Me: Yay! This shall be the last chapter of tension!
May: hurray! Welcome back, humor!
Drew: Oh no, I am dead.
Me: You are not, since you still have to act out the parts in the story. May would not wish to continue further without her Prince Drew, right?
(blushing) Drew: I am not her Prince!
(blushing)May: He is not my prince!
Me: Well then, you two shall have to follow my instructions or else...(cackles)
May: Roza Maiden does not own Pokemon nor the characters in the story.
Me: Wait May, I do own Lina, Vedie and Chysta. But I really wish to disown them.
Drew: You shouldn't be so harsh you know.
Me: Speak for yourself, pretty boy. You are the one who commanded them to back off after you learnt of their underhanded tricks.
Drew: I was just going according to the play.
Me: Fine. (evil laugh) You know, Drew, because I own them, I can summon them here anytime.
(fear)Drew: You wouldn't.
Me: I would. May! Could you please go get some groceries?
May: Sure!
(walks out of the house)
Me:Oh Lina! Please bring your two companions, Vedie and Chrysta along, Drew is here!
Lina, Vedie, Chrysta: Ah, Drew! My gosh! Let me use the mirror! No, let...
Drew: I am going to kill you for this.
Me: So you now see the author's true wrath. Now, the last chapter of tension starts!
Marathon of Friendship
"Lina, we have won two out of three rounds. So, please do not bother us from this moment onwards," Dawn said, trying imitate the cold voice Paul could use so very well to scare people off.
"Not yet," Lina argued, "I want to change the rules. The first two rounds shall only be one third of the total. The running shall take two third of the total points."
"Hey! That is totally despicable! Changing the rules according to your selfish wishes, have you got no sense of shame?" May was really furious now, and a furious May wasn't somebody you would tease if you wanted to preserve your life.
"Well, I am sure you would let me change it, since I recall you three saying that you could beat me at anything," Lina sneered.
"Fine, I take up that challenge. But promise me if I win, you and your silly companions will disappear from our sight for life," Misty replied, narrowing her eyes at Lina.
"A deal's a deal," That was what Lina last said before walking away.
"Misty, are you sure? Can you handle it? The pressure, I mean," Dawn was worried sick for her precious friend.
"Don't worry about me. I can do this, besides, I can do anything with two good friends backing me up," Misty assured her friends, grinning.
"Aww, Misty, that was so sweet of you," May gushed as she jumped and gave Misty a tight squeeze.
"May? C-Cou-Could you pl-please get o-off? Y-yo-you are chok-ch-choking m-me," Misty managed to squeak.
"Opps, sorry, my bad," May said, and quickly got off.
"Hey girls!" Brendan shouted.
"Hi!"
"Hey."
"Hello!" Were the replies from the trio.
"So, I saw Lina talking to the three of you. What was she chatting about?" Brendan asked, curious.
May told the whole story, making a disgusted face when she mentioned Lina, a smiling face when she got to the part of the winning and a really scary one when she said the changing rules part.
"That Lina. I knew she was bad, but I did not know she was that despicable," Brendan spoke, almost shuddering.
"On what occasion, may I know, that she exposed her bad image?" Dawn questioned, feeling interested.
Brendan face started to turn pale, "She was all over me when I bumped into her at the school rooftop."
Flashback
Brendan was staring at the cloudless blue sky from his seat. It was so magical. After a few moments of admiring, he got up and started to leave. When he turned around, he met a young girl staring right at him. She is wearing too much make-up, thought Brendan.
"Hello! My name is Lina. What is yours, hottie?" Lina purred upon taking a good look at Brendan.
"My name is Brendan," He replied, feeling nauseous.
"Brendan? That is a nice name. Want to go out sometime? " Lina winked at poor Brendan who was now shivering right through the flesh and to the bone.
"Er, I am rather busy now. Talk to you later!"Brendan escaped before Lina could say any further. The last words he had heard her shouting girlishly before she was completely nowhere in sight was," Brendan! Where are you running off to?"
End of Flashback
"That was funny!" May doubled up with laughter, tears filling her eyes.
"Haha, that is so funny. Why don't you try being me?" Brendan grunted sarcastically.
"Okay, I get it. So, you are now really afraid of her?" May asked, calming down from the laughing fit.
"Not afraid, terrified," Brendan said, with fear lingering in his eyes.
"Ding Dong Ding Dong!" off went the bell.
May then started for her seat.
Drew later, raised his eyebrow and questioned, "May, who was that guy?"
May was irritated. First, Lina started her day off making her angry. Then, this jerk just had to come and ask me this and that? How lucky she was, May thought with a sigh.
"My connection with him has nothing whatsoever to do with you. So, just mind your own business, Grass Head."
Drew smirked. You want a challenge? You got one.
"Miss no Fashion Sense; I am just playing the role of a concerned friend and nothing else."
"Well, you should then bother all the fan girls who are, what they say? Oh yeah, madly in love with your group. I swear, sometimes I think DAP actually stands for Down right abusing power people with no good intentions."
"Why do you call us that? We are good people, you know?" Drew said, feigning hurt.
"Well, if I hurt your feelings, then I am dreadfully sorry as I initially thought you hadn't had any, considering the fact that one of your silly admirers came up to Misty, Dawn and I challenging us to a challenge then changing the rules later."
Wait, let's backtrack a little. Changing the rules? Drew thought. Now that was a news I hadn't heard of.
" Explain what you mean by changing the rules," Drew said.
"Mr Oh I think that everyone has to pray the ground I walk on, I think I should make it clear to you that you do not have the right to get the piece of information you want right out of my mouth. If you want to know, get that from one of your fan girls who will be very willing to gossip with the one and only Drew."
"Class, please get to your seats. Today..." The P.E teacher rattled.
"...So now, please get ready. Girls are to go to the changing room on the right while the boys, on the left." The teacher ended.
"Misty, good luck," Dawn said. Misty felt a boost of energy.
"Yeah, we are always behind you," encouraged May. Wow, a second boost.
"You guys, thank you!" Misty embraced the two before setting off for the track.
"On your mark, get set, go!" The teacher fired the gun in the air. The 2.3 kilometres marathon that Misty and Chrysta were participating in had begun.
Misty ran as swiftly as a horse and as fast as a cheetah. I must win this, she thought, gaining speed steadily by the minute.
Noticing that Chrysta was losing, Lina was frustrated. She took out a slingshot and a pebble, with her eyes focused on Misty's leg. One, two, three...
Lina fired the pebble at Misty. Unfortunately, it hit her right at the ankle.
"Urgh!" Misty staggered, stumbled and fell over as she helplessly watched the other runners run past her.
Dawn knew what had happened. Dawn had seen Lina's every move. Unable to control her flaring temper, she stood up from the spectator's seat in the stadium and walked to Lina, fuming with rage.
"You cheater! First, using my dance and song to audition and now, causing physical harm to my friend just because you want to win!"
By now, Dawn had already attracted lots of stares. Dawn raised her hand high up and with one swift movement, her hand hit Lina's cheek right on the spot.
"Dawn, what is this about?" May whispered to her friend.
"May, Lina was the one who had made Misty fall down!" Dawn said, with anger and hostility flashing in her eyes.
"Yes, Dawn, but look," May pointed at the track, "look at Misty."
When Dawn turned around, she saw Misty, determination lighting her cerulean eyes. She had managed to overrun the other runners and was currently nearing towards Chrysta, the lead.
Dawn's eyes softened. She knew that she had been too protective of her friends.
Dawn then turned to Lina, "For all your misdeeds, be it copying my dance moves and song, or hitting Misty's ankle with a pebble, I shall forgive and forget. But, remember that the next time you do it again, you shall suffer."
Drew, Ash and Paul overheard that converstion. They were appalled. So those three were the ones Lina complained about.
Lina started crying and ran over to the DAP group, "You see, those three bullied me again. You should really teach them a thing or two. They are so rude! Oh Drew."
Lina started falling, expecting Drew to catch her before her face collided with the ground. Alas, Drew only moved aside and let her fall.
"You deserved that public humiliation," Drew spoke, his words chilling her to the spine.
"Yeah, treating someone that horribly, I do not want to be friends with you anymore," Ash inquired, shaking his head disapprovingly at Lina.
"No wonder that dance really looked out of shape. I guess it was because it had been performed by a dancer that was way below that dance's standards," Paul looked at her, disgusted.
A sudden cheer went up.
Looking at the track, Lina realised that Chrysta and Misty had a draw.
"No! My perfect plan is ruined!" Lina crumpled into a heap on the floor.
"Misty! That was a good performance you had down there!" May cheered.
"Yeah, but we had a tie. There were two champions," Misty said sadly.
"Oh, come on, Misty. Do not be so downhearted. Look on the bright side, at least we won," Dawn comforted her friend.
"Hey," A quiet voice spoke.
Turning around, she saw Drew.
"What do you want, Grass head?" May yelled.
"I am sorry that Lina had done wrong to your friends. I apologise," Drew muttered.
May was at first very surprised. After all, it wasn't everyday you get to see Drew apologising to somebody.
Maybe he isn't as bad as I had thought after all...
"But that does not mean I am friends with you, Miss No Fashion sense."
On second thought, he really is as bad.
Ash then spoke to Misty, a big smile lighting up his face, "That was a great determination you had out there. Were you powered by the sun?"
Misty rolled her eyes, but inwardly, she secretly smiled. A warm and sweet feeling started to flutter in her heart.
"So," Paul started, but was soon cut off by Dawn, "I thought you did not want to talk to me nor even want to say hello to me?"
"Calm down, silly woman," Paul said, rubbing his temples, "you are giving me a migraine."
"Then maybe you should stop talking to me."
"The dance you did the yesterday was good."
That very comment silenced Dawn. Had Paul the pessimist just praised her? That left her wondering the whole day until they reached their room.
"I am dead beat," May commented as she lay down on her bed, "I do not feel like moving anymore."
"So, what did Paul say to you, Dawn?" Misty questioned, letting curiosity get the better of her.
"N-Not-Nothing!" Dawn stammered and stuttered. Her two friends looked at her with suspicion.
"Are you sure?" May asked, sending her stare which practically screamed 'tell me the truth!'
Dawn sighed and replied, "He just praised me for my dancing, that's all."
May sniffed the air and said, "Ohh, why is it that I smell love in the air around dawn?"
Dawn waved her hands at May frantically, "No! You have got the wrong idea!"
Misty then piped in, "oh really? But, I smelt it too. It was so thick that no one could have missed it."
Dawn defended, "what about you, Misty? And May, didn't Drew apologise to you? How do you two explain that, huh?"
After a long pause, Misty broke the deafening silence, "I guess we are equal."
"Yeah."
Misty, May, Dawn. Ash, Drew, Paul. Who would have thought the sudden stir of thoughts on the girls' mind could have led each of them on the road to a blossoming young love?