Chapter four! Take the Stage!
Disclaimer: Still don't own pokemon.
Enjoy the chapter!
It was time.
Standing in the shadow of the entryway facing the Johto Festival stage, May felt a thrill of prolonged excitement racing through her veins.
This was it.
She had only a few minutes left before it was her turn on that stage. Reaching inside the green pack balanced at her waist, she picked out Beautifly's pokeball and held it close to her chest.
"Well, I guess this is it Beautifly. The moment of truth."
Her heart thudded painfully in response to those words.
Almost intrinsically, her fingers reached to her neck and sought out the ribbon hanging from its new encrusted gold chain, and May forced herself to concentrate on nothing else but the memories of past contests - mistakes and victories alike.
(Her friends, her family, her pokemon, from failures to triumphs and everything in between...)
(She remembers.)
She would be top coordinator.
And today was the day.
"Now, let's give a big welcome for contestant number 39! It's May, from Petalburg City!"
Lillian Meridian's voice dropped solidly through May's thoughts, rippling the surface of her concentration, and the memories dissipated with a scattering of bright colors. Taking in one last deep breath, May walked valiantly towards the center of the large contest platform, gripping tightly at Beautifly's pokeball.
"May has competed in the Hoenn and Kanto Grand Festivals before this one. She has gotten both top 8 and top 4 respectively in those…"
May couldn't exactly focus on what Lillian was saying. Scanning the crowded stadium in front of her, her wandering eyes found Ash, Dawn and Brock sitting near the top row of the stage. Dawn and some of her pokemon had donned pink cheerleading outfits to support her. Brock had a confident smile on his face, calming and encouraging. And Ash was staring at her intently, mouthing "good luck" as she walked onto the platform. He was standing up, cheering her on.
What great friends I have…I must win this, for them.
Confidence hardened May's blue eyes. Audaciously facing the now-quiet audience, she raised a pokeball high into the air, throwing everything she had, all that she was, into her next words:
(Words that could change a lifetime...)
"All right Beautifly! It's time! Take the stage!"
In a burst of white light, the butterfly pokemon virtualized into view. Rising into the air, it opened its wings, immediately aiming a quick Silver Wind at the ground, showering the stadium with silver sparkles. The deliciously cool wind from the attack brushed past the crowd, and the audience gasped in delight.
May couldn't hear any of them. She was wrapped in her own art, completely immersed in her practiced routine. She raised her arms to the sky, yelling out, "Now Beautifly! Morning Sun into Psychic!"
The butterfly pokemon obeyed, flying gracefully toward the middle of the stage in practiced, measured strokes. Opening its wings to expose its vibrant colors, the tips began to glow with a dazzling light, dispersing inward toward its body. The bright rays reached far out into the stunned audience, kissing the sunlight. Then, Beautifly's eyes started to glow blue, changing the light to a faint indigo as the bug pokemon gave a powerful flap of its wings to lift the sparkles from the Morning Sun into the sky. Then, with a final bell-like shimmer, the sparkles were all surrounded by a blue aura, gathering into a bright sphere in the middle of the stage.
"Finish up with Aerial Ace!" May cried, dancing out of the way so Beautifly could conclude its performance.
The bug pokemon flipped around at once, rearing back for the attack. With a strong gust from its wings, it immediately raced headfirst toward the floating sphere of sparkles. The sphere broke apart upon contact, sending a shower of glittering stars into the crowd. Still surrounded by the shimmering effect of the attack, Beautifly then lowered itself onto May's outstretched hand, ending the performance with an almost proud flutter of its jeweled wings.
The crowd erupted with applause. Ash, Dawn and Brock were cheering the loudest, standing up out of their seats.
"What a wonderful and lovely performance! Thank you May!" Lillian announced. The judges sitting at their stands nodded in agreement. A big red "90" appeared on the billboard above their heads.
May felt a wide smile steal across her already upturned lips - impossibly relieved. Bowing quickly toward the judges, she then threw her arms around her pokemon.
"Thank you so much Beautifly! You were wonderful!" she said, breathless from enthusiasm. The butterfly pokemon happily nudged its trainer, equally pleased.
Eyes still wide and radiant, May then hurried off the stage, waving to the crowd as she departed, emptying the platform for the next coordinator.
"Wow that was absolutely amazing!" Dawn said with extreme admiration, gaze still locked on the remaining sparkles that covered the stage. "May and Beautifly were completely in sync!"
Brock nodded proudly, still clapping. "Her performances get better every time I see them."
Ash didn't speak, staring at May's retreating figure with severe intensity. She had looked so confident out there, posing with her Beautifly in the brilliant glow, surrounded by happiness and joy and light. She was becoming so talented as a coordinator. Ash smiled softly, feeling a sudden rush of pride rise up inside of him. To think that she had started off her journey afraid of Pokemon.
"Yes, she's an amazing person, isn't she?" he murmured thoughtfully, unknowing that he had spoken. Brock and Dawn immediately sent him a strange look, surprised by the warmth in his tone.
(I...)
Ash blushed, blinking away the starry look in his eyes. The clapping had ceased at this point, and he sat down hastily, still unable to look away from the stage, as if May's presence had left an imprint there.
Beautiful…
His own emotion startled him, confused him.
What...?
Nothing was making much sense. Mute to the world, he petted Pikachu's head absently, a little troubled.
May...
"Ash? Hello? ASH! Aren't you coming? We've got to see May!" Dawn asked impatiently once more when she got no answer, waving a hand in front of his face. Both she and Brock had already turned to exit the bleachers.
Ash blinked in surprise, then hurriedly stood up and nodded. He was really out of sorts today. Distracted, more or less.
He glanced back at the stage. Another coordinator had long taken May's place.
(Did I...?)
The feeling was gone now. Strange. Perhaps he had imagined it.
"Right! Let's go guys! We have to congratulate her!"
May was sitting on a bench in the waiting room, feeding a pokeblock to Beautifly when Ash, Brock and Dawn came in. Seeing their arrival, she waved, the lingering smile still bright on her face.
"May! You were great! Your performance was so beautiful!" Dawn immediately gushed as she approached. Piplup, balanced on her head, cheered in agreement.
"I second that," Brock said proudly.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Ash agreed.
May waved off the accolade, face flushed. "Oh, goodness, thank you so much, really...but it's Beautifly who should be getting this praise." She reached over to pet her long-time companion on the head. "And I can't thank you guys enough! Without you, I don't think I would have done as well as I did."
"Don't be silly May," Ash said, the words spilling out before he could stop them. "You are the one who trained your pokemon so well - you would have done well regardless of our involvement..." And you were so beau-
Ash stopped himself, clamping down on his lips before the unfinished thought could materialize into words.
May felt color rise into her cheeks, flustered and surprised. It must be the enthusiasm in the room, contagious as it was, that was throwing all her emotions out of sorts, she decided.
(After all, why else was her heart suddenly singing in her chest...?)
With an infinitesimal jerk of her head, May turned away, perhaps she was just envisioning the faint redness now dusting Ash's skin? and willed her hyper-focused senses to calm. For the sake of finding something else to say, she nodded toward the screen hanging in the front of the room that was broadcasting the stages of the Grand Festival.
"Well, I guess all we can do now is wait for the results," she said, forcibly injecting enough solicitude into her words to shift the subject.
Both Ash and Brock immediately turned to the interface with their usual curiosity, attention averted, catching the last few seconds of another coordinator's entry performance.
The confident smile never left Brock's face. "Don't be nervous May…you'll make the cut no problem," he said as the judges displayed a large '87' onto the screen.
"Yeah, no need to worry!" Dawn chirped in response, grinning.
Ash said nothing, eyes flickering back to May's, gauging her expression.
The rest of the first round passed by swiftly. The group of friends watched performance after performance, paying extra attention to the scores given by the judges.
92.
88.
89.
93.
May bit down on her lip nervously. There were many skilled coordinators here today. Maybe she wasn't going to make the cut after all. There were plenty of people who got higher than a 90 from the judges.
They watched Drew's, Harley's and Solidad's performances whisk by as well. All three of them tied with a score of 91.
Finally, the last coordinator finished his performance, ending with an 86.
"Well now, that concludes our first round of the Johto Grand Festival everyone! What a wonderful array of pokemon we have seen today!" Lillian announced to the anxious audience as the stage emptied and the judges cleared their panels for the announcement of final scores.
"Now, it's the moment where the judges will tally up all their scores! Out of the 65 who competed today, only 30 will advance to tomorrow's round. Now, if you please, take a look at our scoreboard!"
May's heart started to race, her hands clenched into fists.
Photos of the successful coordinators started to appear on the monitor. Dawn, Ash and Brock had their eyes glued to the screen tensely, watching the results.
10 trainers on the board, 20 to go. May's picture was not seen.
23 down, 7 left to go. Still no sign of the brown haired coordinator.
May stopped breathing.
Then, suddenly, at number 25, May's picture appeared, staring back innocently from the scoreboard.
Oh thank goodness...
"Way to go May!" Dawn cheered immediately, giving her a high five. May breathed out a sigh of relief, now overjoyed by the fact that she was indeed moving on to the second round.
"Never doubted you for a second," Ash disclosed brazenly, and Brock nodded in agreement.
It was a joyous moment, though small as it was. The atmosphere in the waiting room was vibrating with relief and sadness and anxiety – still overwhelming though it was subdued.
There was movement from the opposite corner of the room, and May recognized Drew and Solidad emerge from the crowd of other coordinators, walking over to her bench with what she hoped were well-wishes.
Solidad at least looked content, her hand thrust out to May's as she drew closer to them.
"Nice work out there," the older coordinator greeted as she reached the group, other hand resting lightly on her hip. Drew folded his arms from behind her, nodding in an unseen, silent agreement.
May took Solidad's hand in thanks, her smile at ease. "Oh, thanks, you did well too! I'm so glad I made it…"
She swallowed and laid her hands neatly in her lap. "Anyway, all of you looked so strong with your pokemon out there…though it's so interesting - I can't believe you tied with Drew and Harley this time around-"
Not surprisingly, right on cue, the purple haired man in question jumped into the conversation from god knows where, his grin overly pretentious.
"Yes, yes, nicely done May!" he said enthusiastically, reaching over and shaking May's hand so much that she thought it might fall off. "And you Solidad, and Drew too! Stunning, stunning performances!"
His smile went a little hard. "Well, anyway, I'd love to stay and discuss our marvelous performances, but I gotta run my dearies! Just remember, you darlings won't be so lucky next round!" He laughed once and disappeared as quickly as he had come, muttering something under his breath as he left.
May blinked a few times, flexing her hand. Solidad smiled fondly at the disappearing coordinator, then turned to Ash and Brock.
"...Anyway, it's nice to see you two here again too. Come to cheer for our little May?" She grinned at the brown haired coordinator playfully, and then turned her face slightly toward the third member of the group. "And your name…is Dawn, right?" she asked, acknowledging the blue haired coordinator, sticking her hand out.
Dawn nodded and shook Solidad's hand slowly, a little awed that the Kanto Grand Festival winner was talking to her. "How do you know who I am?" she asked.
Solidad shrugged. "May told me how you were traveling with Ash now. And I saw you during the Wallace Cup while we were cheering for May." She winked; the rest of her expression was serene.
Drew cleared his throat then, as if to remind them he was standing there. He slowly extended a hand toward May, trademark smirk still in place, and she reached out to shake it back companionably.
Watching them, Ash's eyes tightened, but this went unnoticed.
What...?
"I have to admit May, you're performance was pretty stunning today; I'm impressed," Drew announced offhandedly as he dropped May's hand, trying to sound uncaring.
"Thank you Drew! So was yours," May replied without missing a beat, her voice bright, ignoring Drew's insistent disregard. She was used to this tone by now.
Drew rolled his eyes, then preceded to tell May about the weak points in her performance, still not willing to let up in front of another coordinator after all. May just laughed at his comments, playing along with his criticisms, knowing that he was just teasing.
(May…?)
Hidden by the detachment in his bored, nonchalant expression, a pair of tawny eyes watched the two interact with a different sort of hardness in their golden depths.
Well, Ash wasn't sure what it was, but he could have sworn that an uncomfortable twinge had risen in his chest when May and Drew had begun talking to each other.
(What's...happening…?)
The black haired boy couldn't be sure. The feeling was so negligible that it could have been a passing illusion.
Then again, as the two coordinators suddenly laughed at the same time over something they had said, the…feeling only twisted harder near his heart, loud and perfectly noticeable.
Ash…?
Pikachu was the only one to sense its trainer's sudden tension. A little apprehensively, the electric pokemon looked up at Ash with a curious expression in its eyes.
"Pika pi?"
The black haired trainer didn't seem to notice.
The room had emptied a bit at this point. Drew stopped in whatever he was saying, gazing toward the leftover coordinators in the break room. His smile went a little smug, and he ran a hand through his hair for purchase.
"…all right, anyway May, I must be going. Though I admit you did well, I'm still here to warn you that you shouldn't expect to win that easily; there's still tomorrow, and the many rounds after that!" He didn't miss May's slim grimace at the words, and he gave a slight vindictive smirk.
But then an odd look glinted in his eyes, and he bent to level the brown haired coordinator with a strange kind of gaze, tone suddenly quiet. "Just...be on your guard, okay? There are many great coordinators here. I would know," he said seriously, as if passing on a vital warning.
May restrained herself from sighing. Drew still had a tendency to treat her like some first-year, inexperienced coordinator.
"Yes Drew, thank you, but I realized that," she answered curtly, lips now drawn in a firm line, eyes flashing.
For your information Drew, I'm not an ignorant fool…
Ash wasn't sure why, but his own lips curved up in a strange sort of smile as he noticed May's back straighten with her words, her eyes glittering with a prideful maturity, pushing away Drew's pretentious tone.
Yes. Take that Drew. That's the May I know that you're speaking to…
To his credit, the green haired coordinator didn't seem fazed, as if he had expected May's answer. With a shrug of his shoulders, he nodded stiffly in acknowledgement toward Ash and Brock, before turning calmly on his heel and walking away with Solidad.
May stared after him as he exited the waiting room. Her face was caught in a strange mixture of amusement and frustration.
Some things just never change…
She gave a heavy sigh, cleansing her expression, and then turned to her friends.
"Thanks again for cheering me on you guys! I won't let you down. That Ribbon Cup will be mine this year!"
Later that night, when the excitement from earlier that day had died down to a muted hum, May slipped out of her hotel room and went to sit by the lake. She was having trouble sleeping again, though it wasn't really a surprise by the point.
In her hand, she loosely held Venusaur's pokeball, wound between her gloved fingers. She decided that she might as well train, seeing that sleeping was not an option. The moonlight was brighter than it was last night, shining down on the lake's mirrory surface.
"All right Venusaur, on stage!"
There was a flash of light, and then her faithful Venusaur was standing in front of her. The Grass pokemon blinked a few times, noticing the emptiness of the night, and then looked back toward May with mild confusion in its eyes.
May bent down and patted the grass starter's head lovingly, breathing in the calming scent of Venusaur's flower.
"How are you feeling Venusaur? I couldn't sleep, so I decided that I might as well train now for tomorrow's round. What do think about that? We don't have to though if you're tired now," she explained to her pokemon softly. Her voice sounded poignantly empty in the quiet midnight.
Cheerfully as always though, Venusaur shook its head, eager to train. May felt a smile appear readily at her lips, her spirits immediately lifting at her trustworthy pokemon's enthusiasm.
"Ok then, let's get this show started!"
She stood up from the grass, positioned behind her loyal pokemon, and raised her arms toward the moon.
"All right Venusaur, let's start with Petal Dance!"
Smiling to itself, the grass starter gave a slight roar, and the air was instantly filled with small pink petals, swirling in various glittering patterns under the stars.
"Finish with Sweet Scent into Synthesis, now!"
Venusaur obeyed quickly, closing its eyes and opening its flower. A soothing aroma filled the clearing, floating past the petals and enveloping them with a subtle glow. Then, the grass pokemon's eyes shined green, and a blinding light surrounded its body. The light expanded outward, fading as it overtook the floating pink petals, causing them to fall neatly to the ground. In the wake of the final step of the performance, the petals then landed in a perfect circle around Venusaur, who posed from the center with a confident, dignified smile.
May immediately began clapping her hands, delighted that Venusaur had executed its new-learned attacks so well. She reached forward without hesitation, hugging the Grass pokemon proudly.
Thank you …
"Wow, that was really impressive May. Your Venusaur is getting so strong…"
May jerked up, eyes snapping open at the sound of the approving voice from behind her.
Who…?
"Oh..."
It was Ash.
He was standing calmly behind the brown haired coordinator now, eyes soft and relaxed and a bit shrouded from sleep, arms folded and a tranquil smile on his face. Moonlight shone down on him, accenting his features.
Time had long hardened out the childish roundness of his face, his cheekbones more prominent now under his skin. He had grown taller too, and his body was leaner, no doubt from all the traveling he had done. His golden eyes were filled with more wisdom, but still retained the determined, energetic light that May had grown so used to.
The brown haired coordinator couldn't help but blush as she noticed these changes. She looked down, hoping it was too dark for him to see her suddenly flushed expression. Her cheeks were burning with emotions that she could not identify, reasons she could not explain.
Why is this happening…?
"I thought you would be sleeping like the others," she said quietly, making the statement a question. The silence wasn't awkward, but it was strange. Different.
I've never felt like this before…never so strongly...
(With him…)
Ash shrugged lightly, unfolding his arms. "As you should be," he pointed out easily.
When she gave no reply, he bent and sat down on the hard ground next to her, eyes clear and patient in the moonlight. "May…"
She looked up at him as he spoke, and Ash was momentarily stunned by her hesitant gaze, eyes so, so blue…
The black haired boy cleared his throat. "Come on. I know something is up May. What's wrong?"
He was looking at her with such an unusual intensity that May felt the words floundering in her throat.
"Uhm…what do you mean? Nothing is wrong, nothing at all!" she trilled out of habit, forcing the words out of her suddenly heavy tongue.
Ash just stared at her disapprovingly, waiting.
May…
He knew her too well. May tilted her head back and gave a sigh of defeat.
"Ok, I admit it…I guess I'm just feeling…pressured after today," she confessed, looking from the stars then down to her hands. They looked curiously small and empty as she continued to explain herself.
"…I guess, there is just this…part of my mind that keeps waiting for me to mess up, and then ruin my chances of winning. All my pokemon have trained so hard, and I don't want their efforts to be wasted, but just look at the last two Grand Festivals! I lost, against Drew and then Solidad…and now both of them are here in this festival again, even Harley, all stronger than ever. I don't know if I can really do it…"
The explanation was tumbling from her lips, hard to explain but there was just so much to say…
"May, stop."
The flow of words ceased, and May looked up.
Ash met her frantic eyes gently, remembering how he used to teach her about things like this back in Hoenn.
So long ago…
"Listen to me, May. You are much more experienced and not to mention a much more powerful coordinator than you were two years ago! There is no reason for you to think that you aren't just as good – or even better – than the other coordinators out there. Think about all you've accomplished! You've won so many contests, traveled through so many places, and your style gets more beautiful and more powerful every time I see it…"
He laughed a little, feeling the same, warm pride that had overwhelmed him earlier that day when he had watched her perform in the first round.
"…I mean, you can ask Dawn - she couldn't keep her eyes off of your performance today," he recalled, and he smiled at May's flattered expression.
But then his voice went soft, and he looked down, embarrassed.
"…And…to tell you the truth, neither could I."
Ash…?
May looked away quickly.
Why was her face burning again?
She tried to shake it off, attempting to ignore the suddenly warm sensation effusing from her heart as she caught the silence after his words.
"Oh...well...thank you…"
With some difficulty, she shut the warm feeling away, that beautiful, distracting, wonderful feeling, and brought her anxious qualms back into the front of her mind.
"Anyway, perhaps all you say is true Ash…but then again, you still have to admit that Solidad and Drew are much better coordinators than I am," May said quietly, gesturing to nothing in particular. "Look at how much they've accomplished. They've been coordinators for much longer than I've been…"
Ash shrugged. The pride was still there, strange and unfamiliar, but still there - filling him with a milky warmth that he didn't even try to hide.
"True, but that doesn't mean you can't be as good as they are. All these years I've known you, and it's your confidence level that hasn't changed. You look down on yourself too much. Trust me May, you are more powerful than you realize," he said.
May stared at him, surprised at the insight behind his voice. He really was no longer the immature, dense boy he used to be.
Or, at least not as much.
They both went silent then, watching the star sprinkled sky.
Thank you…
She didn't need to say it. He already knew. He always did.
From some time within the quiet stillness, Ash shifted in the grass to absently reach over and pat Venusaur on the head, who had been sitting serenely between them the entire time.
"Wow…I still can't imagine that this is the same Bulbasaur you met at that Grass pokemon reserve. It's gotten so strong," he picked up conversationally, smiling at the grass starter. Venusaur nudged Ash's hand affectionately, dark eyes drowsy with peaceful sleep.
May nodded, feeling a loss for words. The night was beautiful, the moment was beautiful, and he was beautiful…
The black haired boy gave a sigh, retracting his hand and laying both behind his head so he could lie down.
"You know May… sometimes I think my Bulbasaur really misses your Venusaur. They became great friends back then..."
May turned her head and smiled at him, remembering. "Yeah, they really were an amazing team together, weren't they?" she said softly, a pang of melancholy in those words.
How I miss that time…back in Hoenn…
"Yeah, they were."
Ash leaned back further and cast his glance from May's face back to the sky.
(Did you know Ash? The feelings of a trainer are actually reflected by their Pokemon.)
Professor Oak's words from long ago suddenly flashed through his mind, univited, uncompelled.
Huh…?
(...why...why did I think of that phrase, now of all times, of all things…?)
Before he could interpret his own thoughts though, there was movement in the grass, and May stood up.
"I really appreciate you coming out here Ash," she said quietly, an unknown emotion underlining her words. She rubbed her eyes as she smoothly returned Venusaur to its pokeball. "Uhm…I think I'll go in and rest now. Don't want to be sleepy for tomorrow's round after all."
She sent him a heartfelt smile, and Ash curved his lips naturally in response.
"Anytime May… it was no problem; that's what friends are for."
Friends…
The word echoed questionably in the silence. Before May could take time to think about it though, she turned away, yawning once and walking slowly back toward the hotel.
Ash stared after her, now alone in the night, wondering what it was that his emotions were trying so hard to say.
Put some Vineshipping into that, as well as a little more advanceshipping :)...will Ash every be rid of his incredible denseness?
And hooray for May! She's going to the second round!
One question for you: Are the chapters feeling too short or too long? Give me your criticism so I can change the story for the better!
Reviews are always welcome :) Thank you my dear readers!
Kisses,
WingsofRain
