Chapter 14

Serena described herself as loyal, passionate and lovable. Starting out as an inexperienced trainer who wanted to distance herself from her mother's expectation of becoming a Rhyhorn Racer, she hadn't thought much about her future except that. Though she loved the rhyhorns, she couldn't imagine a lifetime of riding them. The scratches would turn into scars, the countless times she fell off left her hair in a ugly mess and she preferred pretty dresses over a racing outfit. Her enthusiasm to begin a journey was spurred by watching a Ash on TV.

Ash. That was the name of her childhood crush. Then that changed into love once she travelled through Kalos with him. His heroics and his optimism made him more adorable in her eyes; she could hardly contain herself around him! She kissed him, yet after that he never bothered calling her. Not once. Last she heard, Ash planned to visit Alola, a huge tropical island located far south. He never so much as sent a letter to her. Questions bombarded her mind: Did he not care? Was he really as clueless as people said? Did Ash really see her an just a friend? Was Iris right?

And what exactly about Drew was it that made her forget about Ash- he boy she believed to be her soul mate? She had never met Drew, yet something about him made her heart jump with joy. Was this just another meaningless infatuation? Was she doomed to a life of unrequited love? Serena stared despondently at red carpet under her bunny slippers, old memories swirling around like dust caught a gale. Why was love eluding her?

"Serena, what'cha thinking about?" Dawn asked, somewhat worried by her abnormal silence. She stopped brushing her short blue locks (she was surpriised by how much she loved her new bob-cut) and sat beside her on the bed. The bright light of the room overpowered the soft, silvery glint of moonlight from the open window. A cool breeze blew past as Serena instantly sat up straight, Dawn's voice pulling her back to reality.

"Huh?"

"You're really quiet," Dawn commented, noting her miserable slouch. "Is something wrong?"

Serena opened her mouth then closed it before taking a deep breath, hesitant. "How do you know when you're in love with someone?"

Dawn blushed bright red, a nervous giggle pushing its way out. She shook her head side to side so fast that Serena feared she would get a whiplash. "I-I don't know," she spluttered, her chaotic gesturing making Serena regret her question. "I've never had a boyfriend! Gosh, why would you ask me that?"

"Really? So you and Kenny were never-"

"-Kenny?!" Dawn blurted, her face turning into an impossibly brighter shade of red. "We are just friends. I think. Maybe once I imagined what it would be like but, I wouldn't want us to ruin our friendship-" Dawn clasped her hands over her mouth, realising she said more than she should.

Serena laughed nervously at her rambling. "I should ask May instead."

"Yep! That's a better choice!" Dawn let out a slow breath, fanning herself with one hand. "Too bad she's practising with Solidad right now."

"And Kenny is training with Ursula," Serena added, teasingly.

Dawn pursed her lips, worry lines forming on her forehead. "Ursula's a nightmare! I really hope for his sake that they manage team up together."

"What if Pidgeot used Feather-dance and Skarmory used gust? That way we can slower the speed of both our opponents' pokemon."

"That's a great idea, May. Flying-time moves will gain us points in our favour since both Skarmory and Pidgeot are flying-type pokemon, so it will really show them off."

"Right then, let's test it out-"

Before they could command there pokemon, a large explosion shattered the midnight tranquility and a girlish scream followed. As the scream grew louder, a figure came into view and propelled directly towards them. May and Solidad leaped away as a man landed, his head buried in the grass and his gangly legs sticking up awkwardly. May sweatdropped as Solidad helped the man up.

"I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!" Harley screeched, glaring at the direction that he was flung from. His hair was wild, face covered with mud and his were green outfit torn. Although Solidad tried to calm him, he glared at her and continued his outburst. "YOU WILL REGRET THAT, CABBAGE HEAD! YOU AND YOUR STUPID-"

"Harley!" Solidad sighed for the eleventh time, rubbing her temples. "You two are supposed to be working together. Please stop acting childish and get your act together. This is the Grand Festival, for crying out loud!"

Harley crossed his arms, his furious eyes fixated on May, who squirmed at his unrelenting glare. "I bet you're pleased about this, May! You-"

"Harley," Solidad interrupted, a threatening edge to her voice. "Let us get on with our training, and you go on your own way."

"Fine!"

May watched him trudge away, a part of her wanting to tell him about the large twig stuck in his hair. She decided it was best not to mention it. "I don't think i will ever understand him."

"He is really stressed about this Grand Festival," Solidad muttered, rubbing her temples. "I guess I underestimated how much the two hate each other."

Gary walked along a path, his cold hands in his pocket while Umbreon skipped in the moonlight. The slight chill in the air provided relief to his frantic thoughts. He watched the unlucky coordinators training their pokemon, admiring their efforts despite their loss. They must be staying to see the outcome of the rest of the matches. He saw others coordinators leave earlier.

Gary knew May was training with Solidad. He met with her briefly, congratulating her on advancing to the next round after the show ended. With everyone there, it was too awkward to say anything else. May avoided his gaze, matching his own discomfort. He remembered seeing Drew raise his eyebrow at their awkwardness from the corner of his eye. With her plate full, Gary decided to cut the meeting short and left her surrounded by her friends. He and Drew exchanged a curt nod, but nothing more. When evening fell, he visited her apartment, only to find Dawn and Serena occupying the room.

"May's training with Solidad," Dawn informed him, her eyes not doing a great job at hiding pity. Gary didn't want it.

She was emotionally intelligent (like a human Mespirit or something), and could easily tell Gary wanted to talk to May alone about something obviously bothersome. The girl was smarter than she let on. Gary mumbled his thanks and left the building, the uneasiness inside him refusing to go. He stopped, staring at the dark, murky sky. The bright moon reminded him off his beloved pokemon, Umbreon.

The winding path came to an abrupt stop, a large willow tree blocking the way. As he was just about to move around it, he heard the echoes of angry voices in the midst of a heated argument. Carefully peering from above a bush, Gary saw Harley and Drew face-to-face. The two were pair of male stantlers fighting for dominance.

"You are going to make us lose," snarled Drew, his emerald eyes burning with a vicious hatred.

"My ideas are better, but you're too pig-headed to see that!"

Gary couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. He wasn't expecting entertainment like this on his night walk.

"Okay, tell me what you think of this!" Drew grabbed his pokeball and tossed it before Harley could react. "Luxray, Thunder!" The lighting shocked Harley with incredible force, electrifying his every strand of hair. The large explosion shook the ground, catapulting him hundred of feet away. Bystanders gawked at them as they passed. Gary snickered at Harley's high-pitch scream trailing away in the sky. For once Drew did something right.

"I know, Luxray," he murmured to his puzzled pokemon. "How the hell are we gonna to win with that"- he gestured vigorously at where Harley was stood mere seconds ago- "thing?" Drew flicked his bangs away from his face, aggravated that he was forced to work with with a man he despised. He was never hopeless, but it now was starting to creep in his mind.

Gary was about to stand up to continue his walk when, without warning, Umbreon jumped through bushes and landing in an offensive position, growling. Drew paused, slightly baffled by the appearance of the random umbreon. On the other hand, Luxray copied Umbreon's stance, his fur crackling with electricity.

"Umbreon, stop," Gary commanded, bringing both the attention of Luxray and his trainer to him. Gary shrugged as Drew narrowed his eyes at him. "He thought there was a threat nearby." Umbreon calmed down as Gary called him, walking towards his trainer.

"I would hardly call Harley a threat... more like an fecal matter you find under your shoe."

Gary chuckled, feeling a little sorry for Drew. "Good luck for tomorrow."

"Thanks," Drew said, though his tone didn't convey an ounce of gratitude. "I'll need all the luck i can get if I'm with that buffoon."

Gary smirked. "Just a little advice: I don't believe electrifying your partner is a good idea, even if he deserved it."

"I'm glad we on one thing."

The corner of Drew's mouth quirked up as Gary continued his stroll, his hand in the air signalling his leave. Despite what occurred in the past, it seemed that Gary Oak might have changed after all. If May liked him, how lousy could he be? A loud yell captured his attention as Harley marched towards him, screaming expletives and displaying his colourful vocabulary. Drew glared at the flamboyant man, his previous frustration returning instantly. This was going to be a long night for him.

Grand Festival Day 2: Battle Round

"Today's guest judge is none other than Sinnoh's own gym leader, the spectacular Fantina!" Marian announced as Fatina waved her hand to the crowd. The audience cheered with excitement, including former contestants who failed to advance to the next round. More people arrived, filling the empty seats and soon it seemed as though the stadium was completely full. Bright lights beamed above, and cameras flashed continuously, each person attempting to capture the perfect photo of Sinnoh's celebrity. Sat in a seat that gave a better view of the stage than last time was Gary, who offered his popcorn to Dawn. She took a generous handful, and popped one in her mouth. He turned around, intending to offer Serena as well, but instead he faced, to his surprise, an empty seat.

"Uh, where's Serena?"

"Hiding under the chair," she replied, as if it was a normal thing.

"Er...why?"

"I think Palermo saw me!" Serena whispered worriedly, peeking her head out. "She's sorta like my agent and I'm supposed to be in Hoenn," she added, seeing Gary's confused face. "But I couldn't pass the opportunity to see the Grand Festival live!"

He directed his eyes back to the stage as Serena carefully crawled out of the tiny space. She nudged Gary and pointed to the VIP stand, and sure enough Gary saw the fearsome woman; her grey hair sleeked back and her icy stare was bizarrely aimed at them. He heard Serena yelp and she pulled herself back down, Dawn sighing at her antics.

"Serena, why does it matter so much?"

"Hello? It is the Palermo!" Serena said in hushed tones. "She is one of the reasons Aria is the most successful Kalos Queen. I don't want her to drop me and she might do if she knows I've disobeyed her."

"She has a reputation in the fashion industry too, but she can't be that unreasonable."

"Palermo huh," Gary muttered, mostly to himself. "Yeah, I would't want to get on her bad side. She's powerful, alright. Rumours are she's even got the Hayden family of LaRousse City wrapped around her finger. They're one of Hoenn's most elite families... the pioneers of the technology that helped to find the alien pokemon Deoxys."

"Wait," Serena slowly rose up, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Hayden? Are they related to Drew?"

"It is his family."

Dawn mouth gaped open like a magikarp. "He's certainly well-connected. No wonder he met Aria."

"They've broken up," Serena spoke quickly, feeling a sudden need to say that piece of information. "Aria isn't with anyone right now." Said person was sitting a few seats away from Palermo, Dawn noted. Gary turned his face to Serena, trying to decipher if she was being serious or if it was gossip she read from a magazine. Affronted by his disbelief, Serena crossed her arms. "Aria is my friend and she told me herself-"

A round of applause and cheers drowned out her voice, and the trio realised they were so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't realized Marian announced contestants of the first battling round. It was Harley and Drew versus Ursula and Kenny. Ursula and Kenny sent out Vileplume and Floatzel, and Drew and Harley sent out Flygon and Cacturn. Dawn exhaled, somewhat anxious while Serena gathered her courage and plopped on her seat, and Gary leaned back with smirk on his face.

"Both coordinators in each team hate each other," Gary snorted, picking up more popcorn. "This is gonna be entertaining!"

"This isn't the time for your snide remarks," Dawn scolded, shooting a glare at him. "I hope Kenny gets on fine. Ursula is super difficult to work with."

"I don't know about that," Serena said, gazing dreamily at Drew. "I rooting for Drew!" Gary leaned back into a comfortable slouch while Dawn and Serena clung to the edge of their chairs.

"Floatzel, aqua jet!"

"Magical leaf!"

Drew glowered at Harley. "Remember what we did yeste-"

"Feint attack!"

Drew eye's widened with horror as Aqua Jet and Magic Leaf his his beloved Flygon, Cacturn narrowly dodging and delivering its attack on the slower Vileplume. "You idiot! We had a combination ready if they decided to use speed against us!" His holler was hardly anything against the cheers of the audience. Their points decreased.

"A strong attack, and it looked like Flygon was confused! Floatzel's speed is magnificent and Vileplume truly showed of its beauty with such an attack. Cacturne may have landed an attack, but Vileplume landed gracefully," Marian cried. Dawn grinned, overjoyed to see Kenny ecstatic. Serena and Gary exchanged a stunned look, neither of them expecting Drew to take the first fall. Nor did his fans apparently, some starting to dramatically sob.

"My Cacturne isn't as slow as you think!" Harley squawked, his face paling at the score. "Your Flygon could have dodged!"

"Against a Floatzel and a magical leaf attack?!" Drew seethed. "Listen here, you piece of-"

"Ice beam," Kenny yelled.

"Poison powder!"

Drew grit his teeth. "Dragon Rush!"

"On Flygon, and attack with sucker punch!"

Speed prevailed this time as Flygon enveloped itself in a bright violet aura and dashed towards the opponents. Cacturne jumped on Flygon and as it prepared to deliver a clean sucker punch, it took Flygon with it and instantly appearing in front of Floatzel and Vileplume, whose combined attack missed. Drew smirked as Harley squeaked with happiness. They actually did something good together at last. Ursula gasped as their score dropped, glaring at a shocked Kenny.

"Ice beam was supposed to hit! It was a super effective move against both of them!" She chided, her hands grabbing his collar.

"It was a sucker punch!" Kenny argued, "how were we supposed to dodge that?"

Her eyes snapped back to the stage, rage clear in her tone. "Sunny day!"

"Why would you do that? Floatzel will be faster if we use rain dance!"

"I don't care, she hissed. "We're moving on to the big climax."

"Already?"

Vileplume summoned the golden rays, gaining its energy in the process. The beautiful move was hypnotic and relaxing, the crowd enjoying the light and warmth that spread around. Though the simple move deducted some points from Harley and Drew, it wasn't enough to beat them. Floatzel shielded itself from the incoming light, somewhat irritated. Its ears perked up, listening diligently to Kenny's next command.

"Whirlpool!"

"Solar beam!"

The bright powerful beam swirled around the whirlpool and headed straight for Flygon and Cacturne. Marian commented about the startling and magnificent move choice as further points were deducted from their rivals. At this point, Kenny and Ursula were in the lead. Dawn clapped, her eyes sparkling as Serena jumped up at the spellbinding sight. On the other hand, Gary continued munching on the popcorn, not quite showing a reaction like everyone else.

"Magnifique!" Fantina exclaimed, clasping her hands with hearts in her eyes.

"Kenny, you can do it!" Dawn cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

Backstage, the remaining coordinators watched the performance on the big screen. Solidad crossed her arms, a critical look on her face, while May stared in concern. Her body tensed as the camera zoomed into Drew's determined expression. Kenny and Ursula were talented, but surely they couldn't outdo Drew. His own skill set was formidable and even the judges were aware of this; Mr Contesta's mouth formed a thin line as Fantina complimented the combination. Zoey analysed the two teams, strangely anxious. She had never been so uneasy before, and now she realised it was because of Drew. Despite the attacks and moves used against him, the fierce determination flaring in his emerald eyes never faltered and it frightened her. Nando's expression was calm, but his hand wrapped tightly around the harp.

"Sandstorm!"

"And Flygon, dragon breath!"

The storm created by Cacturne eclipsed the sunlight weakened the solar-whirlpool and devoured the stage in a thick layer of sand. Both Flygon and Cacturne were unaffected, but Vileplume and Floatzel fell back, buffeted by the hardened particles floating around them. The dragon-sandstorm tornado neutralized the grass-water type combo, the collision forming an array of sparkles. Both pokemon eventually became sucked into the vortex, spinning helplessly and were paralyzed due to the effect of dragon breath. When the dust storm ended, Kenny and Ursula cried in fear, watching their pokemon fall upon the steep sand dunes, unable to move at all. They lost point. A lot.

"The field is transformed into Flygon and Cacturne's natural habitat. Just look how confident they are!" Marian said loudly over the cheers of the audience. "The sandstorm and dragon breath combination has paralysed both Vileplume and Floatzel. How will Kenny and Ursula fight back?"

Gary paused, impressed by the display. "Who knew," she said to himself as both Harley and Drew shared identical looks of victory. He saw Dawn deflate out of the corner of his eye, feeling a little bad for her. Serena put a comforting arm around her friend, though wholly elated as the tables turned in favour of Drew.

Solidad sat beside May and gave her a knowing look. "Looks like Drew's taken a leaf from your book."

"What?" May arched her eyebrow, unsure why what Solidad meant.

"Turning the battlefield into an environment that befits your pokemon... that was your technique in the appeals, wasn't it?" Solidad elaborated. "I'm sure this was Drew's idea. Harley isn't as perceptive."

May recalled the ice-skating rink Glaceon conjured yesterday, her jaw dropping as Solidad's words sunk in. She was right. Drew was paying close attention to her style, and May felt her chest puff with pride at the thought of Drew admiring her technique enough to replicate it. "If he did, he's going to deny it," she replied wryly as Solidad laughed in agreement.

"Magical leaf," Ursula shouted, but Vileplume couldn't move.

"Hydro-pump!" Managing to snap out of it, Floatzel produced the watery blast but missed as Flygon glided with a charm that enchanted the audience, and Cacturne had vanished due to its ability: sand veil.

"Pin missile!"

"Flamethrower!"

"Dodge!" Ursula and Kenny yelled simultaneously.

The missiles shot through the flames, catching fire, and directly hit Floatzel and Vileplume. With Cacturne's ability activated, they couldn't see where it had aimed from as they attempted to stand. They were worn out and the super-effective move caused Vileplume to stumble down, the poor flower pokemon on the brink of fainting. Ursula fell down, despair caging her as she could do nothing but stare dolefully at the score board. The match was over. Kenny squeezed his eyes shut, disappointment overwhelming him. He tried to ignore the roaring of the crowd as Marian announced the results.

Time was up and they had they had lost.

Dawn waited alone outside. The rest of the group celebrated by dining at the royal resort restaurant, courtesy of Fantina who gushed about the last match. Gary left and headed to a cafe to mentioned he saw on the way. Poor guy, Dawn thought. He had been on edge even since he arrived and she could practically feel his stress as if it was her own. Serena jumped up and down in sheer excitement- until Fantina clarified that she was inviting the coordinators only. There goes her chance at meeting Drew face to face, Dawn thought, partly humoured. Serena then gloomily asked Gary if she could accompany him.

On a normal day, Dawn would happily go too, but her heart ached when she saw Kenny trudge backstage after his loss. He needed someone to be there for him. Dawn almost slipped backwards as Ursula marched out of the building, the door slamming open. Her eyes were red-rimmed and hair tied in a scruffy ponytail. Dawn heard her sniffle and contemplated whether or not she should approach the temperamental girl.

"I think you were were awesome today," Dawn called out, causing Ursula to stop in her tracks. "it reminded me of our last match."

Ursula turned around, a the corner of her lips twitching upwards. "Thanks... but it wasn't enough." Dawn felt genuinely sorry for Ursula as she watched her leave. The broken edge to her voice showed how much the failure shattered her dream. Was Kenny as devastated as her?

"What are you doing here?" Kenny asked, interrupting Dawn's train of thought.

"I wanted to check up on you," Dawn answered, her cheeks burning as he smiled, "before you leave for Twinleaf Town."

"I'm better now thanks to you," Kenny admitted quietly, matching Dawn's blush. "Thanks for cheering for me in the audience. It gave me a lot of courage."

He loosed his hold on the strap of his backpack and hesitantly reached out for Dawn's hand. Her eyes widened and she swallowed and he intertwined his fingers with hers. As if instinct took over, she pulled him forward and planted a swift kiss on his lips and pushed back immediately once her brain registered what she was doing. She gasped audibly, astonished that she even took the initiative. But Kenny grinned wider, his face the shade of a ripe tomato berry.

"I'll see you later, Deedee," he said softly, letting go of her hand. For once she was not vexed by the infuriating nickname.

"I can't wait," she whispered as he started to walk away. Her heart pounded in sadness and glee as she watched his form grow smaller and smaller. She had done it. She kissed him and he didn't mind. If anything, Dawn thought Kenny enjoyed the kiss, and now she couldn't wait for the moment they would meet again in their hometown; where their friendship first began. Dawn couldn't stop smiling as she stared at the hand that he held. He liked her too!

"So he is your boyfriend!" Serena declared, pointing an accusing finger at Dawn as she popped out from behind a bush. She wore a smug expression as Dawn sweat-dropped. "I knew it! I caught you red-handed."

"Were you hiding there all that time?"

"Yep!"

"That's creepy..."

"Well, I'm not a coordinator so I wasn't invited to lunch!" Serena whined. She was so close to meeting Drew! "And Gary was being a nerd again."

"Was he talking about Sinnoh history again?" Dawn asked, her tone light.

"Worse," Serena whispered in a scandalous tone. "Archaeology!"

The weather was warm today. A lone cloud floated in the blue sky as locals tried to entice the tourists to buy a souvenir. The round that will determine who will move on to the semi-finals began tomorrow. Excited chatter filled the air and Gary watched the children run, holding balloons, and fellow trainers and their pokemon strolling around the square. He grasped his coffee cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. His plan to bore Serena worked. After just five minutes she drank her mocha in one gulp and hastily told him that she remembered that she needed to ask Dawn something. Her speedy departure meant he could carry on thinking about what to do next, without Serena's endless chatter grating on his nerves. She hated his discussions on science and anthropology as much as he hated her gossip and talks of fashion. Dawn's conversations were somewhere in the middle.

Taking a sharp turn, Gary walked on the nature trail. He preferred the calmness of the forest over the bustle of the city. Most of the natural trees in the resort were cut down to make space for more hotels and mansions. It was a sad sight but at least the tall grass still provided some greenery for the moment. Nature held the power to make him ignore that fact that despite all this time, he hadn't talked to May once in private.

It was impossible! If she wasn't kidnapped by a reporter for an interview, she was swarmed by fans, imploring for a photo. Serena, Dawn and Zoey were magically attached to her whenever he came around, and if May wasn't with her group of girls, she was training with Solidad- or having food with the freaking judges apparently! And she was too busy to return his calls and texts. But he knew she wasn't purposely ignoring him; he saw the guilt in her eyes when they were all together and the ashamed look she gave him when he subtly mentioned it.

He eyes caught a razor wind in the midst and his ear perked up at the sound of an explosion. Something that looked like a weather ball attack, he deduced as he observed with a meticulous eye. He'd spent a great deal of time in Hoenn observing and studying how a pokemon's move pool progressed with each stage of evolution, so he was something of an expert. Gary jogged closer to the source and was pleasantly surprised to see a roserade standing opposite an absol. And Drew.

"You kept your word," Gary stated as Drew stared at him questioningly once he came into view. "I'm betting on you winning the next match. You better not lose."

"Really, with who?" Drew smirked, flipping his hair. "I don't plan to lose against that man."

"Dawn," Gary replied, kneeling down to take a closer look at Roserade. It was in perfect form, extremely healthy. Unusually tall for a roserade, it also seemed more confident than other roserades he had met. Its body was pristine and its flowers fragrant and lovely. "Serena agreed with me. She a pretty big fan of yours."

"Serena?" Drew thought deeply, perplexed. "Is she one of May's friends?"

"And Aria's. I'm sure she'll introduce you to her soon," Gary continued, his line of vision falling back onto Drew. "May's got a gift of having good friends."

"You know Gary, you're not as bad as I thought," Drew stated, though he didn't bother to look at him, stroking Absol contentedly. "I suppose people do change."

"If you're referring to the articles those tabloid vultures used to write about me," Gary replied with an air of exasperation, "you of all people should know that it's ninety-nine percent lies."

"One percent truth."

"Hardly makes a difference." Gary snickered at his taunt.

Drew stood up and turned around, his mouth stretching into a reluctant smile. "If May's happy then I guess I should be happy for her."

"You love her." The words felt bitter in his mouth. Drew's eyes snapped open in surprise, but he regained his cool composure as quickly as it had gone. He closed his eyes and nodded curtly.

"Tell me, what would you choose: fulfilling a life-long dreams or being with a childhood love?" An image of smiling Leaf flickered in Gary's mind. And then he thought about his dream of attending Lumoise Academy. He picked dream over love. But Drew didn't need to know that.

"Depends on your definition of success," Gary muttered, forcing the image of Leaf to disappear. His brows furrowed in deep thought. "Don't you want both?"

"I can't," Drew said through gritted teeth. Gary could relate on levels Drew wouldn't believe. "I know I can't be a rival and a boyfriend. And that makes it harder for me to achieve my goal."

"You think you won't be as competitive, that you'll hold back in contests."

"Exactly," Drew exhaled glumly. "Becoming a top coordinator is my ultimate goal. I can't lose that."

"You could have tried to make it work," Gary suggested, feeling a wave of sympathy for Drew wash over him. "You never know-"

"-Trust me, I know it wouldn't work out," Drew stressed, though appreciating his effort to help. "It would break off and... and I would rather have May in my life than not at all."

"I'm glad we've cleared the air."

"I don't know how you and May are dealing with all this-" Drew gesticulated with his hands at the area around them. "-publicity, but I'm glad your honest about it."

"What do you mean?" Gary asked quietly, catching a glimpse of remorse in his voice. "You and Aria... i-it wasn't real?" So Serena was actually telling the truth?

Drew scoffed and rolled his eyes. "It was my dad's idea. Palermo convinced him it would be a good publicity stunt. When I figured out their deception, it was too late. I suppose the media are going to cook up a new story about why Aria and I broke up." His eyes looked up to the sky, an amused look on his face. "Sometimes you just gotta laugh and wonder how in the world they come up with so much shit."

"A publicity stunt?" Gary repeated, his voice unsteady. That was the only thing his ears heard and his brain played it over and over again. But Drew failed to pick up on it as he patted Gary on the back in a friendly manner.

"Yeah, I wish I had never gone to my father's charity gala in Kalos. Lumoise City is great, but the people there are self-absorbed beyond belief. Everything is about fame and wealth- they don't even try to hide it!"

"Why did you and Aria do it?"

"They wanted to boost mine and Aria's social status and attract attention to keep up on top." Drew replied, beginning to feel rather cautious about Gary's odd behaviour. Why was he hung up about his pretend relationship? "I'm glad you and May haven't fallen for this sick game," he added, sincerity laced in his tone. "Anyways, I'm off to pick up Flygon from the pokecentre."

As Drew left without another word, Gary ran his fingers through his hair, bewilderment and panic plastered on his face. He paced up and down the grassy field, panic evolving into fear. He had done the same thing as Drew, but he was worse. Drew had the decency to know that it was wrong and stopped it as soon as he could. He, on the other hand, was still playing the game. And May was another piece on the chess board.

Gary unintentionally trapped her and she went along with his plan that seemed innocent at first, but she had no idea of the vicious playground the tabloid loved. He did. Drew did. Reporters and celebrity journalists bit and stabbed him in the back many times in the past. And Gary still played the game. And on top of that, Drew and everyone else had zero clue about the pretence.

But he won, right? The game was finished. He got his place at prestigious Lumoise Academy, and May had the most spotlight (well, except Drew) out of all the remaining coordinators in the Grand Festival.

Gary froze on the spot, halting his agitated walk. But was it a pretence? Was it all a lie? May gave him a second chance, he remembered, his face lighting up. She gave him her prized ribbon as a promise. Whatever meaningful words she hid from him, one thing Gary was certain of was that May felt something more between them. Just like he did. Something definitely more than platonic friendship.

A proverbial light bulb lit in his mind. They liked each other, so this so-called pretence was useless. He should go over to her and admit everything. The media will never know that it began as a ruse to grab attention and popularity. No one needs to know at all.

"I can fix this!" he cried, eyes brimming with success.

"You can't be serious," Dawn hissed, her eyes wide with shock and disappointment. "Why would you do that, May?"

"I don't know," she admitted, her eyes glassy. She couldn't hide the truth from her best friend. "At the time it-"

"It what?" Dawn interjected harshly, incensed and offended. "That lying to the world was a good idea. Lying to everyone- your family- your friends, including me?" Dawn couldn't control her incredulity. She was flabbergasted, dumbstruck and utterly stupefied. She simply couldn't not accept that May would resort to a cheap trick and deceive the people she loved just for fame. That wasn't the May she knew. Dawn was at least glad Serena wasn't here. She and Aria met up again, and Zoey was training with Nando.

"I can't believe you did this."

"I know I made a mistake, Dawn. I didn't realize the mess I got into."

May pleaded Dawn to look at her, but she crossed her arm and continued to keep her eye on the grass below her pink boots. They were sat on a bench in a secluded part of the park. The stadium was seen in the distance, tall and magnificent. A beep broke the tense silence and May took out her pokenav.

"It's Solidad," she said, her voice unsteady from disclosing her secret. "She says we should practice."

"What you should do is tell everyone the truth," Dawn finally spoke, her tone grave and careful. "You can't keep lying."

"Dawn!" May gasped, partly alarmed and partly surprised by her suggestion. "If people find out, I'll be outed as a fame-grabbing liar. I can't risk my reputation, I-I can't do that!"

"But that's what you've become," Dawn whispered ominously. May was taken aback by the coldness of Dawn's stare as she looked at her. She had never seen Dawn like that before.

"Dawn-"

"You should train with Solidad. It would be a shame for you to go through all this trouble only to lose the Grand Festival," she said mockingly. Dawn stood up, dusted her skirt and walked away, ignoring May's persistent call of her name.

A finger pressed pause on the recorder.

May wiped the tears running down her face with a rough hand and she took a deep breath. Rustling noises from a nearby bush caught her attention as her gaze darted to the bush in front of her. She blinked several times, a sinister ball lurching around her stomach as she stared at the large, neatly trimmed shrub. She took cautious steps towards it, the foreboding feeling inside her thrashing violently. Her heart pounded faster and faster and her hearing sharpened. Her hand was a few centimetres away from the bush...

Beep! Beep! It was another text from Solidad. May pulled her hand back towards her chest, tearing her eyes away from the bush and read the message flashing on her pokenav.

(1) Text from Solidad: May, where are you? I've got a new combination I want to try out. Meet me in the training area ASAP.

It was probably just a pokemon, May thought, although she was still doubtful. She put the pokenav back in her bag and jogged away, not wanting to waste more time. She squashed the portentous twinge that was warning her. There were more pressing matters to worry about than a bush... like her next match against Zoey and Nando. They were not going to be easy to beat.

Harley grinned in relief, watching May run in the opposite direction, his eyes full of wicked glee. His day was getting better and better.

Note: as you realised that there are some pokemon that the character do not own in the anime, but have caught through out their journey in different regions in this story eg. Ursula and Vileplume. This story is coming to a close. The contest matches take up unnecessary detail so i might cut it shorter next time. Thank you to sadsad, skyrosediamond, guest and silvertears for your reviews! Harley's plan has yet to come into fruition and it won't be good for anyone.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please review.