I've never known that before. I let everyone else drive my decisions, until now."
"What do you mean?" He looked to her curiously, a little apprehensive of where she was going.
"When I started travelling, I did it to get away from my dad. I didn't even like Pokémon" May admitted with a shrug. "When that changed, and I started entering contests, I just wanted to prove to my dad I was good enough. And then I followed Ash to Kanto because it was the natural progression, and suddenly it became about catching you, and then Solidad. So I followed you to Johto. It was never about me, or about my Pokémon. It was about comparing myself to the milestones I'd seen in everyone else." She turned to him sadly, as though hating the words she was about to say. "I didn't sleep last night, thinking about this Drew. But I left Ash and Brock to learn how to battle independently, but I just fell under you instead. I was so desperate for you to be impressed by me that I forgot why I came here in the first place." A lack of sleep had left her shrewd and humourless, and it cut him sharper than he thought possible.
"But you brought it back, May" Drew said quickly, trying to stop the outcome of the conversation he knew, he just knew was coming. "There's nothing wrong with being influenced by the people around you. You influence me all the time."
"I influence you" she nodded, looking back out into the sea. "I don't stop you from failing a whole season though."
"You weren't failing, you just needed a new direction" Drew argued back, grabbing her wrist in an attempt to get her attention. "May I really need you to look at me because I don't like what you're saying."
"I know" her words were almost lost in the choke of a sob, and he couldn't bear it because suddenly she was crying and he felt himself coming close to it too. "I know, I know exactly how much you hate it. Because I saw it the second you pulled out that assist against Harley, and by now, you have to know that it's the same for me too." He dropped her wrist but brought his fingers to her shoulder, brushing it gently, but she pushed his hand away, still crying. "I've never wanted it this much. I realised during our battle just how much I wanted to win, not to impress my dad, or you, but to win for me, and for the Pokémon who brought me there. My dad knew a little about what happened to Absol, and Blaziken, during our battle." Her words became rambling and a little incoherent, but she knew he would understand them because he always did. "It's called Mega Evolution. Ordinarily, there needs to be these stones or something, but it can happen without them. It's a reaction between a Pokémon and their trainer, of their ultimate bond." May's eyes shimmered with the tears she was trying to blink back, and a gust of wind caught in her hair at the perfect moment that made her glow, and Drew felt his heart crumbling. "So I'm going to Kalos. Apparently, there are researchers there who know more about it. And there are no contests, so there's no reason for you to follow me if I tell you not to. I'm going, and I'll come back when I know I can do all of this without you putting me back together every time I see you."
"I really," he inhaled sharply, trying to control the waver in his voice, "really need you to not do this. I really need you to stay. Or let me come with you."
"But I really need to leave" she replied, miserable, and a fresh bubble of tears trickled down her cheeks. "I need to be the rival you deserve before I can be anything else to you. I need to know I can stand up and say I can match you without you carrying me to the finish line."
"You are so much more than the rival I deserve May, you always have been." He was getting desperate, and it came through in anger, as he pushed away and kicked out at the water, spraying it outwards. It did nothing to calm him. "We were just getting there, May. After all these years, we were really getting there."
"I know." May's whisper was nearly swallowed in the gushes of wind from the ocean, but he heard her. Everything about her voice seemed hollow and defeated, and she could barely look at him without choking on sobs. "That's what makes this so awful." Drew couldn't think how he could convince her, how he could plead or beg any differently that would change her mind, so he settled for not looking at her, listening to the slosh of the water leaving her feet as she returned to the sandy beach, scooping up her shoes and beginning to walk away. He exhaled sharply through his nose, leaving her to pause and turn back to him. In a last, fraying thread of hope, he turned back around to face her.
"I hope you don't think I'm sad because I lost," she said firmly, ticking some stray hair behind her ear with a smile. "Because honestly, I don't think I've ever met someone who deserves the title top coordinator more than you, and it was an honour to be a part of you receiving it. Congratulations, Drew."
She shuffled back towards the city, headed straight for the dorm rooms. Drew couldn't breathe, let alone move, so silently, he watched her potter away.
Goodbye
It was hard to pin down how he felt for longer than a few seconds. In one moment, Drew was dizzy with how elated he was; years of work towards a single goal had gifted him with the title he'd always wanted, the proof his mother was never greater than him, and the satisfaction of knowing he had given his Pokémon the platform to prove the potential they had all mixed together in a swirl in his head that left him a little lightheaded. A moment later, he was filled with the nerves that Solidad had warned him about, the pressure of meeting the expectation that was then thrust upon you, media pressure suddenly everywhere he looked and speculation as to where he'd travel next. He already knew he'd be going to Sinnoh, to see what super contests would be like and for a change of pace, although it was jarring to think May wouldn't be competing alongside him. And then the next moment, all he could think of was May, and her hair in the sea breeze and her tearfully pushing him away, unsure if he'd ever understand. It was bad enough that she was leaving, but it was worse that she'd thought he wouldn't understand, when he had. It was the most astute observation she'd ever made about herself, and it left his chest to sag that he recognised she was doing the right thing for herself. Selfishly, he wished he was wrong. He'd packed up most of his stuff already. Nurse Joy was giving his Pokémon a last check up before he headed for Sinnoh, passing on the option of returning to La Rousse between seasons. He wanted to get straight back into training, anything to distract himself. There was a ferry to Snowpoint City in the next week or so, and he would get that as the time rolled around. For then, he could wander the Whirl Islands and enjoy his last days with May.
He was sat in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, flicking through Coordinator's Weekly's review of his battle. It echoed a little of what May said, about Mega Evolution, and tried to relay the intense, electric atmosphere that passed between them in the battle, but there weren't words that could convey it in his opinion, so he was quick to skim past it.
"Drew" a sad, slightly muted voice caught his attention, and he looked up quickly. Solidad. "I didn't think you'd be here."
"How come?" He frowned, standing awkwardly as she blinked disbelievingly, unsure how to get the words out. "Sol, what's the problem?"
"She left for the port about half an hour ago" Solidad filled in anxiously. "May. I thought you would have met her there. I thought she would have told you."
It was very easy for Drew to pin down how he'd felt in that moment.
He'd never sprinted so hard in his life. He didn't understand why she'd done it, really, like the night before had been a real goodbye, or that she'd given him the chance to make himself clear. He needed the chance to make himself clear. Never in his life had he so desperately wished he'd had Flygon with him, to shoot himself across to the port faster, to even chase after the ferry if he was too late. Kalos. Where was the port in Kalos? Where would the ferry say it was going - he needed to know before he checked the departure boards. It was one of the few regions he knew an embarrassing little about, just that it was nearly half a world away. City names blurred in his head, and none of them even sounded real. The floor wasn't moving underneath him fast enough, the port wasn't coming into view quick enough, he could see a boat and hear the foghorns, somewhere, in the back of his mind, he cursed May for ever joking that they'd been calling out to him because it felt like they were now.
The port waiting room, where the ticket office was, was empty, which Drew took as a bad sign. There was a weird looking city name that claimed to be boarding, so Drew took that as his sign and ignored the ticket officer's yells that he could only go that way if he had a ticket. He didn't know what he expected, as though he'd catch her as she began to step onto the ship, or they would have some romantic, fleeting goodbye as he waved to her from the pier with her waving as she leant over the railings, but he was so pleased that she seemed to be grumpily stuck at the back of a slow moving line which was boarding one at a time, a particularly slow official checking the tickets painstakingly carefully.
"May," he breathed, suddenly aware how out of breath he was. "May." It was the only word he seemed to remember at that point, and she was staring at him and blinking barely concealed surprise, and the other passengers were looking at her questioningly as she hovered from one foot to the other, looking embarrassed.
"I wasn't expecting you to come" she told him softly, a little confused. "Why are you here? You can't convince me to stay."
"I'm not here to convince you of anything" he promised, still panting a little. "I am in way worse shape than I should be. Wow. I need to start jogging or something I think I might be dying."
"I'm sure you're fine." She'd gone from confused to stifling laughter behind her hands, and he knew he'd gotten somewhere at least. "Why are you here?"
"Well you know, foghorns," he shrugged, and she laughed harder. "They just call out to me."
"Drew, I never thought I'd be the one telling you to be serious." She glanced from side to side, still chuckling, but ducked out of the queue and moved to the back, dragging him along with her. "Please," she asked gently, stood near the tip of the pier with him. "Why are you here?"
"If that was goodbye, it was a bullshit goodbye" he told her firmly, and she was a little taken back with his direct words. "I have been trying, basically since I met you, to combine a way of telling you how I felt while retaining dignity but I don't really have time to figure out that compromise right now, so I'm just going to have to tell you and I'm humiliated because I really prefer for people to think I don't have emotions and I'm just devilishly handsome and cool, and without any vulnerabilities."
"Well your secret is safe with me," May mumbled meekly.
"But that's just it, isn't it" he continued, barely hearing her. "You are my vulnerability. You are the weakness. You're the distraction my Dad warned me about."
"Well I'm sorry," she retorted, her voice strained. "Maybe with me gone you can get past that."
"I don't ever," he cupped her face, dying to make her understand, "ever, want to get past that. I need you to tell me you'll come back."
"Come back where?" May blinked, her eyes watering. He shrugged.
"Wherever," Drew laughed, feeling sick. "Literally, wherever. Hell, I'll come find you. Just come back."
"I will." Her voice had faded to a faint whisper, letting her face rest in his hands. "I swear I will. I need to beat you next time."
"Damn right you do" Drew replied, his voice a little more forceful than he'd wanted. The line was finally shifting along, and their time was running short. "I was being really selfish last night. I think if this is what you need to do then that's okay, and I'm going to hate it but that's okay, I guess. It has to be and it'll be really good for you."
"I really want to kiss you goodbye," May mumbled, almost shy of him hearing her. "I really do. But if I do that I won't leave."
"Please, please don't say that when I'm trying really hard to make sure you get on the ferry." He glanced up, and the ticket officer gave them a pointed look. "Arceus, you're really going."
"Yeah," she was crying again, and he didn't think he'd ever get used to the sight. "I am."
"You know where to find me. You have my number. You have everyone's number. I… I need you to tell me if you change your mind at any point and I need to stop waiting because I won't otherwise."
"I won't change my mind" she assured him, and big, bulbous tears were falling in fat, hot drop between them. "I won't."
"When am I gonna bump into you next?" He asked teasingly, a vain last effort to make her laugh, and it worked, and she smiled. It was like they'd both memorised every conversation they'd had.
"When I stay on the mainland, for one thing" she giggled back, sniffing a little. "But I'll see you. Soon." She threw her arms around him, more sure and confidently than she had on his birthday, and he gripped her tight. "It will be soon." May pulled away anxiously, and she was the last passenger on the pier. Drew let go, pained. He couldn't look as she had her ticket checked, or started walking up the ramp, but he forced himself to watch the ship start moving, and to watch her lean out over the railings, waving to him.
"I never told you," he yelled, hopeful she could hear him over the foghorns. "They were never for Beautifly!"
"I'm not that stupid, you dweeb." May's response came in a burst of laughter as she threw her arms in the air, waving for as long as she could manage, before all that was left was a vague outline of May climbing onto the railings of the ship, stood leaning out over the sea slightly, embracing the salt spray and the breeze that caught her hair. Her left hand was balanced neatly atop her head as she held her well worn bandana in place. The green suited her, he thought. Green matched her eyes nicely.