May stood off to the side of the entrance to the contest hall. She had stood in that exact spot for the past couple of minutes, moving only to awkwardly shift her weight onto her other foot as she watched other attendees of the afterparty stream into the hall one after another.
A group of what had seemed to be masked twelve-year-olds had just bounded into the hall, formal wear and all, and they were steadily disappearing from May's peripheral vision when the brunette heard someone say behind her, "May?"
May turned to face whoever had just called her name, though she already had a very good idea of who it was based on the voice alone. She nodded slightly upon recognizing the two standing before her, both of whom had curious expressions on their faces.
"Hey guys," greeted May, smiling slightly.
"What're you doing out here?" wondered June. "I thought we said that we were alright with you going on in ahead of us? We all knew how long Dawn takes in the bathroom."
"Not to mention, May, it's almost a crime to keep you from food," interjected Dawn, not even bothering to defend herself.
May rolled her eyes but didn't turn to head into the building.
"What's wrong? If it's your outfit, don't worry. You look hot. I'd wolf-whistle if I could," said June.
May released a soft, slightly nervous laugh as her eyes automatically flickered down to study herself. The dress was strapless—a feature May wasn't entirely comfortable with, but it was either this or the unadulterated wrath of Dawn—and the fabric was a cobalt that the blunette had insisted "brought out May's eyes". The waist was accentuated by a thin gold band, and the skirt part fell in pleated waves to barely graze the ground.
"Trust the dress, May. Trust the dress," said Dawn, nodding with her eyes closed and her chin in the "L" created by her thumb and index finger—her "thinker" position. "After all, I picked it out...just be careful; it's a rental under my name."
"Still nothing compared to you, Dawn. Seriously, white cocktail dresses to masquerade balls? You're definitely keeping it medievally classy, aren't you?" said June, her tone laced with sarcasm.
The said blunette grinned, ignoring the sarcasm.
"Oh, you're such a flatterer, June!" said Dawn flamboyantly, making a show of pushing June with one hand while her other hid the blunette's face in mock embarrassment.
"Stupid freshman," muttered June as she fought to regain her balance, which was a task slightly easier said than done in the heels that she was wearing. "Why did we let her into the group again?" she said louder, obviously directed at May.
"Because I completely creamed Brendan in the first card battle I ever had with you guys?" said Dawn, rolling her eyes. "Still a feat I'm super proud of, by the way."
May chuckled. Now that had been one of the more intense card battles that had ever taken place in their pagoda. It had literally all come down to a coin flip.
"Not that it ever happened again," muttered June sulkily.
"No, it's not the dress," said May, abruptly turning the focus of their conversation back on point.
"Is it the hair?" wondered June. "Don't take my word for it, but it's honestly really nice, May. You should do it like that more often."
"Really?" said May, slightly flattered. Her hand reached instinctively to play with a lock of her hair, a task made surprisingly much more fun by the fact that it was straightened.
Yes, that's right—May Maple had straightened her hair. (By the use of Dawn's portable straightener that the girl carried around in her bag, much to no one's surprise.)
Her previous slightly puppy-dog-ish hairstyle now hung in a silky, shiny curtain down only a few inches past her shoulders, but nonetheless, it was a surprising—and refreshing—look on May. Despite the drastic change in hairstyle, even with her sapphire mask on, May personally didn't think she was unrecognizable. After all, there was still her mouth, nose, eyes, her jaw line. Of course, it seemed that she'd be proved wrong only later that night.
"Yeah, but I doubt that's what you were worried about in the first place, May. What's up?" asked Dawn.
May shook her head.
"If I knew, I'd tell you..." the brunette trailed off, frowning slightly. A bad answer, but it was the complete truth.
The corner of Dawn's lips pulled down and June raised an eyebrow.
"Something about a guy?" drawled June. When May opened her mouth to retort, the blonde immediately cut her off by bouncing up and down and sticking her hand in the air and calling, "Ooh, ooh! Pick me!" Without even waiting for May to call on her, she continued, "Is it Brendan?"
May gave the girl an astounded look.
"No," she said simply, bewildered by the fact that June had even suggested such an idea.
The blonde immediately simpered down at May's response and almost seemed to pout for a short while. May cocked her head as she tried to make sense of June. Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, it's not a big deal," said May, shrugging and turning to finally head into the hall. "C'mon, let's go in."
The girls watched May walk away for a moment before Dawn leaned into June and whispered, "Something's definitely on her mind, right?"
"Oh yeah," replied June just as quietly, a sly smile slithering onto her face. "Someone's definitely on her mind."
May frowned.
"Dawn? June?" she tried calling, but her voice was lost in the chatter of the rest of the guests.
For the past ten minutes, there had been no sign of Dawn's cobalt hair or June's jade green gown. While she was at it, there were also a dozen too many dark-haired guys for May to identify any of them as Ash or Brendan, and there was no sign of Solidad, Harley, or Drew either.
May sighed. Great.
For some reason, she was having a bad feeling about tonight before the night even began, and this turn of events definitely wasn't helping. Also, this place was huge—the afterparty stretched throughout the building and spanned a number of large, elaborately decorated rooms—and it totally wasn't May's fault that she was lost.
"Fine," she grumbled to no one in particular. "I'll just eat, then! I'll drown away my sorrows with food!" she proclaimed loudly as her expression morphed into that of a determined one, and she earned a few looks from the people surrounding her.
Upset with the way the night was turning out, May stomped over to the closest refreshments, grabbed a plate, loaded it with finger sandwiches and Pecha berries, poured herself a cup of punch, sat down in the closest seat—which was right next to the tables holding the refreshments—with a huff, and began drowning away her sorrows with food.
Brendan grinned and exchanged a look with Ash, who was right next to him and was dressed in a dark gray three-piece suit with his ever-present Pikachu on his shoulder. As Brendan fingered the lapel of his own black blazer—the same one he had worn for the contest earlier—he held up the blue device to Ash, being careful to not jostle the earbud that was in his ear. Ash studied the screen. A moment later, a crease appeared between the raven-haired boy's eyebrows.
"Uh," said Ash, unsure of quite what to say as he gave Brendan a reproachful and questioning look.
"Pi?" chirped Pikachu as it studied the screen as well, though it wasn't as if it could read the words that were displayed.
Brendan replied with a shrug and a cheeky grin before taking the last few steps of their thirty-second journey from the entrance to where a certain blonde and blunette were standing. Their backs were turned to the boys as the latter silently approached them. When Brendan crept up behind the blonde, he stuck the other earbud into her ear, much to June's surprise (which was evidenced with a small yelp). Upon recognizing the chorus of the song that was playing, June's surprise turned into confusion and she turned to face the perpetrator. The blunette's reaction was a bit more subdued, but she still turned to shoot Ash and Brendan a questioning look too.
"I've been watching you all night, there's something in your eyes...Say c'mon c'mon and dance with me, baby?" said Brendan, the effect made better to him and June by the music streaming into their ears.
June wrinkled her nose and raised an eyebrow.
"Since when were you a closet Directioner?"
"Hey now, this is May's iPod. Not mine," protested Brendan.
"Excuses," deadpanned Dawn at the same time June muttered, "This is my 'judging you' face..."
"Besides," continued the blunette. "How do you even have her iPod?"
"No, the better question," began Ash, shooting Brendan a look. "Is even if that's May's iPod, how would you know about that, uh, song in the first place?"
"...It came on during shuffle?"
"Which comes back to why you have the iPod in the first place," said Dawn, an amused smile dancing on her lips.
"She let me have it to keep sane while you were going Fashion Nazi on her earlier in the rental rooms," explained Brendan. He paused before continuing, "Not gonna lie, I've never actually heard anybody threaten someone about putting them into a garbage bag and throwing them into Trubbish if they didn't promise to choose a certain pair of shoes."
"Those shoes are perfect for her!" retorted Dawn, crossing her arms with a huff.
"I was planning to give it back tonight," said Brendan, ignoring Dawn. "But I haven't seen her. She is here, right?"
"Yeah, somewhere. We lost her right before we came in. She's probably pigging off somewhere," said June nonchalantly, picking at a spot on her thumb.
"What's she wearing? That'd probably make it easier to find her," suggested Ash. Brendan nodded in agreement.
"Strapless. Blue. Floor-length. Gold accents. No jewelry. Hair straightened," recited Dawn.
Ash and Brendan exchanged surprised glances, and the latter's brow knitted.
"Didn't we pass by someone like that back at the refreshments table?" asked Ash. "I thought her eyes looked kind of familiar, but hey, who's used to a May with regular-looking hair?"
"Pika!" cheeped Pikachu in agreement.
"Now that I think about it..." muttered Brendan. He rubbed his eyes. "Gah, seriously? I think she was looking at us, too."
"Wait, so you actually saw her?" asked June incredulously, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe?" said Brendan meekly.
"So let me get this straight," said Dawn. "You can't even recognize the girl you like?"
"Well, in his defense, her hair was different..." countered Ash, though he didn't sound too passionately defensive.
"Wait," said Brendan abruptly, fixing his shocked stare on Dawn. "Girl I li—...you knew?"
Dawn snorted and crossed her arms.
"Are you kidding? May's the only one who doesn't."
May stared moodily at the other masked guests of the afterparty conversing and twirling to choreography worthy of a movie. She would've mingled a long, long time ago, but she had decided a while ago that seconds (and thirds) were far more important. With a heavy sigh, she picked at the messy remnants of what used to be a sandwich as she cursed her luck and tonight, bored out of her mind and unwilling to make the first move as far as socializing with strangers.
Just then, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Something green. A familiar green.
She turned her head to study what had just caught her attention, and her eyes widened slightly. He was picking a small appetizer from the mountain of food still on the table, a nonchalant and stoic expression as ever on his face. He didn't seem to have noticed her—or perhaps he had, but he had simply chosen to ignore her.
He was clad in the same blazer, tie, and slacks as he had earlier that day for the contest, though his dark gray mask was a new addition. The plastic covered the entire upper part of the boy's face, though it left his emerald eyes alone. Even so, May didn't think she was wrong in her immediate assumption of his identity, because who even had hair with a green that reminded her of nobody else but—
"Drew?" blurted May without even a second thought.
The said boy turned at the sound of his name and his eyes searched for the source. His gaze eventually fell on May, but if he was even the slightest bit surprised, his expression didn't betray it.
They stared at each other for a good moment before he cocked his head slightly and said, "Sorry, do I know you?"
May's brow furrowed as her mouth fell slightly open.
"Wait...you don't recognize me?" she asked, moving to stand up from her seat and beginning to make her way over to Drew.
"Well, I'm sorry if a masquerade ball isn't exactly the ideal place to identify people," said Drew with a brief closing of his eyes as he flicked his hair, a tinge of haughtiness in his tone.
"I mean, I know it's been a whole day or two since we talked, but...you know me," maintained May stubbornly, now standing right in front of Drew and looking up at him with a perplexed and slightly frustrated expression on her face.
"Do I?" drawled Drew with a lazy shrug. "Sorry—"—though he didn't sound sorry at all—"—but I talk to a lot of people in the span of two days, genius."
May felt her anger begin to flare as her eyes narrowed slightly. This emotional ignition was already beginning to feel familiar to her, at least whenever she was in Drew's presence.
"How can you not recognize me?" fumed May. "I didn't even put on that much makeup!"
May wasn't sure exactly why she was so frustrated, but a corner of her mind wondered if it was just something about tonight where she was going to vent her pent-up anger on the first opportunity that came her way. Of all things, at least Drew was a pretty good martyr that May wouldn't feel guilty about later on.
He shrugged again.
"Try this, then: I probably don't recognize you because you're not actually that important to me?" he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Otherwise I would've spent enough time to be able to know who you are, even with a mask on. Does that make sense, little girl?"
May nearly screamed.
"What is that supposed to mean, Drew Hayden!" she demanded, her face beginning to flush with anger.
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?" he said sarcastically, but regarding her with amused eyes.
May could practically smell the air of superiority that was radiating off of him right now.
"That is it!" shouted May, and she lunged for Drew, but was abruptly cut off by his hand on her forehead holding her a safe distance from him while she maniacally and ineffectively flailed.
He smirked.
"Hey, just calm down, little girl."
Once again, May fought the incredibly enticing urge to scream.
"Ugh," she grumbled as she gave up trying to maul Drew and sulkily backed off, crossing her arms and avoiding looking at Drew. "Fine! If I'm not important enough to you for you to not be able to recognize me through some plastic mask, then see if I care! I'm going to get air," she declared angrily, turning on her heel and heading for the glass back doors that she knew would lead outside.
After a few moments of attempting to distance herself from the green-haired monster, May was suddenly aware of his presence—the very one she had been stomping off in anger from—casually strolling along next to her. She turned and eyed him disdainfully.
"Why are you following me?" asked May suspiciously.
"Who said I'm following you?" he replied easily.
"Then why are you walking next to me and going in the same direction as me?" retorted May, smug. There was no way he could get out of that one—
"Who said I am? I just feel like going outside, and those doors happen to be the closest way out."
—or maybe not.
"That's a good joke, your Majesty," grumbled May under her breath, defeated, as they neared the glass doors.
She was turned away from him, but May could've sworn Drew smirked and quietly responded, "Thanks, commoner."
Unspoken conversation and the call of a certain month's name died on Brendan's tongue as his originally quick step slowed to a halt. A few moments ago, he had spotted a brunette who seemed to fit May's description from the other side of the room and as he had neared, it had quickly become evident that she was indeed the girl they had been looking for all night. Yet, for the next few moments, he did nothing but stand in the middle of the dance floor as his eyes watched Drew and the girl next to him who, judging by her hair, dress, and body structure, could only be May.
He had always been pretty good at reading people. Perhaps not as good as, say, Dawn or June, but infinitely better than Ash or even May.
So even though what May and Drew were doing was completely innocent—after all, they were just talking and shouting as they made their way to what seemed to be the back door—Brendan could see, even from a distance, that there was something more. Maybe it was the way that May's face was flaming with emotion, be it anger or frustration or even amusement. Or maybe it was how Drew would close his eyes for a brief moment when he chuckled at something that came out of May's mouth.
It wasn't hard to see.
Something dropped into Brendan's stomach. Possibly his heart.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes dulling ever so slightly as his mind began whirling. Something about disbelief, unfairness, desperation, and defeat flitted through his thoughts, but none of it really stayed long enough for him to be able to formulate any sort of concrete emotion about what was happening no more than fifteen yards away from him.
Something like this was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it? challenged the objective voice in his head. Because you never had the guts to say anything.
So I'm a coward, the conscience that was on his side replied flatly.
Basically.
Brendan sighed and ran a hand over his face, through his hair, and then back down to his face where it settled there for a moment over his eyes, blocking out his view of the rest of the world.
It's not too late? ventured yet another voice, one that was more hopeful than the other two.
And even though he probably shouldn't have, Brendan then began walking after May and Drew, who had just walked out the back doors of the hall. He followed them at a pace that was considerably slower than what he had maintained earlier, his thoughts clouded and his heart heavy. His body felt a bit light, and he walked in something of a trance.
No...it's too late.
He blew out a breath. A small, bitter smile curved his lips.
Damn it.
Brendan could see them despite the fact that they were several hundred yards away and whatever moonlight there was on this night was being partially obscured by fluffy clouds.
He had been watching them for the past five or so minutes in the same position: face stoic, hands in pockets, weight on one leg, body leaning against the side of the contest hall. In that time, as he had watched May and Drew stroll and talk and laugh, he had also racked his brain to wonder how and when it had happened.
It couldn't have been the first impression; May had confessed to Brendan herself that Drew had left a sour taste with her as well. Maybe it started with that little Coordinating 101 lesson? Sometime during the Rustboro City contest? The afterparty? Heck, maybe even during their time to and in Vermillion City? And there was also a few days ago, when May and Drew had been out the entire day with each other—something had to have happened then. Drew himself had told Brendan about May's encouragement with Drew and everything.
Alright, thought Brendan as he pressed his lips into a tight line. So there were a few times where Drew could've fixed his impression on her. But...
But what about Drew himself?
He had just confessed to Solidad, what, two days ago? Granted, his explanation of that to Brendan had immediately been followed up with Drew saying that May was the only one who had spurred him to say such a thing to the older girl, and that his feelings for Solidad had already been dying for a while, especially since...
Brendan froze.
He said something like being "free to move on to this other girl" and how she wasn't someone he was supposed to be falling for or something, didn't he?
As Brendan recalled the rest of that conversation, he nearly laughed out loud at the irony. He had been the one who had encouraged Drew to go after that girl and take risks and learn to love again.
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice that sounded remarkably close to him.
"Why're you out here alone? More importantly, why're you smiling so sadly but idiotically?"
Brendan turned to find the source of the voice, and when he did, he smiled slightly. There, standing on the back porch of the contest hall and each with their mask off, was Ash, June, and Dawn. The one who had spoken and was regarding him with a concerned and curious expression was June.
"Didn't know I was," he replied evenly before returning his gaze to May and Drew in the distance.
Brendan could tell that the other three had followed his gaze, and especially since Ash proceeded to ask, "Is that May?"
"And Drew," said Dawn, amusement coloring her tone. She continued, "You know, I knew there was something with those two, but May kept deny—" but was abruptly cut off by both Ash and June elbowing her in the side. "Ow!"
"Really," said Brendan flatly.
"We didn't mean it, Brendan," said June hurriedly. "It was...it was just, you know, meaningless gossip. It still is. You've still got a good a chance as any—"
Brendan interrupted her and said quietly, "It's alright, guys. It doesn't really matter."
"'Doesn't really matter'?" quoted June in disbelief. "Hey now, you've been rambling to me for months now about everything you feel for May and how you were going to ask her to the winter formal and worrying about how you'll be friendzoned forever."
"Hey, June's right," said Ash as he put a hand on Brendan's shoulder. "If May's what you really want, then you gotta go for her with everything you got!"
"Pika!" chirped Pikachu, both agreeing with Ash and encouraging Brendan.
"That was—and is—your problem, Brendan," said Dawn as she crossed her arms. "You've never shown May that you honestly like her, so how was she supposed to know?"
Brendan sighed.
"I've dropped a ton of hints," he mumbled. "Either way, she rejected me once anyways. The first night we were in this world, she was way too relieved when I lied and said that I only used to like her."
"So?" challenged Ash. "That can change. Nothing's set in stone, especially emotions."
"Wow, Ash, that's probably the deepest thing you've ever said," Dawn sarcastically marveled.
Ash huffed, crossed his arms with an annoyed expression on his face, and retorted, "What are you saying?!"
"Anyways..." said June as she shot Dawn and Ash a look before returning her gaze to Brendan. "That's it? You're going to hang up a year and a half's worth of emotions just because May's having a few moments with some other guy?"
Brendan chuckled shortly.
"Not just 'some other guy'. Trust me, guys, I know it when I see it," said Brendan, though despite his words, that didn't mean his heart wasn't cracking as he said them. "They...have chemistry. Something I don't have with May."
"But the circumstances are so weird!" said Dawn. "That's—I mean...they probably won't even end up together..."
"I'd still hate to be the one in their way during the time they do have with each other," said Brendan.
"You're an idiot," muttered June with a sigh.
"So you're really letting go of her?" said Ash with a tone of finality.
Brendan chuckled lowly and ran a hand through his hair despite the fact that he felt like he was falling apart inside. He closed his eyes and leaned into the wall behind them with a sigh, and his heart sustained another crack.
"I'll get over it."
They were strolling around in the backyards of the contest hall, which notably was also where the outdoor restaurant they had been at a few nights ago had been temporarily dismantled for the afterparty. The area was now strung with lights, decorated with a few plush chairs and coffee tables, and littered with numerous bushes and flowers. Despite all the trouble of setting up the area, aside from May and Drew, there was no one else around to enjoy it in its entirety. In May's opinion, the setting was wonderful and serene and she wondered why there weren't more guests out here.
For the past ten minutes or so, May and Drew had walked amongst the maze of plants, and they had just made their way over to the sidelines where lines of trees and bushes separated the contest hall from the unknown that was the surrounding route.
Despite the fact that nearly every single reply was a retort and each topic of conversation eventually escalated to some sort of argument, their conversation had actually flowed very easily. Despite the fact that he apparently couldn't even recognize her (really, that sort of thing only happened in movies, didn't it?), Drew's words engaged May, and she was constantly attempting to engage him as well.
"Favorite flower?" repeated Drew in disbelief, brushing a lock of hair out of his eye. "What makes you think I even have one?"
"Everybody has a favorite flower!" retorted May. "Even if you're a guy, and even if you're...well, you, Drew, you can't lie and say that you've never looked at a particular flower and admitted to yourself that it was pretty!"
"How is that relevant to that flower being my favorite?" said Drew with a smirk. "Just because I might admire it doesn't mean it's my favorite."
"No, but if there's at least one that you've ever liked, then that means that one's gotta be your favorite!" said May triumphantly.
Drew scoffed. He paused.
"Roses," he finally said, intently avoiding May's incredulous stare.
"Come again?" said May in disbelief. "Roses?"
"Got a problem?" said Drew, glaring at May through his mask.
"Not at all," said May, though she was biting back a giggle. Still, asking her to prevent the smile that was quickly overtaking her face was impossible. "You just don't seem like the type," she mused. "Is there a reason?"
After a few long moments when no response to her question came, May turned her head to her side to look for Drew. Her confusion increased when she saw that he was no longer there, and she stopped walking. She turned her body ninety degrees and found that Drew was standing a few yards behind her. His brow was furrowed and he was looking in the direction of the endless foliage that stretched beside them, searching. His right hand was resting at a spot on his belt, and May could see the PokeBall that he was fingering. May cocked her head.
"Drew?"
His eyes flickered to her face, and he raised a finger to his lips before returning his attention to the seemingly innocent shrubbery. Confused but obliging, May didn't say anything more. She tried to follow Drew's gaze, though she couldn't find anything of alarm like Drew apparently had.
A long, deathly silent moment passed.
Then, there was a flash of white and red light and May's eyes darted back in the direction of Drew just in time to see Masquerain materialize in-between them. Without missing a beat, the Eyeball Pokemon immediately launched a Hidden Power at a bush.
"Drew!" called May over the loud sound of Masquerain's powerful attack as she quickly ran back over to the green-haired boy. "What's going—" but she immediately cut herself off when, wide-eyed, her gaze flickered to the sight unraveling from the bushes.
Two figures stumbled out of the bushes groaning softly, wincing, and covered in ash. Both were wearing normal-looking clothes and seemed to be around May's age. One was a girl with teal, layered hair that fell only a few inches past her shoulders, and the other was a boy with unruly cyan hair. They took a moment to recompose themselves before straightening up and glaring at Drew and Absol, their jaws clenched.
"The hell?" snarled the boy as he clutched a spot on his arm that was unnaturally red. "Damn you..."
Drew's eyes darkened.
"Why have you been following us all night?"
At his words, May's jaw dropped and she turned to give Drew a quick look of shock before turning her attention back to the two suspicious figures. She hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary...
The teal-haired girl sneered.
"Wouldn't you like to know, pretty boy?" she said, almost purring the last two words as she reached for a PokeBall on her belt, enlarged it, and tossed it to reveal a Glameow. Her partner mimicked her to send out a Golbat of his own.
"They're challenging us, May," murmured Drew. "Two-on-two battle. Choose a Pokemon."
May nodded curtly before she froze in surprise.
Turning to Drew with a perplexed expression on her face and temporarily putting the matter at hand aside for a moment, she said, "You...called me 'May'? You knew who I am?"
Drew rolled his eyes before replying sarcastically, "I'm honestly insulted, May. You think I can't recognize someone just because they put on a dress and changed their hair?" May was about to open her mouth to retort yes, but Drew cut her off by exasperatedly muttering, "Just choose a Pokemon."
May nodded once more as she returned her attention to their opponents before them, her eyes narrowing. She grabbed a Ball from a cleverly concealed pocket on the skirt of her dress, enlarged it, and released Beautifly in a flash of bright light, who immediately flew up to hover next to Masquerain.
"A little cocky for someone who isn't even from our world to think they have a chance against us, isn't it?" drawled the girl, placing a hand on her hip.
May mentally fumbled at the girl's words and she actually took a moment to compose herself.
"How do you know I'm not from here?" the brunette demanded furiously, her eyes burning holes into the two smirking teenagers.
"Words gets around," replied the boy nonchalantly, examining his nails. "Golbat, Air Cutter!"
May clenched her teeth. Conversation would just have to wait.
"Beautifly, dodge and use Aerial Ace!"
Even from a distance, Brendan, Ash, June, and Dawn had seen the flashing lights and fighting Pokemon and heard the commands of the trainers. After exchanging no more than a few glances and a few nods, the four teenagers wordlessly took off down the steps of the porch and began racing for where the battle was taking place, knowing for a fact that the said battle was May and Drew against someone else.
Still, they had noticed the ongoing battle a minute or two late. Add that to the fact that it had taken them another thirty seconds to cross the distance that separated the contest hall and May and Drew's location, and it was pretty reasonable that the battle was already coming to a close with a clear victor.
"Let's go, guys! Final blow!" called May in encouragement as she exchanged a quick smile and a nod with Drew, who returned both. Without even a single word of prior communication, both May and Drew proceeded to shout in unison, "Silver Wind!"
The resulting blasts of silvery power were so destructive that their opponents' panting and weakened Pokemon were knocked out and thrown back to collide into their trainers, who stumbled and fell from the impacts. It was right then that Brendan, Ash, June and Dawn finally reached the scene, all of them slightly out of breath with the exception of Brendan.
"Perfect timing, guys," said May with a smile as she turned to her friends.
"We can talk later," promised Dawn as the blunette looked around at the scene before her.
"Hey! They're trying to get away!" shouted Ash, turning everybody's attention to the two defeated teenagers who were, indeed, in the middle of scrambling for the safety of the forest behind them.
"Not on my watch—Chikorita, use Vine Whip!" shouted June as she released her Leaf Pokemon with a toss of her PokeBall.
A second later, the teal and cyan-haired teenagers were effectively tied up and unable to move, let alone escape. Triumphant, May exchanged a look with Drew and June before walking up to the squirming captives. Ash, Brendan, and Dawn followed close behind.
"Ready to take back your words?" mocked May as she neared them.
The teal-haired girl snorted.
"Bite me."
May glared at her with a disdainful expression. The captured girl responded with a leer and a smirk.
"Who are they?" asked Dawn to May and Drew, though she didn't take her eyes off of the bound girl and boy.
"That's what we'd like to know," replied Drew flatly.
"Take a wild guess," challenged the cyan-haired boy.
Drew's eyes hardened.
"You're with Team Galactic, aren't you?"
May didn't even have time to give Drew a shocked look before she was blown away and shattered by the next words spoken, which happened to be from the teal-haired boy's mouth.
"So?" said the boy, sneering despite his situation. "Aren't you?"
-*-x-*-
aaand that seems like a good place to end it ;)
so just in case I might need to clarify a few parts...yes, Drew was pretending to not recognize May the whole time (that boy's a riot, isn't he). The ["That's a good joke, your Majesty" "Thanks, commoner"] is a reference back to their texts in chapter 14, meaning he does know who she is. May would've realized he was lying the entire time right then, but she wasn't sure if she heard correctly or not.
Brendan let May go for good because he had a moment where he realized that Drew was getting reactions out of May that Brendan never did, and that the two were meshing in a way that he and May never have and never will mesh in. (Bajeezus, let's be honest guys, we can all sympathize with him to some degree. How many times have we let some kind of opportunity, romantic or not, slip away because we never spoke up?)
...and uhh oh yeah, the song referenced was C'mon C'mon by One Direction /bricked for life
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-Apheleia