this whole entire plotline was originally done by another blogger on this very fanfictioin blogging website by the penname of 'IWriteFandomStuff'. only difference is that I have plans to keep my version of their story rated 'K+' for a more family-oriented fanfiction.
disclamation: I do not own anything about this fanfiction, not even the plotline. only thing I truly own is the fanfiction itself.
My name is Drew Hayden, and I am a true pokémon coordinator. I was living it up in the Slateport City resort and hotel when two beachgoers came into the lobby dripping sand from all over.
Boy: There's sand all over me. What was that girl even thinking?!
Girl: It'll take forever to get all of this sand out of my hair.
Although I was greatly uninterested, I raised my eyes from my PokéNav and my seat to focus on the scene before me. I had been reviewing the footage from my Roselia's magical leaf for the pokémon contest that was just two weeks away. Her magical leaf was an attack that they both knew clearly needed more work. I was not particularly pleased with what I was seeing in the attack, and I knew if we could nail it, it would mean tremendous points for us in any contest.
This was my year. This was the year I would win the Grand Festival. True, I was just over a year in my experience with contests as a coordinator. Yes, I had not entered the Grand Festival the prior year in spite of qualifying. But still, I vowed to myself that this would be the year I would win.
My first year in the contest circuit was all about practice anyway. That was the choice I made after my first loss against Soledad. I had spent the last year traveling through Hoenn while building my team, studying other coordinators, perfecting technical appeals and combinations and entering a few contests here and there.
Even though I had qualified for the Grand Festival the prior year, I had chosen not to enter it. I attended the prior Grand Festival, of course, but it was merely to observe the Grand Festival the prior contest season. I had learned from my loss to Soledad that going into something without any prior knowledge was dangerous and obviously not any way to win a competition of any kind.
It was a long and hard year for me, but I knew I needed it to become the great coordinator I was to this day. I rarely lost within the first year of my contest career. Now in a fresh new contest circuit, I felt more confident than ever. My experience and my pokémon would take me all the way.
Slateport City was my newest contest in the circuit this year. I had already won two ribbons in the prior contests in which I had entered. I had been working with my Roselia on her combination attacks all morning and filmed each attack to study later. I was resting in a large sofa chair, bathing in the sunshine from the glass walls to my left.
The hotel lobby was practically empty with only a few people passing through to make their way to Slateport's famous beaches. Roselia was taking a well-deserved rest in her pokéball while I was reviewing the footage of her attacks and came up with ideas in my head. I was completely focused on it until the two preteens barged into the lobby, yelling complaints and spreading sand everywhere. It was an unwanted and very unwelcome interruption, to say the least.
Boy: Why was she even on our section of the beach? I'm pretty sure she's not staying at this hotel.
He shook sand out of his hair.
Girl: She said something about training.
The girl shielded her eyes from the sand her friend was unconsciously throwing in her face.
I just pursed my lips and started thinking. I knew that there was not any gym in Slateport, so that had to mean…
Boy: There is no way she'll win the contest, even with a gust attack that powerful. I'm gonna go shower and change. I need to get this sand off of me.
His friend nodded, and they both headed to the elevator, trailing sand as they went along. Then, some maids came in to sweep up the sand trail the two of them had left behind. I sighed at the maids' efficiency. The resort at which I was staying while in Slateport City was definitely high profile.
I locked up my PokéNav and mused to myself about the words of these two. Obviously, it was just another rookie who did not even have the potential to carry her through the preliminaries from the sound of how the two preteen friends described her. Even more to the point though, another waste-of-my-time competitor who was not taking it seriously. Just a silly little girl wanting a shiny ribbon without even understanding the significance behind it. Still, it was not as though she would actually get the ribbon.
That really bothered me a lot. I knew coordinating and pokémon contests were still fairly new to the world. I also knew that the contest branches only spread to Kanto, Jhoto, and Sinnoh in addition to Hoenn. It was very offensive for me to see so many new comers to the profession coming in and thinking that they could be experts right off the bat.
Even when I started out, myself, I was not terrible by any means. But, the contest halls I had seen more recently were full of clueless children competing, trying to earn appeal points in the first round with dumb props such as frisbees and batons. It was such a mockery. It was to me, anyway, and I had every intention of bringing respect back to my chosen path in whatever ways I could.
I shoved my PokéNav back into my jacket pocket and made my way outside the resort. I found the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze of air inspiring me with my Roselia's attacks. I decided that the minute I was done observing this girl, whoever she was, I would work on my Roselia's Solar Beam attack. And why not? The weather conditions in Slateport City at that moment were absolutely perfect for firing off a spectacular one.
While approaching the railing overlooking the private section of the beach, I spotted a Beautifly which definitely caught my eye. Its wings sparkled more than any other Beautifly I had ever seen before. Whoever controlled this pokémon could easily pull off some stunning combinations, and the very thought of which almost made me nervous. I had to force myself to finally look away when I had reached the railing. Below the magnificent bug-and-flying-type, a girl with a red bandana kneeled into the sand, her fists clenched and her expression frustrated.
I raised my left eyebrow curiously. There was no way this could have been the same girl those two friends who trailed sand into the lobby of his hotel resort had been complaining about when they first came back into that resort, could she? She had a beautiful pokémon whose appearance practically radiated contest appeal.
She muttered something to the ground, but I failed to hear it. From what I could hear of it, however, it sounded like something about Silver Wind. I cringed at the very thought; a Silver Wind from a Beautifly as good-looking as hers could be dangerous to my chances for winning this contest.
One of the three guys approached her from behind. I studied their conversation carefully, as though I were studying for a contest.
Boy in Blue: OK. That just means you gotta keep practicing, right?
Girl with Red Bandana: You're right. So, Beautifly, one more time from the top.
This was it. The girl rose back up to a standing position, fierce determination taking over her whole being. I braced himself, expecting to see something spectacular. Part of me was hoping to see that Silver Wind move the girl's Beautifly was thought to have in its arsenal of attacks. I wondered just how much this Beautifly's Silver Wind would shine in the sunlight and I_
Were those frisbees? Oh… Oh!
The world suddenly made sense again.
This was definitely the girl I had heard about from those two who trailed sand into the lobby of my resort, there was no doubt about it. I flicked my hair as I waited for the perfect opportunity to intervene. The girl hurled three pink frisbees at her Beautifly, calling for it to use Gust attack in response. It complied to its trainer's command, and though I was unimpressed by the mediocre-at-best choreography of the whole act, could not deny that the pokémon in question had at least produced an incredibly strong Gust attack, sending the frisbees soaring before gravity forced them back down to Earth. At least the pokémon was brilliant, and I could always appreciate the kind of pokémon that deserved all the praise in the world. The coordinator, though, well… I would probably be exaggerating if I had even called her that.
With any luck, I could resolve this problem quickly and get back to training before I knew it. But, I did not really believe in luck.
The girl caught the first two frisbees with relative ease and some grace and precision… some, and it was nothing short of destiny that the last frisbee came straight towards me, giving me the exact excuse I needed to intervene with this little girl's training.
Girl in the Red Bandana: Look out!
But, I was ready for her frisbee. I caught it without even batting an eye. Then, I smirked at the collective gasps emanating from the four who were back on the beach.
Girl in the Red Bandana: I'm sorry!
The girl ran towards me, clasping her hands under her chin in embarrassment. Her voice was quite shaky, and she sounded a little unsure of herself.
Well, this was going to be easier than I thought.
Yours Truly: Please don't tell you're planning on entering the pokémon contest with a cheesy act like that.
I could not get rid of the smirk on my face even if I wanted to. I spun the frisbee on my finger for a few seconds before tossing it right back down to her, shock and a bit of annoyance heavily written all over her face. When she did not respond right away, I took the opportunity to approach her and her friends. I hopped over the railing, landed gracefully in the sand, and coolly walked over to her with my hands stuffed in my pockets.
Yours Truly: You've got no finesse, no moves.
It was working to perfection. I had to shove my hand in her face to keep her from jumping me, because I could basically feel the anger that was rolling off of her tiny shoulders.
Girl in the Red Bandana: Hey, who are you to tell me that?!
So, she did not know who I was, did she? All the more reason why she should not compete in my pokémon coordinator contests. I had built quite a reputation for myself in my prior year of practice as the only coordinator who qualified for but did not enter the Grand Festival. My reputation as a coordinator had sparked a lot of discussion in the contest world, too. I remembered that issue of Coordinator's Weekly all too well.
As the past article read; Just who was this mysterious powerhouse of a coordinator who did not even enter the biggest contest of them all?
Practically everyone in the contest world knew who I was, and this little girl in the red bandana had no clue as to my identity.
Yours Truly: If you must know, I'm Drew: Pokémon Coordinator!
I added 'Pokémon Coordinator' to my statement for emphasis.
Boy in Blue: Really? That's just like you, May.
I had to hold back some hysterical laughter, but at least I now had a name to go with the face on this girl in the red bandana. May.
Yours Truly: Please, no comparison. You see, you and your pokémon here, you've got no style.
The girl in the red bandana, this May, was practically fuming now. I made a mental note how easy it was to aggravate her, and how funny it was as well.
May: Hey, you can make fun of me all you want, but don't you dare make fun of my pokémon.
That threw me off for a second or two, but ever as always, I made sure to be careful not to let it show. She was obviously a terrible coordinator, but she did care for her Beautifly at the very least. That was respectable enough, I supposed. I had lost count of just how many coordinators and trainers I had met on my journey who were only concerned about what their pokémon could give them/do for them, and not the actual pokémon, themselves. Maybe this May was not completely hopeless as a person, but that did very little to take away from my doubts in her as a coordinator.
Nevertheless, I still had a job to do. I was determined to protect my passion against wannabes like May.
Yours Truly: Just calm down, little girl.
That did it for May. My hand shot out once again to prevent her from advancing towards me most likely for a drop kick.
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: May, don't listen to what he says.
Boy in Blue: Yeah, why don't you show us all your great pokémon?
But, I did not care enough to show off Roselia to this group of people.
Yours Truly: Why? What good would that do? I think you children oughtta just be on your way.
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: Why should we?
Why should they? Why should they? I could see that these children clearly did not know that the beach they were all on did not allow just anyone to be on it, and I was now going to have to be the one to educate them about it.
Yours Truly: This is a private beach reserved for people, like me, staying at that resort.
There, that should have done it. Not only did I clarify that I found them unimpressive, but I had also made it more than obvious that they were not even welcome where they all were to begin with.
Boy in Blue: Come on, let's get outta here.
Tall Guy and Little Kid Wearing Glasses: Yeah.
They finally turned around to walk away. May seemed frustrated enough for me to assume she would finally be convinced to stay away from my pokémon contests. After all, why would she want to even consider competing if she knew she stood none a chance of…
May suddenly turned back around to face me once again.
May: I guess you're entering the pokemon contest, too?
'Too?' She really wanted to enter? I simply had to laugh at that. No matter how lovely her Beautifly looked, she still stood none a chance of making it even past the preliminaries.
Yours Truly: Brilliant guess, genius.
She stared me down for a few minutes before finally turning away.
I watched her leave with her Beautifly in tow and landing atop her head as though to comfort her. I kept the smirk on my face until they were all out of sight, and when she was back with them, my smirk fell into a hard frown. I had failed my mission; clearly taunting this girl would not be enough to scare her away. I supposed I would have to show her just what she was up against in this contest.
I grabbed my Roselia's pokéball and released her from it for training. With a twirl and a slight petal storm surrounding her, she landed on the beach just as I had trained her to do in contests. She looked around then up at me, slightly confused.
Yours Truly: Let's go and work on your Solar Beam, Roselia.
Then, I turned to climb back up the stairwell which led to the resort.
later
Yours Truly: Roselia, that last Solar Beam was completely phenomenal.
I then gave my pokémon a pat on her back and reached for my pokéblock dispenser.
The two of us had spent the past few hours out in the forest behind our hotel resort, working to the bone on combining Roselia's Solar Beam and Petal Dance attacks together. Our last prior attempt to combine the two was the very closest we came to nailing the combination. Sadly, however, the Petal Dance just did not flow around the Solar Beam as I had envisioned.
I was simply glad that the two of us had two whole weeks before the Slateport City Contest was to take place. So, we could at the very least figure their whole appeal strategy out along the way. I was game to more training and practice for the contest.
But, I still knew that Solar Beam was an exceedingly powerful move which took a decent amount of energy to pull off. Blasting a Petal Dance atop a Solar Beam was a lot to ask of my Roselia, I knew that much. She did it time and time again never complaining and with a cheerful demeanor, but I could see her getting tired. She had always been a hardworking pokémon and never let me down. But, now I could see that she clearly needed a break from it as well as a snack.
Yours Truly: Here, Roselia, your favorite pokéblock.
She hummed her thanks to me, gratefully accepting the blocks. Then, she munched on them before I returned her to her pokéball for a nice rest.
Once I had left the beach, I walked past the resort down a marked path through the forest. I continued on until I found a small clearing next to a cliff, providing my with some ample space to bring Roselia back out for some more practice. I was far away enough to not be disturbed by other people during said practice. It was a beach day in a city known very well for its beaches, not a day to hike through the woods.
After a couple more hours of practice, there was a lot of new footage for me to review on my PokéNav. I had hoped I could figure out the right timing to call out Solar Beam and Petal Dance. I needed the two attacks to combine with instead of outdoing one another. That had always been my goal in combinations. Heck, it was the goal for a combination of any good coordinator.
I was just placing my PokéNav back into my jacket pocket when I heard voices calling out.
Girl's voice: Good job, Torchic.
There's no way. It could not possibly be her.
But sure enough as I turned my head slightly, there they were. It was the very same group of trainers that I had recognized from before on the beach, with May front and center. I also noticed her staring up a cliff in horror and following their gaze up said cliff, I noticed the tiny orange pokémon clinging onto a branch with what I had recognized to be bluk berries. Now, that really managed to grab my attention since bluk berries made such excellent pokéblock. Not to mention that they made a pokémon's hair shiny.
Before I gave it a second thought, I started to walk up the side of the cliff to the branch. I planned to take the bluk berries and use them in my pokéblock for Roselia. That was when I noticed the pokémon, a Torchic to be more specific, began falling off of the cliff.
Suddenly, I heard something from the bottom of the cliff before I could even react.
May: Beautifly, use string shot, now!
I at the very least found her speed somewhat impressive, and it even gave me an idea. If her reactions were that perfect and well-timed, maybe May was a better battler than a coordinator. I could have used a practice battle for the secondary round of the contest, anyway. The bluk berries fell at my feet as Torchic was wrapped up by Beautifly's string shot attack and pulled safely out of peril, May hugging it to make sure it was really alright.
May: Are you OK, Torchic?
Her Torchic spoke its name in affirmation. I took it as the time to make my presence all too known.
Yours Truly: Hmm, that last attack had some real art to it.
May: Thank you.
But then, as though she suddenly remembered what I said about her on the beach, May backtracked and got mad at me once again a mere second after thanking me for my compliment.
May: Hey, those bluk berries belong to Torchic. Give 'em back!
Well, that was a bit uncalled for. I knew all too well that I had a habit for criticism of other coordinators, but there was no reason the girl in the red bandana had to bite my head off with a demand like that. Still, it at least gave me the excuse I needed to ask for a battle from her.
Yours Truly: Alright.
She was a bit confused by my, of all people's, sudden compliance. So, I stated my terms to her.
Yours Truly: All you have to do is battle with me first.
May: No way!
No way? No way?! Did she really just say 'no way' to me? That did it. It was time to up the assurance factor.
Yours Truly: Why not? Afraid you're gonna embarrass yourself again?
May suddenly got turned on by my teasing and accepted my terms. I hated to admit it, but I found her interesting. I was also completely fascinated by the chance to see her battle since I was not that impressed with her appeals.
I had hoped to accomplish two things from this battle. One; I had hoped to discourage her from entering the pokémon contest at all. And two; I was hoping to win himself the bluk berries that would provide my Roselia with extra gloss and shine.
a little later
The tall guy was standing in as the referee.
Tall Guy: OK. This mock contest battle will now be underway.
The little kid wearing the glasses and the boy in blue stood behind May with her Torchic as though to cheer her on.
Boy in Blue: Yeah, you can do it, May!
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: Go! Show him!
May: Thanks! I will.
Tall Guy: Begin!
May then called forth her Beautifly, and I watched its wings sparkle in the sunlight. I figured she must have wanted to rely on its natural beauty to carry her through the appeals in the preliminary round, and the Frisbee act would do just fine to help with that. I would show her just how wrong she was.
I then flicked my hair out of my eyes and summoned my Roselia once again, this time to the battlefield. And if I could say so, myself, she sparkled just as much as this girl in the red bandana's own Beautifly did.
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: A Roselia?
Boy in Blue: What's that?
Then, the boy in blue took out a pokédex as though to find out about my pokémon.
Boy in Blue's Pokédex: Roselia, the thorn pokémon. Roselia's aroma can bring serenity, but the thorns on its head contain a vicious poison.
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: What a cool pokémon!
Such subtle praise was far too small time to describe my Roselia's elegance.
Yours Truly: Your praise doesn't even come close to the artistic style of my pokémon.
And that was just how confident I was in my Roselia.
May: I'm not loosing to you!
Yours Truly: Then please, ladies first.
That was my only thing to say to May. I might have been a bit over critical of other coordinators, but I did pride myself on being a gentleman.
May: Beautifly, Tackle, NOW!
It was a standard attack, that's for sure. And I had to admit that I was a bit disappointed. With as fired-up as May clearly was, I had expected at least one Silver Wind attack… unless…
Unless her Beautifly had yet to master Silver Wind at all. I suddenly understood just what was going on. May obviously felt as though she had to prove that she was good at contest appeals even without an attack as flashy yet elegant as Silver Wind. Still, an attack as simple as Tackle? Well, since she wanted to stick with basic attacks…
Yours Truly: Roselia, use Petal Dance.
Roselia complied to my command with precision and beauty. The boy in blue watched this attack carefully from where he was.
Boy in Blue: Petal Dance?
Obviously from the boy in blue's questioning tone, this was his first time ever even seeing a Petal Dance attack.
Meanwhile on the battlefield, May did not even think to call for a dodge, thus eliminating my theory that she was at the very least a half decent battler, and further proving my belief that May was just a silly doe-eyed girl who wanted a ribbon because her Beautifly was so shiny instead. When the Petal Dance hit its mark, May could do nothing.
May: Beautifly!
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: That Petal Dance was super powerful!
May could only watch in fear as her Beautifly reeled in place from the effects of being hit by the Petal Dance.
It was people like May who made me want to be rude and rebel against the standards my rich parents once set for me to always be polite. People such as May were the type that I wanted to scare away from my profession in pokémon contests just so that the contests I loved so much would always be taken seriously.
Yours Truly: Stun Spore, Roselia!
Roselia complied to my command and fired off a literally stunning Stun Spore while dancing with precision and grace. With the Stun Spore attack also hitting it, Beautifly went down quickly. I could hear the panic written in May's voice as she desperately pleaded for it to be well enough to still fight.
May: Beautifly, are you alright?!
I was getting bored with this pittance of a battle.
Yours Truly: Ho-hum. That was easy. I expected a lot more from you than that.
May: Beautifly, you've gotta get up now. Beautifly, please.
Really? Begging? Really?!
From the sound of it, May was close to tears. She also sounded as though she did not expect to do that badly, either. Her self-esteem was completely shattered by the sound of it, and I almost could not even stand to see a display so pathetic I was so over it.
Yours Truly: Roselia, finish it off with Magical Leaf.
While Roselia began to charge up for her attack, May grew worried about her Beautifly and continued to beg and plead for it to regain consciousness and wake up.
May: Please, Beautifly, wake up!
May's friends were heard giving her some advice from the sidelines about remaining calm. Advice she definitely needed at that moment.
Boy in Blue: Remember what Mr. Big told you about keepin' your cool, May.
Little Kid Wearing Glasses: You've gotta try and stay calm.
They were not wrong about a coordinator's main need in a contest to maintain their poise and grace. It was basic Pokémon Coordinator Contest Skills 101. It surprised me that she seemed to think she could even make it in the current battle, never mind a contest battle, without the need to keep her cool, as her friend in the blue outfit had said. I found it pretty boring to be winning against such an opponent.
May: They're right.
And, that's when something snapped. Her expression shifted from one of fear to something harder. She was suddenly more fired up and sure of herself.
May: Silver Wind, Beautifly! Let's go!
With that, she was suddenly just as determined as I had previously seen her on the beach.
Then, without any warning, Beautifly shot up into the air and fired off a powerful and pristine Silver Wind at my Roselia. It completely caught me off guard and did not give me a lot of time to compose myself.
Yours Truly: NO WAY!
But, the Silver Wind did not let up. It even sent my poor Roselia flying backwards.
Yours Truly: NO, ROSELIA!
May could not help but praise her Beautifly to the highest degree.
May: Awesome, Beautifly.
Then, the boy in blue and the little kid wearing glasses congratulated her as one.
Both of them: Way to go, May!
The Pikachu which was perched on the right shoulder of the boy in blue spoke its name in congratulations in addition to who I assumed was its master.
Beautifly spoke its name in acknowledgement of the praise directed at it.
Tall Guy: That's it. That's the way to earn serious points.
Then, I heard the tall guy referee get distracted by something or other all of a sudden, however.
Tall Guy: Huh, what the? What's going on?
I was not sure about it, myself. The next thing we all knew, however, two people appeared out of what looked to all of us like nowhere. But then, we realized the people were sitting on a hot air balloon in the shape of a Meowth's head. It was then that I noticed that those two people were stealing the bluk berries which May and I were battling our hearts out over. That was not all, nope. The two people were also saying what sounded to me like the most ridiculously tired and over-rehearsed speech in the world.
Then, if that was not enough, what looked to be a talking Meowth joined them in their theft. That certainly explained the design of their hot air balloon. The Meowth was soon joined by a Wobbuffet.
Then just when I thought the situation could not get any more bizarre, it did since May and her friends seemed to know who these people were.
Tall Guy, Boy in Blue, and Little Kid Wearing Glasses: Team Rocket!
May: Give those berries back!
That's right. Those dirty, rotten thieves stole not only the prized bluk berries, but in doing so, they also stole what seemed to be the only thing that was holding May into her battle with me.
Reddish-purple haired girl: Oh sure, we'll give these berries right back to you after everything we've been through to get them. Sorry, tough bluk.
Blueish-purple haired guy: Yeah, looks like the bluk's on our side.
Meowth: So now, it's goodbye and good bluk!
These thieves' Wobbuffet spoke its own name in agreement to its masters' endeavor.
I suddenly growled silently but very angrily at these thieves' collective, but very stupid bluk berry puns. Roselia could sense my anger, and for some reason she knew better than to calm me down this time. After all, there was no getting through to me when I felt this way.
Boy in Blue: Wait!
Then, the boy in blue, the tall guy, and the little kid wearing glasses all chased after their balloon as if trying to stop them. That was when May turned her head my direction as though she wanted to say something to me about it all.
May: This battle is over. We know someone who needs those bluk berries.
I contemplated this situation for a moment, and I realized that the circumstances of this whole thing had suddenly nothing at all to do with pokéblock, the contest, or even coordinating, itself, for that matter. This whole thing was all about May and her group helping someone they called a friend out apparently.
Well, I did not see any reason why I should not have bothered to lend them a hand. Who knows? Maybe, I could even show off a little…
I was snapped out of my thoughts when a huge jolt of electricity, a Thunderbolt attack to be more specific, was launched at the Meowth balloon. The power was incredible, and it was hard to believe that it had come from the boy in blue's little Pikachu. The power behind that Thunderbolt was immense. But, it seemed to have no effect on the escaping bluk berry thieves.
Boy in Blue: Uh, what?!
His Pikachu spoke its name in the same level of shock and disbelief. The talking Meowth just laughed at their attack.
Talking Meowth: Zap all you want, but your bolts ain't going nowhere with our Zap-Back: Mark II.
That still did little to extinguish this kid's determination.
Boy in Blue: I'm not giving up. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!
Pikachu complied to its trainer's orders, but the thieves just continued on in their mission to steal the prized bluk berries while taunting the kid about their Zap-Back: Mark II being one-hundred percent electricity-proof.
Team Rocket: Nothing!
Electricity-proof, perhaps… but these thieves did not say anything about…
I looked down at Roselia, and she looked back up to me, nodding in understanding agreement.
Yours Truly: SOLAR BEAM, GO!
Roselia launched the most powerful Solar Beam she had unleashed all day, and I could not help but beam at my partner pokémon. The thieves screamed upon their satellite dish getting hit by Roselia's Solar Beam attack like it was the end of the world for them.
Team Rocket: NOT OUR ZAP-BACK: MARK II!
Yes, with this much power and beauty on my side, winning the Slateport ribbon was going to be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, it was not currently the time for such thinking.
Just then, I suddenly heard May's voice asking something.
May: Who's Solar Beam?
She turned towards my direction upon realizing the attack belonged to my Roselia.
May: It was you?
She sounded confused as to why I was helping them all of a sudden. She acted like she was unsure of what to think of this. Come on, I know I was a jerk to her most of the day, but I'm not heartless.
Yours Truly: Not sure what's going on, but happy to assist.
I even smiled at May, and you know something else? For the first time since we had met, my smile towards her was actually genuine. As for the boy in blue… well, with the hinderance to his Pikachu's electric attacks now gone, he seemed to see the open window to finally use his Pikachu's attacks to their full extent in confidence and in safety.
Boy in Blue: Alright, Pikachu. Thunderbolt 'em again.
The boy in blue's Pikachu complied to its capped trainer's command.
I suddenly smirked once more, having seen an opportunity, a really rare opportunity that would probably never again come in my direction. The opportunity to combine a grass-type attack with an electric-type attack presented itself to me, and I simply could not refuse it. I had never even tried it before and had never seen anyone else try it before, either.
Yours Truly: Roselia, Solar Beam!
Roselia was only too happy to comply to my command. The two attacks merged into a blinding streak of pure energy. It was not quite as appealing as I had hoped, but it was incredibly powerful, nevertheless. I would have to think about it for the battle round of any contest sometime. True to my nature as a coordinator, I was forever analyzing attacks.
When the beam of energy collided with the balloon, there was a huge explosion from it. The thieves were sent flying and the bluk berries started to plummet towards the Earth. Everyone gasped.
Boy in Blue: The bluk berries!
Out of nowhere, May's Torchic took off after the bluk berries, mindlessly diving off of the cliff while grabbing the berries in its mouth. The tiny fire-type was clearly as thoughtless and air headed as its trainer. The Torchic blinked a couple of times as though it just now realized its mistake. A little too late, however, because just like the bluk berries it went after, the poor Torchic began to plummet.
They all stood in frozen shock, watching helplessly. May was the only one to make any move to help her Torchic.
May: Beautifly, use String Shot!
Her Beautifly complied to its trainer's command without missing a beat.
What's with her? How can someone be so quick on their feet and not capably pull off the same set of skills in a battle?
I supposed she could have felt a lot of pressure to have to win when in battle. Still, if she could learn to handle all that pressure in battles as well as she did when there was danger, I supposed I could see her having at least a shot at winning a few battles here and there.
May did know that contests are not the only profession out there, right? I supposed she could have always gone for entering gym battles and the Hoenn League, because she definitely lacked the style and the skills needed in a pokémon contest.
May: My little Torchic. I'm so proud of you.
Once May's Torchic was safely in her arms, I knew that the battle would more than likely not continue. With that in mind, I decided to recall Roselia, but not before handing her some praise of my own.
Yours Truly: You were great, too, Roselia.
Roselia spoke her name in acknowledgement of the praise from me. I would not force her to train anymore that day. Summoning so many Solar Beams had to have left her exhausted, even when she did not show it. Forever the performer, just like I, myself, was. I could not have asked for a better partner than Roselia.
Suddenly, May approached slowly with her Torchic still in her arms.
May: Thanks for helping us, Drew.
Now, she was grateful to me, was she? I was eager to accept her praise but dared not let it show. I flicked my hair to hide my acknowledgement of her praise. I could not give off the impression that I possessed a soft(er) side on the second meeting. So, I just settled for accepting May's thanks in modesty.
Yours Truly: No need to thank me.
A/N: Say it as modestly as you like, but if you ask me, it still sounds like the way the knight-like hero in the flashiest and cheesiest princess movie would acknowledge the thanks of the princess, herself, especially with that hair flick, even if it is Drew's trademark.
Yours Truly, continued: You know what? We'll battle in a real contest. That is, assuming you can make your way past the preliminary round, first.
A/N: That's more like the kind of thing one would say to a competitor.
I gave her a short, two-fingered wave and walked away.
A/N: And with that, we're right back to this having turned into a thing which would normally be reserved for lovers instead of rivals.
May suddenly sounded as though she said something from behind me.
May: Count on it, Mister!
A/N: Leave it to May to get the rivalry back on track, surprisingly.
Something about her words forced a smirk onto my face. Maybe it was the thought that she stood an actual chance against me. Maybe it was that I knew I could finally convince her that the contest world just was not for her on a real stage. Well, whatever it was, I would make everything right in the world once again when I was finally done with the girl in the red bandana.