A/N: This is a little longer than I planned. Sorry if its boring. The next chapter is where everything starts to come into place.
Chapter two:
Haruka waited by Amity Square for Yuki's arrival. She had asked Shu to join her, however he turned her down, telling her that he'd wanted to train before the contest. Haruka sighed. She was nervous. Although she and Yuki had been together for almost a year, they had never spent more than a few days or a week together. This time, once she saw him, she would probably rarely be without him.
She was beginning to regret not pleading harder for Shu to come with her despite his clear desire not to go. She felt as though he would know just what to say to calm her down, even if he did say it while rolling his eyes and teasing her.
Haruka sat on the bench. She thought back to all the years she'd spent with Yuki. She remembered when he saved her life from that wild Mightyena. That's when she promised herself she'd marry him. Of course, it was only a child's silly idea, but she took it very seriously, just like all of her promises. She knew he had liked her at the time, it was the least she could do to repay him. She really did love him, but over the course of her journey, she'd found herself having feelings for Shu. Even then, however, she never thought of the idea of being with him until the night Saori told her Shu liked her. She had dismissed the idea of Shu actually liking her a few weeks after, but her feelings towards him always seemed to linger.
She remembered the nights where she had convinced herself that she didn't like him; the nights that she stayed up naming all the negative aspects of him: the weird green hair dye he colored his hair, the way he seemed to think of nothing but coordinating, the way he always pointed out her mistakes. But she always seemed to find ways to justify them. Green was the color of grass, his favorite type of pokemon. It was a way to display his connection to his favored type. And he didnt always think about coordinating, he thought about other stuff, too. Like the well being of his friends and his journey. He would always point out her mistakes because he wanted to help her improve. He praised her a lot, too. And yet, even then, she finally managed to convince herself she was over him. Her heart chose Yuki. And it did...until she saw Shu again and would have to start the process all over.
Haruka always thought it was just because she hadn't spent enough time with Yuki. Perhaps any feelings she had for Shu would go away completely once she was reunited with Yuki. Hopefully she was right. She looked up to the sky and saw a green, dinosaur like pokemon. She recognized it immediately: it was Yuki's Tropius. It appeared as though he would still have about five minutes before he'd arrive, however. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. Although worried, she was excited for her boyfriend's arrival.
"What's gotten into you?" a voice came. Haruka turned, finding herself face to face with Shu along with his Sawsbuck and the Arcanine he caught in Johto.
"Shu? I thought you were doing some last minute training." He shrugged.
"We finished early." He stated simply. She smiled. She understood that was just his way of saying that he had come to support her. His eyes roamed the streets. "Where is this guy anyway?" He asked. Haruka pointed to the moving figure in the sky.
"That's him. He's flying in on his Tropius."
"Flashy much?"
"He can be sometimes. I think you two will get along." Shu glared.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She didn't answer. He followed her gaze to Tropius.
"Harukaaaaa!" The man called loudly. He was close enough to see that this man was grinning.
"Yuki!" She called back, excited. Shu scowled. Tropius's wings caused a whirlwind, causing Sawsbuck to grunt in disapproval. Being a grass type, it had low tolerance for flying types, especially ones that were currently causing such a whirlwind. It retreated back behind Arcanine. Shu had no problem understanding Sawsbuck's discomfort. The wild torrent of wind was bothering him as well.
Finally, the Tropius landed. Haruka rushed into the boy's arms.
"Haruka! It's been awhile!" he said, holding her. Shu noticed Yuki's attempt to kiss her, but Haruka pulled away, gesturing towards Shu.
For the first time, Shu finally got a look at the well built boy standing next to Haruka. His shirt hid nothing less than what he assumed Haruka to think was God- like. 'What was he to her?' He thought of himself, as he compared his own body to this strangers. 'A mere mortal?' The only muscle he had was the natural muscle he gained from his travels. He never had time to hit the gym, as this boy clearly did. He was no fighter. He was just some scrawny boy. Even Haruka herself seemed to look almost goddess like, as she stood next to Yuki. Shu's scowl grew as he noticed his red, white, and black clothes. He looked at Haruka.
"Matching outfits?" He said, almost sickened. Haruka blushed.
"Oh, well, Yuki makes my clothes, as well as his own, so..." She trailed off. Shu continued to analyze him: black hair that covered his eyes, covered by an ugly white stocking-like hat, red eyes (clearly contacts), and the palest skin Shu had ever seen.
It occurred to Shu that Yuki was also analyzing him.
"So," Yuki started. "You must be Shu?"
"Yes." He did not want to interact with this boy anymore than required. Yuki seemed pleased.
"Let's battle!" He declared, pulling a pokéball from his bag.
"What?" She was shocked by the nerve of this guy. They only had a five minute meeting, and already he was asking for a rivalry.
"These are your pokemon, right? An Arcanine and a...what's that thing?" At this, Sawsbuck clicked its hoof in anger.
"Thing?" Shu said through his teeth. How dare he call his pokemon a "thing"! He glared at Haruka, nonverbally demanding that she do something with her own "thing". Unfortunately, she didn't seem to get the message, as she was fiddling with her thumbs. He veered his attention back to Yuki. "For a researcher's assistant you seem to know little about the Unova pokemon. This is a-"
"Oh, it's from Unova? I see! You're right, I don't know much about Unova pokemon." he admitted, laughing. Shu was sure his glare should have killed this young man by now. For he had just committed an act he considered of the utmost rudest: he interrupted him. "I have only explored and researched Hoenn, Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh." Yuki walked around the Sawsbuck curiously. "So, this is a Unova pokemon, huh? It doesn't look that strong." Another angry click from Sawsbuck, accompanied by a grunt.
"Excuse me?" Shu seethed. Finally, Haruka seemed to take notice of Shu's anger.
"Well," Yuki started to explain. "I guess I'm just saying I can understand why you turned the battle down. Your pokemon wouldn't be able to handle it." Now Yuki had managed to piss Arcanine off as well, earning a growl. Finally, Haruka, taking notice to the three angry beings, jumped in.
"Yuki, you should know better than anyone that looks aren't always what they seem! Shu's pokemon are strong. They've even won him the ribbon cup once." She informed him. It was too late, however. Shu's anger did not subside.
"You know what? I don't have to take this. I have a contest to be at." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, his pokemon following behind.
Haruka sighed. She'd forgotten how Yuki could be. He never meant any harm, but he never exactly got along with many people, being so sharing of his thoughts. She'd regretted asking Shu to come. She didn't want him angry, especially before the Grand Festival.
Yuki frowned.
"What was his problem? I don't understand." He asked Haruka. Haruka shook her head.
"He's just a little frustrated. The Grand Festival may've worried him." she assured him.
"Yeah...I guess..." Yuki said, as he watched Shu's back. He turned his full attention to Haruka. "So, Haruka, about what we talked about one the pokenav..."
Haruka felt a weight on her shoulders. She didn't want to discuss this. Not now, right before the Grand Festival.
"Yuki, can we talk about this later? The Grand Festival is starting soon and all I want to think about is what I plan to do." Yuki seemed disappointed. She could see he was eager to receive her confirmation of the topic. Nonetheless, he gave in.
"Alright. Later, then. In the meantime, let's get lunch." He suggested.
Shu was outraged. First, Haruka fails to mention she's had a boyfriend for the past year. Next, she tells him that said boyfriend is wanting her to quit contests and he practically sealed her decision. Then, he meets the guy, and finds out he's this super macho model who had the AUDACITY to insult him!
"Sawsbuck..." The deer pokemon called, attempting to get Shu's attention. Shu looked back at his two pokemon, glaring. He looked at them up and down, analyzing them.
"We'll show him..." he promised, before continuing on his way.
By the time Haruka got to the contest hall, the locker room was already crowded. All the contestants were seated at tables, where they awaited their turn. Haruka scanned the room, looking for a familiar face. Two popped up: Harley and Shu. From the looks of it, Shu was not pleased about the situation, his head being buried in his hands. She walked over to them, where Harley seemed to be the first to take notice.
"Well, well, if it isn't my little Lopunny," he said. Shu turned to look at Haruka and gave her a nod of his head. She sat in between the two of them, before giving them a look at.
"You both look nice." she complimented. Shu wore a long sleeved, white, button up shirt, underneath a black vest with gold buttons. He switched out his khakis for black slacks.
Harley flipped his bangs and gave her an arrogant look.
"Well, of course I do. I look absolutely fabulous!" he claimed. Harley had abandoned his hat, keeping his hair in a loose ponytail. He wore a black, ruffled, long sleeved shirt, underneath a burgundy vest and pants to match. Even Haruka couldn't deny, he didn't look half bad.
She herself had decided to keep it simple, wearing only a plain white, sleeveless dress, which stopped mid-thigh. She wondered if she were a little underdressed.
"So, how's it so far?" she asked, turning her attention to the contest stats. They all stared at the performance on the screen.
"Mitsuki's taking a lead so far, with a score of 29.3. Next, is Eiji. He's got a 29.0." Shu informed. "The Grand Festival is gonna be tricky this year." Harley nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure I won't have too much difficulty winning at all, however!" As he bragged, a girl timidly walked up to the group. The three turned towards her; only Harley seemed to know her.
"Oh! How'd your performance go, Hun?" he asked her, gleefully. She looked down in shame. Shu glared at Harley. The two had watched her horrible performance on the screen. Shu had questioned her ability to even make it to the Grand Festival with a display as lousy as that. But seeing her walk up to Harley, the same way Haruka had walked up to him so many years ago, he knew.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I-I'm sorry! I think I had messed something up! And you worked so hard to help me..." she cried. Haruka was catching on, and it was now her turn to glare at the purple haired boy. Harley didn't seem to take any notice, however. He faked a sympathetic look.
"Oh, Darling, it's okay. You'll do better next year, I'm sure of it!" he encouraged. Five more minutes went on like this: the girl's crying and Harley's encouraging. Eventually the girl felt better enough to decide to train, to which Harley agreed. When the girl left, Shu snapped:
"You can't just give other people bad advice, just so you don't have to work in order to make it through." Harley smirked.
"Whatever do you mean? I was simply offering my own advice. That's not against the rules, you know." he defended. Haruka glared.
"Your 'advice' is making other coordinators mess up!"
"Now, now," he said. "It's all in the past, and we have other matters to move onto. The order is alphabetical, and according to this list, 'Nagano' is next." he said, eyeing Shu.
Shu continued to glare for a few seconds, before standing up and beginning to walk towards the stage.
"Break a leg!" Harley called and added "Literally..." in a quieter tone. Haruka ignored him and watched the screen, where already Marian was introducing him.
"And next up, all the way from La Rouse city, Hoenn, Shu Nagano!"
The crowd cheered, awaiting his performance.
"Arcanine! Sawsbuck! Let's go!" he called, throwing his pokéballs in the air. Arcanine and Sawsbuck emerged, each on opposite ends of the stage. Each just as majestic as the other. "Arcanine, use Fire Blast! Sawsbuck, Energy Ball!"
The two pokemon obeyed. The Energy Ball was enveloped by the Fire Blast, causing the two attacks to combine as it floated up to the top.
"Arcanine, use smoke screen!" he demanded. Soon, the entire stage was filled with smoke.
Next to Haruka, Harley laughed.
"What a rookie mistake!" he belittled. Haruka didn't say a word, and instead continued to watch the screen. She knew Shu had something up his sleeve.
"Sawsbuck, use Solarbeam!" From the smoke, emerged a beam of light, which hit the Energy Ball/Fire Blast fusion attack, causing it to explode. As the fire dropped down to the stage, the audience, as well as Haruka, looked down to the pokemon. She gasped. The entire display was a simple diversion. She didn't know how he did it, but Sawsbuck was surrounded by flames, while petals and leaves circled Arcanine. Both seemed to almost be shimmering, as they stood with the pride of a king.
Next to her, Harley rolled his eyes.
"Big deal, so the pokemon glow. Oooh, magical" he mocked. Haruka ignored him, and continued to watch. It was more than that. Watching these pokemon was like watching a famous idol in real life. You couldn't pull away.
The judges seemed impressed. They scored him a 27.8 average. He bowed and walked off of the stage, into the locker rooms.
"Shu!" Haruka called. He glanced her way as she ran towards him. "Shu, that was amazing!" Shu smirked.
"I guess it was, huh?" he replied. Harley wrapped his arm around the two.
"If you think that was great, just wait til you see mine!" he said. The two didn't respond, which seemed to be fine with Harley, as he walked away towards the stage.
"This should be interesting..." Shu mumbled, as the two walked to their seats. Haruka nodded.
"And now," the MC announced. "Put your hands together for Harley Nakamura, from Slateport city, Hoenn!"
Harley came onto the stage offering kisses to the audience.
"Mua! Mua! Thank you, thank you!" With that, he pulled out two pokéballs and tossed them. "Ariados! Houndoom! Come out, my beauties!"
Before the audience emerged a giant spider type creature and a hellhound type dog.
"Spin your web, Ariados!" Harley ordered. Ariados quickly filled the stage with its web, making itself at home, as it strung down.
Haruka felt her eye twitch.
"That's...creepy..." she commented.
As the Ariados fell from its web, Harley issued his next order:
"Will-o-wisp!"
Houndoom let out 3 flames each going off into their own direction. The flame started burning the web in a spiral shaped motion.
"How's that for impressive!" he said. The judges nodded their head in approval, but ultimately award him with a 24.3. "What?!" Harley exclaimed, angrily.
As he stormed into the locker room, he shouted out many things along the lines of
"Doesn't know what they're talking about...I ought a show them what...that'll teach them..."
Haruka shook her head in disappointment. On the other hand, Shu smirked.
"Someone give you bad advice Harley?" he mocked.
"Why, you little!" Harley snapped, through his teeth.
"Anyway!" Shu interrupted, no longer caring for the antics of the purple haired man. He looked at the list. "You'll be going up soon, too, right, Haruka?" Haruka also looked at the list, searching for her name.
"Hm..it looks like Tanaka is 27 appeals away. That's in about 54 minutes." she said.
"Guess well just have to wait then..." Shu stated. Harley glared.
"I can't wait to see what type of appeal Tenta came up with." he said, sarcastically.
Twenty six appeals later, it was Haruka's turn. She was nervous. She'd watched some incredible appeals, all of which made her nervousness worse. Haruka walked up to the stage. It never mattered many times she walked upon the stage grounds, the butterflies she felt in her stomach always came. She pulled out two pokéballs, each inside of capsules, containing the seals Yuki gave her during lunch.
"Blaziken! Glaceon! Stage on!" she called. The two pokemon came out of their pokéballs, a shining display of hearts surrounding them. She wasn't sure how the judges would react to them. The seals didn't match her performance at all, but Yuki had begged her to use them, saying "I want to be a part of your last performance."
"Blaziken! Overheat! Glaceon! Blizzard!" she ordered. "Just as we practiced!"
Blaziken and Glaceon each took their place on opposite ends. Blaziken and Glaceon both seemed in a moment of concentration, when suddenly, a fiery blaze and a snowy ice surrounded them respectively. Their attacks filled the opposite side if the stage, causing a wave-like pattern. The audience was awed by the power of each move, the balance of each side. Glaceon was surrounded by fire, while Blaziken was surrounded by ice. After a few seconds, the power behind the moves slowed down, at the same pace. Soon, the only remnants that the performance had ever taken place were the exhausted pokemon, breathing heavily.
Haruka turned towards the judges.
"A stunning performance...but the seals may not have been your best choice."
Overall, Haruka received a 25.7, a score lower than what it could have been, thanks to the seals she'd used. She returned her pokemon, thanking them, then walked off of the stage, into the locker room. She was greeted with Shu, looking quite disappointed.
"What was that?" he confronted, referring to the seals she'd used.
"Oh, uhm..." She began fiddling with her thumbs. "Yuki gave me some seals, and I thought they'd be kinda-"
"Harukaaaa!"
Shu's shoulders tensed. He watched, as Haruka's attention drifted from himself to Yuki. He turned to meet him as well.
"What are you doing in here." he said, glaring. Yuki grinned.
"I came to see my girlfriend!" he replied. Haruka covered her face with her hands.
"Yuki, I told you to stay in the audience." she said.
"Section E of the pre-contest rules states that anyone who isn't competing in the contest can't be in the locker room, except for emergencies." Shu stated. "It was added last year."
Yuki rolled his eyes.
"Calm down, I'm sure Haruka's not gonna kicked out of the contest because I came to give her something."
"You already lowered her score, what else do you want..." Shu mumbled. Haruka glanced at Shu.
"Do you mind?" she asked. Shu gave a huff and walked away.
He had had enough of this guy. He takes Haruka out of contests, then ruins the last one she'll have. Deep down, he knew this wasn't the main reason he was mad at this Yuki guy. Shu sat down in his seat, next to Harley.
"Who's the hunk over there?" Harley piped up.
"Her boyfriend." Shu revealed, without thinking. Harley seemed interested.
"Ooh, is that so? And you're not pleased?" he asked, greedy for information. He didnt reply, too lost in thought.
Over the years, his crush on her went beyond what he thought it would. Even then, he never imagined it would go as far as to cause his downright hatred of someone. He'd never let something get the best of him in that way, other than coordinating.
He snuck glances at the couple, noting that they did look like the perfect pair. He hated this: Watching how happy she was, just talking to him, even if she wasn't trying to convey that. It was as though even though she tried to look angry, she couldn't. The two joked in a way that seemed as though everything they spoke were some kind of inside joke. Suddenly, Yuki did something that seemed to mock the very being of Shu himself: he pulled out a rose.
Haruka looked at the rose with such shock. She didn't understand why this item coming from Yuki had illicit such a response.
"What is this?" she asked. He chuckled.
"It's a rose, silly." he told her, gesturing for her to take it. She took it from him, but kept it at a distance, as though it were a foreign object, before handing it back.
"Yuki, I don't think I can take this." She told him.
"Huh? Haruka, it's just a flower." he said, attempting to hand it back. She shook her head.
"It's not just a flower..." she explained. She kissed his cheek. "Maybe I'll explain one day."
"Uh...okay, I guess..." he said, confused.
"The judges just introduced Watanabe. That's the last one." she told Yuki. "That means they'll be doing the eliminations soon. Go back to the audience. I'll meet you later."
Yuki nodded. He gave her a quick peck and told her good luck. She watched, as he walked away, throwing the rose away in a nearby trash can.
Shu and Harley had watched the whole thing. As she walked back, the two both looked away, in attempts to avoid suspicion. Still, Shu couldn't help but feel satisfied that she denied the rose from Yuki. He felt hopeful.
"Did you get rid of him?" he asked. She nodded.
"I'm almost positive he'll be back after the eliminations though." she told them.
"So," Harley cut in. "That hunk, huh?" Haruka, as always, simply attempted to ignore him, as the judges decided who had the top scores. She didn't want Harley being involved in her love life, especially given his reputation. The three turned towards the screen.
"There you have it, folks!" Marian announced, pointing above her to the stadium's screen. "The 64 coordinators who will make it to the next round!"
As the camera zoomed in to the screen, Haruka, Harley, and Shu scanned for their picture.
They appeared one at a time. Each time their pictures weren't displayed, they grew even more anxious.
Finally, Shu's picture showed, near the middle. Shu sat back in his seat, and folded his arms, satisfied. He continued to watch for Haruka's picture.
The pictures continued to appear. Each one was like a let down to Haruka. But the pictures were already nearing the end. Could it be she didn't make it? Just as her shoulders began to slump, she finally saw her picture: exactly 7 places from the last; 57th place.
Relief overwhelmed her. She sat back in her seat, her heart pounding, before realization hit her. She looked at Harley, who was staring at the screen in horror. He didn't make it past the first round.
"How...how can this be?" he asked life itself. "I don't understand..." The sight was so depressing, even she felt compelled to comfort him.
"It'll be fine, Harley. There's always next-" Before she got a chance to finish, Harley stormed off, angrily. The duo stared after him.
"We'll," said Shu. "Maybe he'll learn 'Cheaters never win'."
"Tomorrow night," Marian said, on the screen. "There will be a formal coordinator-exclusive party! All contestants and only contestants are invited! For the folks who aren't coordinators and are here to see their friends, no worries to you, because there will be another party, anyone invited, after the Grand Festival!"
Haruka and Shu looked at each other.
"A party, huh?" Shu said. "Sounds interesting." Haruka grinned.
"And it's a formal, too! Will you go?" She asked. He shrugged.
"I don't see why not. We can go together." Shu suggested. Haruka blushed at the thought of the two dancing.
"But what about Yuki?"
"It's coordinators only. He couldn't go anyway." he told her, slightly annoyed that she'd brought him up.
"Okay, then, I guess you and I will go together." she accepted.
"Okay, then." he agreed. With that, he gave her a rose. She stared at it, not expecting it. It had been awhile since she received one from him. She accepted it, and gave him a quick smile before he walked away.
She looked at the rose, twisting it in her fingers.
"It's not just a flower..." She whispered.
A/N: Sorry the actual performances weren't all that great, but seeing as I'm not a coordinator, theres not much I can do there. The next chapter may be where I changed the rating. It's also where the shipping will be more evident. Opinions and heavy criticism welcome.