Chapter 15

Grand Festival Day 3: May and Solidad Vs Zoey and Nando.

"Purugly, Shock-wave!"

"Exploud, Screech!" Blue electricity intensified with the clamorous vibrations in a unexpectedly spectacular display. Zoey and Nando smiled, confident and poised at their combinations. The crowd roared with a round of cheers. There was only two minutes on the clock. Two minutes that would decide her fate as the reigning Top Coordinator of the Sinnoh region! Zoey belatedly realised that it wasn't Drew she should have kept a close eye on, it was Solidad. If Drew's tenacity was daunting, then Solidad was downright terrifying. She was the ultimate dark horse of the competition.

"Two can play at that game," May smirked, nodding at Solidad.

"Mirror move," Solidad commanded. Nando and Zoey gasped in utter shock as Pidgeot copied their move instantly.

"Metal sound!"

And with Skarmory's addition, the bolts of blue electricity crackled and fizzed with brutal frequencies that forced every person to cover their eardrums, stunned by the war of noise. Zoey and Nando stumbled and were thrown towards the bleachers as the sheer force of the sound waves pushed them back hard. May shielded her ears as Solidad did the same, her eyes squeezed shut.

Serena clapped her hands over her ears, suppressing a scream. It was unbelievable how one moment could be a wondrous display of lights, and the next you think you might have to take a trip to the hospital. To turn an opponent's jaw-dropping combination- that was supposed to be super-effective- and twist it into a show of will and power against them was genius! Serena peeked an eye open to see Dawn hiding under the seat like she used to, and Gary gripping the edge of his chair, praying the force wouldn't send him flying in the sky. She could see the chair almost lifting off the ground. Well, there goes his beloved popcorn... He'd been eating too much of it anyways, Serena thought.

"One minute left!" Dawn gasped, her eyes shifting to the timer.

"Of my life? Or-"

"Stop being a drama vespiquen, Gary!"

"Gosh, it looks like a close match," Serena hastily added, just as Gary was about to shoot a comeback at Dawn. She simply could not endure another one of their squabbles for the umpteenth time and hated being the peacekeeper. Aware of Serena's intention (she was never one for subtlety), Gary folded his arms, instead reminiscing about the unfortunate disappearance of his favourite snack.

"Time to finish it," Solidad yelled over the noise as May nodded in agreement. "Pidgeot, double team, then air slash again!"

"Swift, Skarmory!" As Pidgeot's clones surrounded to distract the already confused Purugly and Exploud, swift attacked them in all directions in a flurry of golden glitter stars and orbs of silvery teal. The audience gasped in delight. It was impossible to not to be captivated by the magnificence of the contrasting shapes and colours.

"Time's up!" Marian cried, her voice loud and clear. The noise quietened as each person slowly removed their hands away from their ears, and the pokémon flew down as the match was brought to an end. "It was close, but May and Solidad are the winners!"

Dawn and Serena jumped up together and grasped each other's hand as they began their mini victory dance, meanwhile Gary clapped vigorously, pride enveloping him as he watched May hug Skarmory. Raucous cheers and clapping rang from every part of the stadium. Zoey glanced down at Purugly, her heart heavy in her chest, and Nando patted Exploud, congratulating its efforts.

Drew listened to the judges' comments intently, secretly smiling. The audience waved and cheered, Fantina began her dramatic speech and he beamed brighter, full of unexpressed exuberance. Both Solidad and May were through, but that meant they would face each other in the next round, just like himself and Harley. To his surprise- no, suspicion- Harley was no where to be seen. Alone backstage, his mind wondered where the pitiful fool was. He had been acting odd, well, he was always odd but these days he behaved stranger than usual. He retained that infuriating, maniacal grin whenever he watched May. It was like he didn't even care how well she did. Even Drew was impressed, borderline worried, by her style and techniques. She might actually be serious competition this year. Although he was confident in his abilities and talents, he still examined her performances while his mind cooked up new strategies. Harley just... didn't bother and it angered Drew more than he wanted to admit! Why was Harley so blasé? What was he hiding? Drew needed to find out because whenever he saw that vile expression plastered on Harley's face, it always meant bad news for May.

May, Dawn and Serena sat around the table at the cafe outside the hotel. Solidad politely declined their invitation, telling them she had to pick her pokemon from Nurse Joy. Zoey, justifiably disconsolate, said she needed to time alone. May felt a pang of guilt but gave a small smile. Aria said she would love to join, but she knew the paparazzi and her fans would make lunch unbearable. May tried to bury the fact she was secretly glad Aria didn't come along. Drew disappeared after the match and Gary, after congratulating her, announced he had others things to do. The pang of guilt grew exponentially when May remembered he wanted to talk to her. With Dawn, the situation grew just as difficult. Her judgmental stare bore into her head like two deep holes, and she hated the sickeningly sweet voice Dawn used when she spoke to her. It was all fake. She was still mad as ever.

"Really?" May heard Dawn ask Serena. She was barely paying attention to the conversation, processing words here and there. She should be overjoyed, bursting with victory about her amazing win, but since she dressed back into her usual clothes and stepped out of the stadium, a cloud of gloom eclipsed the happiness.

"Palermo wasn't happy at all when Aria told her she and Drew broke up," Serena continued after swallowing her noodle. "So she's no longer working with her. See, didn't I tell you Palermo was that harsh?"

"No kidding." Dawn glanced sideways to May, sipping her vanilla milkshake. May had an appetite like a munchlax; everyone knew that, yet all she did was poke the cold tamato berry soup with the spoon. May normally ordered several bowls of noodles that reminded her of Ash's insatiable hunger. Dawn felt a pang of sympathy for her friend, but her disappointment about May's secret hadn't subsided.

"Honestly, I was surprised to see Aria wasn't really bothered by it."

"Wait, what?" May spluttered, "Drew and Aria broke up? Are you sure?" The question exuded disbelief, mainly because May knew Serena's habit of reading the gossip. The towering pile of magazines at the hotel room was proof of that.

Serena narrowed her eyes, offended by her doubt. "Just like Gary," she muttered, unimpressed. "Aria is my friend, like I said before. She told me herself. May, aren't you listening?"

"Did Aria tell you why?" Dawn inquired, taking another sip, as May looked down in contemplation.

Serena put her finger on her chin, her eyebrows knitting together in thought. "She said that all isn't what it seems..." She shrugged, slurping another mouthful of noodles. "Whatever that means." Unbeknownst to her, May and Dawn gave each other a look.

Drew stepped out of the shadows. He hardly expected to find Harley alone in some dingy alley, far away from the opulent hotels and deluxe skyscrapers, grand gardens and state-of-the-art training grounds. His arms remained folded as Harley spun on his heel with a smile one degree shy of lunacy. He flicked his lilac locks over his shoulder in mock surprise. Drew furrowed his brows, his face meticulously on guard.

"You think I don't know that you're up to something?"

"I don't doubt you," Harley said, his voice playfully fiendish. He splayed his hands on his hips, winking in that awful manner that made Drew want to puke every time. "You're very perceptive, Drew."

"There's no point beating around the bush. Why aren't you worried?" He asked pointedly, remembering how nervous Harley was during the Johto Grand Festival.

Harley laughed impishly, a devilish glint in his eyes. "I'm not worried because I know I'll win."

Drew scoffed, shaking his head. He was certain Harley had become fully insane now. "When was the last time you beat me?" Drew paused dramatically, feigning wonder. "Oh right! You never did."

The corner of Harley's mouth twitched in rage. He scowled, his voice dangerously low. "That's right... but here's the deal," he hissed, "you will let me win."

Drew's eyes widened imperceptibly, and he allowed laughter that was crawling up his throat to be known. He sniggered, raising an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?" he asked icily.

"Let me show you," Harley answered, a delirious grin spreading on his face a he pulled out a device. "Listen closely, lover boy." Harley pressed play.

Drew frowned, choosing not to throw an insult at him this one time. He rolled his eyes before watching the video. His heart dropped when he saw May. She was talking to Dawn. A conversation not meant for others to hear. His breath hitched as he listened to the conversation, utter shock ringing in his ears. He snatched the recorder from Harley's fingers and held it closer to his face, Harley taking delight in his undisguised dismay. Then it was Gary and another brunette talking. Another secret conversation. It all made sense, and at the same time, his mind couldn't understand.

May and Gary faked their relationship for fame? This was something he did, but never expected May to go down the dirty path. He blamed Gary. He thought that lying bastard changed, but he was wrong. Drew knew he was no good, and he was the one who dragged May, innocent May, into this mess. This complete chaos. Drew was smart enough to know this was a losing game, but Gary was too arrogant to see that.

Blazing emerald eyes flashed to Harley, who smirked in disgusting glee. If people were to find out about the sham, May would never recover from the shame and public's antagonism. Her dreams would be crushed and her journey to being a top coordinator never realised. She would become a hated figure, one that the world will not forget nor ever forgive. Harley wanted to absolutely destroy May and annihilate her legacy. No, he wasn't insane, he was pure evil.

"How could you hate May that much?" Drew voice was quiet, but by no means timid. The venom in his voice was palpable.

"She hurt me first!" Harley spat, outraged. "From the very first time we met in Hoenn, my life has never experienced love and peace ever since!" His voice changed, speaking in a sing-song manner as he stepped forward. "Now I will destroy her, unless..." He deliberately stopped, enjoying how Drew curled his hand into a fist and glared at his with the same aversion he harboured for May.

"Unless?" Drew spat out, poison oozing from his voice.

"Unless you lose against me in he next round. Do that, and no one will see the recording. You can break it all you want," Harley replied calmly, watching Drew hurl the camera against the wall in a fit of rage. "I have copies. Several, in fact. If you truly care for May, you'll do as I say."

Drew paled, swallowing thickly. He couldn't believe that he, out of all people, was getting blackmailed by the bastard. "If you win, then no one sees the tape?"

"Sure," Harley said, his tone disgustingly sweet. "What do you say? Are you going to be May's darling hero?"

Leaf knew she couldn't stay this way as she stared mournfully at the wet tissue in her hand. Erica, her smart sister, was right. If she never left Celadon City, then she wouldn't be wallowing up in her sadness in an expensive hotel room in luxury resort, situated in one of the world's most exclusive islands, during the most exciting event of the year. Everywhere she went, conversations of the Grand Festival floated from people's mouths. Once she visited the hotel snack bar and every screens all displayed news on the coordinators, and Leaf thought she would actually rip her hair off if she heard May's name again.

"And now we have an interview with the 'Princess of Hoenn', May!" Rhonda announced on TV. Leaf resisted the urge to pull out strands of her long hair. This was another old interview on repeat. One she did not care about in the least, unlike the other hundreds of people on the island.

Leaf promptly turned the TV off, a scowl on her face. Even if she trapped herself in a room, she couldn't escape that problematic girl. Leaf was hardly lonely though. She eagerly waited for Gary to call her, but always met with disappointment when Harley's name flashed instead. Speaking of him, Harley bombarded her pokégear with texts, or phoned her non-stop. She hadn't responded to either. He always said the same thing: watch my performance. He was certainly full of himself. Just like Gary. Leaf scrunched her face in indignation.

If Gary didn't possess a shred of decency to even ask how she was feeling, then Leaf decided she would show him that she was absolutely fine without him! She doesn't need him! Leaf rubbed her hand over her red eyes, exhausted by the tears she'd shed these past few hours. With her strength revived, Leaf Green picked herself up, her eyes shining with resolution.

She slipped on her shoes, threw her white hat on top of her head and grabbed her yellow side-bag. She flung the door open and sprinted out, a renewed sense of purpose fuelling her every step. She followed the sound of the cheers of a crowd, the mighty applause of a mass. She headed to the Grand Festival stadium. She would not hide from Gary any more.

Semi-Final: Drew Vs Harley

The crowd gasped in shock. People murmured and cried out in confusion. Each person looked at each other shaking their heads, dubious and speechless. The initial incredulity almost instantaneously erupted into mayhem, people and fans alike yelling in outrage. How could Drew lose so badly? Impassioned objections echoed throughout a the stadium, demanding a rematch as the judges grew alarmed by the second due to the backlash. Fantina tried to talk to the crowd, but no one listened and security, dressed in black, started to show up. May and Solidad were swept with cold bewilderment.

"This is... unreal," Solidad said distantly. "This isn't like him at all!"

Dawn and Serena froze in shock, unable to look away from the scoreboard. Gary even stopped eating popcorn for a moment. The result was a joke. It had to be! Maybe some kind of glitch, some sort of error. Drew closed his eyes, regret slashed inside him and despondency drowned his hope. He patted both Absol and Luxray. Absol was completely confused; it knew its trainer held back. But why? They practiced diligently, yet their performance lacked everything they worked so hard for. Harley glared at the audience stamping his feet. Luxray purred in an attempt to comfort Drew and wasn't satisfied with the small smile he gave it. They failed.

"What a surprising performance!" Marian announced, her voice slightly shaky. The crowd quietened a little, the commotion dying down to a unpleasant noise. "Harley is-" Once again, mayhem burst in the stadium, overwhelming Marian's announcement.

"There has to be some mistake!" May protested, her hands curling into fists. She mirrored Solidad's skepticism as she paced back and forth, shaking her head. "Drew wasn't even trying."

"The winner-" More shouting and protesting from the audience. Harley gritted his teeth as the lack of support. Why did they love Drew so much? "Please, I know it was shocking, but he is the winner of the match!"

"We demand a rematch!" Serena chanted ardently with the rest of her section, who were all coincidentally fans of Drew.

"Do you think it's set up?" Gary questioned Dawn. He tilted closer to her ear, the uproar making it impossible to hear a single word.

"I don't know what to think anymore," Dawn said, but Gary saw her words contradicted her transparent eyes. She shot him a knowing look, one that took him by surprise. Dawn's talent of empathy was helpful, but in this very moment it betrayed her. His stomach drop the more he scrutinized the fear her eyes inadvertently revealed. Slowly, Gary moved away from her, his spine ramrod straight. An air of apprehension encircled his mind. What exactly was Dawn hiding from him?

Leaf, who had just entered, froze at the unpleasant noise. She clapped her hands over her ears, eyes scanning around for an answer. As she edged closer to the stage, she saw that the match had ended between Harley and Drew. Surprise crossed her face as she took in the result. Watch my performance, Harley had told her again and again like a broken record.

"You won," Leaf muttered to herself. "Is this what you wanted me to see?" Judging by Harley's rage towards the audience, probably not. No one was happy with his victory, so it seemed. Her eyes caught Gary in the stands, leaning closely to a pretty blunette. Leaf swallowed the lump in her throat and walked away.

The judges unanimously agreed to postpone the next match until tomorrow.

Heart thudding erratically against her chest, May ran out of the building, ignoring the fact that she was still dressed her pink contest outfit. Her hair flew against her face as her legs carried her faster. The pink ribbons Serena gifted her started to come undone. She wore her hair down for the Grand Festival (it was all Dawn's idea), but May wished she had braided them instead. The heels did her no favour and May had never missed her comfortable trainers more till now. Drew headed towards the end of the corridor, hands dug in his pockets, only a few seconds away from the door.

"Drew!" She yelled, lungs burning. "Stop!" She slowed down, realizing he heard her. She stood in front of him, panting. "W-what happened?" His face contorted with deep-seated rage, and May backtracked, holding her hands up defensively. "I mean, how did you lose-"

"You saw, didn't you?" Drew retorted. "Why ask this stupid question?"

May blinked, temporarily rendered dumbstruck by the intensity of his eyes, rather than his harsh words. "But Harley, how could Harley- you lost? You trained so hard, and he never- how?" She blurted incoherently. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to articulate the frenzied thoughts that spun around in her mind like a twister. "I don't believe the score, Drew."

"Well seems like no one else does either." He shrugged, but she saw past the nonchalant act. That was when it struck May like a thunder bolt on a clear blue sky.

"You lost purposely, didn't you?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. His silence confirmed the answer and May inched forward, clutching his forearm and searching his indecipherable face for a reason. "Why?"

"I did it for you," Drew whispered. May staggered backwards, wildly shaking her head in bewilderment as he continued. "You lied about yourself, you pretended to be something you weren't. Harley took advantage of that."

"How did you know?" Tears welled up in her eyes, her heart aching as Drew stared, not in anger but disappointment. "I never meant this to happen, I promise."

"Deal your cards carefully," Drew said brusquely, sounding more gentle than he expected. "Because Harley is the new player in this game and he just beat me."

"I'm so sorry, Drew."

"You know, Palermo and my dad wanted Aria and I to be together for publicity," he scoffed, a cynical glint in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to get blinded by the attention- and with Gary Oak of all people! What do you even see in him?"

The tears freely streamed down her powdered cheeks, as her hands covered her face, unable to face him. Her frazzled thoughts melted into one mass of unfathomable shambles. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. When she agreed to Gary's plan, it was just for fun, something that eased her anxiety and made her braver in front of the camera flashes. The fame was a side-effect she welcomed, but it wasn't supposed to destroy her life, wreck her beloved relationships and turn her into a superficial celebrity. She was May, daughter of the Petalburg gym leader, one of Hoenn's top coordinator. She didn't care for wealth and status. She simply loved being a coordinator. May wasn't an attention-seeking freak Dawn and Drew painted her as. But she realised her mistake too late. She stood in quicksand and was sinking fast.

"Drew-"

"Save it, May." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I really don't care any more. Not for this drama, not for this crap. I'm going back to home. Back to Hoenn."

"What about your final match?" she asked, baffled by the announcement. She tried to find a tiny hint on his impassive face that showed he wasn't being serious. His emerald eyes gave nothing away as his gaze softly lingered on her. How could he possibly leave in the middle of the festival!?

"I've forfeited, so either you or Solidad will come third place automatically."

"Please don't leave," she said, her sapphire eyes pleading. "You owe it to yourself! Otherwise, your efforts to win the Sinnoh ribbons will have been pointless."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Drew tugged his arm away from her hold, reaching for the door. May reluctantly brought her arm back to her side, tears blurring her vision. "I'd say good luck but you already have everything planned out." It was a cruel jab, he had to admit. The revelation of May's secret left him completely broken. His faith was in tatters, and the optimism that coursed through his vein as he first stepped foot on the Battle Island, was non-existent. He believed May trusted him just as he trusted her. Time told him that was a lie. Fate was never on his side.

The sound of retreating footsteps and the bang of the door shutting was all she heard before she broke into sobs.

Please review! Your comments motivate me to update the story quicker.

I have no idea why the site isn't showing the cover of this story anymore, and it's really annoying. I hope you are all staying safe during this pandemic!