"I always forget how much stuff they sell here," May commented, running her hand along the edge of a stall. "It's gonna take me more than one week to try all the food here!"
"Relax, May. Trust me, you'll find a lot of the stalls sell the same stuff," Solidad pointed out, lifting a glossy past edition of Coordinator's Weekly from the stand and examining it.
"You sound like an expert," May laughed, making her way back towards the main event hall.
"I am," Solidad joked. "I only have two Grand Festivals on you, though, so don't take it to heart."
With only five days to go, coordinators were starting to gather at Lake Valor, ready for the event itself to start. Stalls were already set up, and May had spent the whole of the previous day sampling their foods without having to pay for any. She had found a smoothie stall near the entrance, sort of out of the road but definitely on the map. The owners were oddly familiar to her, and from their reaction, she assumed that they had to have met before.
The whole area was swarming with trainers and their Pokémon, and despite the relaxed location, the tension was still clear in the area. May had found Solidad almost as soon as she had arrived, lounging in the pool area of the hotel area with sunglasses covering her eyes in an attempt to be inconspicuous. Luckily for them, the hotel was practically right beside the arena, meaning no long walks between the areas in the mornings when they were competing. It was also free for all those entering; once they had registered in the main arena, they handed in passes to reception, who gave them rooms. This had to be one of May's favourite parts of coordinating- you were almost treated like royalty when you were good enough.
Sunday was rest day for most coordinators, but as the Grand Festival was coming up faster than most had predicted, cries of different attacks and combination names could be heard clearly across the whole area. With the event starting on Friday, and the final on Sunday, every last moment of training was invaluable in perfecting moves and working with Pokémon. Solidad and May were on their way to practice appeals on the beach, west of Pastoria and south of the resort. It was quiet, yet perfect for training at such a busy time like this.
Neither Harley nor Drew had put in an appearance as yet, which May was glad of. After the whole drama with Drew at Celestic Town, she needed girl time, which was exactly what she was getting with Solidad. She knew, however, that as soon as Drew turned up, that would be over, and she'd have to put up with him, albeit awkwardly.
It wasn't even that she particularly objected to kissing Drew. In fact, the fact that he almost did made her heart speed up a million times, and her face flush red. She shouldn't have reacted the way she did- she liked Drew, so why did she run off? It was completely beyond her why she panicked, but she fully intended to apologise when Drew turned up.
"Something on your mind?" Solidad asked, glancing over at the younger girl, completely lost in her thoughts.
"Oh, no! It's nothing! Nerves, just."
"I'm not surprised," Solidad laughed, apparently buying into her lie. "After what happened last year, anyone would be. Let's just hope you have better luck this year."
"I definitely have more skill," May smiled, confident in her performances to date. "And I have some tricks up my sleeve." She twiddled the ring that resided on her finger, hoping that Mega Evolution would be able to win her the competition.
"I'm glad that you're confident, but… well, put it this way, I have some tricks up my sleeve too. I'm not gonna go easy on you, May."
"I've already agreed with Drew that we'll meet in the finals, and I'm not going to let you stand in my way, Solidad," May said with a smile, placing one tentative foot on the sand.
"Well then," Solidad smiled. "We'll have the best battle the contest world has ever seen."
"You can bet on it!"
Solidad threw two Pokéballs, her Pokémon landing gracefully on the beach. Lapras landed in the water, and Slowbro stood at the edge of the waves, waiting for its trainer to give it a command. Solidad smiled slowly, ready to show May what she had been keeping under wraps for the season.
"Slowbro, Lapras, use Water Pulse!"
"Ugh, will you two keep it down!" A voice yelled from the other end of the beach, causing both of Solidad's Pokémon to stop in their tracks. A pink haired girl marched up the beach, kicking up a cloud of sand around her feet. She whipped her sunglasses off when she reached May and Solidad, and May finally recognised her.
"Clarissa," she said politely, nodding at the girl. Her Pokémon hovered behind her, glaring at the other two coordinators. "Your Medicham is looking well."
"She would be looking better if you weren't here training loudly and disturbing everyone in the area!"
"This is a public beach," Solidad said calmly, moving between May and Clarissa. "Perhaps it would be better if you went somewhere else to train, since mediation is what makes Medicham strong and you're not going to get peace like that here. I suggest-"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm from this region, princess, and I know it and super contests better than you ever will. So get your nose out of my business!"
Clarissa walked away, her hair bouncing down her back. Medicham followed her, apologizing to the others before leaving. Solidad sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"She's a handful," she commented. "I've seen her contests on TV, and it seems like she's still a rookie. But… well, maybe she'll come up with something."
"Maybe… anyway, show me that combination!"
Monday brought an influx of coordinators, the likes of which May had never seen before. Within the crowd came Harley and Drew, and May conveniently spent her day at the pool, 'relaxing' before training in the evening. The area was practically silent, with only a few patrons actually using it. Although it was being used for the Grand Festival, the huge hotel also was open to the public, and spectators of the event. Most of the coordinators were out training all day, so the hotel itself was practically empty, and May could get away with not thinking about contests.
Or so she thought.
"May!" A male voice called from the sun lounger next to her, and she set this week's edition of Coordinators Weekly- all about the Sinnoh Grand Festival, of course- on her knee, looking to her left. She was expecting Drew or Harley, but upon lifting her sunglasses, she was pleasantly surprised.
"Brock?"
"The one and only!"
"What are you doing here?" She asked incredulously, a smile breaking out across her face.
"A friend invited me, so I'm taking a break from the gym to watch. I've finished with school for the year, so I can finally relax."
"Wait, school?"
"Didn't anyone tell you? I'm studying to become a Pokémon Doctor!"
"Wow, that's so cool!"
"And I'm still the gym leader back in Pewter, so I'm studying all week and then doing gym battles all weekend. It's a tough life."
"I can imagine," May smiled. "So, are you still in contact with Solidad?" She laughed, knowing no other coordinator she knew would be inviting him to watch contests in other countries.
"Yeah," he chuckled, rolling his eyes. "She's not interested in me, but we get along pretty well. She's one of the few big celebrities from Pewter, so I always rope her in to city events. She opened the new museum just a few months ago!"
"I'm glad! What about Ash, how's he doing?"
"Last I heard he was in Unova, but he could've easily moved on without me knowing. I'm sure he'll be headed on to Kalos soon, since it would be the logical next step. Or maybe he's already there."
"I'd love to visit Kalos," May said dreamily. "It seems like such a nice place."
"The last Rock Type Gym Leader Conference was there, and let me tell you, it's lovely. You should definitely go one day," Brock confirmed with a nod of his head.
"I'm taking a year out from coordinating next year to work on the Pokédex and stuff, so I'm sure Professor Birch would approve if I went out there!"
"Why are you doing that? Your season has been going great here- I've managed to catch some of your contests on TV."
"Well, I just want to take a break. I want to travel more, and go to the weird places in regions where they don't hold contests. Like… Pokémon Tower, and Snowpoint Temple, and the Whirl Islands! I miss doing proper tourist stuff, y'know?" May said with a shrug, and Brock laughed in response.
"I hear you. We did a lot of that in Hoenn, right?"
"Yeah! There's a lot of Sinnoh I'd like to reexplore now that I'm older, too."
"That's a good idea- oh! Hey, Solidad!" Brock said, looking over behind May. She turned around to see Solidad enter the room; with the person she least wanted to see in tow- Drew.
"Brock, you made it!" Solidad exclaimed, making her way over to the man and sitting down on the end of May's sun lounger.
"Nice to see you!"
"You too," she said, a sincere smile on her face.
"Hey, Brock," Drew said coolly, standing behind May. She didn't turn round to look at him, making her annoyance still known. Although she fully intended to apologise to him, she couldn't help but still be bitter towards him.
"Hey, Drew! Are you two still friends, then?" He asked, nodding his head at May. Drew opened his mouth to reply, but May beat him to the punch.
"Yep!"
"Yeah, uh... May, I need to talk to you. It's kinda important," he said, and sighing audibly, she swung her legs over the side of the sun lounger and onto the floor. She stood up, setting the magazine down on the lounger again.
"Fine."
"Do you wanna go somewhere else, or something?" He asked, sending a furtive look in Solidad's direction.
"Sure."
"Okay then."
"Fine," May repeated, and the two took off, May lifting her hoodie from the back of the lounger. She wasn't really appropriately dressed for the sort of conversation she knew was about to happen, with only shorts and a bikini on, so she zipped her hoodie up, retracting into slightly.
They found seats across the other side of the pool, a small bench concealed from the view of Solidad and Brock by the shrubbery on the island in the middle of the pool. May avoided looking at him, instead staring into the water, watching the tiny waves bump into the edge of the pool. Drew picked at a loose thread in the hem of his shirt, determined not to speak first, despite being the one who wanted to talk to May.
"I'm sorry," they said suddenly, at the same time, surprising each other.
"What are you sorry for?" Drew asked. "It's pretty obvious what I'm sorry for, but…"
"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I shouldn't have run off. It was… well, childish. It's better to run away from your problems than deal with them, right?"
"So you think I'm a problem?"
"Drew, no. You know that's not what I meant. I was scared, I guess."
"What, you've never kissed a boy before?" He asked, suddenly back to his usual teasing self.
"Well…"
"I'll take that as a 'no', then."
"Drew!"
"But seriously, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have… well, yeah. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you. That was weird."
"A bit," May laughed. "Can we… talk more about this after the Grand Festival? I want to focus on training and my Pokémon, and not boys. Especially not annoying ones with green hair."
"Hey, that's a low blow and you know it."
"Whatever. It's true."
"But… yeah. I think that's a good idea. I don't want to be thinking about overbearing cute brunettes either."
"I may be overbearing, but at least you didn't forget that I'm cute," May laughed. "It's time for me to get back to training, so… I'll see you later, Drew."
"Have fun," he said, giving her a small wave as she disappeared through the automatic doors and back into the hotel lobby.
Thursday brought about a change at the resort, with almost every coordinator leaving the area in an attempt to finalise their moves and make sure their Pokémon were in perfect condition for the event. Tension was running high, and May had seen more than one coordinator crying, comforted by their friends or Pokémon. It was a stressful time, and May was feeling the nerves herself.
The only people who were immune, apparently, were Solidad and Harley. Solidad was always chilled out anyway, and was used to competing in such big events. Harley was a different story- he waltzed onto the beach, where May was brushing Altaria in preparation for the appeals the following day. Without his signature Cacturne hat he was almost unrecognizable, but May saw him in time to be defensive.
"What a lovely Pokémon! Are you going to be entering it in the contest?" He drawled, sitting down gingerly on the sand.
"Yes, Harley, why else would I be brushing her?"
"Wow, no need to be so hostile. You know, your little boyfriend Drew was acting a similar way earlier."
"He's not my boyfriend!" May denied fervently, shaking her head.
"Well, there's definitely something going on between you," Harley said, holding his hands up defensively.
"Even if there was, it'd be none of your business! What did you come over here for, Harley, to make fun of me and annoy me? You know that everyone's stressed because the contest starts tomorrow, and honestly, you're not helping matters at all!"
"I came to ask you about your appeal. Is it true there's a water battlefield?"
"Harley, there's always a battlefield for water Pokémon," May sighed, returning Altaria to her Pokéball. "And since there are three stages, if you request it, you'll be on the stage where that's available."
"What about you, any special requests for you this time? I have to say, turning the lights off in the Hearthome Contest caused quite a stir! I'm surprised you didn't win with that!"
"Drew was the better coordinator on the day," May shrugged, standing up and brushing herself off. "He deserved the ribbon far more than I did anyway. He's a better coordinator overall."
"I wouldn't necessarily say that, honey. I think you're very talented. You just need a way to show it."
"Trust me Harley, if people don't think I'm at least kinda talented by tomorrow, I'm never entering another contest ever."
May couldn't face eating, and sleeping was also a struggle. She lay awake for hours, until the clock beside her read three a.m. and she couldn't face it anymore. Deciding to cut her losses for now, she got up out of bed, and headed downstairs, swimsuit on and towel in hand. The pool was open twenty-four hours, although there was no lifeguard at this time of night. She didn't expect anyone else to be there, so when she saw another figure swimming in circles in the darkness, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
She set her towel on a sun lounger, stripping off her shorts and hoodie and sliding into the water, curling up in a corner to get used to the water before moving. The lights from the pool itself and the streetlights from outside illuminated the area, giving it an almost ethereal glow. Under any other situation, May would've found it creepy, but she was too tired and nervous to care. The other swimmer was moving towards her, but she stayed still, hoping they would go past her.
"Can't sleep either?"
"I didn't expect to see you here, Drew."
"I rarely sleep before big events like this," he confessed, treading water in front of her. It took a few blinks for his face to focus, but eventually it did, and May smiled.
"I usually can, but… well, I feel more nervous this time. I couldn't even eat at dinner!"
"That's how we know that something's up with you, May," he laughed, swimming beside her to rest at the edge of the pool.
"Solidad showed me her appeal the other day, before you arrived."
"Really? I'm surprised she trusts you that much not to copy it," Drew said with a raised eyebrow, but May shook her head.
"I doubt it was the real thing. It didn't seem flashy enough, polished enough. It wasn't Solidad, you get me?"
"I do. Her appeals are always a combination of grace and power, which is exactly what the judges want from coordinators. That's why she's so good."
"She's only won one Grand Festival out of the… what, five she's entered?"
"Well, in her first two years, she was really only getting started. It usually takes two years to get good enough to get a good way through the battles round, never mind win it."
"Says Mr. I-Came-Second-In-My-First-Grand-Festival," May retorted with a smile on her face.
"Says Miss I-Got-Into-The-Quarter-Finals-In-My-Second-Grand-Festival-Which-Is-Still-Above-Average."
"Whatever."
"Any other juicy gossip you want to share with me?"
"I saw Harley today, and he was trying to get me to tell him what I was doing for the appeals round. I'm not making that mistake again."
"No surprises there. I'm pretty sure he just recycles other people's combinations with his own Pokémon. I've definitely seen the Ariados/Octillery one he did in Hearthome before."
"With the web on fire?" May asked, and he nodded.
"Of course, and Pokémon that knows String Shot and any fire type at all can do it, so it made it more interesting that he used Octillery, a water type."
"Ever the analyst, aren't we?"
"Well, you have to be able to analyse to be able to figure out where others are going wrong and what you can borrow from their performances," Drew explained, before pausing. "Don't tell me that you don't analyse every single performance and evaluate them before coming up with your own ideas?"
"No… not really. I mean, I do of course take inspiration from others, but… well, most of my ideas are straight out of my head."
"That's why your appeals are always so good," Drew said, staring into the water. "They come straight from your brain and aren't tainted by other's opinions and ideas."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment," May muttered, narrowing her eyes.
"Trust me, it was."
"Well, thank you, then."
"On the topic of criticism, have you seen Clarissa? I've managed to avoid bumping into her, if she is here."
"Yeah, she's here all right. She yelled at me and Solidad on the beach when Solidad was training, but she put Clarissa in her place."
"I'm glad she did. She's possibly one of the most annoying Pokémon Trainers I've ever had the misfortune of meeting."
"I have to agree with you. She hasn't been nice to me at all, any time we've met, even outside of coordinating."
"If you get a chance to battle her, you better beat her."
"Don't worry, I intend to. And don't forget about your promise!"
"We'll meet in the final, even if I have to beat Solidad to do so."
"One of us is going to have to beat her, and I know I can't, so… it better come down to you," May nodded, sealing their deal.
"You should sleep. Get a couple of hours before the contest," Drew said, his voice quiet and warm.
"I will. If you do too!"
"I can't promise anything."
"Well, I'm going to try and sleep anyway. Thanks for this very enlightening talk," May said, hauling herself out of the water.
"Goodnight, May."
"Goodnight. Good luck tomorrow!"
AN: Fun fact, chapter twelve was supposed to be the last chapter in my original plan. Oh well! Chapter sixteen will actually be the last chapter, if I've planned right! c:
