Guess who's back!

This chapter is a little bit longer than the last two, maybe that makes up for the lack of chapter last week.

So far in the poll it's a tie between two of the options so make sure you vote if you haven't already!

To those concerned about the cheeky Drew scene in the last chapter: Please don't be put off by his character. There will be character development and he will change. :p


May woke the next morning with heavy eyes. Her sleep had been patchy- she woke every hour or so. She rolled and tossed in her bed but she couldn't rest. Her brain was active, hundreds of different thoughts swirling around in there. Now she felt like she hadn't slept at all.

It was 8am. Breakfast would be beginning soon, but she did not know if she could face Drew. She dragged herself out of bed, her limbs feeling weak, and slouched over her desk. She picked a pen from the pot on the side and paper from the messy pile.

Ash,

I only just realised we never decided how you would reply to these notes. I did not sleep very well, but I will still make the journey later to see you, if you like. You could always just slip a note under my door- just make sure no one is around, obviously.

May

She couldn't think of much else to write, and so she signed the note and folded it nearly, sticking it in her back pocket. She sat then, pondering whether she should attend breakfast or not. The gym was near the dining hall; there was a good chance someone she knew would see her.

Deciding she would attend breakfast after all, she got herself ready and slowly made her way towards the gym. She found the little corridor he had mentioned right away, and on the right of it was a door. She tried the handle, and it gently creaked open. It was just a closet, with shelves, mostly empty, but some with dusty-looking cleaning equipment. May wondered why it had been neglected. It was only a small room, a few feet wide and not much longer. She left the note in plain sight on the first shelf to her right, and left, thinking no more of it.

When she arrived at the dining hall, it was already quite full. Usually the dining hall was quiet until half 9 or later. Today, there were only a few seats free. Everyone was making such a noise, too. May realised immediately that something must have happened, and people were gathering to gossip. She spotted Dawn with Paul amongst a group and made her way to them, trying to catch snippets of conversation as she passed people but failing.

"What's going on?" she asked immediately when she reached Dawn.

"May! You won't believe it!"

"What, Dawn?"

Dawn paused, her facial expression changing. She looked in distress. Dawn rarely looked anything but happy. "Well… Someone disappeared yesterday. We only just found out now as they were keeping it to themselves but of course their friends noticed and they just announced it… They're missing, as of the night before last."

"Seriously? Do you think they escaped?"

"I did think that, until this morning… Someone else is gone. Not seen since lunch yesterday by any of their friends, they went to check their room and they weren't there…"

A shudder ran down May's spine. She didn't know what to think. Did she believe all of this? If it was true, what were they going to do about it? Was someone kidnapping people? Where were they?

"Someone is most certainly kidnapping people," Paul spoke. "I wouldn't leave the building today. I wouldn't even go anywhere myself, unless you're in your room with the door locked. I'm not even kidding."

May's first thought was that she would stick with Ash, and so she wouldn't be on her own. She quickly remembered that wasn't allowed, and a deep sadness fell upon her. Not being able to communicate with him whenever bothered her greatly for the first time. She wondered who else she could stick around for so long. There weren't many options she fancied.

"I don't think anyone else will disappear," she said, knowing Dawn and Paul would insist she stayed with them. "I think I'll be fine."

"Nonsense." Dawn crossed her arms. "I'll tell Drew he has to look after you."

"No, Dawn, really, please, I'll be okay, I-"

"May, I don't want to find tomorrow that you're the next. Until this blows over I have to know you're safe."

May quickly realised she had to change the subject or manage to leave before Drew arrived. She didn't dislike him, not at all, but she didn't know if she could face him just yet.

"Hey Dawn, I still haven't been to pick a dress for the cont-"

Dawn's face lit up, and Paul's dropped in horror. She grabbed May's arm excitedly and was already dragging her towards the door, breakfast forgotten about.

"It's so close wow, you need to pick a dress quickly! We need to go to Elesa!"

In a moment, they were out the door, Paul just a few feet behind, and they would spend the next two hours picking through different dresses of all sizes, styles and colour.

By 11, she was thinking of Ash again. She wondered whether he had replied to her note. She had picked a dress. It was ruby to match her type, and strapless. It began at her chest, held up by it, and exploded at the waist into a skirt of lace that billowed out in wild frills, making the skirt look like roses. The back was laced up, and the skirt fell all the way to the floor. She was just waiting for Elesa to make some final touches and pack the dress up for her to take it away. She loved the dress, but she was feeling restless. She wanted to get back to her room to check if there had been a note slipped under her door.

When the dress was packed, she left. Luckily, Dawn had forgotten about her needing to be with someone at all times, and let May walk back to her room alone, while she went to play video games with Paul. May didn't think about the danger once while she was alone. It didn't concern her much yet.

When she pushed open the door, it was the first thing she noticed. She lay the dress down gently on her bed and picked it up, unfolding it. It was not as neatly folded as hers had been, and his handwriting was still a little messy, but she smiled.

I heard girls are going missing. I don't think it's a good idea for you to come out. I will see you when this all blows over, promise. I don't want you getting hurt.

Ash.

'I don't want you getting hurt'... May knew he had only written this in politeness and to convince her not to go seeking him, but something about that line made her feel strange. She folded the note back up and proceeded to hang her dress up on a hook on the back of her door. The contest was in just a couple of days now. May wasn't excited for it like Dawn was. She knew Dawn would arrive early that morning to fix May up, help her get her dress on and prep her, just as she did last year when May won.

A knock on her door startled May. She scrambled for the note and shoved it messily under her pillow, and called for the person to enter.

To her surprise, it was only Dawn again. Behind her was someone new, however- someone May did not recognise. Dawn grinned sheepishly.

"May, this is Serena. She cuts hair. I thought it was a good time to cut yours… It's very long at the sides now, and you need some kind of accessory.

May turned to face herself in the mirror. She had neglected her hair since she had won the contest last year. It fell down her shoulders now, where it had once been in a bob that ended before her shoulders. She never wore anything in her hair anymore. It was a bit of a mess.

Serena introduced herself. She was a beautiful blonde, a little taller than May and wearing a pink suit, meaning she was a fairy type. Fairy types were always had a magical feel about them, and Serena was no exception. There seemed to be a glow about her that almost made May jealous. It was as if Serena was radiating peacefulness. May instantly trusted her.

Serena had brought her things with her in a little bag. May spent half an hour in the seat in front of her dressing table, watching Serena transform her hair. Her hair now framed her face, and was shorter, and neater. She looked even more beautiful than before. Serena reached into her bag and pulled out a cherry coloured tie. She slowly reached around and tied it around May's hair, perfecting the bow at the front. Dawn squealed behind her.

"That suits you so much!"

May smiled, a little embarrassed, but didn't turn away from her reflection. She looked so different from just a small change. She decided she would keep the tie instantly.

Serena handed May a bow. It was the same shade of red as her hair tie.

"Wear this with your dress on the day." She smiled. May placed the bow right beside her mirror so she wouldn't forget to wear it. Not that Dawn would let her.

"Thank you so much, Serena. This is amazing."

"Not a problem!" Serena winked and gathered her things. May looked at herself once more, and began to wonder why her first instinct was the wonder what Ash would think about it.

After 2, May left immediately, ignoring the warnings she'd gotten from Dawn and Ash. Her reasoning was that if she left while it was still light, she should be fine, and that she would be back before dark. She took the long way across fields and sports pitches, where people would see her, so there was less chance of her being taken. She did all of this only because she wanted to reduce the chances of people being mad if they saw her out. The problem was, hardly anyone was out, because of the danger. May did start to feel uneasy towards the end of her journey, and began to run, until the lake was in sight. By now, she could see no one but herself. She slowed down only when she reached the water, and headed towards the tall grass where Ash always sat. She could not see if he was there from her position. She prayed he was so she would feel safe.

She jogged past the reeds. When she finally could see where they had sat just yesterday, she saw him lying there. Relief flooded her and she quietly walked towards him. He had his eyes closed. May kicked at the grass a little to check for a reaction. He didn't give one. He was sleeping.

May kneeled by his head and bent her own head over his from behind and began to blow softly on his nose. Just as expected, his nose began to twitch, until his eyes opened groggily. He was greeted by an upside down May grinning at him. He almost jumped out of his skin.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He said, sitting up and rubbing his head. May grinned some more in response. "I knew you wouldn't listen to my warning."

"Sorry." May frowned, still kneeling next to him. "I know it's bad."

"It's fine… Just as long as you're here."

May pushed herself up so she could move closer to him. As she did, she lost her footing, and slipped forward, but felt Ash's arm grab her, supporting her until she regained balance. Then she froze quite suddenly. He was touching her. A water type was touching a fire type. That was the worst of all, according to everyone else, and this was the first contact they'd had.

"Shit. Sorry. I'm sorry." Ash pulled his hand away, looking ashamed. May quickly snapped out of it.

"No, no, it's not that, it's just everyone makes a big deal about it but honestly… it didn't feel any different. It just felt normal."

They sat in silence for a moment, but Ash seemed restless.

"Your hair… it's very nice," he eventually said quietly. "I like it."

May felt her cheeks grow hot from his compliment. She had forgotten all about her new hair in her excitement. She forced herself to stay calm.

"Thank you. Serena did it. It was Dawn's idea, for the contest."

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed suddenly, his jaw open with shock.

"What?" she asked, concerned.

"You won it last year! I remember now! Wow."

May felt her cheeks getting warm again, but this time she didn't understand why. Ash seemed to be mesmerised by her for a moment, or by this new discovery he had made.

"You know 300 people competed in that. That's super impressive."

The fact that May won based on her looks made the conversation strange for her. In a way, he was complimenting her. She wondered whether he meant to compliment her or not.

"Well Dawn has convinced me to compete again this year."

"You'll win."

He said it so calmly, like it was nothing, but it meant a great deal to her. Was he meaning to compliment her like this? She smiled sheepishly and fiddled with her hair tie nervously.

"Hey, can you get that little flame in your hand again?"

Curiously she held out her hand and willed the flame to flicker. Once it did, Ash shuffled closer, watching it. Suddenly, he held out his arm towards the lake, then moved it upwards in a strange way. May watched in awe as a stream of water followed his movement. It was only a small stream, but she had never seen anything like it before. She stared as he directed it towards her hand, and it sprayed onto her fire, putting it out. She clenched her fist, feeling the water in her palm. She found herself smiling like a goof.

"That's impressive!"

Ash laughed. "It's not that great, we've just never seen anything like each other before."

"Show me more!"

They giggled together as Ash created strange patterns on the surface of the water and lifted some up, spraying May with it. Unable to retaliate with her powers, she removed her boots and jumped into the shallow part of the lake, splashing him back by surprise. The two of them played around for the next fifteen minutes like that, forgetting the risk of being seen, until May ran out of the water and he chased her, knocking her to the ground and tickling her. May laughed so loud anyone nearby would have heard her, until she managed to knock him off, and then sat up, exhausted and wet from being in the water.

"Looks like fire and water are equal after all," Ash laughed. It was a joke, May knew, but it was also very true. If they could get along this well, something was wrong with the idea that they had to be enemies.

"I hate that we can't speak to each other except when we're alone. I want to be friends with you."

"We are friends." Ash sat beside her. "We're just as much friends as anyone else here, don't forget that."

May smiled. For a brief moment, Ash put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed to reassure her. May's face warmed again. She cursed herself and turned away.

"I gotta go now," Ash said suddenly. He stood, and offered his hand to her. She took it and he helped her up. "I'm meeting someone soon. I think it's too light for us to walk home together but I'm going to walk where I can see you just in case."

"Thank you. That makes me feel a lot better. You can see me here tomorrow, if you want to."

"I'll most likely be here yeah, but you'll know before then anyway." He smiled, looking down at her. "So you go first. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

May said goodbye and began to walk away from him, aware of his eyes on her. She wasn't sure where he was, but she knew he was watching over her, and so she felt safe enough to walk in the open where it was quiet. She walked only five minutes when she heard someone running towards her and jumped.

"May! There you are!" It was Drew. He was out of breath, and had never looked so scared in his life. "Jesus, May, haven't you heard what's been going on? And you're out here alone? I was so worried about you when you weren't in your room or with Dawn."

"Sorry, Drew," May said, all the time aware that Ash was watching from somewhere. Probably the forest she'd been walking by. "I'm honestly safe though. I promise."

"Paul told me he had told you to stay indoors… Is there a reason you came out anyway, May? What's going on?"

May looked distressed. She loved Drew endlessly, but she didn't like this new side of him she had seen the past week. She didn't hate it, she knew he was only expressing some feelings for her that she hadn't known were present, but she didn't understand it, and she didn't understand how she felt.

"Nothing's going on, Drew."

Drew looked annoyed now, his arms crossed. "Why are you lying to me, May? This isn't like you at all."

"If you think that then maybe you don't know me at all!" May snapped suddenly, tears pricking in the corners of her eyes. Drew was taken aback.

"Maybe I don't want to know this side of you! This lying, secretive side, it's most definitely your worse side. You're changing, and not for the better," he snapped back, and May's bottom lip began to tremble. She turned away and ran for the trees, not really caring where she ended up. Drew had always been her best friend. Her rock. How could he treat her this way? Who was she to turn to now? She heard him following her and stopped in front of a tree. Drew slowed too, approaching her with a sorry look on his face.

"May? May, I'm really sorry… Please come here…"

Just as he reached her and put his arm out to hold her, his arm was pushed away, and Ash was in front of her, his face twisted with anger. May wished she could close her eyes and wake up the next day, without having to deal with this horrible, horrible situation that had just unfolded.

"You don't touch her."

Drew seemed to be too in shock to react. He stared at May over Ash's shoulder and she found herself shrinking behind him, wanting his protection.

"What's going on here?"

"May is my friend, and so I'm protecting her," Ash answered before May could say a word.

"May is my best friend, I don't think there's anything to protect her from, so move along."

"No."

Drew and Ash stared at each other. Neither wanted to back down. May knew she had to say something. May knew which side she supported. It took all her willpower to force herself to say something.

"Drew, please…" she started, "Go."

Drew finally turned to face her instead, and now seemed more hurt than anything. She didn't want to hurt him, but she saw no other way.

"He's a water type, May. What are you doing?" His voice was calm now. It sounded tired, almost drained.

"Types don't make a difference, Drew. People are people. That's something I've learned from talking to him."

"You're going to get yourself in trouble. Come on. I care about you, May."

"I know you do." May smiled slightly, trying to be calm. "That's why you have to do this for me. Don't tell anyone."

Drew seemed to have completely calmed down. He sagged slightly, looking defeated, and backed up away from Ash a little. "Okay. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, you'll see me later."

He turned away from them and walked away, leaving the two of them there.

"Thank you, Ash. I appreciate you helping me, especially when we could have been seen."

"No problem… are you okay now?" he asked. May nodded. "I'll still watch you, but let me go out first, so Drew gets a head start from you."

Ash left her then, and she waited almost a minute to leave herself. She dragged her feet on the grass, thinking about a million things at once. She did want to be Ash's friend, he seemed friendly, but it was very dangerous, and it was not like she had no friends. She sighed, and almost decided to sit down, when she noticed someone run out of the building in her direction, their arms outstretched. May recognised her ginger hair, her blue suit, the red clip she kept in her hair, her beautiful freckles. Misty. She was running towards Ash.

"You're late! I thought maybe you'd gotten into trouble and I was worrying about you, silly." She took his hand in her excitedly and then leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek. May watched on, her heart sinking just a little. So she must be his girlfriend.

As Ash walked away, Misty muttering on endlessly in his ear, he turned back to look at her, and the two of them caught each other's eye. She lowered her head, stuck her hands in her pockets, and began to walk again, and didn't look up again until she was back in her own room, alone.

Two days later, she lay, the exact same way she did that night, in bed in the morning, with her knees drawn up to her chest. It was the day of the contest. Her dress hung there on it's peg. She knew she had to go to breakfast or Dawn would come knocking and make a fuss. Dragging herself out of bed, she grabbed her hair tie, pulled on her suit, and got herself ready to face everyone.

She hadn't been outside in the two days. Another person had been taken, but that wasn't the main reason.

Breakfast passed without much action. Dawn rabbited on about the contest while Drew and Paul ate in silence. Serena watched Dawn in awe. Serena had joined them a few days ago and seemed to come back every day now. May didn't mind; she liked Serena.

When they were finished, Dawn rushed May to her room with Serena following behind. Dawn sat her down in the chair. Serena was instantly behind her, pulling her hair back and brushing it gently with the hairbrush while Dawn put a small amount of makeup on her. Serena brushed May's hair several times and clipped the bow on the side. Some hair still fell down the sides of her face, framing it.

The dress fit her perfectly. When Dawn turned around to see her friend, she squealed with happiness.

"You're going to win! You have to!"

May smiled sheepishly, as Serena was only staring with an open mouth at her. She wasn't used to exposing so much skin, even if it was just her shoulders. It made her feel kind of bare. All the same, she would go out in an hour to the stage and present herself, and then 300 others would come after.

The half hour passed so slow, May wondered if time had stopped. When the time arrived for the contestants to gather backstage, May left, accompanied by Dawn and Serena. Her room was fairly close to the stage, it only took them 5 minutes to walk there. As they started to get close, there was already over a hundred people crowding into the same arena that the battle contestants had been announced in. May's heart began to flutter in her chest, even when Dawn placed her hand on her arm to calm her. Other girls were entering the backstage, so May headed down there. When they reached the door, she turned, and Dawn hugged her so hard she felt as though she'd squeeze the life out of her. Dawn wasn't allowed backstage with everyone else.

"Good luck, May. Don't forget to tell Blaziken to smile." Dawn winked at her and ran back up the stairs they'd come down. As May watched Dawn leave, out the corner of her eye she saw someone familiar.

Ash. He hadn't seen her. He was with Misty. Misty was dressed, with her hair down, in a short blue dress that reached her knees and was also strapless. It was embellished with hundreds of jewels on the upper half, and then exploded into a skater skirt of silk.

May shuddered, and looked away, moving quickly into the room, and turning just in time to miss Misty pulling Ash into a tight hug and planting another kiss on his cheek.

It was warm inside the room with everyone's body heat. People had released their Pokemon, if they were to use them to help their performance. May had held onto Blaziken's pokeball tightly all the way there, and now she threw it up, releasing him. He stretched and yawned, looking as grim as ever, and gave May an approving nod at her dress. May smiled at him, her greatest companion, and desperately tried not to think about Misty. She tried desperately not to think about how much she wished she could have gone to Ash for luck when she saw him there, and how that was forbidden.

May had to remind herself to smile before she went out. She had ended up being one of the last contestants, and had sat for hours watching other girls go out. Some would just walk elegantly, waving; others would make some sort of extravagant entrance with their Pokemon. Misty hadn't been yet. Then they called for May.

Blaziken stood by the entrance to the stage just out of sight with May behind him. When he heard her name, he lifted her onto his shoulder, and she sat, her legs dangling, as he jumped out onto stage. 1900 people were now watching them, and the number repeated itself over and over in May's mind. Still, she carried on. Once Blaziken landed, May leaped off his shoulder, landing neatly in front, and instantly twirled, her hair flying around her. Blaziken took her hand and she lifted her arm. He twirled her around as if they were dancing. May had figured a little dance routine would be something new for people to see. But, as she twirled, she thought of Ash in the crowd. Her heart started to race in a strange way, and she felt her chest beginning to feel light. She strained, focusing on the feeling, and flames erupted around her. Blaziken dropped her hand in surprise and May lifted her own arm, spinning and swirling her hand, making the flames dance around her. She twirled a few times, then brought her hands to her chest and clapped them together, and the flames exploded into sparks around her, lighting the air up. She stood, heaving, totally exhausted and in shock, as the crowd erupted into cheers.

She bowed quickly and rushed back into the backstage area to pass out.

When she woke, Dawn was beside her, holding a damp cloth to her forehead.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake. I was worried about you, you had been burning up a little."

May blinked a few times and noticed she was still backstage, and the majority of the girls were staring at her. "I'm okay."

"May…" Dawn trailed off, looking stupefied. "What you did in there was so amazing. I've never seen anything like that in my life. That was the strongest expression of an element I've ever heard of from any human being."

May rubbed her head, which throbbed slightly. "I really don't know how I did it. What's going on now?"

"You missed the rest of the performances, they're announcing the winner in just a minute. Are you okay to go back out with everyone else?"

"I'm fine," May lied, and stood, trying to get rid of the dizziness before she had to go back out. She almost spoke again when the announcer asked them to all be present on stage. They filed out, all 300 of them, and stood in neat lines across the stage. In front of them all, on a podium, was the blonde, tall lady that owned this place, surrounded by 4 guards.

"First of all…" her voice boomed across the whole arena. "I would like to give my warmest thanks to all of the wonderful ladies that have taken part tonight. All of the performances we have seen were stunning and entertaining."

The crowd cheered again.

"But now, I will announce the 3 top performers, as voted by the judges."

May kept her eyes to the ground, afraid she would look up and make accidental eye contact with Ash, wherever he may be.

"In no particular order… Misty Waterflower!"

Misty stepped out of the crowd of girls and strode forwards to the blonde lady with a grin on her face. The lady shook her hand and Misty stepped up onto the podium. "Next… Valerie Laverre!"

May refused to look up, even to watch Valerie, in her eccentric pink dress, stumble awkwardly to the podium. She closed her eyes now.

"Last but not least… May Maple!"

May opened her eyes, listening to the mountain of cheers for her. In a trance, she automatically moved towards the podium, shook hands with the lady, and took her place besides Valerie. She looked to the right, and made eye contact with Misty, who instantly turned away from her. The blonde lady pulled out an envelope from her black coat's pocket and pried it open. She slipped the note out and unfolded it, briefly reading the name printed on it.

"And the winner this year is…"

May was certain now that Ash was looking at her. She hadn't looked for him, and she didn't try to now, but somehow she could feel his eyes on her. It made her feel vulnerable, yet safe at the same time. She tried not to focus too hard, as she could feel that strange sensation in her chest again.

"May!"

The blonde lady approached her, a ribbon in her hands, and leaned to pin the ribbon on May's chest. May's mind had pushed the cheering away so that she could barely hear it. She thanked the lady and bowed slowly to the crowd, giving a polite wave in all directions. She called Blaziken out, and he stood, grinning proudly. Once had waved too, he scooped her up in his arm and promptly left the arena with her, sensing something was not right. When they got outside, Blaziken didn't stop. He carried her back towards her room as quickly as he could, and set her down on the floor in front of her door.

"Thank you, Blaziken." She called him back inside his pokeball and reached for the door with her other hand. A wave of dizziness hit her, sending her swaying backwards, and she would have hit her head on the wall if Ash had not caught her. He helped her regain her balance, his hands on her waist, and kept his hands on her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes full of nothing but concern. "What you did was amazing but I could tell right away it took the life out of you."

"I think I just need rest, I'm not… used to doing anything like that, obviously…"

Ash kept one hand on her and pushed the door with the other. He would help her, but he would have to be quick, before people began returning after the ceremony finished officially. He walked her to her bed, and helped her inside, despite her still being in her dress. She lay there silently as he pulled her covers over her and stood, watching her for a moment. Her eyes began to drift closed, even as she fought to keep them open.

"I hope you feel better later, May," he said, smiling, just as she drifted off to sleep. Her eyes closed fully. In her half-consciousness, she swore she felt him gently kiss her forehead before he left.


I should have no problem posting the next chapter next Sunday or before so check it out then. :)

Don't forget to let me know if you have any advice/would like to share what you would like to happen with this story. I'm always happy to read what you think.