Hi guys! This chapter will be about Ash's gym battle with Wake and then it will lead onto the pokemon contest in the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon


Chapter 3 – Sleepless Nights


After Ash and Misty's battle, the gang went to have dinner and retired to their rooms. The boys were all in one room and the girls were all in the other. At first, the boys found it difficult to sleep because the girls were giggling and laughing from next door, but when they finally went to bed, the boys did too. All except for Ash that is.

'Wake's floatzel is one tough pokemon. Gotta remember that. But then again, his quagsire can deal with grass types, so we've gotta stay sharp. Although, his gyarados is really strong too.' Ash thought as he kept thinking about everything from his previous gym battle with Wake.

"Aaaagh! What do I do!?" Ash screamed, frustrated. All the boys woke up, upon hearing Ash scream.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Brock asked, half asleep.

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep. Sorry for waking you all up. I'm going to take a walk, you all go back to sleep." Ash told them.

"Okay then." Brock said as he and the other boys went back to sleep. Ash got changed out of his pyjamas and into his day clothes. He was just about to leave the room when…

"Pika Pi?" 'Where are you going?' Pikachu asked.

"I'm just going for a walk to clear my head. Wanna tag along?" Ash asked.

"Pi." 'Yes.' Pikachu said as it nodded its head and jumped off the bed. It scampered over to Ash and jumped up as it perched itself on Ash's shoulder. Ash silently closed the door behind him as he walked down the corridor and out of the pokemon center doors. Ash and Pikachu sat down in the middle of the battlefield and looked up at the sky.

"Tomorrow's our first gym battle of our new journey, Pikachu." Ash said. "We may have gotten stronger over the years, but I'm sure Wake has too which means we can't afford to let our guard down. Let's win our battle tomorrow, Pikachu!" Ash cried, determined.

"Pika!" 'Yeah!' Pikachu replied, fist clenched. Ash and Pikachu remained silent and saw a star fly past.

"Look, Pikachu! A shooting star! Let's make a wish." Ash said.

"Pi." 'Okay.' Pikachu responded.

"I wish for this journey to be full of fun and happiness. I hope that we all grow together and become one step closer to fulfilling our dreams." Ash wished. Pikachu nodded in agreement with Ash's wish.

"Come on, buddy. Time to go back to bed. We've got a gym battle in the morning." Ash reminded Pikachu as they headed back to bed.


The next morning, Ash woke up feeling full of energy and raring to go. He hurried everyone up and ate at the speed of light before rushing off to the gym.

"Ash, what's your problem? The gym isn't going anywhere you know." Misty told him.

"I know that, Misty, but haven't you ever been so pumped that you just have to get there as fast as you can."

"I know I have!" May cut in.

"Where was that? The noodle shop?" Drew teased.

*whack*

"Ow! Come on!" Drew complained.

"Number 2 and implied number 4," Misty replied, in a sing song voice.

"Sorry, May." Drew grumbled.

"That's okay." May accepted as she gave Misty a hi-five. Ash walked up to the gym doors and knocked three times.

"Hello? Is anybody there? I'm here for a gym battle." Ash called.

"Enter challenger!" Someone bellowed as the doors opened to reveal a huge man with no shirt, blue trousers and orange boots, and blue lines across his face.

"Whoa, he's huge!" Max whispered to Brock.

"That's exactly what we thought the first time Ash, Dawn and I met him." Brock replied.

"Ash! How nice to see you." Wake greeted.

"Hi there, Wake! It's good to be back in Pastoria City again." Ash responded.

"So, are you here for a gym battle?" Wake asked.

"Yep. I've decided to enter the Sinnoh League again, but I've brought more of my friends with me this time." Ash told him as he introduced each of his friends to Wake.

"Well, then. Shall we get started?" Wake asked.

"You bet!" Ash replied, pumped. Ash followed Wake to the battle field while the others went to go sit in the stands. However, Dawn headed to the bathroom.

"Dawn, where are you going?" May asked.

"Nowhere. I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back!" Dawn answered as she rushed off to the bathroom. May watched her go and had a curious look on face as she went to sit in the stands.


As Ash, Wake and the referee took their places on the battlefield, Dawn went to the stands to find the others. Kenny saw Dawn come in and as soon as he saw her his eyes bulged and his jaw literally fell to the floor. Dawn was wearing a dark pink sleeveless top with a white and blue V-shape pattern on the top. She also wore a dark pink and white skirt that went down to mid-thigh, white socks that ended just below the knee and light pink and white trainers. She was also holding two light pink pom-poms and Piplup and Buneary were wearing similar clothing.

"Kenny. Kenny!" Drew shouted. Kenny remained in a daze, so Drew clicked in his face and when that didn't work, he slapped him, hard.

"Ouch!" Kenny yelled as he glared at Drew.

"What? It's not my fault you were drooling all over Dawn." Drew teased. Kenny's eyes widened and he looked away, blushing, making Drew chuckle.

"Dawn, why are you wearing that?" Misty asked.

"Oh, this?" Dawn asked, pointing to her cheerleader outfit. "I always wear this to Ash's gym battles because my pokemon and I like to cheer for him to give him that extra bit of encouragement. Why don't you do it with me?" Dawn suggested.

"You know what, I never thought of doing that. It sounds like fun! Give me a minute." May replied as she ran to the bathroom.

"No way, you'd get me into one of those." Misty stated. Suddenly, May burst in dressed in her cheerleader outfit. She was wearing an emerald green sleeveless crop top with a white V-shape across the top. It showed off her midriff and the emerald green and white skirt she was wearing ended just above mid-thigh, giving her the appearance of longer legs. She also wore light green trainers with white knee-high socks and held two light green pom-poms. Her wartortle was wearing an emerald green sleeveless top with matching emerald green shorts and holding two light green pom-poms and Beautifly was wearing a small emerald green dress and holding a light green pom-pom with its proboscis.

'She looks so hot!' Drew thought as his eyes wandered the entire length of May's body.

"Drew. Drew!" Kenny yelled. He clicked in front of his face, just like Drew did with him, and when it didn't work, Kenny smirked before slapping him around the face.

"Hey!" Drew shouted as he glared at Kenny.

"What? It's not my fault you were drooling all over May." Kenny imitated. Drew growled and looked away, slightly blushing. Drew's masquerain could sense something and appeared out its pokeball. It saw Beautifly and rushed over to her. Masquerain and Beautifly chirped happily together.

"Aww, how cute! Pokemon in love!" Dawn cooed.

"You know what they say. Pokemon take after their trainers." Max said, suggestively, causing both May and Drew to blush furiously.

"Max, you are so gonna get it later!" May screamed, making Max chuckle.

"Alright, May. Let's do this!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Ash, you can do it! Go, go, go! Battle hard and give 'em, a show, show, show!" May and Dawn cheered in unison, along with their pokemon.

"Thanks, you two." Ash thanked them. "After that, we can't let them down. Right, Pikachu," Ash said, determined.

"Pika." 'Right.' Pikachu replied.

"The battle between Ash the challenger and Crasher Wake the gym leader will now get underway. This will be a three on three battle and only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. The match will be over when all of one side's pokemon is unable to battle. Begin!" The referee announced.

"Gyarados, come on out!" Wake ordered. The blue sea dragon pokemon emerged from its pokeball and landed in the water.

"Gya!" Gyarados roared its name.

"Boldore, I choose you!" Ash commanded. The blue rock pokemon appeared from its pokeball and landed on the white platform in front of Ash.

"Bol!" Boldore shouted as it prepared for battle.

"Gyarados, use bite!" Wake ordered.

"Gya!" Gyarados roared as it moved speedily in the water and charged towards Boldore.

"Boldore, use rock blast!" Ash commanded.

"Bol!" Boldore shouted as it launched large rocks at Gyarados. Gyarados was able to dodge them, but got in the way of the last rock which got caught in Gyarados' mouth, catching it off-guard.

"What!?" Wake shouted.

"Alright, Boldore, use flash cannon!" Ash ordered.

"Bol-dore!" Boldore shouted as it released a white beam of energy and struck Gyarados.

"Gya!" Gyarados roared as it fell backwards.

"Gyarados, no!" Wake yelled, worried.

"Finish it with rock smash!" Ash commanded.

"Boldore!" Boldore shouted as the gems on the top of its body glowed orange. As it jumped in the air, the gems on its right leg glowed red as it aimed for Gyarados and came crashing down. However, just as Boldore was about to strike Gyarados, Gyarados purposely moved out of the way and Boldore fell in the water.

"Oh no!" Ash yelled.

"Quick, pick up Boldore using bite!" Wake ordered.

"Gya!" Gyarados roared as it picked up Boldore with its mouth and bit down hard.

"Now, use dragon rage!" Wake ordered.

"Gyaaa!" Gyarados roared as it formed a fire ball in its mouth and shot Boldore out its mouth with it.

"Bol!" Boldore cried as it flew upwards and smashed into the ceiling before it fell back down and crashed into one of the white platforms, with swirls in its eyes.

"Boldore is unable to battle. Gyarados wins!" The referee declared.

"Thanks, Boldore. You battled really well." Ash said as he returned Boldore to its pokeball. 'That Gyarados is definitely a lot stronger than before.' Ash thought.

"Aww, and Ash and Boldore were doing so well." Dawn said, sadly.

"He got too overconfident. It was never going to be that easy." Kenny pointed out.

"Oh yeah, well what do you know?" Dawn retorted. "Go Ash, go Ash, fight, fight, fight! Do it now and do it right!" Dawn chanted. Kenny frowned at Dawn before turning his attention back towards the battlefield. He then proceeded to scowl at Ash. Misty noticed this and smiled to herself as she looked at Dawn.

'Number 5 'He will be jealous of other guys you talk about or may show an interest in' done.' Misty checked off.

"Pikachu, are you ready to go?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" 'Ready!' Pikachu replied.

"Alright, then let's go!" Ash commanded as Pikachu leapt onto the white platform.

"Gyarados, use dragon rage!" Wake ordered.

"Pikachu, use quick attack to dodge!" Ash commanded.

"Pi, Pi, Pi!" Pikachu cried as it jumped from platform to platform using quick attack.

"Now, jump onto Gyarados and use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu cried as it shocked Gyarados with thunderbolt. It didn't seem to do any damage, but then Gyarados started to feel the effects of paralysis.

"What's going on?" May asked.

"That's Pikachu's special ability, static. When Pikachu is hit by a physical attack or uses a physical attack, it can cause the opponent to become paralysed.

"That's quite a handy ability to have." Drew commented.

"Gyarados, shake Pikachu off!" Wake ordered.

"Gya!" Gyarados roared as it moved about to get Pikachu off of it.

"Pikachu, jump high in the air!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as it jumped straight up, off of Gyarados' back.

"Now, somersault all the way back down and use an iron tail/electro ball combination!" Ash commanded.

"Pi-ka, Chu-pi!" Pikachu cried as it somersaulted continuously while its tail glowed white from iron tail. Pikachu then use electro ball and the iron tail broke up the electro ball, causing its tail to become electrified from the scattered bits of electro ball. It then smashed into Gyarados' head with its tail causing it to collapse into the water with swirls in its eyes.

"Gyarados is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!" The referee declared.

"Great work, Gyarados." Wake thanked his pokemon as he returned Gyarados to its pokeball.

"Alright, that was awesome!" Max cheered.

"That was a nice use of a combination move, too. The power of the iron tail and electro ball, combined with the momentum of the somersault made for a super effective move." Brock replied.

"I may be one pokemon down, but you better not get overconfident, Ash." Wake warned.

"Of course not." Ash replied.

"Alright then. Quagsire, come on out!" Wake ordered. The blue amphibious pokemon appeared from its pokeball and landed on the white platform in front of Wake.

"Pikachu, come back for now." Ash called. Pikachu jumped off the white platform and ran back to Ash's side. "Sceptile, I choose you!" Ash commanded. The green reptilian pokemon emerged from its pokeball and stood tall on the white platform in front of Ash.

"Quagsire, use sludge bomb!" Wake ordered.

"Quag!" Quagsire bellowed as it shot out balls of mud towards Sceptile.

"Sceptile, hit them back using pound!"

"Scep!" Sceptile cried as it sent the mud balls flying back using pound. Quagsire was pelleted with its own sludge bomb attack, but it stood strong.

"Quagsire, use ice beam!" Wake ordered.

"Quag-sire!" Quagsire bellowed as it shot out a beam of ice towards Sceptile.

"Sceptile, dodge it using quick attack!" Ash ordered.

"Scep!" Sceptile cried as it jumped from platform to platform using quick attack.

"Wow, look at Sceptile's speed!" Dawn exclaimed, in awe.

"Right. I remember watching Ash train night after night to get Sceptile's speed up. Those two have been through so much together." Max told her.

"Really? How come?" Dawn asked.

"Well, back when Sceptile was still a Grovyle, it fell in love with a Meganium owned by Nurse Joy. However, a tropius was also in love with same Meganium, so Grovyle and Tropius fought it out to win Meganium's heart. Grovyle beat Tropius and even evolved into Sceptile to rescue Meganium when it was captured by Team Rocket. Although, after all that, Meganium chose Tropius over Sceptile. For a long time, Sceptile was too heartbroken to use any of its moves. Ash didn't understand and kept pushing him, until eventually Ash was forced to see things through Sceptile's point of view. They got lost together back on Metallica Island and they bonded. Sceptile realised how much Ash really cared it and when Team Rocket captured Ash it regained the use of its moves in an attempt to rescue him." Max explained.

"Ash is like no-one I've met before. He'd go above and beyond for his pokemon. He really is amazing." Dawn replied. Kenny's frown deepened and Misty giggled silently, seeing this.

'If only he knew.' Misty thought.

"Quagsire, calm down and focus your ice beam before launching!" Wake ordered. Quagsire closed its eyes and tried to work out Sceptile's movements. After pinpointing it, Quagsire suddenly opened its eyes and launched an ice beam at Sceptile. It hit Sceptile and froze some of its tail.

"Come on, Sceptile. I know you're strong enough to shake it off!" Ash encouraged. Sceptile struggled to break free of the ice as it moved about.

'How I am going to get Sceptile out of that ice.' Ash thought.

"Quagsire, use sludge bomb, once more!" Wake ordered. Quagsire launched mud balls at Sceptile.

'That's it!' Ash worked out.

"Sceptile, quick, turn around and let your back face the sludge bomb!" Ash commanded. Sceptile complied with Ash's orders and turned around. The sludge bomb hit Sceptile's tail and broke the ice.

"Alright!" Ash exclaimed.

"What a great strategy. Using his opponents attacks to his advantage." Brock commented.

"Sceptile, use leaf storm!" Ash commanded.

"Scep!" Sceptile cried, launching a tornado of leaves at Quagsire. Quagsire was hit by the leaf storm and caught up in the tornado.

"Sceptile, finish it with solar beam!" Ash commanded.

"Scep-tile!" Sceptile cried as it gathered energy in its tail until it glowed white and released a white beam of light from its mouth.

"Sire!" Quagsire shouted as it got hit in the stomach and smashed into the wall.

"Quagsire, no!" Wake cried. Quagsire collapsed onto the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Quagsire is unable to battle. Sceptile wins!" the referee declared.

"Thanks, Quagsire. You were great." Wake told it as he returned Quagsire to its pokeball.

"Awesome, Sceptile! You take a good rest. Return." Ash called.

"Well, Ash. It seems that I'm down to my last pokemon, but don't think this battle will be a walk in the park." Wake told Ash.

"Don't worry about that. I'm ready for anything you've got!" Ash cried.

"That's the spirit! Floatzel, come on out!" Wake ordered. The orange weasel pokemon appeared from its pokeball and stood proudly on the white platform in front of Wake.

"Pikachu, you ready to go buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" 'You bet!' Pikachu replied.

"Alright, then Pikachu I choose you!" Ash commanded. Pikachu scampered back over to the white platform, ready for battle.

"Floatzel, use razor wind!" Wake ordered.

"Floa!" Floatzel yelled, as its two fins glowed white and it swung them, firing multiple crescent shaped discs at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, hit them back with iron tail!" Ash commanded.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu cried as its tail glowed white and it knocked the razor winds back at Floatzel.

"I'm not falling for that one again. Floatzel, dodge and use ice fang!" Wake ordered.

"Floa!" Floatzel shouted as it jumped up to dodge the razor winds and aimed for Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use iron tail again!" Ash commanded.

'Pika!" Pikachu cried as it used iron tail and flew towards Floatzel.

"Floatzel, catch Pikachu's iron tail in your mouth!" Wake ordered. Floatzel aimed for Pikachu's tail and caught it in its mouth, freezing it with ice fang.

"Aaah!" Ash cried as Pikachu fell back down onto the platform and struggled to move.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu tried to use its attack, but was unable to because of its tail. Ash became frustrated and then remembered when this happened once before.

'That's right. The same thing happened when I battled Burgh back in Castelia City, in Unova. His Leavanny used string shot on Pikachu and stopped its tail from moving which made Pikachu lose balance. I've got to find a way to break that ice.' Ash thought.

"Floatzel, use whirlpool! Wake ordered.

"Floa!" Floatzel shouted as it raised its arms and generated a large whirlpool of water above its head before throwing it at Pikachu.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu cried as it was hit by the whirlpool and was heading straight for the wall behind it.

'I've got it!' Ash thought.

"Pikachu, point your tail towards the wall!" Ash commanded. Pikachu pointed its tail behind it and as it was knocked into the wall, the impact of the whirlpool broke the ice on Pikachu's tail.

"What!?" Wake yelled, confused.

"Pikachu, use electro ball!" Ash commanded.

"Pika Chu-Pi!" Pikachu cried as it formed a large ball of electricity on its tail and shot it at Floatzel.

"Floatzel, counter with whirlpool!" Wake ordered.

"Floa!" Floatzel shouted as it generated another whirlpool and threw it at the electro ball. The impact of the attacks created an explosion and caused smoke to fill the battlefield. When the smoke cleared, Floatzel was gone.

"Pi?" Pikachu whispered as it became confused.

"Don't panic, Pikachu. Try to keep calm and find Floatzel." Ash told it. Pikachu heeded Ash's words and tried to listen out for Floatzel.

"Floatzel, use razor wind!" Wake ordered.

"Floa!" Floatzel shouted as multiple razor winds shot out from beneath and knocked Pikachu backwards.

"Pikachu, use quick attack to get away from Floatzel!" Ash commanded.

"Pi!" Pikachu cried as it jumped from platform and platform, making it difficult for Floatzel to aim properly.

"Floatzel, jump back out of the water and use bulk up!" Wake ordered.

"Sounds to me like he wants to finish this up in the next move." Brock said

"What's bulk up?" May asked.

"It's a move that raises a pokemon's attack and defence." Brock explained.

"Everyone knows that, May." Drew stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, who asked you, Drew!?" May retorted as she shook her pom-pom in Drew's face. He grabbed it from her and threw it back at her with an unamused expression on his face causing May to giggle.

"Floa!" Floatzel shouted as it flexed its arms and its body became surrounded by a magenta aura.

"Floatzel, use whirlpool!" Wake ordered.

"Floa!" Floatzel shouted as it launched a whirlpool of water at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use electro ball!" Ash commanded.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu cried as it release a large ball of electricity towards Floatzel. Once again, the impact caused an explosion and spread smoke around the battlefield. When the smoke cleared, Floatzel was gone, but so was Pikachu.

"Huh?' Wake said, confused.

"You didn't think you could trick me again, did you?" Ash asked. Wake looked at Ash and realised where Pikachu was.

"Floatzel, get out of there quick!" Wake yelled, worried. Floatzel looked around in the water, confused, but then saw Pikachu smirking at it. It became worried and tried to swim away.

"Quick, Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

"Pi-ka-chuuuu!" Pikachu cried as it released a powerful bolt of electricity into the water and electrified the entire water battlefield, shocking Floatzel in the process.

"Floa!" Floatzel screamed in pain. After the attack, Pikachu jumped out of the water and onto the white platform and Floatzel floated back up to the surface, swirls in its eyes.

"Floatzel is unable to battle. Pikachu wins! Which means the victor is Ash from Pallet Town!" The referee declared.

"Yeah! We did it, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as Pikachu jumped into his arms.

"Alright, he did it!" May and Dawn cheered.

"Way to go, Ash!" Misty shouted.

"Thanks, Misty!" Ash shouted back as he gave Misty a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Floatzel. You did me proud." Wake said as he returned Floatzel to its pokeball before walking over to Ash.

"Ash, that Pikachu of yours is quite strong. You've raised it and all your other pokemon well." Wake complimented.

"Thank you, Wake." Ash replied.

"As proof of your win at the Pastoria Gym, I give you, the Fen Badge." Wake said as he presented Ash with his badge. Ash took the badge and looked at it with a smile on his face.

"Alright. I got, the Fen Badge!" Ash exclaimed as he posed with the badge.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered along with Ash.


After Ash's battle, the gang went to the pokemon center to get Ash's pokemon healed.

"Your pokemon are feeling much better now." Nurse Joy informed Ash. Brock went crazy as he clasped both of Nurse Joy's hands and proclaimed his love for her.

"And I'm feeling better now that I've seen you! Our hearts are connected as one- Ow! Not the ear!" Brock cried as Misty tugged on his ear and pull him backwards.

"Not now!" Misty shouted.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Ash thanked her.

"My pleasure." Nurse Joy replied as she walked off to tend to the other pokemon.

"So, where should we head to next?" Max asked. Before anyone could answer, the TV screen in the pokemon center displayed a lady with curly orange hair and blue eyes.

"Hello, all coordinators! It's the start of the contest season once again. I'm your MC of Sinnoh contests, Marian, and I'm here to tell you that our first contest will be held in Hearthome City. It will be a double performance and will start two weeks from now, so you better get going if you want to make it." Marian informed before she was off the screen.

"Hearthome City!" May exclaimed. "Ash has had his gym battle, so now it's our turn for the contest." May said.

"That's fine by me. Plus, I can challenge Fantina while I'm there." Ash replied.

"If she's there of course." Dawn added, giggling.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"Well, the last time we went to Hearthome City, Fantina was gone for a while because she wanted to go on her own journey to grow as a gym leader. She does that whenever she feels like she needs to, so we never know if she's going to be there or not." Ash admitted. Misty nodded in understanding.

"Hearthome City is nearby to Pastoria City, so if we leave tomorrow, then that gives you guys plenty of time to train for the contest." Brock told them.

"I'm going to enter!" Dawn cried.

"Me too!" May exclaimed.

"What about you boys?" Dawn asked. Kenny and Drew looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"I think we'll sit this one out. We'll enter the next one." Kenny replied.

"May, are you sure about this?" Drew asked, concerned. May didn't want to talk about this right now, so she pretended not to hear him.

"Dawn, when we get to Hearthome City, we should go shopping for new outfits for the contest." May told her.

"Ooh! I've actually had a look at some dress styles that I like. Come on, I'll show you!" Dawn responded, excited, as she grabbed May's hand and dragged her to their room.

'I know she heard me.' Drew thought as he frowned slightly. The others went off to their room and prepared to set off the next day.


The next morning, the gang set off on the road towards Hearthome City. Ash, Misty and Brock were talking animatedly about the memories of their journeys together when Ash first became a trainer whilst Kenny and Dawn were explaining to Max how Sinnoh contests differ from Hoenn contests. May and Drew were lagging behind, walking at the back of the group. Drew was keeping an eye on May, but May was deep in thought.

'The contest starts in two weeks. That's not too long away. I need to start training and get back into the game, otherwise I'll never achieve my dream of Top Coordinator.' May thought, seriously. Drew saw the others were busy talking to each other, as they figured out which way to go, so he took his chance to talk to May. He grabbed May's arm and pulled her aside.

"May, are you sure about the contest?" Drew asked, concerned. May was starting to getting a bit irritated by Drew's constant questioning of her abilities.

"Hey Misty! Do you want to come shopping with me and Dawn when we get to Hearthome City?" May asked, ignoring Drew. Misty didn't want to go shopping again, but she didn't want to turn her down and be rude. She hesitated to think of an answer before Ash beat her to it.

"Actually, Misty and I already have plans." Ash cut in.

"Oh, you do?" May questioned.

"Right. I wanted to talk to Misty about water pokemon and why she likes them so much. We haven't spent that much time together, you know." Ash admitted as he swung his arm around Misty's shoulders, making her blush a little.

"That's ok, we understand. Right, May?" Dawn asked.

"Right." May confirmed. 'That's number 7, number 8 and number 9. 'Watch for him taking a previously unexpressed interest in the things that you like', 'Take note of touching and being touched' and 'He may try to talk to you more often'. A triple deal. Nice going, Ash.' May thought.

"Alright, the pokénav says to take a left here, so let's go." Brock told them. They all agreed and continued walking.

"You can't avoid me forever, May." Drew muttered as he caught up with the group.


When they all got to Hearthome City, Max and Brock went to go and buy supplies, Drew and Kenny went off to train, Ash and Misty walked off together and May and Dawn were costume shopping. May and Dawn went to 'Coordinator à la mode' to shop for outfits. Dawn had already picked out her contest dress. It was a rose pink strapless dress that went down to her knees. The bottom half flared out at the hips and the bodice of the dress had an intricate black pattern across the top. She also bought black kitten heels. Now, it was May's turn.

"What about this one?" May asked, trying on a blue Arabian style outfit with long blue trousers, a blue off the shoulder half shirt, blue slippers and a blue bejewelled headband on her head.

"No, May. Arabian style is what you wore when you entered the Wallace Cup in the Sinnoh region before, remember?" Dawn reminded.

"But, I liked that outfit." May replied.

"I liked it too. Back when you were 13!" Dawn pointed out. May sighed and looked around the shop for another outfit. She spotted something that she knew would annoy Dawn, so she quickly took it off the rack and tried it on for a joke.

"How about now?" May asked, trying not giggle. Dawn turned to look at her before her eyes grew wide in shock.

"May! What, is that!?" Dawn cried, horrified.

"What? I kinda like it." May admitted. She was wearing a dark green penguin tailed suit with a white button up shirt and vest, a bright green tie, forest green leather shoes and an emerald green top hat.

"No offense, May, but it looks like Drew threw up all over you." Dawn replied, in disgust. May couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

"I know, I just put it on to see how you'd react. You didn't think I was serious did you?" May asked.

"For a second, I was extremely worried about you. Besides, if you cover yourself up with a suit, how is Drew meant to see your feminine features?" Dawn teased. May felt the heat rising to her cheeks.

"I'm not doing this for him!" May protested as she grabbed a random outfit and stepped into the changing room, once again.

"Right." Dawn responded, unconvinced.

"What do you think?" May asked as she walked out of the changing room, for the third time. Dawn looked up and her eyes sparkled with delight.

"It's perfect!" Dawn exclaimed. "Go look in the mirror, May!" Dawn told her as she dragged May to the mirror. May looked at her reflection and gasped in shock. She was wearing a royal blue sleeveless dress that went down to her mid-thigh and had a silver belt tied around the waist. She was also wearing a pair of sapphire pumps with 3 inch heels.

"Is that me?" May asked, in doubt.

"Yes, May. You look absolutely beautiful and with some accessories and a bit of polishing, you'll look even more stunning." Dawn told her. "Drew might even faint when he sees you in that." Dawn added. May giggled before turning around to look at Dawn.

"Thanks, Dawn. You're the best!" May cried as she hugged Dawn and they jumped up and down together.


Meanwhile, Ash and Misty were hanging out by a lake as they watched their pokemon play around together.

"So, Misty. What is it about water pokemon that makes them your favourite?" Ash asked.

"Well, I've always loved the water since I was a little girl. Living in the gym as a kid, I used to watch my sisters perform their shows, as the sensational sisters, all the time and I envied them." Misty confessed. Ash looked at her with a confused expression. "Not because they were pretty and dressed up all girly, but because they got to swim in the water all the time. Whenever I'm in the water, it relaxes me and I feel free. Until the day I started my pokemon journey, I used to dream about swimming and being one with my pokemon. That was when I decided to become the world's best water pokemon trainer because it meant I could combine my two favourite things – water and pokemon." Misty explained.

"That was really deep, Misty." Ash joked, nudging her with his elbow.

"Haha, very funny." Misty replied, sarcastically. "What about you, Ash?" Misty asked.

"What about me what?" Ash questioned.

"What's your favourite pokemon?" Misty inquired.

"Oh, well, to be honest, I don't have one." Ash admitted.

"You don't?" Misty replied, curious.

"No. You see, I see all pokemon as equals and I love them all the same. I don't think pokemon should be judged based on their looks or how strong they are. If you really care for them, then it shouldn't matter what pokemon they are, as long as you believe in them." Ash told her.

"You're right, Ash." Misty agreed. The two of them sat quietly, revelling in the comfortable silence that had fallen upon them.


That night, Misty and Dawn were in their room, talking about their day.

"I'm telling you, Misty. May looked absolutely gorgeous! She's has so much to show, yet she hides it away. Kinda like you, Misty." Dawn told her.

"Aww, your sweet, Dawn, but dresses and girly things just aren't my thing." Misty replied. Dawn nodded in understanding.

"So, how was your date with Ash?" Dawn asked, suggestively. Misty blushed fiercely at her comment.

"It was not a date!" Misty shouted. "It was just two old friends hanging out together, that's all." Misty stated.

"Whatever you say," Dawn responded, flippantly. Misty was about to protest when they heard a knock at the door. Dawn went to get the door and opened it to see Drew standing there.

"Hi Drew. What's up?" Dawn questioned.

"Is May there?" Drew asked.

"Uh, no. I think she's outside practicing for the contest." Dawn told him.

"Okay, thanks," Drew thanked her as he walked off to find May.

'Number 9 'He may try to talk to you more often', check.' Dawn thought.


Outside the pokemon center, May was practicing her appeal for the Hearthome contest.

"Blaziken, use overheat!" May ordered.

"Blaze!" Blaziken roared as it shot the ball of ice into the air.

"Glaceon, use iron tail!" May ordered.

"Gla!" Glaceon cried as it jumped up and smashed the ball of ice, creating blue fireworks.

"Awesome! Just a few more tweaks and our appeal will be perfect." May told them. They both smiled at May and nodded at her. "You should get some rest. Return." May said as she returned her pokemon to their pokeballs.

"May." Someone called.

'Great. Just what I need.' May thought, recognising the voice. "What do you want, Drew?" May asked, slightly annoyed.

"I want to talk to you." Drew replied, leaning on the door frame.

"No, really?" May responded, sarcastically, before turning to look at him. Drew shook his head as he rolled his eyes and walked up to her.

"Look, I think it's great that you want to compete in contests again, but I don't think you should if you're not ready. What happened with Harley was just a minor setback and I know you can bounce back, May. You know I only worry about you because I care." Drew admitted. May saw the honesty in Drew's eyes and sighed.

"I know that, Drew, but you don't have to worry about me." May told him.

"Well, if you're sure." Drew replied, slightly doubtful.

"I'll be fine!" May responded, happily, smiling brightly. Drew had a skeptical look on his face, but knew May was stubborn and wasn't going to back out, so he nodded and went back inside. When Drew disappeared out of sight, May slumped down onto the bench beside her.

"At least, I hope so…" May whispered.


Hope you enjoyed it! So, what is May hiding and what has Harley got to do with it? The next chapter will begin from the start of the contest. Please R&R!

xBandanaRosesx