All in a Day's Work
A/N: Prequel to "The Best Nightmare", though it can be read as a standalone. I took the liberties to adjust Flygon's moveset slightly, to keep up with the new generations. Uh and, in my imagination, May has an Altaria (that may or may not be the same Swablu she saved in AG). Hope y'all don't mind.
This is set roughly 12 years after Battle Frontier ended, and a year before "The Best Nightmare".
Disclaimer: The author does not own Pokémon, and fully respects the works and ingenuity of Satoshi Tajiri, Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda.
"Okay guys, I need your help."
Ash Ketchum, Paul Shinji, and Gary Oak were currently in Drew Hayden's apartment at Mauville Hills. Sitting on the living room's floor, they were surrounded with pizza, soda, various snacks and a few of their pokémon. It's been a while since all of them gathered, as now that they are adults, they are all very busy with their respective jobs. Their meetups usually included their girlfriends, but for some reason, Drew insisted on excluding them for this one.
"What help do you need?" Ash asked, munching on some chips. Pikachu, who sat next to him, was enjoying a bottle of ketchup.
Gary laughed as he took another slice of pizza. "Did you fight with May? Or did she get angry with you for forgetting your anniversary?"
"Please, I'm not like you. I won't forget special events!" Drew told him with a scoff. "How you managed to do so and still patched up with Leaf, it's a miracle."
"Touché," Gary replied, and took a big bite of the pizza. "I was just asking."
Paul, ever the more serious one of the four, asked, "So, what do you need help with?"
"Right, back to why I gathered all of you here." Drew nodded. "I need you guys to assist me in my proposal to May."
"..."
There was a moment of silence. Then…
"WHAT!? Cough, oh I'm- I'm ch-choking on the chips, water!"
"Wow, Drew, I never expected you to be the first one among us to propose or get married! Say, isn't that a little early? Both of you are still young." Gary commented.
Gary certainly brought up a good point, but Drew was certain of what he was planning to do. "We are both 22 years old, more or less done with our travels, and settled into our new work schedule - me as a coordinating judge and her as a contest emcee. I thought it'd be nice to start a new chapter in our lives together. As a family."
Gary's eyes shifted awkwardly. "When you put it that way, you're making me feel kinda guilty. When to propose didn't really cross my mind till now."
"You should," Drew took a gulp of water before continuing, "You and Leaf are together for even longer than May and I. But then again, who am I to comment on other people's relationships?"
"Hah, I'm actually better than you for this, Gary! Misty and I actually talked about it before and we decided to focus on our work first!"
"No, that's not actually better." The auburn-haired man retorted. "Face it, Ashy-boy, Misty's more than settled into being a Cerulean gym leader. She's been doing it for 10 years! She's just waiting for you, like she always is!"
"I- I-...! Well, Leaf's probably waiting for you too! And-"
"Together, huh…" Paul muttered, with a faraway look in his eyes, unknowingly breaking up the almost-squabble between Gary and Ash. Then he blinked, and snapped back into focus. "...That's great. So what exactly do you need help with?"
'Right.' Drew thought. 'I should focus.'
Drew began with the following. "Ahem, so, we're in the beginning of June. Our anniversary is in about a month's time, July 10th, which is when I planned to propose."
"Aren't the 8 of us meeting up on that day?" Ash wondered. "Or did I get it wrong?"
Ignoring that question, Drew continued. "I've booked a table for 8 at the seaside restaurant in Grand Slateport Resort-"
"Ah, isn't that the private resort where you first met her all those years ago? Oh, along with Brock, Max and I. 2 weeks before her very first contest at Slateport City? Practicing with Beautifly and the frisbee?" Ash interrupted.
"Pikachu-piiiii!" Pikachu laughed in agreement, waving an empty ketchup bottle around. Apparently, even the electric rodent could remember that. Ash's memory certainly surprised them all, but Drew continued on still.
"Yes, that's right. That's the place. I ordered a fresh cream strawberry cake from a famous bakery in Kalos. It'll arrive at that restaurant on the day itself. We will have dinner first, and when the waiters bring the cake out, Roserade will launch a gentle, beautiful petal dance and I'll propose."
"That doesn't sound too complicated, and it seems like you got it all planned out. What help do you-" Drew cut Paul off. "For the ring, I had commissioned a jeweller in Kalos. And for the flowers, I'm having a bouquet of Juliet roses flown over from Galar."
"I'll never understand rich people." Gary commented dryly.
"The problem is, they're all going to arrive on the day itself, at the same time but in different locations."
Paul understood the situation immediately. "This is where our help comes in."
"Precisely. Additionally, I don't know what the girls are doing on that day itself, but I may need someone to convince them not to go anywhere near Slateport beach."
"Sure thing! Just leave it to us, we can get the items while you stay in Slateport to coordinate things. Can't have the main character of the night looking all worn out." Gary said with a smirk. Paul and Ash nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure it'll be a pleasant surprise for May! Pikachu, let's do a good job then!" Ash said.
"Pika, pikaaa!"
"Thanks guys, really." Drew replied. "I'll text you guys the drop-off details when I get them. Now, who's up to play Smash?"
"Pikachu-piiii!"
As they booted the switch up, Drew thought to himself. 'Okay. It's settled. I got the guys on board. All according to plan. Nothing will go wrong.'
After all, what could possibly go wrong?
Apparently, everything and anything.
On the 10th of July, at 6 o'clock in the morning, his phone rang. 'It's an hour too early…' Drew thought, his mind still teetering between dream and reality. He wanted to ignore it, but his arm somehow reached out and accepted the call.
"Good morning!"
"Hello? Who- oh wait, Dawn. Did something happen?"
"Nothing at all!" The girl's peppy, cheery voice came through. "I'm just calling to tell you that the girls and I are soooo excited for tonight and we'll be sure to keep May away from the restaurant till it's time!"
"Wait, you're calling me just to say this? What are you even doing, up so early?"
"We're all staying over at May's place. They allowed me to select their outfits for later, I'm so excited!"
"You did not answer my question but, you're not saying all this while in May's room, are you?"
"No, I'm not that clumsy. Have some faith in your friend! Besides, even if I did, she wouldn't know, she can sleep through anything. See you later, no need to worry!"
...Beep, beep.
Just like that, Drew's morning was forced to begin an hour earlier than scheduled. 'Dawn came and went like a spring storm.' Drew thought to himself as he brushed his teeth. 'It's fine, I'll just take this extra time to slowly fix myself a cup of coffee, and maybe go for a quick run. Ah right, I better give Ash a wake-up call at around 1 o'clock.'
Seven hours later at 1 o'clock, as Drew was laying out bowls of poké-food, his phone rang. Roserade kindly brought it to him. Giving the bouquet pokémon a pat on her head, he answered the call.
"DREWWW! DREWWWW-Y! Hun, why didn't you tell me? I have to hear it from Solidad! Oh, you broke my poor, whittle heart."
"Good afternoon to you too, Harley." Drew made sure to say that with as much sarcasm as he could.
"Hey, what's with that tone? Isn't it thanks to me that your love bloomed?"
"You mean all the sabotage at the contests and at the Hoenn Grand Festival was to bring May and I closer? Please, don't kid yourself. Not now, Harley, I have things to do, a schedule to stick to."
"Oh, you're no fun, can't you take a joke? Anyways… I just want to say…"
Drew rubbed the side of his forehead while he listened to Harley ramble on and on. After Harley stopped his petty scheming ways, the two actually became friends. Sort of. He relented mostly thanks to Solidad and May, but anyways, he and Harley are on talking terms. Drew would and should just end the call, but he knew that obnoxious man would just call again and again till he had his way. After another hour or so, Harley finally had enough, and left Drew alone.
...Beep, beep.
Drew sighed. 'Harley's like a long-winded mother-in-law. And now, I am 30 minutes behind schedule.'
Perhaps because he was trying to make up for the lost time, his movements were hurried as he conditioned his pokémon. In his haste, he ended up knocking a powder over. After cleaning up, he changed into a grey and white pinstripe button up and sleek black pants, grabbed his pokéballs and went out.
Drew's phone rang again at 3 o'clock as he headed towards Slateport City on his Flygon. It was Ash. Probably calling to let him know he picked up the flowers at Lilycove Department Store.
"Hello-"
"DREW! I'm so sorry, I just woke up!"
'Ah, right. I never did give Ash a call. Distracted by Harley…'
"Aren't the flowers supposed to arrive at 3 o'clock? Which is now?"
"I'm still in Pallet Town, still… in my bed. I can definitely still pick up the flowers since they'll be dropped off at the department store, just thought of letting you know that I might arrive a little later than expected."
'It's okay, there's still time. Ash will still make it on time. Dinner is at 6, there's 3 hours till then. We got this.' Drew took a deep breath before saying, "No worries Ash. I appreciate that you called to update me. No need to hurry, just make sure the flowers aren't damaged in the slightest on your way here."
"Okay I got it! See ya later Drew!"
"Thanks Ash, see you."
...Beep, beep.
Drew rubbed the side of his forehead once again. It was only the afternoon and he was already a little tired. He met up with Gary in Slateport City. The two had a quick late lunch at a random restaurant before heading to Grand Slateport Resort's seaside restaurant to check on the cake. As they took a step onto the sparkling golden beach, a Honchkrow swooped down and landed in front of them.
"Here, the ring." Paul said as he got down from the dark-blue flying type. Drew unknowingly let out a sigh of relief as he received a small wine red velvet box. "Thanks Paul, you've been a great help." After checking the finely crafted, diamond embedded platinum band, the coordinator then attached the case onto his pokéball belt. 'May wouldn't notice it unless she stares closely.'
"No big deal." The obsidian-eyed male sounded composed as usual. Gary placed his arms over their shoulders and moved (or more like dragged) them all a step forward.
"Let's check the remaining things and rest!"
So they went. The fresh cream strawberry cake imported from Kalos arrived in perfect condition and carefully stored in the restaurant's fridge. The specially requested strawberries for dessert were all beautifully glazed. The waiters were given instructions. Roserade too. Then at a little past 5 o'clock, Ash arrived with the bouquet of Juliet roses.
Everything was in place and all was well.
Until Drew touched his belt and couldn't feel a velvety box.
"Uhh… guys." Drew uttered, a sense of dread and horror looming over him. "I think I lost the ring."
Three faces, all with varying expressions of terror and tiredness, faced him.
"…"
"WHAT?!"
"There's less than an hour before the restaurant opens for dinner and the girls come!" Ash immediately got on his knees and searched below the nearest table.
"Let's get our pokémon to help too." And again, Drew rubbed his knuckles against his temple. Paul mirrored his actions. "No need to panic, let's just carefully retrace our steps…"
"Pika! Pika, pika!" (Let's search the beach!)
"Maaaasquerain!" (Right behind you!)
Tapping his eye bags with his index finger, Gary grumbled. "We're doing the real hard work here, the girls are probably having a nice chat over tea and cake!"
"Mmmm! This tastes soooo good!"
Leaf Green let out a contented sigh as the bite of ice cream melted in her mouth. Next to her, Misty Waterflower nodded in agreement. Dawn Berlitz giggled and scooped the last remaining bit up. "5 o'clock is probably a little late to be still having tea, but who cares?"
The three of them, along with May Maple, came to Slateport with the intention to shop, but are instead enjoying a very long tea time at Café Cacturne.
Dawn's phone vibrated. Her face paled slightly upon reading the message.
「Somehow, we lost the ring. Please try to stall for time. Much apologies and thanks. - Drew.」
「No need to worry! Rings don't vanish into thin air. I'll let the others know. - Dawn.」
As the blunette forwarded the message to the other two girls who were in the loop, May dabbed her lips with a napkin and asked, "Anyways, shall we finish up and go to the restaurant early? We can continue our chat there."
"NO!" A resounding answer came almost instantly.
"Huh?" May was obviously taken back by the negative answer. The brunette's sapphire eyes were wide.
"Ah- ah, what we mean is, not until we finish another glass of water to wash down all the sweets we had!" Leaf improvised. 'Starting another topic will buy some time.' She then took a small sip from her glass and continued. "A-anyways, how can the afternoon just pass by this quickly? I'm so not ready to go back to work tomorrow."
Dawn shook her head slightly. "Tell me about it. I'm so not looking forward to the journey back to Sinnoh. So much for shopping and looking for inspiration for new designs, we ended up sitting here for hours, chatting."
"As if chatting the whole night away yesterday wasn't enough." Then Misty added an afterthought. "Actually, it really wasn't enough."
"Let's do this again soon!" Dawn's eyes sparkled as she said so. "Y'all can stay in my apartment in Hearthome and we can all plan for the wed-"
"IF I SURVIVE THE accumulated work from these two days of leave I took!" Leaf all but yelled to cut Dawn off.
"So that we can all plan for what?" May asked, her ears perking up a little. "Do we have a trip planned that I forgot?"
"Err… Um…" Misty blinked rapidly, trying to think of something, anything. Thankfully, Dawn recovered from her earlier slip up and quickly supplemented. "What I mean is that we should plan for another trip together! Maybe a short one to Sevii Islands?"
"Yeah, that sounds good! Maybe we can also stop by on Cinnabar Island. I can't forget the combination of hot springs and cinnabuns! It's fantastic! And…" As May started to convince them to add Cinnabar Island as a destination to an itinerary that didn't exist till minutes ago, Dawn's phone vibrated again.
「Somehow, we found the ring. Anytime is fine now. Much apologies and thanks. I think I lost 5 years of my life while searching for it. - Drew.」
「That's great! See, no need to worry! We'll be there in a jiffy! - Dawn.」
"...the filling of the Cinnabuns are a perfect blend of sweet and spicy, the texture-"
Dawn cut in. "Let's plan this trip another time. I think it's time for us to go, let's not keep the guys waiting!"
May tilted her head slightly. "They're waiting for us?"
Misty jabbed Dawn in ribs, prompting her to smooth things over.
"Ah I mean, I hope the guys won't keep us waiting!"
Upon reaching the seaside restaurant, the girls were immediately brought to the innermost table of the restaurant. The open-air restaurant was simply, but elegantly decorated. Palm trees framed the area, and the white tables and chairs matched the sandy background of the beach. Dainty fairy lights and scentless candles illuminated the place. Soft, gentle piano music flowed.
To May's surprise, all the guys had already arrived. Even the ever late Gary and Ash. A few minutes after they settled into their seats, the appetizers arrived. Before leaving, the waiter said, "Our dear guests, we have an area for small pokémon to eat and play in. Would you like some of your pokémon to be there?"
"Too bad for the bigger ones, but why not?" May said, reaching for her pokéballs. The rest agreed. With that, Pikachu, Roserade, Masquerain, Glaceon, Munchlax, Piplup and a few more ran off.
"Boy, am I starving! But wow, you'd expect a bigger portion for such a fancy restaurant…" Ash eyed the bowl of clam chowder soup, warm bread and garden salad in front of him. Misty elbowed him, hissing at him to not embarrass them all.
"Hn." Paul grunted, giving Ash the side-eye. Which prompted the raven-haired male to start an argument with him. It was eventually broken up when the main dish arrived. While Gary and Leaf shared the findings of their latest research, Drew whispered to his girlfriend. "Hey, I apologize for not being able to spend our anniversary together."
"Missed me? We see each other every other day for contests. I'm certain the coordinator I have my eye on will win the next contest!" May teased, then let out a small smile and reassured him. "It's fine, it's the only day this month where all 8 of us are available. We have many more anniversaries to come, don't we?" He responded by nodding and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
'No retort or smart-ass comments today? Weird.' May shrugged that thought away and leaned further against him.
The rest of the meal went by smoothly. Each of them shared stories from their work, and reminisced about their past adventures together. When the waiter started to clear their table and lay the dessert plate, Drew began to nervously tap a finger against his belt.
"Drew? Is everything okay?" May questioned, with concern in her gaze.
"Yes. Just thinking about something."
The tempo of the background music became faster, and it's volume increased, catching everybody's attention. Even the pokémon stopped playing and looked around.
'It's time.' Drew thought. From the corner of his eye, he could see a waiter carrying a white cake, walking towards their table. Following closely behind, was Roserade with the bouquet of Juliet roses. His heart almost jumped out his chest when he saw Munchlax charging recklessly towards the waiter, his eyes fixed firmly on the cake. Fortunately, Masquerian and Pikachu were able to hold him back. The glutton swerved and almost had a taste of the precious roses, but mercifully, Piplup and Glaceon tackled him away.
Unaware of the danger he just avoided, the waiter reached their table and placed the fresh cream strawberry cake down. Roserade handed the bouquet to a confused May, then took a step back.
And the music stopped.
"Ahem," Drew cleared his throat. "May, I have something to tell you."
May froze for a second, clutching the bouquet to her chest. She frantically glanced at her friends, but they were all grinning, their eyes bright in anticipation. Well, Paul wasn't grinning, if she had to be exact. But the corners of his lips were lifted and that had to count. The pokémon all had similar expressions to her friends.
Watching Drew stand up, and giving his bangs a flick, May could feel the pounding of her heart even to the tips of her ears. She knew she was being irrational, but for a moment, she didn't know if she should be happy or very, very worried. Most likely the former based on the expressions of those around her, but such statements always made her nervous for it could go either way.
Then, Drew got down on a knee, cracked the velvet box open, and parted his mouth.
"May, we have been together since we were 17 and known each other since we were 10. We grew and matured together. Though we started off as rivals, we became friends, and then lovers. Well, we'll always be rivals, but I'd like for us to be husband and wife too. So, what I'm trying to say is. May, will you marry me?"
"Of course I will!"
May's face was absolutely red. Her eyes were watery, but it's most definitely from being overwhelmed with indescribable emotions. Placing the bouquet on the table, she stretched her left hand towards Drew.
The ring fit perfectly. It shone under the glow of the lights.
Their smiles were wide, causing their eyes to curve deeply. Pure, unadulterated joy filled their faces, and the faces of the ones surrounding them. When beautiful petals rain over their heads, the whole restaurant burst into applause and well wishes poured.
"This is sooo romantic!" Dawn squealed, repeatedly slapping Paul on the shoulder. Paul winced, and tried to avoid the slaps, but without much success. He pressed his lips together before saying, "Drew did plan hard for this. Congratulations, you two. I'm happy for you."
"Thank you!" May replied. "Come to think of it, something did feel off today, I guess all of you were in on his plans?"
"There were a few hiccups, but we can fill you in on them later!" After saying so, Ash turned his attention to the cake.
"Can we please quickly get started on the cake?" Leaf asked, her hands wrapped around Munchlax. "Before it's swallowed entirely? Please?"
"Here, 8 slices, perfect! Pikachu, you can share with me!"
"I got it all down on camera! It'll fit so well in the wedding video!" Gary straightened his back, looking quite proud of himself. Then a Cheshire cat smile spread across his face. "Say, how can this proposal night end with just the lovebirds holding hands? Shouldn't there be a kiss? It'll look great in the wedding video!" He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "How about it? Hmm? KISS! KISS!"
Gary's claps and chants infected the rest, and soon, the entire restaurant's eyes were on them.
"KISS! KISS!"
"Yeaaaaah!"
"Anytime now, you two!"
May and Drew, with their faces flushed from the attention and pressure, leaned in for a kiss. Little by little, their faces drew closer.
Sapphire eyes met emeralds.
Reddening cheeks, bated breaths.
Heightened nerves.
Noses lightly touching.
Just seconds before their lips connected, however...
"THIS THIEF NEEDS TO PROVE HIS SKILLS BEFORE HE CAN HAVE MY DAUGHTER!"
A few minutes before the hoo-ha.
On the other side of the restaurant, near the entrance, stood a tall, tanned, navy haired man. After saying a few words to the staff, he exchanged some pokédollars for a box of choux. He wondered what was so special about this box of sugar-filled flour that Caroline insisted he 'must purchase it as soon as possible or he will be sorry'.
'Something about it being specially imported from Kalos… famous bakery… only available at this resort…'
"KISS, KISS! KISS!"
"Congratulations!"
Norman Maple's thoughts were interrupted by some chants and hollers in the restaurant. "Say," he asked a passing waiter. "Is there an event or something?"
"Yes," the waiter replied. "There was a proposal, from a Top Coordinator to another Top Coordinator!"
"Oh how nice, my daughter is a Top Coordinator too. They might be someone she knows, anyways, let me go offer my congratulations."
Norman thanked the waiter and started to head towards the back of the restaurant. 'If they are good friends of May, perhaps I can pull some strings and get them a nice short vacation at the Sinnoh's Battle Zone Resort Area.'
As he went further into the restaurant, the chants and hollers became louder and louder, and the more he felt the group of people look extremely familiar. He did not notice it earlier for the lighting of the open-air restaurant entirely consisted of candles and fairy lights, but, wasn't that Ash? His Pikachu? Dawn? A few more of May's friends?
And…
Is that his daughter?! About to lock lips with that green-haired boy!?
Since when did they become a couple!? Why hadn't he heard a single word about it?!
And thus, Norman sped up, muttering to himself, "This thief needs to prove his skills before he can have my daughter…"
(...In the back of his mind, if he touched his heart and thought about it objectively, he knew they were together. He also remembered Drew asking for his blessings, and hearing Caroline and Max saying something about 'Drew about to propose to May soon'. And, he knew those increasingly frequent invitations to Drew for dinner in their Petalburg family home wasn't just because he was a close friend and rival.)
"THIS THIEF NEEDS TO PROVE HIS SKILLS BEFORE HE CAN HAVE MY DAUGHTER!"
Seconds before their lips connected, the heart-fluttering moment was over, shattered by a shout. May's eyes became as wide as pokéballs. Before she or anyone else could utter even a single word, a Swellow swooped down, whisked Drew off, and flew across the Hoenn sea. The man who shouted followed suit, riding on a Staraptor.
"That, that was Norman, right?" Misty said, eyes blinking rapidly. To which Paul affirmed. "Yes, most certainly is."
"Wh-where d-do you think he took Drew?" Dawn spluttered, shocked.
May's heartbeat was now accelerating for a different reason. A few possibilities danced in her mind, but at this time of the night, she felt it could only be that. "Knowing my Dad, he's probably heading to our greenhouse, where our pokémon stays. Ahhhh! I didn't even get to enjoy the cake!"
Leaf was amused. "Cake? Not the kiss?"
"That too," May replied, as she dug through her bag for Altaria's pokéball. "Ah, I better call Max… Leaf, want to ride with me?"
"It's fine! Wigglytuff can get me across! I think you'll have to bring Roserade and Masquerain with you… They weren't in their pokéballs when Drew was taken away."
Gary laughed as he sent out his Pidgeot. "Forget the cake, how can we miss seeing Drew beaten to a pulp?"
"Must I?" Paul groaned before continuing. "It's been a long day…"
Dawn whipped her head towards him in an instant, her eyes blazing, all shock forgotten. "Oh come on! Didn't you agree to support Drew in his proposal? You got to see things through till the end!"
"Honchkrow is dead tired already!" Paul retorted. "So am I." He muttered as an afterthought.
"You can ride on Togekiss with me!" Dawn suggested.
"And fall into the deep dark blue together? No thanks." Paul said, rolling his eyes. Dawn gave him a slight glare as she got onto Togekiss. "Have fun swimming there then!"
In just a matter of minutes, May, Leaf, Gary and Dawn soared into the skies on their pokémon.
"Don't worry about us!" Misty called. "We'll head over on Gyarados!"
Paul let out a sigh. "Ugh, so I still have to go…"
"Oh stop sounding so reluctant. I know you don't mean it!" Misty chided. Then she turned to Ash, who was enjoying a slice of cake with Pikachu, both seemingly oblivious to the ongoing drama. "And Ash! They'll pack the cake up for us to pick up later, so stop eating, COME NOW!"
With the trio safely on the long, water serpent, Misty shouted, "Gyarados! Full speed ahead to Petalburg!"
(Unfortunately, the bouquet of roses they painstakingly acquired was now lying on the table, completely forgotten.)
Drew groaned as he landed on his butt. Couldn't the Swellow drop him off a little more gently? Well, maybe he should be glad the bird didn't drop him into the pond.
Norman, hovering above him on a Staraptor, said, "I will certainly respect my daughter's choice. Now, I am terribly excited to have a son-in-law. Especially if he can join me for a little night training. Will you?"
Terribly excited, as if. Norman's eyes were blazing. The same way May's does when someone (usually it's either Ash or her brother) stole the last slice of a limited-edition cake. But of course, he should please his future father-in-law, right? Not that he had a choice, seeing how he's already here.
"Of course, Sir," Drew said, flicking his bangs. "I'd love to join."
The navy haired man narrowed his eyes. "I'm glad to hear that."
With that said, he blew into a black whistle. There was a rustle between the bushes and... a teenager walked out.
"Dad? I didn't know there's night training today? Most of them are asleep... Oh, hey! Drew, what brings you here?"
Then, multiple roars echoed in the greenhouse.
No amount of exercise could train him to outrun a bunch of angry Vigoroths and Slakings. Thus Drew had to do what he was currently doing - battle them. Norman was still perched on Staraptor, keeping an eye on the battle. While Max was sitting by a sleeping Delcatty's side, tending to the injured pokémon.
'Has it been an hour? Or two? Since I've been thrown into this beautiful, but deadly greenhouse?' Drew thought as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. 'Two out of the three Slakings are down, Absol and Butterfree are dealing with the remaining Vigoroths… Ah, if only Roserade and Masquerain are with me!'
"Flygon! Use steel wing!"
The mystic pokémon, with his glowing silvery wings, drew closer to strike the last remaining Slaking in the area, who dodged it with surprising speed. The Slaking then retaliated with a focus punch of devastating strength.
"Flygon!" Drew cried out as the dragon was thrown back.
A bright light then lit up the entire area, likely from Absol, who was battling the remaining few Vigoroths. Thankfully, the backs of Drew and Flygon were against the light, so they were not blinded by it. But the Slaking was. So taking this opportunity…
"Flygon! Dragon pulse!"
"Awoooo!"
"And follow up with sandstorm!"
A multicolored, dragon-shaped beam struck the dazed Slaking before it was engulfed in raging sand. Slaking staggered, waving its arms to regain it's balance.
"Quick, before it recovers! Finish it with steel wing!"
Just as Slaking steadied itself and launched a devastating hyper beam, Flygon duck, spun, and slammed his glowing wings into the normal-type ape, knocking it out for the count.
"Slaking, sla…"
"Awoooo!"
"...Vi, go… roth…"
Thump!
"Sol!"
"Free, -ee!"
At the same time as Flygon defeated Slaking, Absol and Butterfree managed to knock out the rest of the Vigoroths.
"Nice timing guys," Drew muttered, nodding at his team.
'They all deserve a good night's rest, we all do.'
"Hmm…" Norman muttered. "He's not bad, I guess he ain't a Top Coordinator for nothing."
Max whistled, and said, "Wow! You're fast, Drew. It took you about 47 minutes to finish the battle! Ah, Absol, Butterfree, and Flygon, please wait a moment, I'll treat you after I'm done with the Vigoroths and Slakings."
"47 minutes? That felt like ages…" Drew stated. He took a few deep breaths, looked around, and wondered out loud, "Say, where are the rest?"
About 20 minutes later, the rest arrived on various modes of poké-transport.
"Ah, the battle is over." Leaf let out a sigh as she and her Wigglytuff landed. "Wiggly airlines isn't quick enough, good thing Pidgeot, Togekiss and Altaria took turns dragging us along."
"Aww I wanted to see it in real life!" Gary, getting off his Pidgeot, complained.
"It's all Ash's fault," Paul grumbled. "If only he didn't drop a pokéball into the sea of route 108."
"Ahahahaha…"
"Pika, pika…" Pikachu gave his trainer, who was laughing sheepishly, the side-eye.
"It's a good thing that Max streamed it to us by facetime, or else we would have really missed it! Thanks again Max!"
"Not a problem at all, Misty!" Came the reply.
"Wow, dragon pulse is so beautiful… I should get a dragon-type someday!" Dawn said, as she gazed at Flygon, starry eyed. Flygon smiled, happy with the attention, and stuck it's chest out.
"Oh, I should really examine one of those Vigoroth, their claws look sick - so sharp, so well-maintained!" Gary started walking towards the monkey-like pokémon. "Leaf? Don't you wanna come too?"
"Hn. Their claws do look good. Gary, I'm coming." Paul declared, and started to move in the same direction.
"Hey! I'm trying to get alone time with Leaf, you… argh!"
Gary was about to dissuade Paul from going along with him and Leaf, but he was silenced by Paul's right hook. The three of them went off, and the sound of Gary's groaning and Leaf's giggling became softer and softer.
"So much for moral support." Drew sighed. Roserade and Masquerain went up to him, giggling at his fairly disheveled state. "Roserade. Masquerain. Now, even you guys are teasing me."
As Drew straightened himself up, Roserade pressed a fresh, thornless red rose into his hand. And Masquerain gently nudged him towards the sapphire-eyed brunette.
"Hey May." He said as he approached her, who was disembarking from her Altaria. May, flushed from the flight here, gave him a beaming smile. She clearly needed some time to get her sense of balance back, for she stumbled over her own two feet. He smirked as he caught her with an arm, and then flipped his bangs.
"Clumsy as always." He would never let up a chance to tease her.
"HEY—!"
She stopped herself from yelling further when everyone around, including the pokémon, stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the two. Her cheeks, and even her ears, were red with embarrassment.
"Hmm?" Drew sneakily pulled May closer to him, tightening his hold around her waist.
"Hey," May whispered, her tone and pitch lowered by a notch. "Can you please let me go? Everyone is staring!"
Drew pondered for a moment, and then he smirked, mischief dancing in his emerald eyes. "Hmm… I don't see why I should? I'm just hugging my dear fiancée."
"Drew!"
"—But if you insist."
With a glint of mischief still in his eyes, Drew released May. But he then swiftly leaned in and pecked her lips, before presenting her with a perfect red rose.
"Here, a rose for you, May. I was going to give you a bouquet at dinner, but things didn't quite go as planned."
Twirling the rose around her fingers, May lifted the corners of her lips.
"Thank you. I suppose this rose isn't for Beautifly."
"It hasn't been ever since the one during the Slateport City contest."
.
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「END of All in a Day's Work」
The After Stories:
One. Done for the Day.
- "It hasn't been ever since the one during the Slateport City contest."
At his answer, May smiled brightly and let out a cute giggle. Drew involuntarily smiled at that sight. That, coupled with seeing the engagement ring on her finger, made him feel that although this day didn't go exactly according to plan, all's well that ends well.
'…'
...If they weren't made the entertainment of the night, that is.
Drew could faintly hear Gary's muttering ("I gotta get it all recorded'), Paul uttering something like 'What are we? Air?' and Dawn shushing both of them. He wanted to ask Roserade to give them all a good whack, but ultimately decided against it. They did try their best to help him, after all.
And, between getting ready for the proposal and battling - that's enough work accomplished for the day.
.
Two. Absol's Frustration.
It's been a long, terribly long day for Absol.
Absol knew that his kind were often said to be the bingers of disasters. Which was totally not true. They could sense the subtle changes in the atmosphere, but really, they wouldn't be able to actually cause it. Anyways, no amount of training will help him to predict today's disasters. From running around in search of the missing ring, to making sure Munchlax didn't gobble up the anniversary cake (or heck, the roses) and fighting with those Vigoroths.
'Gee, those slashes really hurt.'
Absol wondered if he should ask them how they made their claws so sharp, perhaps he can do the same for his horn. He soon shook his head, shuddering at the thought of talking to those creatures.
Anyhow...
While the trainers were busy teasing and congratulating the newly engaged couple, Absol, Butterfree, and Flygon were crowded around Max, who was giving them treatment. They, along with Piplup and Munchlax, were all quietly listening to Pikachu, who was sharing about his adventures with a Butterfree that Ash once owned.
Pikachu's voice gradually became background noise to Absol, and his gaze shifted from the yellow rodent to a snoozing feline. It simply boggled Absol. How could Delcatty sleep through the entire battle? Pikachu's stories? All the noise?
While he was mulling over this, the prim pokémon stirred. Stretching it's mostly tan body, it let out a yawn before saying,
"Meowww, ow." (I heard about what happened today. I thought your kind is supposed to know when something bad is coming. I guess your senses aren't very sharp.)
"Sol! Sol, sol!" (That's for natural disasters, not things like this!)
Then Absol paused. Wait, something wasn't right… This Delcatty was speaking as if she knew this 'disaster' was going to happen...
"Absol, absol, ab, absol?" (Did you, perhaps, know this was going to happen?)
Delcatty smirked, licking her paws. She would never tell him that she overheard Caroline telling Norman about the choux last night and Dawn's early morning phone call to Drew, which led her to put two and two together and opt out of the 'dinner gathering' at the last minute.
"Meow, meow meow? Meow. Meow, ow, meow meow?" (Whatever are you talking about? Now, be a dear and get me some water, hmm?)
"...Sol. Absol." (...Ugh. Fine.)
Unfortunately, this day (or rather, night) wasn't quite over for Absol yet.
.
Three. Father-and-Son-in-law 'Bonding' Trip.
After the proposal drama, the whole gang stayed overnight at the Maple's Petalburg residence.
"Hmm mmm mmm~" May hummed as she made her way to the kitchen. "Mom? What's for breakfast today?"
"Oh honey, you're up early today." Caroline replied, handing her daughter a plate of french toast. May received it with a word of thanks.
"May! You're earlier than us!"
Soon, Paul, Gary, Leaf, Dawn and Misty joined her at the dining table.
"Did Drew oversleep too?" May wondered. "Perhaps… last night…"
"He wasn't in his bed when I woke up." Paul, who shared a guest room with Drew, said.
"Then where can he be?"
"Come to think of it, I didn't see Roserade and his other pokémon earlier when I went to the greenhouse to feed the pokémon." Max said.
"Oh, you mean you didn't know?" Caroline's clear voice cut through. "Your father brought Drew for a little bonding trip at Sinnoh's Battle Tower. They left at 6 in the morning!"
.
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「END of The After Stories」
Endnotes: Thanks for reading till the end! I'm glad I got this out before the year ended haha. If you like, do review and let me know your thoughts, I'd really appreciate it!
Here are some of my thoughts while doing this:
Gary, Ash and Paul's responses to Drew proposing - may or may not be related to future stories or oneshots.
I know it's quite ridiculous to have so many hiccups in a day, but well, it's a story! It started with just the 'versus Vigoroth and Slaking' scene, but cheeky me wanted to add more drama.
I wanted to end the 'main' story with that slateport city line, but yet I also want to write something from Drew's perspective about being done for the day + it's always fun to have the gang's side comments.
The after story, 'Absol's frustration', kind of ties in with the after story 'Absol-ute Disaster' in 'The Best Nightmare'. And, Absol, I'm sorry for all the teasing you suffered under Delcatty's paws. I really do like you, I did use you in my original Emerald run!
I kind of want to write about how May and Drew actually got together, or went from rivals to friends. It'll probably be loosely based on the anime. I also kind of want to write a short story for Dawn and Paul. But as always, let's see.