Chapter 16

The small family-owned bakery was situated far from the hustle and bustle of the resort's main attractions. It was a perfect stop for someone who wanted to avoid crowds, clicking cameras and commotion; ideal for both May and Gary. Perfect, in fact. Closer to the northern route, it was a refuge for exhausted trainers who had hiked down from the treacherous mountains that lay ahead of the active volcano rumored to be the home of the rare pokemon Heatran (some guy called Buck claimed it was true).

Gary initially planned to trek the summit of Stark Mountain when the Grand Festival concluded, and explore the cavern himself, however rangers blocked off the route. Apparently a cloud of smoke was seen by recent trainers and they were concerned about a possible eruption. A bit of a shame, Gary thought to himself. It would have been awesome to dig there and try to find Heatran. For now, Gary observed the ominous peak from the distance. Briefly, he wondered how the mysterious Heatran was connected to Sinnoh mythology.

He and May sat outside, facing the scenic view that reminded Gary how much he missed travelling from place to place, route to route. Though he enjoyed the perks of staying in a luxurious hotel and resting on the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in, Gary greatly missed camping by the fire off the beaten track, gazing at the moon while the sound of forest pokemon echoed in the cool night. The concrete maze of a city paled in comparison to the tranquility of nature. He would choose the smell of fresh pine and the feel of a cool breeze atop a hill over a bottle of pricey room spray and built-in air conditioning every time.

That was enough reminiscing of the past.

Gary's eyes flicked back to May, the warm radiance of the sunset giving her an ethereal glow. She looked amazing, but worry lines marred her otherwise calm aura. His took a small bite of his cinnamon roll, studying her quiet demeanor while silently appreciating her beauty. Since he ordered his cinnamon roll, they had barely uttered a word. May stated she wasn't hungry, and that's when Gary know something was seriously wrong.

"I know we haven't had time alone. I think we should talk about us" Gary said, carefully selecting his words. He cleared his throat. "Just so you know, Leaf and I broke up... officially."

"I know," May replied distantly. Her unblinking gaze remained on the orange sky, watching the sun set behind the ash-covered mountains. Flecks of sorrow visible in her sapphire orbs.

Gary raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Who told you?"

"Serena knows more than you think." May smiled a little as he laughed nervously.

"Of course."

Serena, the social butterfree, would know of any gossip floating around her, but still Gary was amazed by her abilities. It's a good thing she wasn't a spy for the some evil organisation like Team Rocket, otherwise she would be quite a formidable foe with how easily she can extract information. Heck, did Serena even know Leaf? She had come to Sinnoh all alone. Never mind, that wasn't what he wanted to talk to May about.

A strange silence settled between them. They were the only customers left. May looked forlornly at a flock of staraptors that glided passed them, her eyes empty. Almost as if she had forgotten that he was sat next to her. When Gary decided to finally talk to her in private, this wasn't exactly what he pictured. A hug maybe, smiles, relief and genuine laughter, but it was clear none of that would happen tonight. The last time he and May were alone was when she left Sunnyshore City without him. And the last time they were happy and stress-free together was long ago. He couldn't blame her though, she was competing in the Sinnoh Grand Festival so her priorities were her pokemon. But even with the stiff competition, she would exude determination, excitement and joy. Not this.

Gary exhaled loudly, her abnormally withdrawn behavior worrying him more than he thought it did. "What's wrong, May?"

She opened her mouth, then promptly shut it as a tear welled up in her eyes, catching Gary off-guard. She blinked several times, immense guilt etched on her face. "Did you know Drew purposely lost because of me?"

Gary's jaw slacked. Various scenarios ran through his mind, none which made any logical sense to him. "Why?"

"He didn't say much, but he found out that we faked our whole thing," May whispered bitterly. "Something to do with Harley, I think."

"We need to find out what Harley is up to-"

May sprung up, her eyes flaring. "Don't you get it? We've ruined his chance of winning! He's lost so much because of this game we're playing."

"I do understand," Gary pressed. He stood up too, grasping her shoulders, as if it would make her see his point. "Don't you think we ought to find out how exactly Harley blackmailed Drew?" May brushed his hands off, shaking her head. Gary paused, partly shocked by her coldness. He took a step back and swallowed thickly as she met his gaze with cool indifference.

"Drew believes that fate hates him. He's right. None of this is fair."

"What are you saying?"

"I think we should stop whatever we're doing. We've hurt too many people..." May took a deep breath, calming her shaking hands. Her voice wavered with hidden regret. "You should have seen how Dawn reacted."

Gary's lips pressed into a thin line. That was why Dawn was acting weird, he thought begrudgingly. "You think we should stop because of what other's think of us?" There was the frosty edge to his words that pierced her heart like an icicle.

"It's best for us both. It wasn't supposed to last, remember? That was the deal."

"I was wrong," he said vehemently, his eyes sparkling beneath the red glare of the sun. "I don't want this to be a pretense. May, since the day I met you I-"

"Don't say it," she interjected, covering his mouth with her hand, frightened by how her heart suddenly beat faster. "Not now, please."

"Are you telling me you didn't feel anything?"

"I'm saying that my priority should be the Grand Festival right now, and I can't focus on that if I'm worrying about us and what we are."

"Do you want to end whatever this relationship is?" Gary scoffed, disbelief washing over him. After everything they had been through, she really wanted to drop it? Deep down, Gary knew she wasn't to blame. He had never been truthful from the start, scared that he'd ruin their friendship. Things might have played out differently if he confessed earlier. Was he making the same mistake as Drew?

"All I want right now is a good friend."

"That won't change how I feel about you."

"It doesn't have to." May gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

The sky darkened, the bright scarlet shades fading to a deep blue. Drew smiled sadly as he stared at the hills in the distance. He mentally imprinted the picture in his mind; he wanted it to be his last beautiful memory of his journey in Sinnoh. Tall mountains bordered the horizon where the sun was hiding. The port was close by and so was the ship he would aboard in a short while, leaving behind the fiasco of a grand festival and eventually forget the terrible memories born on this day.

He felt a pang of hot regret knowing it would be a long time until he heard the cheers of a crowd, the heat of the spotlight on him as he stood on the stage, performing with his hard-working pokemon. They deserved the best. He clutched his ticket tightly in his fist, the smile morphing into a scowl. It wasn't supposed to end like this! The endless hours of training and winning five prestigious Sinnoh ribbons were supposed to pave a path to success... not an epic failure. He failed himself and more importantly, he failed his pokemon. The sooner he leaves this miserable island, the better. It may take a while to pick up the pieces of his reputation after Harley's iniquitous stunt, but he had no worries about standing back on his feet. Drew smirked, remembering how the audience reacted to his loss. No one believed he actually lost. It was rigged, they said.

At least May wouldn't suffer. Out of everything, protecting her was the one thing he didn't regret. That was his only comfort. Though Drew accepted they could never be together, that didn't mean he didn't love her. She would always carry a piece of his heart, and he didn't mind. It was a tough choice, but his he could make the decision to sacrifice his dream. Time heals all wounds, and perhaps it will take years for this wound to stitch up and become a scar, reminding him that although they were never a couple, he would always treasure her and their precious friendship. Drew thought May was his soulmate, but fate told him that title belonged to someone else. Someone he hadn't met, and maybe he would meet her soon.

"Who knows?" Drew mused quietly to himself. "Maybe we'll see each other again."

The ship's horn blew loudly.

"Drew!"

His face scrunched in confusion at the call. A girl ran towards him, grasping her pink hat so it wouldn't fall of her head as she sprinted. She looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Wasn't she one of May's friends?

"...Hello?"

"Oh, you don't know me!" She flustered, smoothing her honey locks. She dusted her skirt three times before introducing herself. "My name's Serena. I wanted to meet you before you left."

"No one knew I was leaving today," he said curtly, casting her a wary look.

Serena giggled nervously, shuffling her feet. "Sorry!" she mumbled. Drew waited patiently as she cleared her throat, raising his eyebrow. "May told me, and I thought if I couldn't say hello to you during the Grand Festival, I should say goodbye at least."

"Why?" As far as he was concerned, they had never met before. Not once, so why Serena was so eager to bid him farewell puzzled his mind.

"Well," Serena took a deep breath, her cheeks heating up. "I've been watching you perform. You've been an inspiration to me, and every time I see you on stage, it makes me wish that one day I'll be as good as you. And I know for a fact that your last match was fake. It had to be! There was no way you could have lost to Harley." The conviction in her voice brought a genuine smile on his face. "I was hoping you'd win... even though May is my close friend. Don't tell her I said that."

"Thanks. I appreciate your support," he said, holding his hand out. She shook it automatically, her face reddening ever more at the touch. "Where are you from?" Drew heard her accent before, he was sure of it.

"Kalos," she answered brightly. "I'm a friend of Aria."

"So that means you're a showcase performer," he mused. Serena nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to see you on stage one day." The horn blew one last time, indicating the ship was leaving now. Serena's smile disappeared as Drew checked the ticket in his hand, his smile fading into a frown.

"Does this mean you're going now?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Serena visibly deflated, but she managed to pull her mouth into a smile. Drew felt a twinge of dejection, realizing he had to depart. Not saying goodbye made it easy to leave. That's why he didn't tell Solidad; Drew was never good at saying goodbye. Not to be dramatic, but walking into the sunset seemed like a cool way to leave. However, for some reason, he didn't struggle to find the right words to say to Serena. "Keep this as a promise. We will meet again, Serena."

Sheepishly, Serena caught the flower he gracefully tossed. Before a word of gratitude could slip out of her mouth, Drew was already walking away, one hand up to signal his farewell. The sky was a shade of royal blue, clusters of stars twinkling above. Serena watched him slowly vanish out of sight, absent-mindedly grinning at his last words, the cold wind whispering past her hair. At his promise to her. She fumbled with the gift in her hand, finally looking down and observing it with wide eyes. A blush streaked across her beaming face and she laughed gleefully, holding it up in the air like a trophy she had just won.

It was a pink rose.

Grand Festival Final Day

The stadium was teeming new faces, enthralled by yesterday's drama. Rumours floated around every corner as they recalled the last match scandalously , while some concocted their own version of the events. There were various anecdotes: some was said there was an technical error with the scoreboard, or that Harley bribed the judges. The one that made Serena roll her eyes was that Drew, marred by his tragic break-up with Aria (which was now out in public), was so heartbroken he couldn't find the will to continue.

Another rumour was that Drew still had feelings for May and so he sacrificed his own chance for her to have an opportunity to win. That was the one which made May roll her eyes because it made zero sense. They had participated in Grand Festivals before, why would he drop out of this one? It was clear that was plain old celebrity gossip. The strangest was that it was part of a conspiracy theory to prevent the Hayden family from gaining too much power, so Drew was forced to withdraw. Dawn was a staunch believer of that story until May revealed the truth. Serena was astonished when she finally heard the full story of everything that occurred between her and Gary.

The free buffet was open for the last time in the grand hall at the arena. A huge diamond chandelier hung for the high ceiling as a pianist played a mellow tune. The red carpet added to the luxurious atmosphere. The only thing that was out of place were the hungry, mismatched trainers, fascinated by the regal ambiance and fresh delicacies. It was a place more suited for a black-tie event.

Serena's plate was full of mini colourful cupcakes, and Dawn asked for the hotel's berry special. Gary, indifferent to the ridiculous decadence, opted for a simple slice of the chocolate fudge cake. The sun had long disappeared, grey clouds and light rain replacing the lovely warmth. Dawn wrapped her woolly scarf tightly around her neck and Serena buttoned up her cardigan, glad she bought it from the boutique a few days ago (along with a hundred other outfits). Gary hunched over the table, exhaustion finally taking its toll on him. Meanwhile, May was preparing for the semi-finals.

"Don't you guys think this is suspicious?" Dawn whispered worriedly, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one else was listening. "How did Harley persuade Drew? I mean Drew is no push-over."

"He was blackmailed," Gary muttered darkly. "Harley had something on him."

"Reakky?!" Serena gasped, almost choking on the icing. "I wonder what it is. What if he still has it? What are we supposed to do? Should we tell the organisers? Shouldn't he be disqualified? But we've got no concrete proof, at least not yet."

Gary rubbed his temples at her persistent questions. "That's why I said to May that we need to find out what it is, but she wanted to forget about it all," he said through gritted teeth. Maybe a black coffee was what he needed.

"If I knew, I would have asked Drew before he left."

"You saw him?" Gary sighed, exasperated. "Great, there goes our last chance."

"Leaf Green might know," Serena said nonchalantly, purposely taking her time chewing the glacé cherry. Dawn and Gary exchanged incredulous looks before staring at her questioningly. "See, now everyone appreciates my information. No doubts this time, Gary?"

"We never doubted you," Dawn corrected her, doing a terrible job at sounding convincing. Gary snorted loudly which lead to Dawn throwing him a split-second glare. "What do you know?"

"Apparently, Harley is quite close to Leaf. I've heard he's always calling her, and plus I've seen him with her too."

Gary shot her a disgusted look. "He dating her? I was pretty sure he swings the other way."

Serena shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"So, you're saying we need to talk to Leaf?" Dawn surmised, taking a spoon full of the berry special. "She might know what leverage Harley has."

"Leave that to me-" Gary devoured the last bite of his cake and stood up, the cogs in his mind set in gear and turning as his eyes surveyed the vast hall for the brunette whose heart he shattered into a million pieces.

"Please," Dawn scoffed, unceremoniously pulling him back down to his chair. The cogs stopped spinning. "Leaf hates you for obvious reasons. She won't tell you a word."

"She's right. Leave this to me and Dawn," Serena said excitedly, high-fiving Dawn. "It's time for us to sleuth!"

"But you two are the world's worst liars!" Gary protested.

"We are not!" Serena winked. She gently lowered her cupcake, leaned forward and spoke in hushed tones, automatically catching their attention. "Speaking of the devil, look who just walked in." Following her line of sight, Gary saw Leaf standing beside the dessert table, looking at the selection of cakes thoughtfully.

"Time to go!" Dawn squealed, grabbing Serena's arm. "You stay here!" She warned Gary as rolled his eyes. "We'll be back."

Leaf observed the cakes with a careful eye. So many choices! She had never seen so many cakes before in her life. A chocolate fudge cake caught her eye, remembering that was Gary's favourite flavour. She pushed that thought away, focussing on the pies. Decisions, decisions. On the bright side, everything was free. She only had enough money to buy a ticket back to home. Since Sinnoh was really far from Kanto, the tickets were naturally expensive. That last thought provided a drop of comfort; Leaf couldn't wait to return back to Celadon City and finally wake up from the nightmare she was trapped in. A vibration from her pocket jerked her out of her reverie. She groaned, a message flashing on her pokégear. It was Harley again. Was the cactus guy romantically interested in her, or was he just a clingy friend? He wasn't really her type anyway. Too flamboyant for her liking. She preferred smarter guys... like Gary. Leaf huffed as the dreaded name appeared in he mind again.

"Hi!" A voice chirped behind her. "My name's Serena."

"And I'm Dawn!"

Leaf put the device back in her pocket, watching the two girls cautiously. Serena had a strong accent Leaf had never heard before. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen her before. On the other hand, Leaf knew the blunette. She was Gary's new arm candy and was definitely a Sinnohan. Both had a penchant for fashion and glamour, especially Dawn. Leaf noticed her scarf was from Valerie's latest fashion line, the famous Kalosian designer and gym leader whom her sister Erica was a huge fan of.

"Gary's new girlfriend, right?" Leaf asked innocently.

"Just a friend," Dawn said, eyebrows knitted in confusion, taken aback by the question.

"Really? You two looked more than comfortable at yesterday's match." Leaf brushed past Dawn to look at the brownies, pushing her a few steps back. "I didn't know he dumped May too."

"If I didn't know any better, you're jealous," Dawn retorted heatedly, stepping in front of Leaf. They stared at each other evenly.

Serena laughed nervously, jumping into the gap between them, her arms up defensively. The mission was failing by the second, and she could feel Gary face-palming from their table. Dawn's sudden hostility wasn't helping at all! She put a friendly hand on Leaf's shoulder. The brunette redirected her glare to her, and so Serena not-so-subtly pulled her hand away. "Don't worry! Dawn has boyfriend, his name is Kenny. Gary is just a friend!" she explained with a light tone. "I'm sorry that you and Gary broke up-"

"I'm not," Leaf lied fluidly, crossing her arms.

"But some one as pretty as you will never be alone," she cried, nudging her arm. Leaf smiled which equaled to success in Serena's mind. "Plus, Harley likes you."

Leaf looked as though she was about to vomit. Her eyes widened at Serena's comment and her face paled several shades. She shook her head fervently, her face twisting into a grimace. "No way, not him!"

"I thought uh... you guys are, you know, close." The confident tone dwindled into uncertainty as Leaf flashed her a look of utter disbelief.

"No, he keeps messaging me but I'm avoiding him." She said, enunciating every word slowly.

"So you guys don't talk much then?" Serena put her hands on her hips in dismay. Leaf knew nothing after all.

"He keeps telling me to watch his matches, that he's got this ingenious strategy that will completely throw his opponent from the competition forever," Leaf replied, irritated as she remembering his incessant bragging. "I thought he being over-dramatic, but I guess considering what happened to Drew, he was right."

"Did he ever say what that great strategy was?"

"No." Leaf paused, glowering at Serena. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to rein in the tears of fury. This was a ploy. She knew Gary was watching them from a few tables away, and why they planned to take joy while she rotted in her sadness infuriated her to no end. "If I did, I would never tell you. Do you think I'm stupid? You're obviously using me for something. I know your with Gary, and that means bad news for me, so don't talk to me again- ever!" Leaf stormed off, leaving the Dawn and Serena stunned.

"What's the verdict?" Gary asked eagerly as the two girls slumped in their chairs.

"She doesn't know anything," Dawn said glumly.

"Wartotle and Delcatty, take the stage!"

"Go! Butterfree and Slowbro!"

May grinded her teeth, a painful flashback of her first loss against Solidad piercing her mind. Her loss at the Kanto Grand Festival was nothing short of epic failure. It was a pathetic battle, all her efforts futile. It broke her to the point she couldn't stop crying after the humiliation. She was, deep down in the dark crevices of her mind, jealous of Solidad. She wanted revenge for that battle. May knew it was vindictive, but regardless, she couldn't fathom how she lost so laughably bad. Her poor Combusken and Munchlax didn't stand a chance at the time. A smile curved on her mouth; today will be different.

In Hoenn, LaRousse City, Drew sat stiffly on the leather sofa. In the comfort of his mansion, he watched the huge screen that showed the live perfomance of the semi-finals. It was hard to believe he was there only yesterday. An uncomfortable memory poked his head; the very first time he lost to Solidad's superior skills when he was just a novice in Hoenn. He hoped May wasn't experiencing any irritating flashbacks like he used to.

"And the the Sinnoh Grand Festival semi-final starts now!" Marian exclaimed. Gary, Serena and Dawn watched eagerly from above. Leaf folded her arms, unaffected by the electricity in the air, and Harley simply smirked.

The clock starting to tick down.

Happy New Year!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I feel like I've given up with his story since it's been so many years, but I will complete it. We've approached the end; there's 2-3 chapters left. Please review!

What would you like to see happen? Was there anything you didn't particularly like or expect?