Part 7: Rain We Thought Would Last Forever

It's like we don't remember

The rain we thought would last forever and ever

...

There you'll stand next to me

All at once, the rest is history

Your eyes–wider than distance

This life–sweeter than fiction

- Sweeter than Fiction, Taylor Swift

May was running out of tricks. She knew it, Marina knew it and most of the crowd knew it. The Johto coordinator was leading in points and her Pokémon had taken less hits. May had used every strategy she knew to try and land a hit on her opponents, but Marina wisely used Togekiss' aerial advantage to gracefully dodge each attack.

The dodges were mainly what was costing May points, but she was also being hit hard. Togekiss and Jigglypuff were very strong. It was unusual for a coordinator to have such strong Pokémon, but May knew the perks. She herself often relied on strength and knockouts to win contest battles whereas people like Drew or Lucy relied on flashy appeals. It was different battling against someone who relied equally on power and beauty. It was a lot like battling Solidad again, May reasoned.

Her attention snapped fully back into the battle when Marina called another attack. "Angel use Air Slash!"

The gust of air whipped towards Delcatty and May barely squeaked out the dodge command. The ball smashed into the stage with a spray of sparkles and pushed Delcatty and Ampharos back. She grit her teeth and wracked her brain for a way to knock down Marina's points. An idea struck her suddenly and it would count on Marina being predictable enough to use the same dodge.

"Alright, Ampharos use Thunder Punch on Jigglypuff!" May commanded, the wheels in her head turning rapidly.

"Angel, get Pink out of there!" Marina countered. Her Togekiss swooped down and the Jigglypuff jumped on. Ampharos' Thunder Punch met with empty air, but May just grinned.

"Delcatty! Up!" She yelled. Her Pokémon leapt up and landed neatly behind Jigglypuff on Togekiss' back. Marina's jaw dropped and her points dropped. "Take Down!" May commanded, back in the swing of the battle. Delcatty's Take Down attack launched Jigglypuff off of Togekiss and it landed hard on the ground, right in front of May's Ampharos.

"Pink!" Marina yelled. She looked at her Togekiss, hoping that it would be able to save her other Pokémon, but Angel was too busy trying to shake Delcatty off, but May's Pokémon had a solid grip and wasn't letting go.

"Ampharos finish off Jigglypuff with Brick Break!" May called. Her confidence in the battle was returning and she knew that she could turn this in her favour. Every second that Delcatty remained perfectly braced on Togekiss' back was another second that Marina's points decreased. She would win this thing yet.

Ampharos leapt up and with a glowing hand, struck Jigglypuff. Pink rolled back, out for the count and Marina yelled for her Pokémon, worry sharp in her voice. She recalled the balloon Pokémon and narrowed her eyes. There was little less than a minute on the clock and May had managed to reduce Marina's lead to only a couple of points.

"Angel, spin!" Marina called. Togekiss artfully spun through the air and eventually it was enough to send Delcatty flying off. As the prim Pokémon sailed down towards the ground, Togekiss spun back towards her foe. "Use Psychic!"

A blue outline appeared around Delcatty and May watched in horror as Togekiss hurled Delcatty towards Ampharos. There was a collision and a cloud of smoke plumed from the hit. May's breath caught in her throat. Had she lost? It only took her a second to realize that Ampharos was still standing and her heart jolted back to life. Delcatty, however, was out for the count and May returned her faithful Pokémon and pressed a kiss to its Pokéball.

There was thirty seconds left on the clock and the two coordinators were equal in points and each had one Pokémon standing. It was time to end it, and May called her move first.

"Ampharos, jump and use Thunder Punch!" She called, chest tightening. The yellow Pokémon jumped into the air towards Togekiss and brought down a sparking fist, but the aerial Pokémon spun gracefully out of the way. May's points dropped and Marina smirked. May's determined expression didn't waver and Marina's smug expression wavered.

She realized too late that spinning to be behind Ampharos was exactly what May had anticipated.

"Thunder! Behind you!" May yelled, clenching her fists tightly.

Ampharos let loose the attack which collided with the jubilee Pokémon and sent it crashing to the ground. Marina's points dropped and Togekiss weakly rose. It was a very tough Pokémon and had taken more hits than May thought it would. Before either trainer could call another attack, the buzzer sounded and the match was over.

May's eye flickered to the screen in fear and she let out the breath she'd been holding when she saw that Ampharos' Thunder had just barely knocked Marina's points below her own so she'd won the match. She ran onto the pitch and threw her arms around the newest member of her team.

"I'm so proud of you," she gushed. Ampharos made a tired, yet proud noise and May smiled once more. She returned her exhausted partner. "Thank you so much!"

Marina was frowning across the pitch as she returned her exhausted Togekiss. She let out a sigh, but smiled at May. The two coordinators met at the halfway mark of the field and shook hands over the roaring crowd. Marina's grip was firm, but she had no malice in her smile and May's own grin was contagious.

"Thanks for the battle May," Marina said, leaning in close to say it over the crowd.

May laughed. "I should be thanking you. It was certainly something to remember. You deserve this just as much as I do," May said firmly.

Marina smiled. "Thank you, but only one of us is going to meet our boyfriend in the finals." She winked and May's eyes widened.

"But he hasn't even won," she muttered.

Marina released their grip and winked. "You didn't deny it this time," she reminded cheerfully. She waved to the crowd one last time and headed backstage.

May hurried offstage after that, attempting to hide her burning cheeks. She sat on a bench in the locker room just to take a breather. Her ears were ringing from the noise in the stadium and she could still feel the adrenaline pulsing in her veins. It was kind of a sudden realization, but May felt her whole body freeze. She was in the Grand Festival Finals.

She let out a happy and surprised breath and smiled to herself. The finals. She was one battle away from a Ribbon Cup and the coveted Top Coordinator title. All she had to do was win one more battle and she would have done it. Her heart was hammering and she was in disbelief. When she became a coordinator, she never imagined that in three years she would have gotten herself to the semi-finals. It was too much to have ever hoped for and yet here she was, ready to go to the finals.

Then May realized. She was going to be facing off against Drew or Harley. The idea of facing either one of her rivals was exhilarating and nerve-wracking. They still had to face off against one another to earn the spot in the finals and May realized that if she didn't hurry to the Pokémon Centre, she might miss the start of the match.

She hurried out of the change room and made her way to the front of the contest hall. She ran the short distance to the Pokémon Centre and kept as dry as she could and dropped of her Ampharos and Delcatty with Nurse Joy, who just smiled warmly at her and congratulated her on making it to the finals.

May thanked her in response and hustled back to the contest hall, ducking out of the rain as soon as possible. When she arrived back, Solidad, Drew and Harley were all standing around in the lobby, but Drew and Harley were glaring at each other with animosity. Drew looked seriously peeved and May knew that Harley must have done something to set off the younger coordinator. Solidad simply looked very exasperated. May cautiously approached the trio.

"May!" Solidad greeted, spotting her. "That was an incredible battle and an incredible comeback! Congratulations!"

May smiled graciously. "Thanks Solidad. I owe a lot to my Pokémon for that one," she admitted. Her gaze flickered to Drew, who was watching her, animosity faded from his expression.

"You were good May," he complimented politely. For some reason, Drew's praise made her feel warmer than Solidad's or Marina's. "I'll see you in the finals," Drew said and smirked at Harley before turning on his heel and walking away to get ready for the match.

"You still have to beat me Drewsie!" Harley yelled after him, shaking a fist at him. When the green-haired coordinator didn't turn back, Harley scowled. "Pretty boy can't take an insult."

"Harley," Solidad reprimanded, "he did fine dealing with you until you insulted someone else." She looked pointedly at May, but the brunette just blinked innocently, the implication flying over her head. "Be nice," Solidad said firmly.

Harley huffed. "Only for you Sol," he grumbled. He nodded briefly to both female coordinators and turned to also go get ready for his match.

"Come on May, let's find some seats," Solidad invited, beckoning May towards the entrance to the stands.

It took a while but they managed to find some good seats with a decent view of the pitch. May craned her neck to see, but neither Drew nor Harley had taken the stage yet. However, it was expected that they would very soon. Solidad touched May's elbow lightly to gain her attention and smiled.

"So, who do you think will win?" The older coordinator asked.

May creased her brow. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Well, I think Drew is the more polished coordinator, but Harley has some combinations that can throw even the most composed coordinators like Drew off guard." Solidad explained.

"Even though it means I have to battle him, I'm actually cheering for Drew." May said timidly.

"Have you battled Drew yet this season, May?" Solidad asked curiously.

"No," she admitted. "The only time we battled was in Len Town and it was just a practice battle. Considering we're rivals, we didn't spend a whole lot of time this season actually being rivals," May realized.

"Well a battle between you two would certainly be something to watch. Drew's having probably the best season of his career, but on the other hand, so are you." Solidad said firmly. "I honestly couldn't say who would come out on top."

Before they could say anything else, music blared through the speakers and both competitors walked onto the field. Harley raised his hands to loud cheers and he basked in the attention. Across from him, Drew just casually raised one hand and the crowd went absolutely nuts. There were a lot of female screams and Solidad chuckled, while May bit her lip.

The battle began with Harley calling out his Banette and Cacturne. They were probably his two strongest, and May knew just how desperate he was to beat Drew. Drew then called out his team, and both female coordinators were stunned. Drew had called out Masquerain and Espeon.

It was very strange to see the new edition to Drew's team. He usually unveiled one new member of his team per Grand Festival, but it was very strange for him to show off a second considering that Houndoom made its debut in the appeals round. May studied the Espeon and noticed that it looked very confident and proud as well as sleek and well groomed. With a start, she finally identified it as the shy little Eevee that she had met in Ecruteak. She hid a smile behind her hand.

"Drew's put himself at a disadvantage with Espeon since both of Harley's Pokémon are Dark Types," Solidad observed.

"He'll have a plan," May promised. "He always does."

The battle began with Harley launching a Needle Arm, which Masquerain neatly deflected with Silver Wind. It hit hard and Harley's Pokémon inched backwards from the force of the attack and Harley's points dropped. Harley countered with Needle Arm from Cacturne and Frustration from Banette. Masquerain's Bubble halted Banette in its tracks, but Espeon took the Needle Arm attack with no resistance.

May flinched. "Why would Espeon just take that attack?" she asked.

Solidad's eyebrows furrowed. "I think I know why," she mumbled.

Back on the pitch, Masquerain used Water Pulse and Espeon used Psychic to break up the Water Pulse into smaller blobs of water. Then Espeon hurled the water forward and Masquerain used Gust to back it up. Harley's Pokémon took a hard hit and his points dropped again thanks to Drew's flashy and effective move.

"Banette use Frustration on that Espeon!" Harley screeched, losing his cool. Only two minutes had passed and Harley had already lost half his points. This time Espeon dodged neatly and Drew commanded a Safeguard. Espeon's purple coat glimmered green and Harley's points dropped again.

"Espeon, use Signal Beam on Banette!" Drew commanded, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Dodge!" Harley yelled, but it was too late as the multi-coloured beam of light knocked Banette into the wall and into unconsciousness. He scowled and returned the Pokémon

May let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. There were still two minutes left of the match and Drew had three-quarters of his points left while Harley only had a quarter. "He's winning," she breathed softly.

Solidad nodded. "He's going to win. It's just a matter of how long it takes him," she pointed out.

Drew didn't let Harley even attempt a counterattack as he neatly dodged another Needle Arm attack. "Alright, let's wrap this up. Masquerain use Silver Wind and Espeon use Last Resort!"

The blast of silver backed up an already dangerous move as Espeon hit Cacturne dead on. When the smoke cleared, Drew's Pokémon were barely panting, whereas both of Harley's were down for the count. Harley's points were teetering close to zero and Drew still had over half of his own and there were still two minutes left on the clock.

The crowd erupted and Drew's face filled the screen. Solidad clapped and May joined her, still a little startled. The older coordinator looked down at the brunette.

"So May, do you still want to battle Drew?" she asked lightly.

May exhaled slowly. "He steamrolled Harley. That wasn't even close!" She whipped her head to look at Solidad. "I don't even know what to say!"

Solidad laughed. "Well you two know so much about each other, that it will come down to who is the better coordinator tomorrow. That's really all there is to it at this point. It will be a Grand Festival Final to remember and whoever leaves with that Ribbon Cup will have earned it."

She nodded almost robotically. The crowd was still roaring for Drew and the male coordinator raised a hand to the audience, his expression incredibly smug. Across from him, Harley was fuming. He crossed his arms furiously and stormed off the pitch. Solidad pursed her lips.

"I'm going to go find Harley and do some damage control. You should try and beat the rush back to the Pokémon Centre," Solidad advised. "Get some sleep tonight May, you'll need everything you've got to beat him in the finals tomorrow."

May nodded again and watched Solidad squeeze past people and disappear into the crowd. May stood and followed after her, pushing through herds of loud fans as she made her way to the exit. Already people were streaming out of the stadium into the rain and May made a face. It was still raining. It had been raining all day, and by the look of the ominous clouds that stretched in every direction, there didn't seem to be an end in sight.

She pulled the hood of her jacket up and ventured into the streets. She ran to the Pokémon Centre. All sorts of people were crowded in the lobby, gushing about both Drew and Harley's battle and her own against Marina. May kept her hood up to hide her face and slipped up the stairs to the room she'd rented. She had a strategy to plan.

May called out her Wartortle and the Pokémon perched itself on May's bed. She patted his head gently and smiled. "We've got some work to do to beat Drew," she informed the Water Type.

It was late and May couldn't sleep. The window of her room was open and she could clearly hear the pounding of the never-ending rain outside. She was tense and very nervous. Her whole journey had built up to this point and she couldn't help but remember the day she set out on her travels, determined to hate Pokémon. She thought back to her first contest, her first ribbon and her first Grand Festival.

She'd been waiting for this moment for a long time.

The finals of the Johto Grand Festival were tomorrow and either she or Drew Hayden, rival of 5 years, would be walking away with a Ribbon Cup, a Top Coordinator title, and their dream fulfilled.

Her breathing was deep and even and the bed was comfortable, but May still couldn't sleep. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. A trip to the roof would calm her nerves, she decided. She snagged her jacket on the way to the door and slipped out silently.

When she climbed the stairs to her destination, the door was cracked open already. May gently pushed it open and peeked out. Someone was already sitting just outside the door, under the awning, staring up at the dark clouds. She cautiously approached and sat next to him, tucking her legs into her chest. Drew turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Morning," he drawled slowly. He looked tired and May figured that he was probably struggling with a problem similar to hers.

Her eyes widened, startled. "It's already that late?" she asked, her voice rising a pitch.

He shrugged in response. "Or that early. What's up with you, May? Can't sleep?"

She turned her blue eyes to the sky. "Yeah, something like that," she admitted. The sky was dark, coated in thick grey clouds that dumped rain on Goldenrod. "Nervous for tomorrow?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"More than I'd like to be," he admitted. "It's going to be a hell of a battle." When May looked at him again, Drew was studying her intently.

She ducked her head a little and felt heat blossom in her cheeks. "Why do you keep doing that?" she asked. He cocked his head, confused, in response. May gestured a little widely and continued, "the whole staring thing."

"You're beautiful," he said honestly. His tone was sincere and May thought she was going to have a heart attack. Drew looked out over the hazy skyline of the big city. "This place reminds me of home," he confessed softly.

May thought for a moment. La Rousse City in Hoenn and Goldenrod were both large cities, though Goldenrod was much dirtier. She could however, see where Drew's point came from. "La Rousse, right?"

"Born and raised," he sighed almost bitterly. "I don't suppose you'd understand, but my father and I never got along for my entire childhood. I'm sure you've guessed, but I was a rich and pretty spoiled kid, but I hated it. I hated the way my father used his money to make us better than everyone else."

May's brow knit. Drew so rarely spoke so openly of his childhood and she'd never heard him say anything about his father. She bravely reached out and touched his hand, encouraging him to continue.

"I never talk about it, but my mother died when I was six. After she died, my dad got bitter. One day, just after I'd turned ten, I confronted him. I asked him why he was a bad person. He was bland, ignorant, selfish and blind. I made him cry." Drew paused, taking a sharp breath in. "He brought me to the window in his office and we looked out over the city together.

"He told me that someone or something gave mankind the earth and we turned it into something worth living for. My father had been an ambitious young man and he'd wanted to build something unique and incredible. He told me that he dedicated his whole life to building the Battle Tower, so much that he didn't know how to do anything else. He said it was a wonder my mother even stuck around."

"Drew," May murmured softly, but her rival wasn't done.

"The problem was, that once he built the Battle Tower, he didn't know what to do anymore. He had spent his whole life preparing for the day it would open and when it did, he lost purpose. That's when he became shallow and disconnected," Drew explained. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

May didn't know what to say. Drew's relationship with his father was obviously tense and strained, and she couldn't relate to him since she had a very good relationship with both her parents and even with her brother, even as annoying as he could be.

"That day, when he was honest with me, was the first day I dared to tell him that I wanted to be a coordinator and go on my own journey. I was surprised to find that he supported it. He called coordinating one of the beauties in the world that would never fade. But, I can't help but feel that winning a Ribbon Cup would be like opening the Battle Tower. What comes next?" Drew looked stressed and even a little upset.

May took a minute to absorb everything he said, but she placed a hand on his arm. "I don't really know," she confessed honestly. "I've never thought past becoming a Top Coordinator either."

Drew nodded. "That's the problem. I refuse to become my father if I win tomorrow. There's a small part of me that almost wishes it wasn't happening. My whole life I've been dreaming of that Ribbon Cup. Now I'm so close that I can touch it, but I don't even know if I want it anymore," he admitted.

May bumped their shoulders together lightly. "Don't become your father, Drew. When you win your Ribbon Cup, be it tomorrow or in five more years, you have to be better. Besides, there are plenty of people who win Ribbon Cups and keep competing like Solidad or Robert."

Drew chuckled. "The world could use more people like you May," he informed her. His tone had lightened and he looked less stressed.

The female coordinator looked at him cautiously. "What does that mean exactly?" she inquired.

"Only good things, I promise," Drew swore, a smile tilting his lips up. May couldn't help but spot the adorable dimples in his cheeks. Idly, he mused, "I wonder if they'll open up the roof tomorrow if it doesn't stop raining."

May squinted into the dark clouds before resting her chin on her knees. "You know, I'm not sure," she said. "They may or may not. It doesn't look like it's going to stop though," she observed.

"Who knows," he quipped sardonically, "maybe it'll rain forever."

May gasped and shoved him lightly. "Don't even joke about that. How are you so nonchalant about the rain? I hate it! It doesn't rain that often in Hoenn too."

Drew shrugged. "I guess I'm just mysterious like that."

May smiled. "Whatever you say, greenie."

He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "What did you just call me?"

May grinned. "Greenie. For your hair, of course."

His expression deadpanned. "Ha ha, you're so funny." Without warning, his hands darted up and pressed lightly into her sides, right on the ticklish spots. May squealed and squirmed. Drew cracked up and withdrew his hands.

May exhaled slowly, trying to stem her giggles. "Please never do that again," she begged.

Drew laughed. "No promises Princess, it was adorable."

May wasn't really sure what lead to the next part, but maybe her exhaustion was catching up. Maybe it was just the soothing sound of the rain before them or the chill that was starting to seep in. She leaned and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Drew stiffened slightly, but he relaxed and leaned his own head on top of hers. May felt his arm slide around her waist and she smiled.

It was peaceful.

Author's Note: Part 7 is complete! There's only one chapter left and it's the longest one. I'd know because, it's almost finished! For once, I'll be able to update Part 7, finish up Part 8 soon, and it will all be good! This is coming out on September 4, and Part 8 should be out on September 11. That's only a week. Have two updates so close to each other is long overdue.

There will also be a new Contestshipping one-shot coming out. In fact, you may see it today! It's a companion piece to 'Pieces of a Whole' that has somehow already surpassed 5K, almost 6.

I really, really need to find the time and inspiration for the Big Bang. Here's to hoping...

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Ao3: nicole_writes

-Nicole