Alright, making Drew more enjoyable to read in this chapter. What's that i hear? Drew haters. o noes.
~midnight
Day Eleven:
Sapphire smiled as she watched Wartortel coughing after eating too much ice cream too fast. Afterwards Wartortel went for another bite but much slower to avoid coughing as Sapphire took a bite from her own strawberry ice cream. Sapphire placed the end part of the cone into her mouth, swallowed and smiled. Sapphire giggled as her water type's vanilla ice cream began to melt.
"Ice cream doesn't taste very nice if it's melted Wartortle." The water type sweat dropped after wards.
"Wartortel." The turtle went back to have another bite from his melting ice cream when his trainer's rival appeared into the scene.
"Hey there May." The brunette looked away from her pokemon and to the eyes of her rival.
"Drew?" Sapphire asked. "What are you doing here?"
The trainer smirked with his answer. "I want a battle with you. Right here, right now."
Sapphire looked puzzled with Drew's sudden proposal but the girl shrugged her shoulder and sat up. Fixed her red singlet and white mini shorts, readjusted her straw hat and smiled confidently.
"Challenge accepted."
"You seem annoyed about something Ash."
"I'm not annoyed."
"But you haven't touched your meal."
The trainer looked down on his meal and noticed Brock's words spoke true. All his did was play with the ingredients that made his fried rice and honey chicken. Even Pikachu had finished his bottle of tomato sauce before Ash finished his meal. He sighed and looked out the window and watched the sea move up and down as flying types flew over it as water types swam through it. He seemed lost in his thoughts until his partner suddenly jumped onto his shoulder.
"It's Drew? He always seems to bother you when his around." Ash looked lazily at Brock before returning his eyes back at the endless pool of water.
"That and a bit what May told me yesterday."
"I might have some feelings for Drew!"
The words he thought haunted him. He thought after the doubts he had for her in the past was the worst of them all. But he was wrong. Ash removed his hat and ran his fingers thought his hair.
"I can't help it. Eventually I'm going to leave you for him. It's destiny."
Destiny was a horrible thing to depend on. When was the last time it did any good for him? After bringing May back to him from Johto everything just got too complicated for his fifteen year old mind to understand. His hands covered his face for a few seconds before sighing. Why were the simple things in life so hard to get?
"I promise I'll fight, fight for us."
His lips couldn't help but form a smile. She was going to fight for him; them. It convinced him that she wasn't going down easy and was planning to win but fighting against destiny wouldn't be easy. Others don't tamper into the fundamentals of destiny but Sapphire was different, she was strong and she had played with destiny long enough to know what it took to defeat it. But destiny could use that against her. And this worried him.
"You're jealous." Ash quickly turned back to Brock with a shocked look all over his face.
"I'm not." Ash emphasized.
"Then that means you don't love her."
Ash both looked at his oldest travelling companion with irritation and confusion.
"Every man gets jealous Ash, like it or not. It's one way to see if you really like the person or not."
Ash rolled his eyes and returned his eyes back at the sea. He glanced over back at Brock. He couldn't help but admit that he was somewhat right.
"Can't I just show how I love her in a different way?" Ash asked as he continued to look at the endless blue sea portrayed from his window.
"Well, there is many more out there but jealously is the strongest one out there." Brock smiled. "Take it like this; you love her lots which is causing you to become jealous."
Ash just sighed and began to eat his cold meal with the words Brock said to him, swimming around in his mind.
"Roserade use Magical leaf at Wartortle now!"
Roserade's roses opened and like bullets in a gun they shot right towards at Sapphire's water type. Thin rainbow coloured leaves flew at high speeds. "Use rapid spin to defend yourself!"
The turtle hid into his own shell and quickly spun clockwise and a high pace, fast enough to knock the leaves out of his path and right into the grass type. Roserade was sent a few steps back but it didn't seem to lay any major damage. Roserade smirked. Wartortle popped his head out of his shell to only be greeted by a mocking pokemon who treated his rapid spin like nothing.
"Hydro pump!" she screamed as she pointed at Drew's pokemon. "Let's go!"
Wartortle opened his mouth and a giant gush of high-pressure water blasted out.
"Sunny day!" Drew retaliated
As the high blast of water made its way to its target the more weaker the pressure became, the speed collapsed and what was supposed to be a high powered water type attack was nothing but water over Roserade's back.
"Solarbeam!"
"Solarbeam Rosella!"
The beam of light crashed into her Skitty and the little pink cat flew high into the air as if a child tossed it. Its scream echoed in her ears as the Rosella began to spin beautifully. She watched as Drew's lips moved. She knew he spoke a word but she could not hear it. The rose stopped twirling and summoned shiny rainbow leaves and aimed at the falling kitten.
Sapphire watched, as she couldn't do anything to save it. She was placed into another memory that she had no choice but to play in. Seconds later the leaves crashed into Skitty and causing scratches to surface on its once soft short fur. Skitty screamed once more, causing tears to appear in her eyes. She noticed that her score had dropped hugely but she didn't care as she rushed to her Pokémon's aid and caught the kitten in her arms.
The horn went off and seconds later a thumbnail image of Drew and his Roserade appeared on the huge screen above her. Then the voice of the host called out his name and his fans cheered. Her rival ignored them and walked towards her as she ran her fingers across Skitty's usual cheery face. But as he came closer she stood up suddenly, backtracked and looked him in the eye. They were covered in pain and anger. Anger Drew had never seen from her before.
Backtracking a few steps before running into the building. He wanted to chase after her but the crowd roared his name and the host lifted his hand into the air. Repeating the words ''winner'' once more. Sapphire watched from the corner of her eyes before continuing on running.
Running back home.
Running back to his heart.
The act had finished and the scream of Wartortle glued her back to earth. The scene portrayed her water type struggling back onto his feet as her opponent opened its roses, aimed and fired the same amount of Magical leaf from before.
"I'm not going to lose again to that Roserade of yours!" she pointed at Roserade with determination to defeat it. "Ice beam and destroy them with Rapid spin!"
A zigzagging thin blue beam aimed at the multiple leaves, in seconds they were all cover in ice. The little turtle jumped into mid air and quickly withdrawing into its shell and spinning and high speeds and destroying all the ice coated leaves within a matter of seconds. Wartortle appeared out of his shell and landed into the ground with tiny ice particles falling onto him.
"Let's finish this!" Sapphire punched her fist excitedly into the air. "Rapid spin with Ice beam!"
"We will be doing the finishing here! Solar beam! Full force!"
Roserade placed his ''hands'' together side by side and released the powerful beam of light straight at Wartortle. He quickly settled into his shell and spin very quickly. Afterwards beams of ice escaped the holes in the shell; Sapphire watched steadily as Wartortle span right into the beam, hoping that her plan would work.
And it did.
Wartortle broke through the barrier and Rapid spin with the addition of Ice beam landed onto Roserade. A critical hit and moments later it fainted right in front of the feet of its trainer.
"Alright!" Sapphire cheered as she rushed to her pokemon. She grabbed him into her arms and embraced him tight. "That was a great battle." Soon footsteps of her rival caught her attention.
Clapping and smiling he added. "That was rather unexpected of you May."
"Don't underestimate my skills Drew." She giggled afterwards.
"Yeah, forgot about that."
Both smiled warmly and silence grew between them. "I better get going." She quickly stuttered.
"Yeah. I bet Ash is waiting for you." Sapphire nodded.
"If you want a rematch then I won't refuse." Drew laughed.
"Don't worry; I'll get that rematch soon. Just wait."
With a confident smile Sapphire took one more glance at her rival and made her way. As for Drew he walked back to Roserade and held her in his arm and waited till she woke up. "Great job out there, you did great." The rose pokemon soon stood on its two feet proudly. Drew smiled and returned Roserade back into its ball. He stood up and watched Wartortle jump into Ash's arms as the three of them laughed. He flicked his hair and began to walk away.
"That battle felt different." He looked up into the summer sky. "The May I know wouldn't be able to create such amazing combinations like that." Flashback of his past battles with the brunette came into his mind. "She would panic and have a worried look all over her face but in this battle..."
"Use rapid spin to defend yourself!"
"Hydro pump!" she screamed
"I'm not going to lose again to that Roserade of yours!" she pointed at Roserade with determination to defeat it. "Ice beam and destroy them with Rapid spin!"
"Let's finish this!" Sapphire punched her fist excitedly into the air. "Rapid spin with Ice beam!"
He grabbed Roserade's ball and stared at it deeply. "..I felt like I was against a different May."
"You should have been there Ash!" Sapphire spoke with popcorn in her mouth. She swallowed and added. "The battle was amazing."
"Pika!" Pikachu cheered with his paws up in the air before being offered some popcorn from Sapphire.
"I believe you May." The trainer appeared out of the bathroom with his usual clothes just without his black vest on. "I wish I was there to see it though." Ash took a seat next to Sapphire, who was eating popcorn on her bed with Pikachu beside her. "But it doesn't matter. I'll get to see you in many battles in the Grand Festival." Ash soon reached a handful of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth.
"You think I will be able to win the entire thing? I mean it's my first Grand Festival."
Ash swallowed before replying. "Just do your best May. That's all that matters." He placed his hand on top of hers. She nodded.
"Yeah, that's all I can really do in the end right?" She handed the bowl of popcorn to Pikachu and landed flat on her back, staring at the ceiling.
"You're just thinking too much about it." Ash turned and lay on his stomach. "Believe you can do it." He grinned.
Sapphire smiled and sat up. Looking back and she agreed. She stretched and yawned before standing up. "Where are you going?" Ash asked. Sapphire turned around face him.
"I'm just going outside for some fresh air."
"Oh, alright. Come back soon, the movie will start soon." He pointed to the television. Sapphire nodded and made her way out.
The sky was covered in crowds of stars. The girl had never seen so many stars of all different shapes and sizes shining so bright. After her battle with Drew she couldn't let it go. She wanted to continue on another battle and another. Today was just full of fun that she didn't want it to end. But night had fallen over her and early in the morning she would be at the Grand Festival, fighting to be the best coordinator out there. She began to lose into her thoughts while drumming her fingers against the rail of the boat.
"You seem to be thinking rather deeply after having such an intense battle back there." Sapphire continued to look at the horizon.
"Yeah, it felt so good to battle once more. Too bad Ash wasn't there to see it."
"Is that what is annoying you the most? Ash wasn't there to see your very first battle?" Sapphire shook her head.
"Nah, it isn't that. It's Drew. I wish he would go away." She sighed. "I can't focus well if his around me all the time." Celebi flew closer to the girl and sat on the rails.
"Are you getting closer to him? Are you losing interest in Ash?"
"No! Of course not!" Sapphire panicked. "I refuse! Never!" She added.
"I love your determination May." The grass type grinned. "Keep it up then maybe, things might go your way."
"May?" Celebi quickly faded when that name was called. The brunette turned around to see it was Ash. She walked up to Ash and greeted the boy with an embrace.
She thought of Celebi's words once more as she felt Ash wrap his own arms around her. She closed her eyes and wondered why, why destiny kept playing with the strings of her heart. She just wanted to love, be and enjoy her time with Ash. She didn't need to be sidetracked with Drew. Why couldn't destiny understand that there are things that should be left simple and not dragged into complication?
He felt how tight Sapphire embraced him. Ash knew something was troubling her. He wanted to ask and help but if she wasn't ready he might trouble her even more. And Ash, didn't want that. He never wanted to hurt any of his friends. He didn't want to her Sapphire the way he did with Dawn. If there was a chance to hurt himself instead of his friends then he would.
Destiny. It was such a strange word. He remembered his mother speak about the word when he was young. He would always refer the word to his father who he had little memories of. Did he really leave them for his pokemon journey or did he leave them for good? He didn't want to know, or ask his mother. The pain would resurface after years of trying to bury it away.
"It was okay for destiny to make mistakes right? It's not perfection yet it isn't human either. Then maybe for once, it can make a mistake and let things be for May and me." Ash soon felt Sapphire parting from him.
"Let's go watch that movie now." She jumped and cheered. A total turnaround from the girl that was hiding in his arms with confusion. Ash nodded.
"Alright but we might need more popcorn. I think Pikachu might finish them off with the other pokemon." The brunette sweat dropped.
"My-my popcorn." Sapphire cried as Ash laughed and patted her back.
"Hey, Brock won't mind if he makes us another batch."
"Let's just grabbed some ice cream from the freezer instead." Both cheekily grinned at one another at the idea. Sapphire grabbed Ash's hand and both raced back inside. Ash smiled.
"I'm sure destiny won't mind if it was wrong just this once."