All Roads Lead to the Grand Festival

Joining Ruby among those advancing on to the semi-finals are Brianna, Marina, Sandra and Savannah. Sandra defeated Solana in under 45 seconds causing her group of rangers to sulk for a while until they learned that Solana's payoff was a generous one and all was forgiven. Savannah displayed the cunning and hard work that comes with many years of coordinating. She'll need it all as her next bout is against her daughter.

During the proceedings, Ash ponders not only the words of his good friend Misty from earlier, but what would cause Paul to think that hiding from him plans to adopt a young boy would be a good idea. He casts a glance at Jamie and all of that seems to fall away for the moment. Also Kelly watches the matches with a zeroed in focus while attempting to be the better woman while watching Savannah coordinate. Even though the words from the woman yesterday still hurt Kelly, she's not interested in dragging the elder Van Hollen through the mud.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, a creation of one Satoshi Tajiri, and is produced domestically (in the United States) by Pokemon USA/The Pokemon Company, and internationally by TV Tokyo/Team Kato and OLM. I personally own nothing and make nothing by writing this. Please do not flame.

(Chapter 48- The Road and Its Many Bumps)

While still in her dressing room and pondering which pair to go with in her first match against Lila, May admittedly has a bit more on her mind than she would care to admit. This is the first time in four whole weeks that she's had to come up with a plan of attack solely on her own. No, it hasn't been Kelly by her side around the clock. She still had her responsibilities as a Rustboro City professor. So when she wasn't able to train, just like a teacher, she left a thorough lesson plan for May to follow. To make sure that she didn't slack on the lesson plan, she'd usually have Caroline keep an eye on May or send in guest trainers.

Now, as one of the most recognized coordinators in the game, the fact that she didn't always have access to her trainer is not necessarily daunting. It's just unfamiliar given that since the day after Valentine's Day, Kelly has been right by her side to coach her and get her to this moment; her moment where all the efforts will prayerfully pay off and she can culminate her career with Top Coordinator honors.

She just saw Savannah's battle and already made the decision to go with either a "B" or "C" team to start. This is not a slight towards Lila at all. She has pokemon in reserve she'd rather show when the time is right. Her team is capable from top to bottom. To be victorious, they have to be.

May then considers some words from years back when she and Dawn were close. Dawn made a point of saying that despite her being older, that didn't mean she was any less capable. 'She gave my mom a run for her money back in the day and likely would've been Top Coordinator had she stuck with it,' she remembers her ex-friend saying when they found out she would make another attempt to be Top Coordinator. If memory serves, today would mark a fourth attempt for Lila since her comeback.

If she beats the older coordinator, then she'll have Brianna as her competition and then…

She slams her fist against the desk in her dressing room and says, "Goddammit! Why do I keep doing this? This is exactly what Kelly warned me about! Do not get ahead of yourself, May! One match at a time or you will trap yourself and all this work will be for nothing."

Taking a deep breath, she puts her head down on the desk and meditates in an attempt to get focused on what she knows needs to be done. For some reason, her mind sends her back to a particular day around the start of March where she cracked after a very unorthodox day of training.

Admittedly, it wasn't one of her best days, but she'll claim till the ends of the Earth that it wasn't her fault.

After all, if someone continuously pokes a bear, they shouldn't be surprised to get bitten back.

FLASHBACK

"Of all the cockamamie, ass-backwards, batshit insane, loco in the coco ideas you've had, this has to rank up there at the top of the list!" May is directing these words to her trainer while standing out in the middle of the courtyard of her folks' home during a late Friday morning. Alongside her is her Blaziken and May does not appear to be in a good mood.

Near the entrance to the Maple home is Kelly, unfazed by the words of the coordinator who is standing next to a Blastoise, specifically May's Blastoise. Kelly calls out to her girlfriend, asking "Are you ready, May?"

Shaking her head, May pleads with her trainer, "You can't be serious, Kelly! This is absolutely ridiculous!"

"Oh come on, May," Kelly says, doing her best convincing job. "You know what your father said. He believed you battled and commanded like someone who could win the Grand Festival, but that there was something missing. You didn't have the necessary connection with your pokemon. We can certainly feel their love when we cheer them on or command them in the heat of battle, but how can we appreciate their love if we don't also experience their pain? That's why you and Blaziken will both take an attack from Blastoise so you'll know how she feels in the heat of battle."

"Couldn't we just do yoga, wind sprints, weight training, or Zumba to become one?" May pleads. "Anything but this?"

Kelly shakes her head and proceeds with her convincing job. "Just imagine what poor Blaziken goes through during a match. Do you honestly think you can replicate that through Zumba?"

May rolls her eyes at this attempt on the part of Kelly to get her to willingly take an attack from one of her own. 'The things I do for this girl,' she ponders while ultimately making the decision to no longer argue with her trainer. "Alright, let's get this over with. If you think this is what it will take for me to truly connect with Blaziken, I'll do it. Whatever it takes to be better."

"That's the spirit, love! We'll do this and then we'll break for lunch. I have only one regret about this."

"And that is?" May asks, genuinely curious.

"It would've been nice to see you take a water attack while wearing one of your bikinis," Kelly answers cheekily.

'You perverted little bitch!'

She did not dare say those words out loud, but that is what came to May's mind immediately when Kelly answered her question. With every fiber of her being, May held her peace after hearing those rude comments from her girlfriend. Her two clenched fists and visibly gritted teeth are enough indication that she's not in the mood for any games. But Kelly already knew this.

On Tuesday, May told her that she might be irritable for a few days due to nature's cycle, but Kelly didn't ease up on training. Oh, no. If anything, she kept upping the ante and it's pissing her off. It's bad enough that she has to be drenched by a water gun from Blastoise while dealing with monthly mood swings that seemed to have only gotten heavier recently, but then to think her girlfriend would use this time to try and exploit May for personal eye candy? The nerve of this girl! Sure, May doesn't mind playful flirting here and there, but there's a time and place for everything and this isn't it.

She's now certain she understands what her mom told her not that long ago about not truly being in love with someone unless you sometimes feel like wanting to wring the other person's neck. What she wouldn't give to show Kelly a lot of love right now. She'll forgive her, but can't forget this and will let Kelly have it before the day is done. Rest assured, they will have words after this. "Call...the fucking...attack!"

Unfazed by the obscenity given that May's cursed her out a few times since she's been her trainer, she nods. Kelly turns to Blastoise, winks and says, "All right, Blastoise! It's time. Use hydro pump!"

May's eyes open wide to the size of saucer plates. Did she miss something? Didn't Kelly say that Blastoise would use water gun on her and Blaziken?

Blastoise's cannons appear to be cocked and ready to fire. May waves her arms, saying, "No! Wait, Kelly! Wait! Wait!"

But it was too late. Twin streams of water under high pressure hit both May and her Blaziken, sending them flying across the courtyard. Kelly could've sworn she heard May scream, 'What the fuck!' before the tandem landed on a row of bushes surrounding the perimeter of the backyard. Kelly hops onto Blastoise and the two go to the end of the courtyard to check on May and Blaziken.

Both had the wind knocked out of them but only for a moment. As May comes to, she checks around for Blaziken, to find her already back up on her feet and lending May a helping hand. Her trainer accepts it, thanks her and gets up to find her girlfriend just a few feet from her, hopping off Blastoise.

Walking up to her, Kelly exclaims, "Damn! Are you alright, May? I didn't think you'd fly that far!"

A camel called. The last straw just came down and broke its back. Whatever restraint May sought to hold broke like a dam and will soon flood the one responsible for this. Casting an eye towards Blaziken, in a sort of backwards way, the two have found a reason to connect. Both nod in unison and turn to Kelly wearing rather stoic looks on their faces.

For Kelly, the fact that the plan worked doesn't resonate immediately. As of right now, she still hasn't heard from her girlfriend after quite a flight. "May, are you okay? I know that was unconventional, but sometimes we have to go to these lengths to make the magic happen, you know?"

May silently nods and admits, "You might be onto something. Blaziken helped me up and...to be honest, I do feel like we're on the same page when it comes to one matter."

"Oh, that's great! I'm glad it helped. Remember this will be beneficial in the long term for you and your team."

"But what about the short term?" May replies.

"What about it?" asks Kelly, somewhat confused.

"I'm talking about you."

"Me?"

"Oh, yeah. What are you going to do right now?"

"May, what are you talking about? I'm not understanding."

Finally, a stealth smile comes across the face of May as she says, "Oh, you will." May recalls Blastoise, turns to Blaziken, then points to Kelly and commands, "Blaziken, use flare blitz now!"

Now it's Kelly's eyes that dilate wide like saucers. She mouths the words, 'Oh, fuck,' and then runs as fast as her legs can carry her to prevent being torched by her girlfriend's pokemon. Blaziken and May run throughout the courtyard in an attempt to give Kelly a dose of her own medicine.

"It's your turn now, Kelly!"

"May, come on! You know good and goddamn well there's a huge difference between water and fire! Can't we talk about this?" Kelly asks while dodging fire attacks from her girlfriend's star pokemon.

"Oh, no you don't!" May counters. "You have no one to blame for this but yourself, Kelly! You lied to me about the hydro pump, you thought it would be cool to have me in a swimsuit while I'm thrown into the bushes by a water attack and you didn't think I'd be ticked off when you know I'm on my period? You've got another thing coming, sweetheart! After all, even though Blaziken and I are on one accord right now, I tried to tell you that this plan was stupid! But did you listen? No, and now look where it's gotten you!"

"That's enough, young lady!"

Turning around, May gets a look at a very stern-faced Caroline. It's a face even Blaziken recognizes as she stops attacking Kelly and this allows the prodigy to finally catch her breath after running from May's pokemon for more than a minute.

"There will be no burning your girlfriend on our property, May."

"But, mom! She started it!"

Putting up her right hand, she squashes whatever case May was about to plead by saying, "I don't care. I'm finishing it. Now, both of you get inside. It's time for lunch."

Sighing, she knows that this is not something worth fighting. She pulls out her poke ball to recall Blaziken and waits for Kelly to walk up to the patio area. As she does, she asks her girlfriend, "Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking? You told me you'd use water gun and then you hit me and Blaziken with hydro pump? Explain yourself."

Kelly is still trying to get her breath back and a moment of clairvoyance admits, "I saw it happen in a documentary about unconventional training methods last week and thought that it could work with you. They were quite eccentric trainers, though, and would often rely on the element of surprise. Their philosophies we're all about expecting the unexpected and some would take ice fang from a glaceon or willingly get vine whipped in just their swimsuits all in the name of connecting with their pokemon. I thought water wouldn't hurt nearly as much and we all know how much Blaziken can take. I don't know. I'm sorry, May. Maybe I did go too far."

"Ya think? The only time I've heard of anything like that is when Ash looks for a rush of electricity from his Pikachu. You know how he is, though."

"Yeah, crazy as a damn loon," she answers, finally cracking a smile. "Maybe...maybe in the future it would be best if I play less of a John Kreese role and more of a Mr. Miyagi...for my own health."

"For both of our sakes, I'm glad to hear that."

"That doesn't mean I'm getting soft, though," Kelly clarifies quickly. "If you want this, you have to let me train you and you have to allow me to at least try these things to see if they work or they don't. Remember, we're learning all of this together. There has to be some give and take. We'll do more traditional training, but I need your 100 percent and whatever is in reserve or it won't make a difference and you won't achieve your goals. You understand?"

"Yeah, and...I'm...I'm sorry for trying to burn you as payback."

"Do you forgive me for deceiving you with Blastoise?"

May ponders it, but only for two seconds before sighing and then saying, "Bring it in, girl."

With May's arms wide open, Kelly gladly accepts the embrace bringing her girlfriend in tightly as a sign of their agreement to let that last dust up be water under the bridge.

Kelly leans into May's ear while still in the hug to whisper to her girlfriend, "I still would've liked to have seen you in one of your bikinis, though."

"Goddamnit, Kelly," she says, more annoyed than angry. This remark causes May to release the hug. "You just don't know when the hell to quit, do you?" she ponders.

"What? Don't you feel beautiful knowing that I know you're beautiful and appreciate seeing you in your beauty?"

"You know, just for that, I may not pack swimsuits for our beach trip this summer."

"What?" Kelly exclaims, rather shocked to hear that from someone who loves swimming. "Now come on, May. That's cruel! You heard what your mom said. You can't be cruel to your girlfriend!"

"My mother said nothing of the sort. Now get your ass in the house and let's eat."

"Okay, but what's the point of going to the beach without swimsuits? After all, isn't our trip supposed to be for five days? You're really going to go to the beach without swimming for five whole days?"

All May does in response to this is point to the sliding door leading inside the house, saying, "Inside, Kelly," to which she sulks, shakes her head and does indeed walk in to have lunch with her partner and her parents.

END FLASHBACK

May can honestly look back at that time and chuckle. The next morning, Kelly made her and her folks breakfast and gave May a dozen roses with a hand-written note apologizing for her actions in the courtyard and her curt remarks about wanting to see her half-naked. She distinctly remembers her mother giving Kelly a pat on the back for fixing a situation before it could fester. Honestly, she did very well. It's one of the things she loves about her sweetheart; she knew she was wrong so she worked to fix it. She didn't let it linger.

It's the hope that May has that the same can happen given the situation with Marina. After dressing her down earlier this morning, perhaps there is hope that that situation doesn't linger any longer either.

But that will have to be set aside for now as May looks at the dressing room monitor. The next match in the tournament is about the start.

The sound of the bell is the signal for Vivian to make her next announcement to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, in the Hoenn Grand Festival eliminations, it is win or go home! Our action continues with the sixth of our first round matchups between seeds three and fourteen in the tournament. Introducing, first of all, battling out of the green corner. He is originally from Dewford Town, Hoenn region and is the number fourteen ranked coordinator in the tournament, he is known as C.M.G...Chaz Michael Grayson!" A cheer erupts in the crowd and Chaz acknowledges it by waving both arms in the air and then pumping his first a few times.

"His opponent battles out of the red corner." Before Vivian can even announce his name, Drew finds himself inundated with a mixed reaction of cheers and boos from the audience. To this point, he would guess this is probably the loudest reaction from the audience so far. He doesn't really care to wonder about the reason why the crowd is so hyped. He knows that along with May and Dawn they represent some of the most popular in the sport, but that his reputation likely took a beating after the events of Saturday came to light.

"No matter," he says as he paces back and forth in his box. "No matter. I know where I stand."

"He is the number three ranked coordinator in the tournament," Vivian continues. "He is known as the Red Rose of LaRousse City. He is Drew Emerson!"

"As a reminder to our viewers," says Gavin Harte in the booth, "the winner of this bout will face Marina Del Raymond in the quarterfinals. Professor, this ought to be a very interesting matchup."

"Indeed, Gavin. These two are no strangers to one another and actually come into this bout with a career record at an even four wins apiece. Whatever they show one another this afternoon will likely not surprise the other, so both coordinators will have to rely on how best to navigate what the other throws their way."

Chaz must call his pokemon to the field first and does so calling out Scizor and Hoppip. Drew makes a quick assessment of the tandem and decides to go with his Absol and Masquerain.

"So this is an interesting play by Drew," Melinda says. "Absol is weak against bug types, but Drew saw Scizor on the field and decided to use him. Masquerain is likely there to counter Hoppip and maybe offer a similar strategy to what Savannah did in the previous match. Drew must be confident enough in Absol to make this risky move."

The field referee asks both Drew and Chaz if they're ready to battle. Both teens nod and he raises both his flags and declares, "Then let the battle begin!"

"All right!" Chaz says, ready to take on Drew this afternoon. "Hoppip, hop on Scizor. Scizor, use quick attack!"

Drew does wonder if Chaz's strategy will be to take advantage of his pair through speed. He can't wonder about it for too long, though. "Masquerain, use bubble! Absol, hold for a few seconds and use slash!"

Drew's hope is to head off Chaz's attack strategy by directing the bubbles at a higher rate of speed than usual by utilizing a slash attack in this manner. Meanwhile Scizor seeks to charge through the attacks, while Hoppip continues to hitch her ride, but gets slowed down by the bubbles allowing Absol the time to sidestep Scizor.

"Absol, use another slash attack on Scizor!" The combination of timing with misdirection allows for an effective attack on the bug type.

"Drew is clearly not fazed by any type disadvantage in this battle's early going," Gavin says. "If anything he seems to be putting Absol front and center which is not what we expected when he called out his dark type pokemon."

"Hoppip, no worries!" Chaz assures. "Scatter the grounds with stun spore and do not hit Scizor. Scizor, use air slash on Masquerain!"

Chaz wants to exploit any type of vulnerability Drew might have with his team and does this by having Scizor actually fly higher than Hoppip who, indeed, sprays the ground with stun spore, which does its part to allow Scizor to slash downward and nail the stunned Masquerain. "Now use tail whip on Absol, Hoppip!" Chaz's strategy is basic, but effective. Render the opponent helpless and out-physical them with whatever works best. It's not fair to declare Masquerain and Absol as up against the ropes, but they are certainly backpedaling with no clear and present respite in this battle.

"Clearly, there are levels to this coordinating game," Vivian says to the live audience, "as Chaz utilizes the flying abilities of both of his pokemon to great advantage leaving both of Drew's pokemon at a marked disadvantage, though there are still more than three minutes remaining in this bout."

While in her dressing room, Dawn continues to watch the matches while forming her match plan and getting her outfit ready for battle against Mollie in a few minutes. She's not as convinced of what Vivian is saying to the live crowd. "I know that son of a bitch," Dawn says matter of factly. "As much as I hate to say it, there's no 'give up' in him. He'll turn it around against Chaz, for sure."

"All right, guys! Let's snap out of it!" Drew calls out to Absol and Masquerain. "Absol, use swift. Masquerain, follow it up with whilrwind!"

This combination reverses the roles that Drew's pokemon had earlier with Absol providing the physicality and Masquerain providing express delivery. Speedy stars en masse arrive at breakneck pace to deal damage to Hoppip and Scizor while also appearing quite stylish to the crowd and judges.

"Drew is committed to this tandem offense," Gavin figures, "and if he sticks to it, that might make the difference in this matchup of familiar foes."

"Indeed, Gavin," Professor Birch says. "The judges seem to like it, as well. Drew might be getting some extra credit for sticking to his strategy, but for now he just has to keep clawing back this deficit to avoid an upset in round one."

Chaz is doing his best to not let his frustrations show right now. It's difficult, though, given that one of his goals was trying to knock Drew off of his gameplan. If anything, his work seems to have Drew digging deeper into his heels with range attacks. "Okay, Scizor! Use double team! Hoppip, use bounce on Absol!"

Chaz looks to focus his assault on Absol, the perceived weak link of Drew's team, with a double dose of confusion through Scizor and paralysis from Hoppip. Scizor does indeed make copies of itself on the field and in preparation for bounce, Hoppip jumps up in the air.

Drew knows that his next attack will be all about timing. "Masquerain! Use aerial ace now!"

It was a matter of heading off Hoppip at the pass and Masquerain was able to make solid contact with his target which prevented Chaz's pokemon from using its paralyzing move on Absol. Back on the ground, Drew finds the true Scizor amongst the impostors and commands Absol to use sucker punch. Absol makes his connection and Scizor is in very bad shape with time winding down in the match.

"The odds are not in favor of Chaz right now," Gavin says. "Drew had to have the utmost confidence in his pokemon and it showed."

"Indeed, Gavin," Melinda concurs. "He was going to either rise or fall with the team on the field, type advantages be damned. We're coming up on ninety seconds remaining and Drew has truly turned the tables in this contest."

Chaz is shaking his head and racking his brain trying to find any advantage available, even with the odds no longer in his favor. He shuts his eyes for a couple of seconds and then opens them, resolved to make the most of the closing stages of the match. He nods and knows that he'll have to go for broke to make any inroads so he points to Masquerain. "Hoppip, use acrobatics!"

"Masquerain, hold Hoppip back with gust attack!" The result of this is that Hoppip would experience a small amount of drag while flying in Masquerain's direction. Ultimately, Chaz's flyer would find its target and strikes Masquerain.

If Drew was at all phased by the attack, he does not show it. In fact, Chaz thought he saw his opponent smirk for a bit. It makes no difference, though, as Drew calls out to Chaz, saying "You're forgetting something, my friend!"

"Excuse me?"

"Absol, use night slash on Scizor!"

The slash attack on a highly-weakened Scizor was abrupt and effective in delivering a critical hit to Scizor. The referee raises his red flag, declaring "Scizor is unable to battle! The match continues 2-on-1!"

'Shit! He didn't recover quickly enough! Shame on me for thinking Drew wouldn't take advantage,' Chaz laments before recalling Scizor from the field. "Great work, Scizor. Return." He doesn't like to look up at the clock, but this time he does so and finds just over thirty seconds remaining. It's a much steeper climb for him, but it's not over yet. "Okay, Hoppip! It's all or nothing! Use giga drain, now!"

The hope of Chaz is that he can retrieve some of the hit points that have been lost through battle. The last attack has Drew's hit points take a big dive. His totals are quite low, but the time clock halts for no one in battle.

"Masquerain, use silver wind! Absol use knock off!" Drew, like everyone in the stadium, knows that you would rather have two pokemon against one any day. This advantage shows itself as there is no doubt where Drew's focus goes in the quest to victory. For this reason, Hoppip takes major damage, but doesn't get critically hit as the horn blares across the stadium.

"With the horn sounding, the time in this match is at zero," Professor Birch analyzes, "Chaz was left with no choice but to change up to a power strategy after the elimination of Scizor. He had the power to back up his speed, but it doesn't appear to be enough to overcome Drew's offensive stylings."

Chaz and Drew recall each of their respective pokemon. They meet at center stage and shake hands.

"You gave me a hell of a battle, Chaz."

"That's why I'm here, man," he replies and that gets a laugh out of Drew.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Any plans on what you're going to do after this? I won't tell anyone."

Shaking his head, he admits, "Don't know, Chaz. You'll find out with everyone else, but I genuinely don't know. I'm gonna have to give it a lot of thought. You understand I have some more responsibilities on my plate."

"And no one will fault you for them," Chaz replies as the bell sounds and the results are soon to be official.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after five minutes of action we go to the totals," Vivian says to the fans in attendance. "Winning with a margin of nine hit points, the winner of this bout, and advancing to the quarter final rounds, is...the Red Rose of LaRousse City...Drew Emerson!"

The applause from the crowd is for a well-spirited match. Drew isn't normally one to play to the crowd, but he does appreciate that the work is appreciated. He shows it by waving back to the masses. Like any tradesman, however, he's here to do his job and he considers the work to not yet be finished.

As Kenny goes up to the stage to meet and speak with Drew, Chaz decides to leave early. He pats the winning coordinator on the back and says, "Well, it's off to the Kalos region for me. Time to spread my wings."

"All the best to you, my friend!" Drew replies as he's met by Kenny with microphone in hand.

"Everyone, let's give Chaz a big round of applause for a tremendous battle. CMG! Let him hear you guys!" The crowd does indeed applaud and Kenny waits a few seconds before shifting his focus to the match winner. "Now to you, Drew. Probably the most talked about moment of your match happened before the battle even began. You saw Chaz call out Scizor and you made the decision to go with Absol. You had Masquerain there to hedge that disadvantage, but it's still do or die. Why go with Absol in that situation?"

Nodding while listening to all of Kenny's words, he says, "It was not the easiest call. There was enough compatibility between Absol and Masquerain that I felt the judges would credit me for as much. Most of our offense was complimentary one to another and I believed if I kept at it using these attacks, they would ultimately pay off for me and it worked. There were some tough moments, though. Chaz and I know each other quite well. Most of it had to do with the element of surprise. The weather kind of prevents me from using any fire types, so I just did something no one would've expected and trust in my pokemon to carry the day."

"When we got into the moment that Chaz decided to go for a full on attack on Absol," Kenny continues, "you were able to stop Hoppip from using bounce. How significant would it have been to lose Absol if Chaz got a successful critical hit in the match?"

"That probably would've made all the difference," Drew admits. "These moves have to be timed as well as they're executed. If I didn't catch Hoppip on the bounce, he would've paralyzed Absol and I don't know what I could've done to stave off the offense from there."

"Well, perfect timing meant the difference between victory and defeat in that match. Too soon to tell if it will rule the day, but we know your next matchup. It's against Top Coordinator, Marina Del Raymond, and as the saying goes, they don't come any easier."

Drew chuckles again and says, "Easy? What's that? But seriously, no one said the road wouldn't have it's curves or be completely smooth. You just said it. Top Coordinator. That means Marina has been here and I want to be where she's been. She's in my way and she has the arsenal to send me back home, but as long as my team is united I believe I have as good a shot as anyone."

"Is it time for your 'A' game?"

"Maybe," Drew ponders, "maybe 'A' minus or 'B' plus. I'd love to still keep that element of surprise. I'll have to go backstage and figure out what will work."

"Well, I'll leave you to it!" Kenny says. "One more time, let's hear it for Drew Emerson! He's going to the quarter-finals! Now let's go back upstairs."

The cheers go up in Slateport Stadium as Drew walks back down the aisle. While he does that, Gavin Harte lets the fans know, "Thanks, Kenny. Ladies and gentlemen, we have two more matches remaining in the first elimination round. Mollie Stewart will face off against number one qualifier Dawn Berlitz, but coming up next will be Lila Morena-Harmon versus May Maple as the action continues in the Hoenn Grand Festival!"

Deep breaths. They make for one of the more prolific calming methods and they do tend to work. They reduce stress and help in the nervous department. Marina Del Raymond has been here before and has reached the top of the summit, but she finds herself perhaps more nervous than during any of her past triumphs...and it has nothing to do with her chances in this tournament.

Put very simply, May gave it to her earlier this morning. For as much as she'd like to defend herself and her actions with regard to Kelly, she cannot. She will not dispute anything May told her in the press room and it's left her half in and half out while she attempts to become Top Coordinator once more. She was able to defeat Jessminder earlier, but knew that she likely had the best matchup and ran with it to victory. Marina put on her best face, but still had it in the back of her mind one matter.

Would May, Kelly or both the engaged hold this against her or will they go on their own letting the media know about this?

It's not a self-centered thought, in her opinion. If they did that, Marina loses control of the narrative. She could deny it until she's red in the face, but the seed of doubt will be out there and the genie cannot be put back into the bottle. If Kelly and May are convincing enough, they will own the story. On the other hand, she could tell the truth. The truth comes with its own costs, but what's done is done. Either way, she can't see things remaining the same after this. It wouldn't make sense given what happened, especially concerning…

Marina's train of thought is broken as she hears a few knocks on her dressing room door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Jimmy!"

"Come on in," Marina says. The door isn't locked, so Jimmy turns the knob and comes inside to see his girlfriend. Marina doesn't get up from her seat, but does get a good look at herself in the mirror for the first time in a while this Sunday.

As Jimmy walks up to Marina to give her a kiss, he congratulates his girlfriend on winning her first matchup. "I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, but I ran into a few of my friends and we caught up over some drinks and appetizers." Marina barely makes a move, hardly a gesture, as Jimmy explains his tardiness. She just continues to stare at her reflection in the mirror and contemplate everything that's been weighing on her mind for the past several hours.

Indeed, what will her boyfriend think about this? She's more than willing to put May Maple and Kelly Cruz-Marin in her rear view mirror so they can live to the absolute fullest. For now, though, she still has Jimmy who thinks absolutely nothing but the world of her.

But for how long?

Jimmy clearly sees something off with his significant other. No in kind greeting when he came into the dressing room. No response to not coming earlier. Nothing but continuous reflections in the dressing room mirror. 'What's going on here?' He wants nothing but the best for his girlfriend today, but there is something clearly bothering Marina. The question, though, is what?

No more beating around the bush. "Sweetheart, are you alright? You've barely said a word since you told me to come in. I know it's a tough competition, but..."

"I have a," Marina interrupts, her voice pointed, but somewhat disjointed as it cuts through whatever point Jimmy was about to make. "I have a question for you, Jimmy." She says this while still looking square into the mirror.

"Sure. Anything you want to ask, I'm all ears," he says, at least happy for this breakthrough.

"What do you see, in all honesty, when you look at me?"

It seemed an odd question. Nonetheless, Marina asked for his honesty. "Well, I see the woman who I sacrificed so much for so that we both could pursue our dreams. It's not easy and we've had our share of setbacks, but I've learned...nothing worth having is easy. There were days when we yelled and screamed at each other. We told each other we didn't need one another and made that well known. Even with those down times, I can honestly say I don't have any regrets. They were unfortunate moments, but we both had to grow up to understand that we're better together than we could ever be separated. That's what I see. More than my love. I see my life, my better half and the reason I look forward to every day on this long and winding journey. Marina, are you alright?"

Jimmy can see the tears in his girlfriend's eyes as she continues to look at this mirror without ceasing. Right now, though, her vision is quite cloudy. It's ironic, though, as what Jimmy just told her has made her next plans and how she will go about them crystal clear. "Thank you, Jimmy." Marina says. She finally turns her head away from the mirror and to her boyfriend. "I need to prepare. Will you please leave?"

"Are you sure? You don't appear to be…"

"I'm sure," she interjects.

Her voice seems not as vibrant to Jimmy. As if some life has been taken out of his girlfriend, strange as it might sound.

But why? And how?

"Just...I now know my opponent for the next round," Marina continues. "Drew's no pushover, so...I have to get ready for him. There's not much time left so we'll talk more afterwards. I promise."

Nodding, he gives Marina a hug and says, "Okay. You've got a deal." He finds it weird as Marina doesn't hug him back. He won't push the matter as she promised Jimmy that they would talk after her next match. Another kiss on the forehead and Jimmy makes his way to the door. Before leaving, he lets her know, "If there's anything you need before you go out there-anything at all, I'm only one call away." Marina nods and Jimmy leaves the dressing room, closing the door behind him.

Once the door is closed, Marina can't keep it in anymore. Putting both hands over her face, she sobs at the prospect of what her future holds and how she can best cushion any blows her past screw ups might cause for any innocent parties. She knows what has to be done. There's no longer an internal debate. She can't live a lie, especially for someone who thinks so much of her. She won't cheat this good young man and let him put her on this pedestal when it's simply not deserved.

What kind of a woman would just allow lie after lie to be hung upon her like this? She can't take it. She knows that Jimmy is clueless. That's not due to his ignorance, however, but her evil deeds. As she catches a glimpse of the mirror once more through an opening in her fingers, nothing could be clearer.

That monster is back, with a vengeance.

She hates what she's seeing. That's no Top Coordinator in the mirror. That's a selfish bastard.

A predator. A molester. A cheater. A grifter. A snake in the grass and, for trying to hold onto whatever semblance of her reputation she can, a real greedy bitch.

She tries to turn away, but to no avail. Marina still sees this sub-human. It's burned within her. It's not letting go. 'This has to stop,' she says as she gets up from her seat. Her breath is now very labored and quick. She can't find relief immediately and it all has to do with this God forsaken mirror...even though it's only showing her what she is.

Fully consumed by what's been occupying her mind since this morning, she balls up her right fist and with all the power she can muster, cocks it back and rams her hand through the mirror as the glass shatters into a thousand pieces.

Stupid? Yes. Crazy? You bet. But it's also a relief from that foreign menace that just wouldn't stop staring her down and causing her so much undue stress.

A/N: The final two matchups of the first round will take place in the next chapter. I put in that flashback scene with May and Kelly because I wanted to show a more tense moment for the couple. As the title suggests, it's not all a bed of roses for them, but they always seem to find a way back to one another. Such is the way of the couple meant to be.

Until next time...