Hello everyone! Finally, chapter 7 is up!
So, we have finally reached...I believe...the longest chapter in this fanfic. I was going to make it longer, but decided that would be too much on my poor fingers...haha and I thought that you guys definitely deserved an update to this fanfic after so long. I thank you all again so much for your patience - I hope I can make it up to you :)
Edit: one tiny thing to fix about the last chapter - I said there are 10 finalists left in the Festival. I meant 16. Sorry for the confusion! :)
Anyway, one more thing before you go off and with your reading (forgive me, I'm almost there)...this chapter is going to be full of action - most of it being the descriptions of the contest battles taking place in each round. I'm doing this in an attempt to get as close to a real pokemon episode as I can. So sorry if you aren't a fan of action - I hope you enjoy the chapter nevertheless :)
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own pokemon.
Happy reading!
"Are you all right May?"
(...no...I...)
"Do you want to come back inside and watch it with me?"
(...with...with you...)
"This has been your dream!"
( is it?)
"...it could be your last chance, right?"
(yes, but-)
"...then you really ought to go for it!"
(...I...)
"I'm coming May!"
"Nyaaa?"
May's eyelids flickered, still shut. How odd. She had been listening to Ash's voice only a second ago. She turned onto her side, clutching at the soft bedsheets, searching again for delicious exhaustion.
"Nyaa! Nyaa!"
The brown haired girl groaned at the sound, finally feeling consciousness seeping unrelentingly through her veins. She opened her eyes slowly, watching bits of sun gather on her tired lashes like dewdrops, until she noticed a pink kitten pokemon staring back at her, smiling.
"Skitty?" May asked, a little disoriented, her voice soft with sleep.
The kitten pokemon smiled wider and nuzzled her cheek.
"Time to wake up!"
"Oh!" May sat up quickly, shielding her eyes as the bright light of morning pooled in through the windows. The air smelled sweet and damp, cleansed by the night rain.
Last night...
"Mmm, thanks Skitty," she said quietly, rubbing the last bit of fatigue from her lids and petting her playful friend. Skitty grinned and curled up onto its trainer's chest.
Casting a glance toward the other side of the room, May's eyes suddenly turned accusing. "Wait, now, what exactly are you doing out of your pokeball?" she asked, picking up the pink kitten to her chest in gentle, weightless reprimand.
Skitty looked up innocently and nodded toward the pokeballs May had left on the table overnight. Skitty's had rolled onto the floor, half-opened and empty.
May sighed and stroked the kitten pokemon's fur. "You must be really excited, huh?" she teased, knowing that Skitty still had the tendency to jump out of its pokeball every once in a while when it was bored. Skitty mewed softly, unrepentant.
The brown haired coordinator hummed lightly, releasing the pink kitten and stretching out her stiff arms. The room was otherwise curiously empty.
"I wonder where the others went..." she mused half to herself, acknowledging her friends' vacant sleeping bags with a strange pang in her heart.
At that, Skitty bounded from the bed and toward the windows, pointing down toward the courtyard.
"Nyyaa, nya!"
May smiled, not even needing to look. Of course. Knowing Ash, he had probably led everyone outside to train, wanting to squeeze in as much as he could in the pockets of spare time they had between events.
The thought of his name brought an instantaneous smile to the young coordinator's face, which quickly crumpled as she remembered the emotional turmoil that had fallen upon her with the night's rain, the startling revelation that had been quickly crushed by Ash's subconscious words.
I...
(love him)
...can't...
She took a shuddering breath, reminding herself of her priority.
Stop thinking about him!
Her resolve was a bit stronger under the pretense that had come with sleep. Faded in the morning glow, the feelings felt less potent, dimmer, overshadowed by the more imminent nervousness that May knew would come with the day's competitions.
And for that, she was somewhat grateful. Though May hated the anxiety that never failed to overtake her nerves during a contest, she was at least familiar with it.
Her emotions however, about a certain person over a certain feeling...she was not.
(I...don't know what to feel anymore...)
She was afraid, having ventured into parts of her mind and heart she had never dared to go through before during the prolonged moments of solitude and silence last night.
Then again, she thought to herself in a strange paradox of both solace and remorse, perhaps her mind had overcompensated, drowning as it had been in the long-suppressed thoughts and revelations she had hidden from herself - perhaps that had caused her mind to form conclusions so fast that they could have been wrong.
(Maybe...it's not...love...)
May had to bite her tongue to physically stop a groan of chagrin from leaking through.
(but it could be)
Averting her eyes from the window, she glanced back at the bed, where Skitty was now calmly licking its paws, and then to the coffee table holding the rest of her pokeballs.
Festival, festival, festival-
(Priority)
A jolt of nervousness, almost like a shot of caffeine, briefly chased away the frustration of her emotions, as if reminding her of its presence.
And, once again, in the unnerving union of shameful, shameful reprieve, May accepted the anxiety, because it kept her focused.
She pushed herself off the covers then, unwilling to break that fragile barrier of nervousness keeping her focused, and quickly strode to the bathroom to dress, splashing cold water on her face to wake herself up. Avoiding the burning gaze once again waiting for her in the mirror, she wondered idly why her friends hadn't bothered to wake her up...and more importantly, why they had started training without her. Shrugging it off, May laced up her sneakers, slipped on her gloves, and then walked back into the sunlit room.
Skitty was playing by the windows, swatting at the curtains that framed the outside scenery. The rain had long disappeared in favor of the white clouds now painted in the blue vastness. The expanse of Johto forest was tall and verdant, swaying in unison with the light breeze.
It almost reminded her of the tropical sights of home, May thought affectionately, recalling the lush forests of Hoenn that weaved between clear oceans and wide beaches. With the endless sky painted golden with a sunset, the color was unforgettable, golden like his eyes-
She stopped the thought immediately, face flushing.
God, love was annoying.
Well, whatever it was she was feeling anyway-
Enough!
May let her eyes follow the treetops once more, tracing the center point of the green fringe, where all the fields bordered a bright red, star-shaped Festival stage, almost taunting her in a way.
Today was the day. All depending on her performance, she would either look out toward the same scenery with a bright, accomplished smile, or look away with tears blurring her sight.
She wouldn't let herself think about that. Not now. Not when she was giving up so much just to be here.
My dream, she reminded herself strictly. Priority.
Shaking her head firmly to herself, May then scooped up all the pokeballs from the table and put them into her pack. Skirting over to the bedside drawer, she picked up the ribbon necklace from where she had left it last night, fastening the clasp around her neck. Then, holding out Skitty's pokeball, she sat lightly on the bedspread and watched the pink kitten pokemon expectantly.
"Back into your pokeball now Skitty! I want you to have a good rest so that you can give me a hundred percent in today's rounds, ok?" she said gently, fondly.
The kitten pokemon cocked its head to one side, then nodded, jumping into its pokeball. As the red light disappeared, May cast the sphere one last affectionate look before putting it into her backpack along with the rest of her pokemon.
(it's time)
She walked out of the room, closing the door with a sense of finality.
Even though her stomach felt like it had a million Beautiflies in it, May stopped by the dining hall for something quick to eat. The last thing she needed was a hungry stomach to disrupt her focus. Selecting a small slice of iced coffee cake on her way outside, May drifted further into the courtyard, searching for her friends.
They were training in the space closest to the forest, standing in a loose circle. Ash and Dawn were in a mini battle with Brock watching as referee. None of them seemed to notice as she walked toward them, so May sat back on one of the small umbrella-shaded tables, nibbling at her breakfast as she watched.
Ash had pit his Torterra against Dawn's Buneary in a quick training session. It was a pretty fair battle; Torterra was more experienced but Buneary had the advantage with its Ice Beam attack. Both pokemon seemed to be worn out already, probably from previous training before May had arrived.
"Now Torterra! One last Energy Ball, let's go!"
"Buneary, quick, use Ice Beam!"
The grass pokemon compiled, hurtling a bright green orb at Buneary. In retaliation, the rabbit pokemon shot an ice blue beam out of its mouth. Both attacks collided in midair, sending both pokemon crashing to the ground.
"And that's it!" Brock announced, ending the session.
Ash and Dawn returned their pokemon, giving each other a smile and a quick high five. May felt her eyes widen, stopping in the middle of brushing the crumbs off her skirt.
The action the two shared brought back a sudden deluge of memories, a flood of unwanted emotions that rose in her pale skin - feelings in which she had tried so hard to suppress.
(I may love him, but that doesn't mean he loves me back-)
"Oh! Hi May! I didn't know you came down!"
May shook her head, startled. Dawn was waving at her, now carrying Piplup in her arms. The brown haired coordinator tried to assemble a smile, standing up and smoothing her expression before any of them could take notice.
"Hey you guys," she said, reminding herself to keep her voice animated and relaxed.
As hard as she tried, there was still something off in the aberrant curve of her smile - and Ash could tell. He frowned to himself, briefly waiting for Pikachu to leap onto his shoulders before he came to stand beside Dawn.
"...May? Are you doing all right? Is...something wrong?" he asked, searching the smooth planes of her face with irrational care. He could have sworn that he had seen something else in those eyes...something that had tugged painfully at the now-peculiarly tightening sensation in his chest.
The brown haired girl found herself unable to meet his gaze. Apparently, she hadn't pulled together a calm façade fast enough.
(Ash...)
She swallowed hard before answering. "No, nothing is wrong, not at all!" (Lies, lies...) "I'm just, um, nervous. It's the finals today after all!" she replied, cringing at just how overly cheerful her voice sounded.
Dawn and Brock nodded in understanding. Ash, however, didn't look entirely convinced. Perhaps if they had been alone together, he would have ventured further, pressed May for the...anxieties? that he knew she was hiding.
But for now, he let it go.
May looked away from him completely, cursing her stupid heart for being sewn to her sleeve.
"So, anyway, why didn't you guys wake me up this morning?" she quickly asked, though she was honestly curious. "I mean, I could have trained with you guys if you wanted..."
She trailed off, having effectively shifted the attention away from her emotions.
Dawn shook her head. "Nah, Ash wouldn't let us. He said that you deserved some well earned sleep, so we left to give you some peace," she said with a smile, shooting the black haired boy a sideways glance.
Ash returned it with a sharp look. May wanted to hate the warmth that spread so quickly through her body at this knowledge, but how could she when it felt so wonderful-?
"Oh, thank you Ash, but really, I'm fine," she claimed, touched by his concern nevertheless.
Ash shrugged, giving his perfectly lukewarm answer. "You needed rest; you have a big day ahead of you."
May nodded in agreement, though her expression seemed to fall the tiniest bit before she caught up with his words.
"Right, the finals, I should really start practicing, shouldn't I?"
Wordlessly, Brock, Dawn and Ash all shared a look before they each extracted a pokeball from their pockets. May almost laughed at the motion. Instead, she smiled knowingly, reaching into her backpack for her own.
"Okay, let's get this started!"
"Attention coordinators and spectators; the Grand Festival will start again very soon. Please return to your designated places, thank you."
The voice in the speaker above was impossible to miss, even through the excited babble of all the coordinators and their well-wishers. May's hands squeezed into tight fists. The nervousness was back in full force, without having lost any of its potency.
(and to think that she had welcomed the feeling earlier this morning-)
"Well May, I guess this is it. Just remember we'll be cheering for you every step of the way," Brock said encouragingly as he gazed across the room full of now-anxious coordinators.
Dawn gave May a high-five. "No need to worry! You'll do just fine, I know it!"
May nodded, taking a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves. Her hands quivered, stubbornly refused to be pacified.
It pained him to see her hands shaking like that, alone and empty. To distract her, Ash quickly found his voice to ask, "So, May, uhm, do you know who you're going to be up against this year? For the final rounds and all?"
A frantic light sparked feebly in her blue eyes as she glanced at him.
"Oh, I think I'm against Harley first," she said, remembering the lineups that had been posted earlier in the day. As soon as the words left her mouth, May's expression went curiously droll, the news really sinking in for the first time.
"Huh, would you believe it? Harley, again! This has been the third time in three years!"
She laughed, but the sound was too high-pitched, too unsettling to sedate Ash's concern.
(uninvited, irrational, genuine concern-)
He bit his lip, remembering another laugh - her real laugh, the one that sounded like soft silver bells and wind chimes. At the thought, Ash was suddenly taken by the fervent wish to be the cause of that laughter, suddenly desperate to chase away the nervousness written all over May's features...because that smile, that damn beautiful smile-
"May...listen...I..."
She turned to look at him, eyes wide with half concealed tension and fear and trust-
Their gazes locked, golden sun piercing into cloudless sky. Ash felt the words catch in his throat, frozen by her eyes, so full of unspoken words, and so, so blue-
"This is the last call for any coordinators. Please prepare to arrange yourselves in your lineup - the final round will begin shortly. Thank you."
Brock smiled tiredly, glancing toward the door. "Guess that's our cue to leave," he said, unfolding his arms. Dawn nodded in agreement, chirruping another quick "good luck!" as she stood up, moving to avoid the slight crowd now leaving the common room.
With an implicit, almost willful reluctance, May removed her eyes from Ash's.
Instead, her gaze found refuge back with her two other friends, placid, common ground - and her smile quickly became familiarly quiet and composed and oh so wrong.
"Thank you...goodness, just look at me, falling apart - I don't know what I would do without you guys here," she said, the words at least true to that extent, the honesty able to balance out the rest of her expression.
Her gaze flickering away, she then nodded toward the exit with a small smirk.
"Now you better get to your seats before someone takes them! I'll wave when I get out there with Harley," she said with a wink.
Ash wondered why the others couldn't see that the gesture was so incredibly faked.
...And more importantly, why that fact suddenly bothered him so much.
Why?
What changed?
But he couldn't ask, not even if he had the nerve to, because Brock and Dawn were already leaving, pulling him away, and May's attention had long drifted elsewhere, toward the screen in the front of the room, the Festival-
(...priority-)
And so he found himself turning away as well, leaving the room, quietly haunted by the knowledge that he hadn't been fast enough to understand what the hidden words in May's eyes had been trying to say.
(those words could have helped, or just confused him even more-)
"Good luck May. Promise me you will never lose hope. If not for anyone else but me, please never lose hope-"
(...)
May only looked up after she was sure he had left, a gentle frown etched softly in her skin, wondering why he, out of all three of them, hadn't said anything to her at all.
"...and we have only thirty seconds left on the clock! What a great battle we are seeing coming to an end here..."
Above the hum of the other coordinators in the room, Lillian's voice continued its record of each passing battle, light and chipper and completely blocked out by May's ears.
She hadn't left her seat on the bench, still watching her hands, glad that at least the shaking had stopped.
What a strange feeling it was to be alone. Not that she was in the literal sense, but May felt like she had just entered a maze. You couldn't come back out until you finished. Not until the Festival was over and the battles had been won...or lost...
She stared blankly toward the screen, just seeing shapes and colors rather than the actual coordinators with their pokemon. Where had her resolve gone? Hadn't it been there just a few seconds ago?
May shook her head, feeling the uncomfortable thrill of nervousness in her chest again. She turned around, seeing that all the other coordinators had the same expression on their faces, despite the differences in their features.
Worry. Excitement. Anxiety.
Worrying did nothing to help though. May closed her eyes, fingers moving to idly trace the shape of her ribbon necklace. Her mind wandered into random places, perhaps trying to keep her from thinking about the upcoming battle. She didn't fight it, only let the various, scattered memories fill her head.
(time was slowly dripping away, crooning against the shell of her ear, taunting, promising, lying-)
"All right! Would the next battlers, May and Harley, now report to the stage please? Thank you very much...!"
May's head snapped up, her thoughts draining away sharply in surprise. It was her turn already? How had time moved so quickly? Where was it all going?
(where am I losing the seconds, the minutes-?)
There was sudden movement beside her, a quick, light passing that suggest a person flouncing over on their toes. That same someone then waltzed in front of May's face, clapping his hand on her back.
"Well May! Looks like we're up! I'm so excited for this, you have no idea!" Harley exclaimed, purple hair and signature green outfit just beaming in all their glory. Happy to have claimed the brown haired coordinator's full attention, the Cacturne-lover danced around gleefully, excessively confident and overly enthusiastic.
May felt her vision clear slightly, almost glad for his distraction. Able to find herself again through her natural tendency to bristle against such an assumptive indication, she sent Harley a hard smile.
"Oh no you don't mister. I'm not losing to you this year!" she said defiantly, sticking out her tongue in a playful, teasing gesture.
Harley's eyes narrowed, and he immediately stopped his ridiculous pirouette.
"Cheeky, aren't we sweetheart? Well, we'll just see who wins this year princess!"
Grin once again stretched over his face, Harley darted out of the room, still with a spring in his step, his susurrations maliciously giddy.
And May, in spite of herself, stood up quickly to rush after him, the nervousness momentarily overthrown by her excitement.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our next coordinators! On the right side, we have Harley from Slateport City, and on the left we have May, from Petalburg City!"
There was unanimous cheer from the audience as the two rivals walked up to the stage. Harley's smile melted as he glared at May from across the platform, finally dropping his silly act. May gave a wry smile back, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.
I will be top coordinator.
(priority, priority-)
Lillian Meridian raised her hands to quiet the excited crowd. "Okay, now, if both our coordinators are ready, the countdown for five minutes will be set..."
The panel about the judges immediately beeped, clearing of any previous information and displaying the usual red timer, complete with May and Harley's pictures with their point bars directly below.
(time smiled, watching her, and she could feel-)
Lillian gave a flourish with her dainty hands, and the entire crowd seemed to look up toward the timer, stilled at 5:00.
"All right! Let this match: BEGIN!"
4:59.
(and now, it starts.)
Almost immediately, Harley straightened to his full height, whipping out the two pokeballs he had hidden in his hands.
"Glad to begin!" he exclaimed with a delighted smile, tossing the spheres into the air.
"Now, come on out my darling Ariados and Cacturne! It's finally show time!"
May could automatically feel the energizing effects of adrenaline rushing through her veins as she swiftly followed his lead.
"All right then Glaceon and Wartortle! It's time to take the stage!"
The four pokemon appeared simultaneously onto the platform. There was a brief second of silence as the two teams faced each other, filling the air with tense electricity.
"Oh my goodness, this is so exciting!" Dawn stage-whispered to Brock, feeling the tightly bound static that encircled the stadium. "May's going to have no trouble beating that Cacturne and Ariados with those Ice attacks!"
Brock was shaking his head before she finished, his mouth a thin line. "I don't doubt May of course, but Harley's gotten stronger. It won't be easy. This is going to be close. I can feel it."
Ash wasn't paying attention to them - he was watching May closely. Her face was smooth and composed, frozen into a statue of determination just like it had been in the common room. But, knowing her as well as he did, he saw a nervousness boiling just underneath the surface of her calm mask.
His hands clenched into fists, remembering those blue eyes, blue like the boundless summer sky-
(You can do it May! I know you can-!)
Down below on stage, the silence went on for another half-second, so short, yet never-ending at the same time. Finally, as if having read something in the atmosphere, a sudden, brief smile flickered across May's face as she ultimately shattered the silence.
"All right let's get this started! Glaceon, use Ice Shard on Cacturne! And Wartortle, Water Gun on Ariados!"
The young coordinator's pokemon obeyed immediately, hurtling the contest battle into action. Wartortle pitched forward on its feet and shot a quick, powerful stream of water from its mouth at Ariados, while Glaceon leapt onto the tips of its paws to fire sharp icicles at Cacturne.
Harley was quick to retaliate, falling into the steady rhythm that the battle had already accumulated.
"Ariados, use Spider Web to dodge! And Cacturne, Poison Sting!"
At once, the bug pokemon turned around and shot a glistening web at the wall, effectively skittering away from Wartortle's Water Gun. The strings however, got soggy under the Water attack, collapsing under Ariados's weight and sending it falling back to the ground. Unperturbed, Cacturne leapt over its fallen companion to shoot bright purple barbs at Glaceon's Ice Shard. The two attacks collided in the center of the stage, creating a small explosion that forced both pokemon backwards.
"...And it looks like we're really getting started now!" Lillian said during a lull in the attacks, monitoring the battle. Above on the screen, both Harley and May lost a few points.
The brown haired coordinator's eyes narrowed.
"No problem - quick Wartortle, use Bubblebeam! And Glaceon, combine with your Shadow Ball!"
This was a familar combination attack, safe and sufficient. Curving around its partner, the ice pokemon skidded forward on the balls of its soft feet to toss a pulsing dark ball of energy into the air. Wartortle then jumped up to shoot a volley of high powered bubbles at the purple orb, causing it to rush forward at an alarming speed.
Harley's pokemon had no time to react. They tried to jump out of the way, but they were knocked aside by the double attack. Harley's points immediately lowered.
May felt her smile widen in the brief moment of success, synchronizing with the pitches hidden in the fray as if it were music.
"Great job you two! Now Wartortle, hide in your shell! Glaceon, hit Wartortle with your Iron Tail!"
"Stttya!" Glaceon hissed as it instantly leapt forward, slamming its glowing tail at Wartortle's now-protected shell. The turtle pokemon rose high into the air from impact, a black shape against the bright sunlight, suspended in the melee.
"Aqua Tail!" May cried out.
With an almost smug smile on its face, the water starter peeked out of its shell at that moment, its tail glowing blue and swirling around in small circles. Jets of water shot out in every direction, hitting Harley's pokemon like continuous waves.
"Wow, what amazing power!" Lillian announced, watching the glittering attack with fascination. "Such a beautiful yet powerful move!" As she spoke, Harley's points dropped even lower.
The Cacturne-loving coordinator's face creased with anger.
"Oh yeah? I'll show you power! My dear Cacturne, use your Faint Attack! And Ariados, see how they like your Double Edge!"
Still trying to shield itself from Wartortle's Aqua Tail, Cacturne stood up and began to hover, racing across the water-soaked stage. It creeped up from behind both of May's pokemon with experienced stealth, slamming into an un-expecting Glaceon and eliciting a painful cry from the ice pokemon as it fell. Then, following its cactus-like counterpart, Ariados found its opportunity to jump up, knocking Wartortle off balance with Double Edge as it was distracted. Both pokemon crashed to the ground upon impact, Ariados wincing a little from recoil.
"No! Wartortle, Glaceon, are you two ok?" May's pokemon stood up again and nodded. The young coordinator's eyes were tight as she watched her points suffer a huge drop.
Harley danced on the spot, jubilant that the battle had bent in his favor.
"Simply wonderful my dears! How did you like that princess? Now, hurry Ariados, use Shadow Ball! And Cacturne, use Bullet Seed!"
A purple ball of dark energy rushed forward from the bug pokemon's mouth immediately, accompanied by a stream of glowing seeds from Cacturne. Struggling to regain their bearings, both Wartortle and Glaceon stared at the incoming attacks in alarm.
May bit her tongue to keep from squeaking in distress.
"No! Wartortle, quick, use Withdraw to dodge! And Glaceon, counter with Mirror Coat!"
"Wartortle!" the turtle pokemon cried, immediately hiding itself behind its hard shell. Cacturne turned sharply and shot more glowing yellow seeds at it, but only to have the attack bounce harmlessly off the protective shield. From behind the hard shape, Glaceon then leapt up and ran towards Ariados's Shadow Ball, glowing in a shimmering mosaic of colors. The dark orb hit the ice pokemon straight on, pushing Glaceon back a few steps. Not ready to give up though, the fresh snow pokemon hissed, shoving against the Shadow ball and swatting it back toward Ariados, who only barely dodged with a quick String Shot.
"...and some marvelous quick thinking from both coordinators as they make narrow but successful saves! Great job!" Lillian announced to the mesmerized audience. Both May and Harley lost a few more points simultaneously.
Knowing she was pressed for time, May's eyes flashed to the clock. Less than three minutes left. Her points were just a bit less than Harley's. Her safest bet would be to go for a knockout to bring this battle to a swift end.
With determination bringing color to her cheeks, she turned back to her pokemon, commanding, "We can do this guys! Glaceon, use your Secret Power! And Wartortle, use Rapid Spin, now!"
A little wearily, both pokemon rose into action again, but in full assurance. Glaceon's body started to shimmer with a pink glow as it ran forward toward Cacturne, skirting across the ground on its cold paws. Staying behind, Wartortle did not extract itself out of its shell; it only began to spin around in rapid circles, tracing the outline of the battlefield before racing toward Ariados.
Harley laughed mockingly at the display. "Oh, nice try May! Ariados, put a stop to that spinning turtle with a String Shot! And Cacturne, do a full-powered Needle Arm to counter Glaceon's Secret Power!"
The spider pokemon bolted forward at the words, shooting white strings from its mouth toward Wartortle. The sticky strands caught fast onto the water starter's moving shell, holding it in place and making Wartortle immobile. At the same moment, Cacturne had risen to its feet and glided toward the running Glaceon, its glowing arms extended. There was a head on head collision between the two pokemon, Cacturne falling back on its knees, now glowing pink, and Glaceon crashing to the ground with a hiss of pain.
May saw her chance, easily fighting against the panic that waited in the dark waters of her negative thoughts.
"Hang in there Glaceon! You can do it! Use Iron Tail now on Cacturne while it's still paralyzed!"
The fresh snow pokemon wrenched itself back up in a sinuous motion, its tail glowing brightly as it twisted toward Cacturne's form. Without any more hesitation, it capered into the air, slamming down on the scarecrow pokemon, knocking it over again before it had the chance to get up.
With a brief, victorious exclamation, May's eyes averted back to Wartortle. It was still spinning rapidly, caught up in Ariados's strings and unable to break free. There was no way it could get out, and coming out of the shell would only get it further stuck-
Her memory flashed back to Wartortle's Aqua Tail, remembering the spinning movement of the turtle pokemon, and the water, spouting in all directions-
May suddenly found her inspiration.
"Quick! Wartortle! Use Water Gun while still in Rapid Spin!"
Without once pausing, the turtle pokemon immediately obeyed, whirling even faster, but now releasing a spinning vortex of water from within its shell. From such close proximity, the waves crashed into Ariados first, washing it backwards and flooding the stage with water.
The bug pokemon screeched as it was pushed away by the crests of surging liquid, colliding into Cacturne and sweeping them both away. Not surprisingly, Harley's temper flared at once when his points dropped lower still in succession.
"No! Don't celebrate yet May! You're still going to lose!" he shouted at her from across the stage, visibly fuming. "Quick Cacturne and Ariados! Combination attack!"
What?
Struggling to get back up, Cacturne shot May's pokemon a dark, sinister look before firing a combination of Poison Sting and Bullet Seed out of its mouth. Ariados darted past the beam and launched a quick Spider Web to sling itself forward, unexpectedly releasing its Scary Face attack.
Both Glaceon and Wartortle had not been anticipating such a different form of assault, and became frozen still with fear. Unable to react, Cacturne's combination attack had no chance of missing, hitting them both with painful accuracy. As both pokemon fell backwards from impact, Ariados snickered, swerving around and shooting two Shadow Balls at its fallen opponents - a direct hit.
There was a small explosion as May's pokemon were thrown across the platform, collapsing in a too-still heap for one long second. In the stands, Dawn, Brock and Ash held their breath anxiously.
"N-no! Glaceon! Wartortle! No, please get up!" May cried, her eyes immediately turning to the billboard. Time was running out, and quick.
With obvious difficulty, her pokemon sat back up at its trainer's pleas. Unable to do much except find another method of quick retaliation, May frantically searched around her, looking for some sort of strategy. Her blue eyes flew past the ravaged terrain twice before finally resting on the wet ground of the stage, covered in puddles from Wartortle's Water Gun.
Puddles...
Water...and...ice-!
That's it!
"Don't give up yet you guys!" she commanded, hoping her strategy would work. "Now, Wartortle, Rapid Spin! Glaceon, jump on top of Wartortle!"
Tired as they were, the two pokemon jumped back up, unwilling to back down. Wartortle retreated into its shell once more and began to spin, pausing only to allow Glaceon's feet to nimbly pounce on top of its rotating shell. Upon contact, the two pokemon then sailed across the wet platform, headed towards Harley's team.
May crossed her fingers.
"Okay, now, quick! Double Ice Beam!" she shouted.
At once, the two pokemon broke apart from their formation, leaping into the air, almost radiating relief, and, with a practically simultaneous movement, they both released their powerful, glowing beams of ice toward the ground.
On impact with the wet stage floor, the blue beams made splintering sounds against the ground, racing past the puddles and freezing every bit of water they touched. With the liquid acting like a wire and the ice energy as powerful electricity, the double beams then met in a bright flash, attacking both Ariados and Cacturne straight on, freezing them to the ground.
The light cleared then, breaking apart, revealing the two pokemon in their wake, now encased in a combined block of ice.
"Okay, time to finish up!" May said, pointing toward Harley, who was yelling frantically at his pokemon to break free from the ice. "Glaceon, use Iron Tail! And Wartortle, use Tackle!"
Sparing only one glance at its partner, the two pokemon raced forward together on a combined footing, crashing into the block of ice at the same time, creating a loud, shattering noise as Cacturne and Ariados were freed from their imprisonment. Both pokemon fell to the ground then, unable to get up, surrounded by the glass shards of their icy jail.
"No!" Harley cried, waving his arms, his expression almost deranged. "Get up you guys! Get up!"
There was no movement from the two pokemon - none at all - only the sound of groaning that made Harley's eyes widen in a fearful recognition-
BEEEP!
The sound of the judges' red 'X's' piercing the silence was unmistakable.
"...And it looks like Harley's pokemon are out!" Lillian cried, stopping the timer. "Which means that our winner…"
She paused for dramatic effect, and the entire crowd leaned forward excitedly.
"…is May! She will be going on to round two! Congratulations!"
The audience exploded into cheers. Harley, still in disbelief, looked up at his point-less meter on the billboard, his eyes going from skepticism to anger to contravention in a second.
"What? WHAT?" he exclaimed, grasping his purple hair in his hands. "She beat me again? WHAT?"
A string of profanities glanced off his tongue, but his mutterings were drowned out by the roaring crowd.
May couldn't even bring herself to acknowledge Harley at the moment though. Eyes locked on her dear, dear pokemon, she rushed forward, swiftly gathering them in her arms and squeezing them both tight.
"I can't believe it! We did it guys! We did it! You were simply wonderful!" she exclaimed happily to her pokemon, jumping up and down with them. "After everything, you two held through so well! I'm so, so proud of you!"
Wartortle and Glaceon cheered, dancing in their excitement despite their weariness from the battle, jumping forward to cuddle their trainer.
In the stands, Dawn, Ash and Brock had risen to their feet, still clapping loudly, each with the same smile of relief on their faces.
"Wow, that was such an intense battle! I just knew May was going to win!" Dawn said, waving down to her friend, trying to get her attention.
Brock's face was relaxed and obviously delighted. "I've got to say, that last move was very smart of her. Using the battlefield to her advantage and freezing both of Harley's pokemon at the same time...she's come a long way since Hoenn, hasn't she Ash?" he asked with a wink, turning to his long-time friend.
"Yeah, she certainly has," Ash answered slowly, unable to tear his gaze away from May. Another warm swell of pride overtook him. That's my girl.
Below on stage, May had reluctantly returned her cheering pokemon to their balls, stopping only to send Harley a hopeful smile of reconciliation. She didn't think she could deal with him holding another grudge against her like before, not that the previous one had ever completely faded.
Harley's frustration seemed to have lessened a bit though. He returned his tired pokemon to their pokeballs as well, and then sent May a hard smile before stalking off.
Sighing, May followed after him, also departing the stage, looking back only once to wave to her friends.
If only she had looked hard enough, she would have seen Ash staring at her with the strangest expression on his face; one that she subconsciously wanted to see more than anything else in the world.
"…though I guess this year, the coordinators are a little stronger, but everything is still pretty simple for me so far," Drew said offhandedly to May. They were sitting in the common room, tending to their pokemon and waiting for their turn in round two.
"Yes, because no one is as amazing as the all powerful Drew," May retorted easily, handing Munchlax a pink pokeblock and planting a quick kiss on its teal colored fur. Behind it, Skitty jumped up playfully, scrambling on its friend's back to snatch the small treat.
The green haired coordinator flashed an arrogant smile. "Yeah, that would sound about right," he agreed.
May rolled her eyes. He was still rambling about his round one victory against one of the older coordinators. She was about to make another sarcastic remark when she saw Brock, Dawn, and Ash walk into the room.
She immediately sat up straighter, lifting the hand holding her pokeblock case and waving to them.
"Oh hey you guys! What are you doing here? I thought you would be watching the festival!" she inquired, though her voice was evidently delighted.
Brock shrugged. "It was getting kind of hot up in the bleachers, so we decided to visit you quickly. Good job in that last battle by the way; you definitely used many smart tactics to defeat Harley."
The brown haired coordinator beamed. "My pokemon and I thank you for your praise," she said, curtsying playfully.
Dawn laughed, sitting down next to her friend on the bench. At the arrival of a new person, Skitty padded over with curiosity, pawing at Dawn's boots.
The blue-haired coordinator squealed, picking up the small kitten pokemon and patting it on the head.
"Aww, May, I'm totally in love with your Skitty! It's so cute! Are you using it in the next battle?"
May nodded with a fond smile, looping one arm around her Munchlax sitting next to her as well, hugging it warmly.
"Yeah, with Munchlax too - they're going to be my next tag battle team. I'm against this coordinator named David, I think."
Dawn winked, relinquishing her hold on Skitty as the kitten began to squirm. "Well, you'll have no problem with that."
May laughed at her blithe reply, not consenting but not disagreeing either.
"Oh, wait Dawn, have I properly introduced you to Drew yet...?"
The brown haired coordinator had turned slightly, wanting to correctly acquaint her Sinnoh friend with her long-time contest rival, but immediately saw that the green-haired coordinator wasn't paying attention to her. Confused, she followed his gaze toward what he was staring at-
...and saw with a start that it was Ash he was staring at, who, in turn, was also staring at Drew, his gaze intent and a little sharp.
A bit alarmed to suddenly notice for the first time the almost chilling atmosphere the two were cinched in, May cleared her throat.
"Um, guys, everything...okay…?"
(she had never seen that expression on Ash's face before-)
The two boys jumped up a little at the sound of her voice, then quickly became attentive at the exact same time.
"What was it you said May?" Drew asked her, at the same time that Ash said, "Sorry, what happened May?"
The two shared another reproachful look as their voices clashed.
This did not go unnoticed by May, who automatically focused the entirety of her sharp gaze on Drew. She completely avoided Ash's eyes, unsettled, because she just couldn't understand why his golden depths were suddenly so pained-
"Oh, I was just wondering if you had properly introduced yourself to my friend Dawn here, Drew," May picked up, pointedly glaring at the green haired coordinator.
Drew shrugged off her glower, ignoring as she seethed in response and extended one hand toward the blue haired girl, shaking politely as his other hand held up some pokeblock gel for his Masquerain.
"Nice to meet you Dawn," he said affably, but then turned to roll his eyes at May, "though, if you recall May, I already met her in the beginning of the Festival, with Solidad, remember?"
The brown haired coordinator just looked away, fighting down the urge to kick her rival's shin. However, with a cursory glance to Ash's now less severe expression, she let out a comforted sigh, glad that the icy traction between the two boys had dissolved somewhat.
She could still tell something was bothering him though. May cast Ash another glance, this time her blue eyes lingering on his face, noticing with discomfort that the black haired boy was studiously ignoring her.
Yes, Ash knew she was watching him. The knowledge only added to the previous redness in his cheeks from embarrassment at being caught in Drew's wordless confrontation, but more importantly, it brought an unexplainable flutter to Ash's chest, warm and confusing and beautiful-
Though, the...pleasant feeling wasn't able to completely wipe away the...burning that had formed there during his silent face off with Drew.
(May...and Drew…?)
May finally found her tongue, gently speaking to the black haired boy, convening enough nerve to even reach out her fingertips to lightly skim his tense shoulder.
"Ash? Are...are you ok? You seem kind of …"
Anxious, worried, confused...
(just like me...)
At the sound of his name spoken through her voice, Ash jumped infinitesimally, his hard expression quickly melting away at her concerned tone.
"Oh, no, I'm fine May...ah...I guess all this excitement is just rubbing off on me; it's making me...jumpy," he said with a casual, forced laugh.
He was lying. She knew he was lying. And he knew it too.
But, if she had suspected anything, May didn't let on. Instead, she made a pensive hum in the back of her throat, lapsing into a thoughtful silence.
Sometime during the quiescence of the moment, May's hand absently went to the ribbon around her neck, like always, like it should, and Ash didn't miss the sudden flicker of Drew's eyes as he noticed it too.
(he never realized how wonderful of a feeling calamitous satisfaction could be-)
"Okay! The second round of battles has now begun! Would our first contestants, coordinators David and May, please report to the stage in a few minutes? Thank you."
The sound of Lillian's voice was able to break all of them out of their respective stupors. Drew immediately stood up at the announcement and winked at May, sending her a cynical smirk as he unanticipatedly strode off, as if to give May some time alone in her mild disbelief.
Well, she didn't want to give him the pleasure of that, but regrettably, it was true - May could feel that her face was outlined in moderate shock. It was her turn already? And she was first? Just where was all that time going?
(spilling away so fast, maybe it was warning her that she was going to run out-)
Regardless, May found herself standing up, a bit flustered, returning her pokemon to their pokeballs and then turning to her friends.
"Okay, well, wish me luck guys!" she trilled, managing to rearrange her features to forage a weak smile. Brock immediately gave her a thumbs up in return, and Dawn grinned encouragingly at her friend.
"In that case, we should be going then; we don't want to miss this match!" the blue haired girl said, falling in with the crowd leaving the room. Brock followed her lead, his calming gaze enough to ease a little of May's sudden tension.
Ash blinked in surprise, but then he too stood up to follow them. Turning slightly to perhaps wish May a quick good luck before he left, the words caught in his throat as he noticed that May had lowered her head, now holding it in her hands, taking deep calming breaths.
Without even needing to think, Ash felt his eyes soften, and perhaps for the first time in a while, there was no doubt or hesitation or confusion in his movements as he walked right over to her, reaching out his gloved hand and holding it there.
(May needed him now, and he was damn well going to help, no matter what his emotions said-)
Feeling his presence, May cautiously lifted her head in surprise, immediately seeing Ash standing there. She glanced at his hand, then back to his consoling gaze, the confusion in her eyes slowly changing into understanding.
And so, she stood up as well, keeping her gaze held in his, and took his hand. Ash squeezed back upon the pressure of her delicate fingers curved gently, safely, in his own.
Because, to them, the gesture was not only of greeting and friendship, but it was also one of encouragement and hope - remembrance of the many things they had overcome, together-
"Great battle May!"
"Thanks Ash, same to you!"
"Hey May? Good luck with the rest of your Johto contests..."
"Thanks! And Ash, lots of luck to you getting into the Sinnoh league!"
"Thank you...!"
At that moment, someone loudly cleared his throat, instantly surprising the two from their shared memories. Drew had ambled over once again, standing on the other side of May, though there was a new, blond-haired coordinator at his side.
May immediately dropped Ash's hand, turning to the other two questionably. The black haired boy stood there, stunned for another half-second from the sudden fractured moment, then turned away silently to walk out, wanting to escape before he could hear any words that could possibly make him more confused with his dizzying emotions.
She didn't watch as he left, but she didn't need to. Her forehead creased the slightest bit, the feeling of Ash's hand on her own lingering like an echoing song-
May! Focus!
(priority-!)
"Oh, hi again Drew!" she said, looking between him and the other boy at his side. "I was just about to leave for the battle though, so if you would excuse me…"
The blond-haired coordinator next to Drew cut her off politely.
"Oh, that's why I'm here actually. I'm your next opponent. I was looking for you but then Drew here showed me who you were." Charmingly, he thrust his hand out to shake. "I digress, I should introduce myself first hm? My name's David, though all my friends call me Kite. You're May, right?"
Cordially, May returned the gesture, hoping her smile was warm.
"Yes, that's right, I'm May! I guess that the judges want us out there now, correct?"
Kite winked and pointed to the door. "Yup, sounds right. Let's get out there and give that audience a battle they'll never forget!"
Extracting two pokeballs from his pockets, Kite sent May another courteous smile before promptly walking out of the room.
Taking another deep breath, May clasped her green pack around her waist and turned to follow him.
"Hey May?"
(Good luck with the rest of your Johto contests...)
She turned and saw Drew giving her a slight smile.
(not Ash)
"Good luck out there. Kite is a very powerful trainer actually; he beat me in a contest a few months ago. Be careful, okay?" he said.
May threw him a half-hearted smile.
"Thanks for the information Drew. I'll do my best."
And then she hurried out before he could tell her anything else.
"Thank you for sticking around everyone! Round two of the contest battles will now begin!"
The crowd applauded excitedly at Lillian's announcement. Happily as always, she quickly spun on her heels to gesture toward the two coordinators behind her.
"Okay, so, for the first battle on the second round, we have David from Snowpoint City and May, from Petalburg City! Let's give them a round of applause!"
"You can do it May!" Ash yelled from his seat as Dawn and Brock cheered loudly next to him. Pikachu leapt up from his trainer's lap and waved two pom poms in the air. "Pika pika! Pi pika, pikachu!"
Even from where she was, May could hear their cheering. She smiled confidently at her opponent from across the stage.
(with his support, I cannot lose-)
The memory of Ash's hand held in her own brought a healthy, brave pink to her flushed skin. With both arms raised, May waited for the trumpeting signal of the starting timer, before throwing two pokeballs high into the air.
"All right, let's give them a show! Munchlax and Skitty, stage on!"
At once, the red-white spheres opened, revealing May's pokemon as they flew out of their pokeballs in a playful flash of white light. Across from his opponent's ready team, Kite permitted himself a brief grin and followed suit.
"Here we go Lucario and Cyndaquil! I choose you!"
Kite's two pokemon landed gracefully onto the platform, readying themselves for battle. At a snap of the blond haired coordinator's fingers, his Cyndaquil's back burst into flames, burning bright and tall. Standing next to its partner, the Lucario did the same, striking a battle stance, but then strangely pulled out a small pipe and balanced it in the corner of its mouth before deeming itself ready.
In the hindsight of her wise, contest-trained mind, May quickly took notice of this, though she did so with slight surprise. She had seen a Lucario before, when she and her friends had journeyed to the Tree of Beginning, but why did this one have a pipe? She didn't remember ever seeing another Lucario doing that.
She shrugged the questions off, trying to concentrate. Seeing the Lucario with the pipe suddenly reminded May of Ash's Sceptile, who always kept a twig balanced in its mouth. The thought brought along a wave of distant memories, and the ache that flared inside of her chest was suddenly so strong that it knocked her concentration off balance.
(Ash calling out his Sceptile to save her when she was falling off of Team Rocket's robot…that last contest in Terracotta…)
Focus May!
The brown haired coordinator shook her head firmly, wrenching her thoughts back to the battle in front of her.
Kite was already in motion, calmly regarding his pokemon.
"Ok you guys! Let's start this off, shall we? Lucario, use Metal Claw on Munchlax! And Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack on Skitty!"
The two pokemon obeyed instantly, the Lucario rushing forward with an extended glowing fist even before Kite had finished his command. Right on its tail, Cyndaquil maneuvered around its partner's legs, charging forward with incredible speed and agility.
Icy concentration jolted through May's veins as she was jerked back into reality.
"Hurry Skitty, aim Blizzard at Cyndaquil to counter that Quick Attack! And Munchlax, use Focus Punch against Lucario's Metal Claw!"
"Nyaaa!" Skitty yelled as it leapt up and spat a strong Blizzard attack at Cyndaquil. The fire mouse pokemon stopped running and ducked down, trying to push forward against the strong wind. For a second, the unrelenting icy gust seemed to win out, but the fire starter only tumbled backwards slightly before leaping right back on its feet, the Ice attack not doing much to the heated flames on its back. Spirit not dampened, Munchlax grinned widely before running forward from behind Skitty, holding out a glowing fist. It collided with Lucario and the impact threw both pokemon back against the floor.
"Doing all right guys?" May asked hastily as her pokemon stood back up. Skitty and Munchlax both cheered in determination, ready to continue.
"Pretty good May," Kite said from across the platform, diplomatically intrigued. "But I'm afraid something like that won't be enough to win this battle! Quick Cyndaquil, use Swift! And Lucario, use Dark Pulse!"
Unruffled from the last attack, Kite's pokemon burst forward again at equal speed. The aura pokemon held out its palms and shot a dark beam at May's pokemon, while Cyndaquil leapt onto its head and quickly released a volley of glowing stars.
May already had her attack ready, vaulting from the tip of her tongue.
"Munchlax, full powered Solarbeam now! And Skitty, jump onto Cyndaquil's Swift and use Tackle!"
Leaping away from the oncoming attacks, the big eater pokemon opened its wide mouth, the sunlight collecting in a small pool of sparkles before releasing itself in a powerful, bright beam of sunlight. It crashed into Lucario's Dark Pulse, light against dark, and created a small explosion in the middle of the stage. Skitty took this chance to burst out of the smoke, leaping agilely from star to star towards Cyndaquil, who was still shooting Swift from its mouth. Cavorting until it was right in front of its opponent, Skitty then rammed into the fire mouse pokemon, knocking it to the ground.
Kite grimaced as his points lowered, quickly retaliating. "Counter with Flamethrower Cyndaquil! And Lucario, use ExtremeSpeed!"
The fire mouse pokemon opened its mouth again and this time spat a torrent of flames, violently pushing Skitty into the air and sending it flying across the stage in a surge of smoke. At the same time, Lucario raced forward with impeccable speed and smashed into Munchlax, throwing it back across the platform. Both pokemon landed with a loud thud in front of May's feet, and Kite smiled, having effectively severed May's points to his level.
"No! Skitty, Munchlax! Are you ok?" the brown haired coordinator choked out desperately, voice layered with fear, running to her fallen pokemon. At her voice, Skitty opened its eyes and crawled up onto its paws slowly, covered in smoke, its face twisted in pain. At the same time, Munchlax pushed itself back onto its feet, breathing heavily from the force of the attack.
May didn't dare look at the scoreboard, her eyes hardening as she glared at her opponent's pokemon.
"Just a little longer you guys, I promise! Skitty, use Doubleslap now! And Munchlax, Solarbeam once more!"
Fatigue left behind, Skitty nodded, shaking the soot off its fur quickly and twirling its pink tail around in powerful circles. Munchlax followed its lead, reenergized solely from May's determination, opening its mouth and collecting in large quantities of sunlight, creating three separate glowing balls of light. At once, Skitty then leapt forward, hitting all three of the sunlight orbs with its powerfully charged tail.
Surprised, Kite's pokemon stared at the speeding orbs in alarm, trying to move out of the way. One of them hit its mark, crashing into Cyndaquil and throwing it across the stage into Lucario's chest, toppling over like broken dominoes. They both hit the ground at the same time, narrowly dodging the other two spheres of light.
At this display, Kite visibly stiffened from the other side of the stage, the blond haired coordinator's eyes narrowing at his fallen team.
"I admire your pokemon's stamina May," he said, trying to keep his tone calm. "But you're going to have to work harder than that, I assure you! Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel! And Lucario, use Thunder, now!"
Thunder?
Kite's pokemon obeyed quickly, standing back up and trying to turn the battle around to their advantage. Cyndaquil gave a cry as it surrounded itself in a ball of flames, racing toward Skitty and Munchlax. From behind it, the steel pokemon then jumped up, its hands glowing yellow, shooting a powerful thunderbolt towards May.
Staring at the incoming bright bolt of electricity, setting her eyes aglow, May quickly crossed her fingers behind her back, crying out-
"Quick Munchlax, Focus Punch on the ground!"
At once, the big eater pokemon gave a powerful cry, plunging two glowing fists into the stage floor. The impact sent the platform crumbling beneath their feet, unearthing hard planks of wood and dirt flying into the air, effectively absorbing Lucario's electric attack.
May let out a sigh of relief, glad that the strategy had worked, but her eyes quickly stole toward Cyndaquil, who had easily maneuvered around the fault lines of the stage floor and continued to swerve in its flaming wheel.
Holding her breath, May yelled another command-
"Hurry Skitty, use Assist to stop Cyndaquil!"
"Nnyyyaaaa!"
Immediately, the pink kitten's hand glowed white as it threw forward a random attack from one of May's other pokemon. After a pause and a flash of light, the white orb burst into a powerful gust of wind, rushing towards Cyndaquil and stopping it in its tracks.
It's Silver Wind!
As Cyndaquil's Flame Wheel instantly dissipated, May took the chance to quickly call out another attack.
"Assist again Skitty!"
The pink kitten nodded and shot another attack from its glowing paw. A spinning onslaught of fire came this time, rushing toward Kite's pokemon with incredible power. As Cyndaquil jumped safely out of the way however, Lucario got hit in the chest.
The aura pokemon yelled out as it was forced back down onto the stage floor, its fur smoking slightly from the Fire Spin attack. May held her breath hopefully. If she remembered correctely, Lucario was a steel pokemon, so its biggest weakness should be fire-
But, to her complete surprise and bewilderment, the Lucario swiftly leapt onto the balls of its feet again, flashing a smile as it brushed off the soot on its blue pelt.
Kite laughed a little at May's confounded expression.
"Sorry to disappoint May, but as you can see now, Lucario's pipe isn't just a fashion statement." The blond coordinator sidled up to the aura pokemon's side, tapping the pipe, and a shiver of self-reproach for not taking that pipe into more consideration! ran down May's spine.
"You see May, there's energypowder in this pipe - a quite handy supply that we usually fill it with for every battle. Anyway, let's just say that this useful device has healed my Lucario almost completely. That Fire Spin of yours was almost pointless."
He sent her another smile, and May felt her hands close into fists, suddenly understanding why Kite was so talkative - the whole time he was speaking, and she was stupidly falling into his trap, he was surreptitiously wasting their time away-!
The blonde coordinator knew what his time limits were though. At once, his demeanor shifted, and Kite pointed at May, his eyes going from humor to concentration in a second.
"All right, now, let us end this battle! Lucario, use Thunder again!"
There was absolutely no time to stop the attack. The bolt of electricity crepitated loudly in the air, slamming toward the ground from the aura pokemon's hands. As Skitty was barely able to spring out of the way though, Munchlax was hit straight on. There was a burst of yellow light, and the big eater pokemon immediately collapsed to the ground with a weak, pained cry.
May screamed, almost tripping over her feet as she scrambled toward her injured pokemon.
"No Munchlax! Please, get up! Get up!" May pleaded, her eyes turning inadvertently to the clock. Down to the two minute mark. To make matters worse, she had lost almost two thirds of her points, and Kite had only lost half.
Her eyes flashed quickly towards Munchlax again. The normal type had stood up, but May's relief was short lived when she realized that the big eater pokemon's eyes were squinted in pain, its teal fur still covered by static electricity.
Oh no! Munchlax is paralyzed!
Kite laughed, light and controlled.
"Not too bad, huh May? I guess this is time to finish up; Cyndaquil, use Tackle! And Lucario, use Close Combat!"
Once again, the two pokemon rushed forward at Kite's command, charging toward Munchlax and Skitty with a startling fast speed. May looked around frantically for a strategy, panic creating a haze in her mind.
I've got to trust my pokemon on this…time to rely on luck…
"Skitty! Quickly, use Assist! And Munchlax, Metronome!"
In the audience, Dawn, Brock and Ash all gave a collective gasp.
"She can't be relying solely on luck!" Dawn exclaimed, covering her eyes.
Brock leaned forward anxiously. "She's putting all her trust in her pokemon. But if that double attack hits, it's all over!"
Ash's hands clenched into tight fists, his eyes wide with anxiety. Come on, come on, you can't lose May…
Skitty flipped around and pointed its glowing hand at the sky. From it came a glistening web of white strings, tangling with Cyndaquil and Lucario and stopping them in their tracks, only inches away from their targets.
String Shot! Just at the right time!
Relief mixed with adrenaline pulsed through her veins, filling May with renewed energy. She threw herself back into the battle, wanting to attack before Kite could counter.
"Great work Skitty! Don't stop shooting that String Shot!"
The kitten pokemon obeyed, pointing its still-glowing hand at Lucario and Cyndaquil. The two pokemon were now helplessly bound by countless of strong white strings, trying futilely to break free.
May's eyes flickered back to Munchlax, who, although paralyzed, was now moving its glowing hands in a hypnotic motion, back and forth, back and forth. After a certain number of sways, the glow intensified, and Munchlax pointed its hands at its opponent.
"Mmmmuunchlaax!"
The brightness of the glow was suddenly replaced by the powerful, deafening sound of fire. In a fast surge of heat, the white hot flames burst ahead toward Kite's pokemon.
"What is that?" May gasped, her eyes wide with incredulity. She hadn't seen this attack before-
"Wow, what amazing power we are seeing!" Lillian said quickly into the microphone to the stunned audience. "There aren't many Heat Wave attacks we see that are this powerful!"
Heat Wave?
It didn't matter what attack it was. She got the luck of the draw, and she was going to use it. May blinked away the surprised look in her eyes and focused on the battle again. Both of Kite's pokemon were now trying even harder to break free of their bonds before the attack could hit them.
From across the stage, Kite closed his eyes coolly.
"Counter it Cyndaquil!"
With no need for further instruction, the fire mouse pokemon immediately stopped struggling and nodded once, twisting around and suddenly shooting an equally large blast of fire toward Munchlax's attack.
Kite winked at May.
"My dear Cyndaquil's Lava Plume. Comes in handy when things like this happen."
May gritted her teeth. The two fire attacks continued to battle each other, testing the other for weakness. May could see that Munchlax was starting to get tired though. Up on the billboard above their heads, she could also see both her and Kite's points steadily dropping, with only forty seconds left on the clock.
"Munchlax! Aim your Heat Wave at Lucario instead of Cyndaquil!" May yelled desperately, giving a last attempt to try and turn this battle around.
Munchlax cried out painfully, unable to obey. It couldn't even move its hands, the paralysis freezing up its body.
Kite laughed slightly, pleased.
"Sorry May, but looks like you lost this battle! Lucario! Break free of that silly String Shot and aim Dragon Pulse at both of your opponents!"
May's hands clenched into fists. Her eyes flickered toward the clock and back to her pokemon, searching, searching for some sort of strategy-!
Her wide eyes rested on her Skitty, who was tensed in front of Munchlax, body leaning forward in both exhaustion and readiness to attack.
An unexpected second shot of adrenaline suddenly rushed through her body, making everything startlingly clear.
Risky, but it will have to work!
"Skitty! I want you to hit Munchlax with Doubleslap! Now!" she cried.
The kitten pokemon looked back at May in alarm. The brown haired coordinator only nodded, her mouth thinned into a tight line. The confusion then quickly dissolved from Skitty's eyes, replaced only by trust. The pink kitten gave a nod toward its trainer and raised its powerful tail, solidly slamming it into Munchlax.
The big eater pokemon gave a gasp as it fell over onto its side, writhing motionlessly in pain, still unable to move.
But the Heat Wave attack could.
As Munchlax fell over, its hands were suddenly pointed in a new direction, the flames now streaming toward a whole new target. Lucario, who was just running forward to release its Dragon Pulse attack, seemed to realize what was going to happen a second before it did.
The intense fire hit the steel pokemon straight on, a super effective and direct hit. It yelled out in pain as it was thrown into the air, suspended there for a brief second, and then plummeted back down to the stage. It then landed unsteadily on its feet, swaying once before falling to the ground.
Kite gasped, shocked. "No! Stand up Lucario! Stand up now!"
The aura pokemon's eyes flashed open, and it stumbled back into a standing position. May's eyes grew round with disbelief. In front of her, Skitty and Munchlax tensed again.
DING!
"AND OUR TIME'S UP!" Lillian shouted, her palm extended out to the audience like she was halting the clock herself. She twisted around on her heels and looked toward the judges. "Our winner?"
Kite crossed his fingers behind his back. May clutched at her ribbon necklace.
(I can't lose-!)
"May! You did it! You will be continuing on to the semi-finals!"
The crowd exploded with a fresh wave of cheering ovation. The brown haired coordinator's eyes widened in pure astonishment, the most wonderful kind of incredulity-
The smile that spread across her face right after came so quickly, it was as if it had been there the whole time.
"I-I made it. I'm in the semi-finals. I made it to the semi-finals."
She kept repeating it over and over, trying to wrap her head around the concept, the lovely, marvelous concept. Positively glowing as they bounced over, both Skitty and Munchlax skipped excitedly to their trainer's side, beaming at her despite their pain.
May looked down at her pokemon, her smile now so big that her cheeks hurt. She bent forward and cradled her pokemon in her arms, cheering loudly with Skitty, crooning soft words while stroking the paralysis off of Munchlax's teal coat.
"I'm so proud of both of you! You guys did amazing! Thank you, thank you so much-!" she said as she hugged them both tightly, kissing their fur, delighting in their laughter-
From the haze of her celebration, she suddenly remembered Kite. May stood up quickly and looked over at the blond coordinator from across the stage, biting her lip. His expression was understandably crestfallen, though he seemed to be holding it back. With measured movements, he returned his pokemon and then looked up to meet May's eyes with a small smile of congratulations. Delighted, she was quick to return that smile, and then swiftly returned her own pokemon as Lillian ushered them off the stage.
From behind her, the unbroken sound of cheers did not fade from her ears for a long time.
"I'm quite impressed May. You did well," Kite said once more, shaking May's hand as they returned back to the common room.
She grinned at him, shaking back amiably.
"Thanks Kite, but you did really well yourself! I don't think I would have pulled it off without that last Heat Wave attack."
And, as usual, Drew was suddenly there to agree with her self-deprecating statement, popping up from behind them with his usual smirk.
"Yeah May, looks like luck really plays a part in a coordinator's performance huh?" he asked, rolling his eyes.
May scowled at him, blue eyes fuming, and the green haired coordinator returned the look teasingly.
It was then that Ash, Brock and Dawn decided to enter the room, joining the group of coordinators. May felt her annoyance melt instantly and she waved cheerfully to her friends.
"Oh! Hi you guys!"
Brock smiled at the young coordinator's bright grin. "Now, what was it that you were worrying about before?" he asked with a nudge, and Dawn bounced over at the same time to exclaim, "Great job May! I knew you would win!"
Ash rolled his eyes graciously, coming to stand behind them.
"Oh, when doesn't May win?" he asked jokingly, winking at May.
The brown haired coordinator blushed, and she was suddenly taken by the urge to take his gloved hand in hers, to thank him, and see his golden eyes light up with pride-
"...ah, well, anyway thanks so much you guys! Only two more battles until that Ribbon Cup now!"
Drew interrupted then, just as Ash was going to say something else, unknowingly cutting off his words.
"Now don't get too cocky May! We all know who's going to be the top coordinator this year."
May turned to him with another amicably chafed stare, swatting at the green haired coordinator jokingly, and Ash's previous comment died in his throat.
"Why don't you tell that to someone else?" she asked Drew, half amused and half annoyed. Her green haired rival shrugged.
"I dunno, cause you're so fun to rile up?"
May laughed at that, and Ash felt a sickening twist in his chest when he once again realized that the laughter was not for him, but for Drew-
The green haired coordinator smirked and turned away from the group.
"Okay, well, if you really don't want me here, I need to prepare for my contest battle," he said flippantly, throwing one more wink toward May before promptly striding away.
May stared after him with a pout, waving with a 'good luck!', but then smiled and faced her friends again.
"Oh, you guys, how rude of me, you should meet Kite! He's the coordinator I was up against..." She gestured to the blond coordinator still seated on the bench beside her, who turned at the sound of his name.
Everyone introduced themselves, recounting the battle that had just taken place and other small talk. May joined in and out of the conversation from time to time, watching the other battles taking place on the T.V screen hanging on the wall, settled in a medium of contented conciliation.
She was completely unaware of Ash's eyes, which kept straying back to her even though he was supposedly talking to Kite. There was just...something about the now-peaceful look on her face that just glowed, bringing a pleasant kindling to the pit of his heart, emanating through his body all the way to his fingertips.
That feeling was far stronger than any sort of painful burning of...jealousy that would ever twist inside his chest because of Drew.
And, reveling in that warmth, Ash realized that, whatever emotional roller coaster he was going through, it was totally worth it.
(as long as he got to see that smile-)
Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something to May though, the speaker above their heads crackled to life.
"Wow, how this Festival is moving along! Will everyone please pay attention, I will now announce the battle pairings for the semi-finals!"
The noise in the waiting room disappeared quickly as everyone turned to watch the screen, finalists and non-finalists alike. May suddenly realized that she hadn't been paying the closest of attention to who had won and who hadn't, though she supposed at the moment, it didn't quite matter.
I wonder who I'll be up against this year…
The results came agonizingly slow, seeing that there were only four coordinators left. Or perhaps they weren't. May blinked in surprise when the four pictures began flickering onto the screen, unable to absorb the information that was staring her right in the face-
Solidad's picture came first, flashing next to the photograph of another coordinator with dainty pale skin, intelligent eyes and long black hair that May dimly recognized as a girl named Kiri, who had been in a contest with her before-
And then her questing blue gaze finally found her own picture, cropped up next to an all too familiar green-haired coordinator's face.
"Drew," May breathed.
-takes a deep breath- And we end it here! Next chapter might take some time to get up, I promise I'll try my best to write as much as I can.
(Oh, I just love writing as Harley - he's so flamboyant, it's so amusing xD)
*Much thanks to fanfic author Captain Kite for providing as inspiration for the OC coordinator David (Kite) in this chapter :)*
So, yes full of action :) Quite a change from my usual writing - ah, I had a very interesting time writing this. Haha, still tried to inject as much Advanceshipping as I could into that...
Oh! And if anyone is curious, the short quotes in the very beginning of the chapter - the 'voices' in May's head essentially - are direct quoting from episodes 'Cruisin' for a Losin' and 'Date Expectations' respectively. And, the memories shared between Ash and May during their 'handshake' are direct quoting from their famous 'handshake moments', during 'Home is Where the Start is' and 'Strategy with a Smile'. :)
And one more thing...long chapters call for a lot of mistakes. If I missed anything, don't hesitate to tell me about it so I can fix it for the better!
Until next time! Reviews are always, always loved ;)
Kisses,
WingsofRain
