Hello and welcome to the next episode! Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews. They encouraged me to write and quickly publish this next chapter. I hope you like it!
Last Edit: December 8, 2016
Route 29 was going to be cold, Silver warned, so May wore a red snow jacket and a green scarf over her turtleneck and tights. Silver dressed in a navy trench coat over his black sweater and jeans. His hair looked like a red waterfall coated in sugar, May thought. It was far more creative than her brown hair, which was lamely covered in a white snowcap.
Speaking of sugar, May was craving some. "How far are we from Cherrygrove City now?" she asked.
"Not that far," Silver answered. "We'll be there in about two hours."
The brunette groaned.
"What?"
"I'm craving something sweet," she said. "Do you think we can get some hot chocolate when we get there?"
"Do what you want," Silver grunted. "No one's stopping you."
"Hey!" May barked. "What's your problem? I just want hot chocolate!"
"Then get hot chocolate. You don't need me to hold your hand."
"Okay, that's it," May stopped walking. "If you're going to be like this the whole journey, then I'd rather be alone!"
Silver hissed and turned around. The coordinator's arms were crossed, waiting for him to leave. "Okay, I'm sorry," he apologized. "Why don't I buy you the hot chocolate? Throw in some doughnuts if you want some."
May's eyes brightened, but she quickly regained her angry countenance and puffed. "Okay, but only because it's your treat!"
Silver bit back a groan as May returned to his side. The woman was much too sensitive for his liking. Yes, she was also quick to forgive, but mostly because she wasn't that close to him yet. If he was to stay on her good side, he had to be nice.
May had already forgotten their spat when she gazed at their surroundings. Snow cascaded gently onto the background, coating the area in a thick white blanket. She didn't care how old she was; she was going to build a snowman later. Maybe hit Silver with a couple of snowballs too. The grouch needed to loosen up.
But Cherrygrove City had much less snow than Route 29. It was warmer too due to the beach nearby. But May still wanted that hot chocolate. They were also approaching a small park next to a cafe. May gleefully shooed Silver into the cafe before rushing into the park. Hot chocolate and snowmen at the same place and time? It was too good to be true.
But making a snowman was harder than she thought. She had to build a large ball of snow as a base, that much she knew. It was how to make one that confounded her. She started with a small ball, but it kept crumbling when she rolled it. When she made a bigger ball, it either didn't move or fell apart. May glared at the kids and pokémon making their snowmen with ease. She was a grown woman! If little kids could do it, then surely a twenty-five-year-old like her could do it too.
With that, she crouched to make another snowball. She was about to roll it on the ground when a familiar voice stopped her. And her heart.
"Hello, May," a tall man with ruffled green hair towered her. His emerald eyes glinted at her lowered form, making her blush.
"D-Drew!" May dropped her snowball. "Where did you come from?"
"I was just walking by when I thought I saw you," Drew tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Where are your friends?"
May stiffened. "Uh-umm, I'm," she slowly raised a peace sign, "traveling alone."
Drew's eyes narrowed. "You're alone?"
"Yeah!" she beamed. "Why? Don't think I can handle it?"
Drew frowned. She was lying to him, but why? He was about to ask her himself when he sensed someone approaching them. When he turned to his right, a redheaded man with a paper cup was glaring at him.
"Silver!" May beamed at the man. "And yes! Hot chocolate! Thank you so much!"
As she sipped the beverage her companion handed to her, the redhead cast a suspicious look at Drew. It was reciprocated. "Who are you?" Silver demanded.
"This is Drew!" May introduced before Drew could command the same thing. "Drew, this is Silver!"
The men neither extended a hand nor expressed a greeting. May tensed and stood between them. "H-Hey, what's going on?" she asked. "Have you two met before?"
"Maybe we're all just hungry."
The three turned around to see a salmon-haired woman approaching them. May and Drew's moods immediately lifted, whereas Silver's only plummeted further down.
"Solidad!" May embraced the thirty-four-year-old. "I can't believe you're here!"
"I told you she was going to be in Johto, May," Drew smirked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten."
May retreated and stuck a tongue. Her cheeks had a hint of red nobody noticed. Nobody, except Silver.
"Hello there," Solidad approached the redhead. "I…" she paused. Those black eyes. And that frown…
"Solidad?" May called out. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Oh," Solidad blinked. "I'm sorry. You just remind me of someone I knew."
Silver's glare hardened. Was she referring to who he thought she was referring to?
"My name is Solidad," the older coordinator extended a hand. "I'm a friend of May's."
Silver's patience was wearing thin. He had expected to encounter some of May's friends but wasn't ready for these two. One might know his father, and the other was standing a bit too close to May. Regardless, he met the salmon-haired woman's handshake and shared his name. May was watching him nervously. These fools were obviously close to her, so she wouldn't tolerate any attitude from him. Fortunately, his compliance got her to relax and bring back her cheerful mood.
"Would you guys like to have lunch?" Solidad proposed. "There's a restaurant next to the beach that has a reputation of serving good food."
"That sounds great!" May beamed. "What do you think, Silver?"
Silver forced back a sigh. "Sure."
"Great!" Solidad clapped. "How about you, Drew? Would you like to join us?"
Drew was about to refuse and knew Solidad expected he would. She only asked him out of courtesy, knowing he would only socialize if it was just the two of them. But things were different today. A despicable man was accompanying May, and he was not going to leave her alone with him.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's go."
The ladies were surprised and delighted. Only Silver was upset but didn't show it. Drew seemed to know, however, and shot him a smirk.
Silver's hands balled and shook.
~.~
The journey to the restaurant was awkward. Drew had tried to walk between May and Silver to distance them. But the redhead quickly caught on and pulled May to him, making her squeak and blush. It was Drew's turn to scowl and Silver's to smirk.
May was as red as a tomato. Why was Silver keeping her so close to him? When the group sat at a table, he took the seat beside her so Solidad and Drew had to sit across them. He couldn't be...liking her, could he? How else could she explain this sudden unexpected behavior?
"So," Solidad broke the awkward silence, "how did you two meet?"
Silver bit the inside of his lip and turned to May. May received his silent request and sat up straight.
"We met in New Bark Town," she answered slowly. "He wanted to know about contests so he's...going to watch me compete in this Friday's contest."
She wasn't lying, so her listeners couldn't frame her for dishonesty even if they wanted to. But that didn't stop them from sensing something was off.
"Why can't he just look up what contests are?" Drew suggested. "Why does he have to be with you at all? He can just watch us compete."
"So you're competing this Friday, May?" Solidad interjected. She also wanted to know the story between May and her new companion, but the look Silver was giving Drew made her feel uneasy. It strengthened her association of him with someone she wanted to forget.
"Y-Yeah!" May nodded, grateful Solidad allowed her to change the subject. "Are you competing too?"
"Not in this one," Solidad jerked her head to the right. "But Drew is."
Tension rose when all eyes turned to the green-haired man.
"Oh okay," May gave her rival the best smile she could force. "Guess I'm going to beat you, Drew! I've trained hard since the last time we battled!"
The male coordinator usually scoffed and returned with his own remark. Today, he rose from the table and walked away.
"Drew?" May stood up.
"Drew, where are you going?" Solidad asked.
But the green-haired man was already telling a waiter to cancel his order. He didn't look back before leaving the restaurant.
"Drew!" May went after him.
"No, May, let him go," Solidad caught her arm before she could get far. "I'll talk to him later."
"But what if this is my fault?" May asked. "He did leave after I talked to him."
"It's probably not what you said that offended him," Solidad said. It was what you didn't say, she mentally added. "Don't worry, May. I'll make sure you two are still in good terms by the end of the day."
May sobered and returned to her seat. "Thank you," she said. As much as she wanted to speak to Drew herself, she knew Solidad had a better chance of having a real conversation with him than she did. Drew might be a blunt and direct person, but with her, he was a little more...vague.
As the women continued to converse, Silver remained silent. It allowed him to blend into the background. Fortunately so, because no one caught him smirking where the nosy grasshead had left them.
~.~
Drew was overlooking a dark blue lake when Solidad stood beside him. He tossed a rock into the water. "What do you want?"
"I understand how you can be mad at May, Drew," Solidad said, "but at me too?"
"She's clearly hiding something from us, and you condoned it!" Drew flung another stone. "Why wouldn't I be upset?"
"I'm sorry, Drew. I didn't want to cause conflict in the restaurant," Solidad apologized. "And even if May was hiding something, I'm sure she had good reason to."
"What reason can justify being with that...that fiend!" Drew tossed his last rock. "There's something up about him, and you know that!"
Solidad frowned and crossed her arms. "We can't judge a person by how they seem. After all, we just met him. If May found something she liked about him, then maybe we can too."
"You don't get it," Drew stated. "May isn't stupid, but she's stupidly naive. She's too soft and forgiving, which is how creeps like Harley mess with her again and again."
When Solidad asked him what exactly Harley did, Drew spared her no detail. Her eyes became wider and wider. "That's terrible," she commented. "And she forgives him, after all that?"
"Like I said, she's stupidly naive," Drew reminded. "She sees the good in others but sometimes, that's the only thing she sees. I've saved her time and time again, and she's keeping secrets from me?"
"Everyone has the right to have secrets, Drew," Solidad told him. "After all, you haven't been completely honest with her either."
Drew looked her in the eye. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Come on, Drew," Solidad rolled her eyes. "May may not see it, but I do."
"See what?"
"You care about her," she stated, "but not in the way rivals care for one another. Not how friends care about each other either."
Drew widened his eyes. "Are you saying…"
"What if the secret May is hiding is that she's dating that man?" Solidad suggested. "What would you do?"
She purposely gave him an open question. If Drew was going to lie to her, and he wouldn't, she wanted to see him try.
But Drew wasn't going to try at all, "I gotta go."
Solidad crossed her arms and watched him leave. May was all Drew talked about all these years, but today, she was taboo? No wonder May hadn't accepted his feelings for her. Drew teased and even insulted the brunette, but he couldn't tell her how he felt?
Oh well, the salmon-haired woman thought. What Drew lacked in words, he made up with actions. Silver might seem shady, but he might be the trigger Drew needed to do what he needed to do.
~.~
"I still don't get why he left the restaurant like that," May commented as she and Silver entered an empty field. It was broad and a safe distance from the city, making it the perfect place to practice contest appeals. "I hope I didn't offend him."
"Don't worry about him," Silver said in the gentlest way possible. He withheld the urge to add "he probably left to get the stick out of his ass".
"How can I not worry?" May threw her hands in the air. "He may be one of my toughest rivals, but he's also my friend."
Silver crossed his arms. "Just a friend?"
"Y-Yeah," May blinked. "Why?"
"Does he say the same about you?"
"Well, he," May tapped her pointer fingers together, "never told me, but I assume that's what's happening."
"Really?" Silver prodded. "So he's never done anything that seems even a little romantic?"
"Well, he gives me roses sometimes. Red ones," May's toes curled inside her boots. "But they probably don't mean anything. Sometimes he hands them out while he teases me."
Silver couldn't believe his ears.
"Well anyway, it's time for me to train," May took out a poké ball. What emerged when she tossed and returned it was a small turtle-like creature.
"Squirtle, squirt!" the pokémon chirped. He then looked up and stared at Silver.
"Oh that's right," May addressed the redhead. "We haven't introduced our pokémon to each other, have we?"
"No."
"Well, this is Squirtle," May introduced. "Squirtle, this is Silver. He's going to be traveling with us this season!"
Squirtle blinked at his trainer before blinking at Silver. He didn't know what to make of the redheaded man, who looked a bit intimidating; but if May trusted him, then he would too. "Squirtle, squirt!" he waved.
"We'll meet each other's pokémon later," May proposed, gleeful that someone was approving Silver for once. "Right now, we gotta train. You ready, Squirtle?"
Squirtle pumped his fists. "Squirtle, squirt!"
Silver watched the tiny turtle pokémon create several waves of frozen pillars. Then with Rapid Spin, Squirtle created a fog of sparkling snowflakes. The redhead never bothered to watch a contest before but had heard about the participants turning themselves into a circus. He had heard right.
"Good job, Squirtle!" May commended. "After a few more practices, the judges will give us the highest score, for sure!"
"Squirtle, squirt!"
May grinned before returning him to his poké ball. She then walked to Silver, who had an unreadable expression.
"So," she entwined her hands, "what did you think?"
"It's...different," Silver commented.
May's face fell. "Different how?"
"From gyms."
"Oh," May sighed, almost in relief. "Well we're not that different from gyms, you know? We battle too."
"Really."
"Yup!"
"So your squirtle is going to battle too?"
"Oh, no. Not in this one," May answered. "I'm using my munchlax for the battles."
Silver nodded. "I see."
"I'll introduce you to everyone later," May proposed. "But for now…"
A snowball hit Silver's chest.
"Let's have a battle of our own!"
Silver grimaced and wiped off the snow. "No."
"Come on, Silver!" May urged. "Don't tell me you've never had a snowball fight before!"
Of course not, Silver mentally answered. But before he could speak it, another snowball hit his chest. "Stop it!" he growled.
"Come on, Silver!" the brunette taunted. "Don't tell me you're scared."
Silver opened his mouth, and then barely dodged her next attack. "Okay, that's it."
He packed a ball and launched it at May. He didn't realize where he aimed it until he heard May shriek.
"Hey!" she wiped the crumbling bullet from her face. "You hit me in the face!"
Silver paled. "I'm so—"
But then a snowball hit his face. A sneer stretched across his features as May giggled in excitement.
"You're going to pay for that."
"We'll see!"
As the trainers engaged in a snowball war, somebody watched them from a distance. He had been there since he heard May cry out and immediately came to her rescue. What he saw next surprised him, and then pained him. When the snow battle stopped, and May was laughing while Silver panted with a smirk, the spectator left.
~.~
May was avoiding eye contact. Silver couldn't figure out why until they were at the front desk of their hotel. The blue-eyed woman's reputation in the coordinating world awarded her free lodging by Johto's contest administration. But there was a catch. She was only granted one room, regardless who she was traveling with, and there were no other rooms available.
"So we have to share a room," Silver deduced.
May's face was so red, she almost resembled her blaziken. She couldn't decipher what Silver felt about the situation. If he wasn't happy about it, he didn't show it.
And he really, really wasn't happy about it. The redheaded man wanted his privacy. If he were to sleep in the same room as someone, he didn't want it to be with a person he just met. Whether it was with a man or woman didn't matter. He had slept alone for years and lived with it because he couldn't trust anybody. Nothing in his life gave him a reason to. But May had a pure heart, he remembered. But, he added, that could always change.
"What do you think, Silver?"
The male turned to see May addressing him shyly.
"Are you okay sharing a room with me?" she asked.
Silver sighed through his nose. "It's fine."
May couldn't breathe. She put a hand on the desk counter to steady herself.
Silver accepted the key cards and handed one to her. "Go ahead to the room," he said. "I'm going out for a walk."
May extended a shaky hand to take it. She wanted to say something but was too dizzy to open her mouth.
"Call me if you need anything," Silver added before walking away. He gave May one last look before walking through the exit.
~.~
Cherrygrove City wasn't as active as other urban locations, but it was still noisy and bright. Johto was still the calmest region though, Silver thought. He used to detest that when his parents first dumped him there as a child. Now he was grateful for calmer times like this. They made him forget his worries and allowed his mind to wander.
Then he sensed that someone was watching him. The streets weren't that crowded, so it didn't take long to spot who he was looking for. There was a building with reflective windows across the street. A lamp illuminated a truck parked in front of it, and behind the truck was the grass-headed man he immediately recognized. Idiot, Silver sneered. The walking bush had no idea who he was dealing with.
Silver turned left on a certain avenue. He knew the city well and doubted the other man did too. But the grasshead kept following him anyway, to his amusement. He probably thought he was going to save May by spying on her companion and discovering his evil intentions. No problem, Silver mused. He had played the villain before. He'd play it again.
He went on until he was in the same field May had trained in. He remembered the snowball fight he had with her after, how nice it felt to drop his inhibitions and have fun for once. He didn't know if they were going to have another moment like that but was sure of one thing. Grasshead was going to do whatever it took to take away his chances.
Drew didn't see a point in hiding anymore and hiked visibly behind him. The redhead smirked at his figure back in the city. The coordinator didn't know if Silver was aware of his presence when they were here with May. Whatever the case, he was still bothered to return. Not just because it was the place he saw May have fun with the man but also because it was dim and isolated from the city.
"Why did you stop hiding?" Silver called out. He moved until he was in the middle of the field while his speaker was still near the trees.
"You knew I was following you," Drew marched forward. "Why didn't you confront me?"
"Because you would've put on a show," Silver answered. "Like you do in front of an audience...or May."
Drew growled. "Stay away from her!"
"Or what?" Silver taunted. "You'll defeat me?"
"If that's what it takes," Drew took a poké ball and held it to his chest.
Silver smirked and did the same. "Fine. Let's see what you got."
"Absol, I choose you!"
After a toss of the sphere, the disaster pokémon landed on the terrain. Absol was perfect for this battle, Drew thought. Not only did the pokémon blend with the snow and the night, but he could also see well in the dark.
"Get out here, Feraligatr!" Silver tossed his ball.
The seven-foot big jaw pokémon looked like a giant compared to the 3'11 absol. But neither Absol nor Drew was intimidated. Not even when Feraligatr smirked at them with her large, open mouth.
"Absol, use Razor Wind!" Drew ordered.
"Ab," Absol's horn glowed and launched a long curve of wind, "sol!"
The attack was quicker than Silver expected. The wind landed a direct hit on Feraligatr's chest, sending her back a few feet.
"Feraligatr, use Screech!" Silver commanded.
The giant quickly recovered and launched deafening sound waves. Absol grunted and recoiled, unable to cover his ears.
"Outrage!"
Feraligatr leaped into the screech and chomped into Absol.
"Sol!" Absol cried.
But his agony didn't end there. Feraligatr kept him in her mouth and swung him side to side. Absol hit the ground every time, getting stomped once in a while by Feraligatr's feet.
"Stop!" Drew paled as Absol started to lose consciousness. "STOP!"
When Feraligatr finally let go and stepped back, Absol was knocked out. Drew shakily returned him to his poké ball and collapsed onto the snow.
"Good."
A red beam of light took the big jaw pokémon away so only Silver was standing before Drew. The redhead looked down at his opponent, who was staring at the snow in mindless shock.
"I used to be just like you," he stated, "weak but overconfident."
Drew cocked his head and growled at the offender.
"Consider this your first and final warning," Silver continued. "I won't hurt May. But if you test me again, I will hurt you."
Drew trembled as Silver walked around and away from him. His eyes were sharp and hardened. His haggard breath created a mist in the cold air.
~.~
Silver hoped May was sleeping by the time he returned to the hotel. He arrived after midnight to increase the chances. Fortunately, she was, but not in the state he expected. The lights were on, and she was sleeping on a chair. Silver's eyes widened. Was she...waiting for him?
He had heard of people behaving this way in books and movies but never expected it to happen to him. Then again, he lived on his own most of his life. His guardians didn't allow him to leave the house alone when he was younger. He had to sneak out to leave on his own, so he had hoped no one was waiting for him. But now that he was older and traveling with someone else, he didn't know what to feel.
Silver dug into a pocket of his trench coat and took out his crystal. When he held the gem above May, it glowed a crisp white light. "Still pure," he spoke aloud. "Good."
He pocketed the gem when May started to wake. He watched her eyes adjust to the light before widening at the sight of him.
"Silver!" she squeaked. "Where did you come from?"
"I just got here," Silver told her. "Now sleep on the bed."
"But," May turned to the single queen bed and blushed. "Where are you going to sleep?"
"I'm sleeping on the floor."
May gaped. "But…but…"
"It's fine," Silver affirmed. "Just get a room with two beds instead of one in the next city."
May's expression sobered. "O-Okay." She wasn't going to argue with him. Not just because she knew he wouldn't change his mind, but also because she was too tired to do so.
Silver retrieved the bed sheets and blankets beside the bathroom and laid them on the floor. After May had handed him a pillow, he threw it with his setup and took his bag to the bathroom with him.
May buried herself under the bedsheets and tried to ease her breathing. How long did Silver see her sleeping? Did she drool? Did she snore? Did she say embarrassing things or move too much? The stress was killing her. What if she did any of those things tonight?
She froze when Silver emerged from the bathroom. She held her breath as he turned off the lights and plopped onto his makeshift bed. Only the hum of the room's heater broke through their awkward silence.
This is going to be a long night, they both thought.
~.~
Drew sat at the foot of his bed, lowered his head to his hands, and groaned. The nurses at the pokémon center said Absol wouldn't be ready to check out until tomorrow, late afternoon. The disaster pokémon might be fit and sturdy but wasn't close to prepared when he faced his most recent adversary.
The coordinator lowered his hands and stared at the wall of his hotel room. That redheaded man, Silver. Who exactly was he? He was the most powerful trainer Drew had faced yet, so why hadn't Drew heard of him? It didn't matter if he or she was a gym battler or a coordinator; if one was a strong trainer, there would be word of him or her. So why was there little to no word of the redhead?
"I used to be just like you, weak but overconfident."
Silver's words rang in Drew's head. Weak but overconfident? Drew might have been a bit cocky in his first years of coordinating, but never overconfident. He didn't consider himself weak either, just someone that could always improve. Then again, he had never faced someone that made him feel weak. Like Silver.
"Consider this your first and final warning. I won't hurt May. But if you test me again, I will hurt you."
This line raised more questions than answers for Drew. Wasn't that his line? He was the one with a deep connection with May, so why was Silver threatening him like he was the bad guy? Drew wasn't threatened at all, just confused.
Then he remembered Solidad's words.
"What if the secret May is hiding is that she's dating that man? What would you do?"
Drew couldn't and didn't want to fathom the idea. But the more he assessed the situation, the more plausible it became. But how could May fall for that prick or vice versa? Silver was a cold, ruthless man that probably made more enemies than friends. May, on the other hand, was a sweet, joyful woman that saw the good in everyone. Including her green-eyed rival who patronized her more than anything else. But that was what rivals did, didn't they? They taunted each other to keep the competition alive. But was rivalry all Drew had with May? Did May think so, and that was why she moved on to another man?
Not...that it bothered Drew. May could date who...whoever she…
Drew grunted. He had to find out the truth. If not from his latest competitor, his rival.
And cut! Wow, this episode was intense! Silver is really beating Drew's ass, but will Drew continue to let him beat it? Also, who are you guys rooting for, Silver or Drew? You might be rooting for Silver more because we've known him longer. Then again, this won't be the last we'll see of Drew. How is he going to retaliate against his fiercest rival yet?
Let me know, and I'll see you in the next episode!
