The Secret of Earth and Sky- Chapter 2: Rising Waters!

With much exhaustion, May arrived at Rustboro City. Panting, she got off and dragged herself to the Pokemon Center nearby. It was already enough exhaustion to catch a Wurmple. She knew she would have trouble beating a rock-type, and she slumped in her chair. Then a familiar woman stood in front of her.

Her sapphire eyes were exactly of the same color as May's, while her navy blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail with several locks of hair dropping in small waves in front of her ears. Around her neck she wore a blue crystal necklace, while her attire consisted of a black vest that looked like a thin overcoat with no sleeves, a white tank top, and a pair of blue denim jeans and a pair of black sneakers. Unlike her younger self, she never wore pink that much anymore.

"You seem tired."

May jumped up at sight of her aunt, and the two came together in an embracing hug.

"Oh, Aunt Dawn, it's really you!"

"I just decided to take a break from those challenges and contests at the moment. Paul and Barry are taking care of those for me right now. I just wanted to see how my niece was doing with her beginning journey. So have you been practicing on that skill I taught you?"

May nodded in excitement.

"I've only caught a Wurmple, and I don't have any other Pokemon, besides Torchic, to beat Roxanne."

"Hmm… I can allow you to borrow certain Pokemon from the PC."

"I can?"

"From your dad's, of course! He just told me that he had some Pokemon in the PC just for you. I've taken them out for you already."

"Let's see what's inside these two Pokeballs."

May tossed the two into the air to reveal a Tropius and a Shiftry. The Grass Dinosaur roared in delight while the Shiftry screeched with happiness. May looked at the two and then looked at Dawn.

"I think I would take Tropius for a while."

"No, no," Dawn shook her head. "You can keep it as part of your party!"

"Really? Thanks, Aunt Dawn!" May hugged her aunt and returned the two Pokemon, handing the Shiftry back to Dawn.

"Silcoon? Never thought of it evolving now, though."

Roxanne looked at her beaten Geodude as Silcoon stood happily at its defeated opponents. Both returned their Pokemon and took out their final Pokeball.

"Go, Nosepass!" Roxanne tossed her Pokeball.

"Go, Tropius! Now, use Magical Leaf!" May commanded her dinosaur.

"Tro-pi-us!"

The rock robot was blown back by a single wave of leaves, utterly punching down its health to almost a single point.

"Now, follow up with Body Slam!"

Okay, now the Nosepass was done for. It just lay there unmoving. Roxanne looked at her opponent in shock.

"So you are as good as Norman!"

"That's what they all say…" May nervously smiled.

"Here is your Badge!" Roxanne happily presented it to May, who gratefully took and put it in its place in the Badge Case.

"Oh! I see Dawn is here as well!" Roxanne spotted her old opponent walking up to May.

"Roxanne! Long time since I've seen you!" Dawn beamed at the Gym Leader as the two shook hands.

Then a man came running into the room. He was panting and he looked at Roxanne with sad eyes.

"A strange guy with a striped shirt and a blue bandanna took my Wingull! I can't do anything now!"

Dawn and Roxanne looked at each other and nodded. May was getting a sign that something was going on. She ran after the two out the door.

"I'm only asking you to give back the Wingull, so be nice."

Dawn looked sternly at the man. He was much taller than her, but everyone knew to back down when Dawn had a tense face. He was everything the man described. Somewhere between very brawny and skinny… Blue bandanna and striped shirt… very much like a sailor. Under the blue bandanna was flaming red hair. But something in the sailor's brown eyes gave some type of recognition when his eyes flitted from the Pokemon Champion to May and her newly evolved Beautifly. Then with annoyance, he looked at Dawn.

"I'll give back the Wingull then! Geez! What's your problem?"

The sailor man backed away from the group, and then ran off from the cave. Dawn returned her Glaceon, and looked at May, who returned her Beautifly.

"Wow, your Beautifly evolved so quickly. Just like my Staraptor when I was in Sinnoh."

"Well, I've got my first Contest Battle here!" May was joyful again. "I thought of a bunch of combinations with Beautifly!"

May looked nervously at her costume before the mirror of the dressing room. It had some sort of an Arabian theme, judging by the two-piece and the long veil she had to wear. Her top consisted of a pink shirt that was short enough to expose her navel. Her skirt was big so she could jump and run, if she had to. She looked at Beautifly and then to her mirror image.

"Ready, May?" Her reflection glanced at her. "Ready!"

Returning Beautifly and adding a Seal on it, she ran out of the dressing room, only to crash into a tuxedo-clad boy. She looked up and gasped. The boy gasped as well. The green hair and eyes was much too recognizable to not be noticed. So were the blue eyes and brown hair.

"Hey!" the two both exclaimed in unison. "You were the one at the laboratory!"

"Don't even try jinxing," May immediately remarked because everyone always did that with her. "I don't believe in it."

"Me neither," the green haired boy helped her up. "Didn't expect you to be in Contests, you know?"

"Of course I don't know what you know!" May was slightly cranky and wanted to battle him right at the spot, but the boy coolly held his hand up.

"Geez, you don't have to be so hotheaded. Besides the Appeals Round is in a minute, so we should get going."

"Roselia, use Petal Dance!"

The waves of petals soared into the air, and the spiraled across the arena. Vivian and the judges looked in amazement. Then the petals stopped and fell down to the audience like confetti as the two bowed before the crowd. Meanwhile May was looking at his performance on the television behind the stage. She knew it would be hard with a person like him. May quickly got up and passing by Drew, felt a sudden brush on her shoulder when she walked by him. With her keen senses, she could hear him mutter, "Good luck, May."

"Beautifly, take the stage!"

"Beau! Beautifly!"

The butterfly Pokemon joyfully raced around the arena. Tossing out a Frisbee, May looked at her Beautifly.

"Hit it with String Shot!"

The butterfly hit the disc with great accuracy while May caught it immediately and tossed out another one.

"Now hit this one with Gust!"

Beautifly obediently nodded and with the force of the wind, turned the direction of the disc back to May, who caught it again.

"Excellent, now Gust again! This time spin around!"

"Beau!"

The butterfly made a tornado in the middle of the arena as it spun. The crowd looked at it in awe while Vivian narrated. Then the butterfly stopped spinning and then turned to its Trainer. The judges commented her with high results. Drew, who was standing right at the edge of the entrance door, wore wide eyes, for he didn't expect a new Coordinator to have such talent. He immediately saw her turn around to leave, so he quickly rushed back to the waiting room hoping that she didn't know that he was watching her.

May walked down the stairs to see Drew sharply turning around the corner. She wanted to run after him, but what was the point? She sat down and sighed while Beautifly rested on her head. She hoped she made it to the next round. Then suddenly a red rose popped in front of her face. She slowly looked up to see the same green haired boy looking down at her with a little smirk, or was it a smile?

"Oh, thank you," May gratefully accepted the rose. Beautifly slightly squeaked at the rose, and then looked at Roselia, which gazed at it. Then the Roselia received a cold stare from the butterfly.

"Actually, it's for Beautifly," Drew lifted his hand to brush the green lock of hair away from his face. "Its performance was great."

"Well, I did train it to do stuff like that-"

"Shhh! The results are in."

The blue screen showed all of the contestants who would proceed to the next round. The first picture was Drew, of course. Then the next five pictures followed, one of them was May's. May jumped in delight, while Beautifly pounced off her head in surprise. Drew smirked again and brushed his hair aside.

"So, I guess we'll be facing off first."

May's celebration stopped short. Her eyes widened in shock, and possibly fear.

"What?!"

Looking up at the screen, she saw her first match. Drew himself. Now that will be amusing, she thought solemnly.

"Our first match today is Drew from La Rousse and May from Petalburg!"

"Come on out!" the two shouted and tossed their Pokeballs simultaneously. Beautifly's eyes viciously narrowed at the sight of the Roselia, which pranced around with grace. May's head was suddenly whirling with commands and ideas, but none would work.

"Um… Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"

The butterfly's Silver Wind blew the walking rosebush (that's what Beautifly called Roselia) back with great force Roselia was having trouble getting up, causing Drew's point bar to quickly steep down to an instant three-quarter. Drew was surprised at this attack as well. Usually Coordinators don't have Pokemon with such strength, but eventually with lots of training, they will get stronger. Something was with this girl, Drew thought.

"Roselia, Aromatherapy!"

Roselia began to glow green and then it was prancing as if it had not been hit at all. May's point bar went down as well, but not enough to exceed Drew's deduction.

"Roselia, use Petal Dance from all sides!"

Beautifly was suddenly trapped in a series of petal rings that were closing in on it. May narrowed her eyes in concentration. If the guy wants to battle, then I will actually battle with my secret weapon.

"Beautifly, use Gust!" to make that tornado again, and the use Silver Wind to direct the petals back at Roselia!

May was not sure if the message came through clearly. She had only been practicing her telepathy to her father's Pokemon at the Gym for a year. Her aunt was accomplished telepath (it was family secret, of course), for all she knew.

Beautifly then twirled to enclose the petals in a twister and with Silver Wind, sent the little tornado hurtling straight at Roselia's face. Drew's point bar was so close from failing now. Drew was becoming much more frustrated by the minute.

BUZZ!

Drew glumly looked to the floor and then to Roselia, nodding at it as a compliment for having battled so hard. Then he turned to May, who was waving at the crowd with flailing arms and her Beautifly dancing in circles. Something was up with that girl, for she didn't ask for Silver Wind at her final attack. He slowly walked off the stage without anyone noticing. Then something caught his arm.

Turning around to face the person who did such an action, he looked in shock to see that May was dragging him to the center stage.

"You did well, too, so you deserve a round of applause," she looked happily at him. Drew suddenly turned a slight shade of red, but May didn't seem to notice it. Facing the crowd and slightly waving, Drew received an excited applause just as great as May's. Then the two walked off the stage for the next match to the finals.

"Beautifly!"

May looked determinedly at the butterfly with great concentration on the TV, and then pointed at the Yanmega. Beautifly quickly responded with Silver Wind in the best way Drew had ever seen, even his Masquerain couldn't have done better. He sighed as he waited in the waiting room until a young woman with navy blue hair pulled back into a ponytail sat beside him.

"She's great isn't she?" Dawn sat gazing at the TV.

"Yeah." Drew answered flatly without thinking about who he was talking to.

"How is Solidad?"

"She's fine," Drew turned to face her, and then widened in shock to see Dawn, one of the finest Master Coordinators in the Pokemon community! "Are… y-you… Dawn?"

"Yes, with great distinction, thanks," Dawn looked at the green haired boy. "My niece is up there on stage."

"Wha-" Drew suddenly chopped his words. "May is your niece?"

"Yep."

"Wow, that certainly explains that great skill she has," Drew looked back at May's face.

"Well, yeah," Dawn looked down sadly. She hadn't told her of the secret, well, not yet, but now wasn't the time, anyway.

"Hey, look! She's won the Finals," Dawn pointed at the screen. May was jumping gleefully, punching her fists in the air while jumping. Dawn quickly rose from her seat to join her niece. Once she's entered the stage to stand beside May, the crowd roared in excitement to see the Coordinator who had been a favorite for so long. Even Vivian was excited.

"Ah, it looks like Dawn came from Sinnoh to join us today!"

The news crew came in to suddenly film May being given the Garden Ribbon from her own aunt. One of the reporters was suddenly talking into her microphone.

"Dawn, one of the only Coordinators to beat Wallace two consecutive times, is here with a new Coordinator named May…"

May received her ribbon from the Pokemon Champion, and began waving to the crowd with a big grin on her face. Then the TV turned off. A woman with a red hood that obstructed her face smirked as she put down the remote. Slowly getting up, she exited the room.