Author: Here we go, lucky number 7. Sorry for the delay in publishing. While my volunteer work is on a bit of summer vacation, the rest of my life isn't. Work + IT certification renewals + summer classes (trying to accelerate my degree some now that I'm almost done) + helping friends/family move = very little free time.
Misty: When do I get to come back? Aren't I important?
Author: We'll see. I'm trying to keep the group small, so everyone gets lines and there are plenty of other people who have to make appearances.
Max: Yeah, because that's going so well.
Author: Sorry bud. I promise you'll have some more lines this time.
While the two groups wandered the vessel searching for each other, the crew undocked and departed from shore, the view of Pallet Town shrinking steadily from the stern until it was out of sight. Finally, Dawn admitted defeat, collapsing to the ground exhausted.
"I give up," she sighed as her stomach growled. "Let's go find something to eat."
Red, ever prepared, pulled up a map of the ship on his phone and led the group to the main dining area, which offered various cuisines in a manner like a fancy food court. Following people's looks of disgust across the room, he found Ash and May happily chomping down on inhuman amounts of food, seemingly having chosen a little bit of food from every counter. Next to Ash, Pikachu was sucking down a bottle of ketchup, while next to May was Max, eating like a normal person and avoiding the gaze of baffled passersby.
"Well, it seems their appetites haven't changed," Drew remarked, simultaneously impressed and horrified.
"Oh, there you guys are," Max remarked, noticing the company.
"We brought a surprise with us too," Serena said, moving out of the way to reveal Dawn.
Ash and May first tried to greet her with food in their mouths but quickly swallowed their food. They then stood to greet the blunette, quickly catching up before resuming their meal. Taking the cue, the rest of the group went and picked out their own food from nearby counters and met back at the table. Now on much friendlier terms, Drew and Red used the time to swap stories, Red talking about some of his training regimens in the Sinnoh wilderness and Drew mainly sharing funny tales regarding May, to her embarrassed horror.
"Then, get this, she tries to walk it off and act normal, like she didn't just fall face first off the stage. But she twisted her ankle when she fell, so she was hobbling around, tears in her eyes, trying to throw her voice so it didn't sound like she was in pain. I guess she thought it would fool the audience and save her embarrassment. It might've worked for anyone watching on TV, but definitely not anyone there." Drew laughed, recounting one of their first Sinnoh contests. "I thought for sure they were going to meet her halfway with the ribbon, but for some reason they made her come all the way back up. At least she won the contest, so it wasn't a complete wash."
May's face was flush red from the stories, embarrassed, but also concerned that they would make Red think less of her. Noticing her mood and deciding she had been tortured enough, for now, Drew cleared his throat, opting to change the subject.
"Anyways Red, it sounds like you did some pretty intense training, care for a battle? Maybe I won't wipe the floor with you like I did last time," Drew asked smugly.
"Sure. How does a 1-on-1 sound?" Red answered.
"Perfect. I think there's a battlefield just outside," Drew stated, heading for the door as everyone else followed.
"How about we make this interesting Drew? Roserade versus Umbreon, just like last time."
"Uh Drew, I know I haven't known you long enough to see you in a battle yet, but I think you should reconsider," Serena chimed in, concerned as she remembered the recent news shared about Red's league standing.
"You read my mind Red," Drew stated, too fired up to hear Serena's comment.
They both reached the battlefield and took a side, calling their respective partners to the field. Immediately, Umbreon and Roserade began to stare each other down and growl, recalling the rivalry they and their trainers had started years prior.
Drew recalled a fainted Roserade, baffled by the drastic change in the skill of his opponent. "But how?" he asked unable to string together any other words.
"You mean you didn't know? Red is the new Sinnoh champion!" Max exclaimed from the sidelines, still in awe of the show of power he had just watched.
"What? Why didn't anyone tell me this? Dawn?" he questioned, turning to his girlfriend.
"How was I supposed to know? I may be from Sinnoh, but I haven't been home lately, and mom hasn't mentioned it. I'm just as surprised as you are!" Dawn replied.
He turned to a smirking brunette, "What about you May?"
Stifling a laugh, she answered "I thought your ego could use a return to a healthy level. Plus, it was fun to watch you lose to someone other than me or Solidad. To be fair, I thought you would hold out for longer than you did."
"I've gotta say, it's not often that you see a battle last only a few minutes like that," Ash stated, impressed.
"Especially when it's between two veteran trainers. Usually, you don't see an ass-kicking like that unless a novice trainer is involved," Max added.
Even Dawn couldn't help but snicker at that. Knowing if she didn't get away soon, it would turn into full-blown laughter, she began to lead Drew away. "I'm going to go help Drew lick his wounds and make sure that Red didn't completely kill his confidence. I'll see you guys later."
Deciding to give Red and May some time alone, Serena came up with a quick excuse to lead Ash and Max away and keep them occupied. Standing by themselves, neither was sure what to say. Noticing that dusk was approaching, Red cleared his throat to break the silence.
"Why don't we go watch the sunset? It's been a while since I've been on a ship and seen one," he asked her.
"That sounds great! I haven't watched one in a while either," May answered, following him. They walked over to the starboard side of the ship, finding a relatively empty vantage point to watch from since most people were too busy to notice the time.
"I guess you weren't exaggerating when you were talking about how seriously you and your Pokémon had trained," May complimented.
"Well, at first, I was just trying to make sure I'd win the tournament, especially after seeing Ash's match against Tobias. Then, I managed to get ahold of some footage of Elite Four matches, including Tobias getting destroyed by Cynthia. I knew then that we'd need to get even tougher to win. I spent almost a year training after I competed in the Lilly of the Valley conference before I had my first Elite Four match," Red explained. "It took a lot of hard work, but it paid off."
"In that case, I'm glad we went our separate ways after the Kanto Grand Festival. If I had stuck around, you probably wouldn't have been so serious or made it so far," May admitted sadly.
"Don't say that" Red interrupted. "If I could've had company in that time, I would've. Especially if it was you. Being by myself all that time just wasn't the same. In fact, I used to go back into towns just to watch you compete in your contests. It almost made me feel like I wasn't alone all the time."
"Really?" May whispered.
Red paused for a moment, not sure whether to continue. "Fuck it" he muttered under his breath after sighing. "The truth is May, the only reason I worked so hard was so that I'd have something to show off to you the next time I saw you. I was determined to make a name for myself because I wanted to impress you. Even if it means I wouldn't have won the conference and become champion, I would've rather had you by my side through all of it. I miss you May, it's not the same without you around."
Resting her head on his shoulder and intertwining her hand with his, May took in everything he had just said.
"I know how you feel. After placing 2nd in Johto and winning the Grand Festival in Sinnoh, I felt like I finally had something to show off to you to justify us parting ways. But then, I was so worried about screwing up my streak that I stopped competing in contests until I could find you."
She looked out over the ocean, watching the last of the sun go beneath the waves. "It's so pretty."
"That may be true, but it's only the second most beautiful thing I've seen today."
From the deck above, Drew and Dawn watched quietly, taking care to make sure they weren't noticed. While it was pure coincidence that they had seen Red and May, they decided to stay for a few moments to see whether anything would happen. Seeing May take Red's hand, Dawn couldn't help by let out a squeal. "Oh my god, they're so freaking cute!"
"I guess that bozo finally opened up to her. Took him long enough," Drew stated, flicking his hair.
"Come on, we have to go tell Serena!" Dawn told him, dragging him away as the new couple continued to look out at the waves.
After almost a half hour of searching the ship, Dawn finally found Serena inside the mini golf course. Quickly running up to her squealing from excitement, no one could understand what she was trying to say at first. Finally slowing down, Dawn began to explain what had happened since the battle.
"We don't know what they said, but they were holding hands and watching the sunset. It was the cutest thing ever!"
"Wait, Red and my sister like each other? Yuck!" Max gagged.
"Wait they do?" Ash inquired, as Dawn realized the two had also been standing there when she began her story.
"Oops, I didn't see you two there," she sheepishly answered.
"You really should slow down and be more aware of your surroundings. Then again, I guess that energy of yours is one of the reasons I love you," Drew sighed.
"Wait you do?" Ash asked like a broken record.
"Oh Ash," Serena sighed, shaking her head at his similar lack of awareness.
Serena arrived at her suite with Dawn tagging along. May had not yet arrived, giving the two some time to marvel at the room. Inside were three queen beds, a small gathering area with a couch and TV, and a dining area to eat food. Along the far end, was a large patio door, leading to a balcony that overlooked the side of the vessel. The bathroom contained a large jacuzzi and a stand-in shower.
"Damn," Dawn whistled, impressed. "How did you guys manage to afford a room like this?"
"We didn't. Red did," Serena responded.
Just then May entered the suite, also marveling at the accommodations, before noticing the sly grins on her friends' faces.
"Why are you two looking at me like that?" May asked.
"You were certainly gone a while. Did something happen?" Serena questioned back.
May began to blush slightly, realizing what was being hinted at. "You saw that?"
"Drew and I did," Dawn clarified while squealing. "You two were so cute!"
"I guess I didn't need to do anything after all," Serena murmured.
"What do you mean?" May asked.
"I may have formed an alliance with Red. Offered to help him with you if he helped me with Ash," Serena stammered.
Dawn yawned and looked at the time on her watch, noticing it was getting late. "I'm going to head back to my room," she told them. "If I don't see you tomorrow before you disembark, good luck with everything. I'll check in with you once we've docked in LaRousse City."
May and Serena said their goodbyes to their friend, before deciding to head to bed themselves.
Red quietly entered the male suite, unsure whether anyone else was present or awake. Turning around as he shut the door, he noticed Ash, Drew, and Max sitting on the couch facing him. Ash was engrossed in something on the television, while Max was making a face of disgust and Drew was stealing glances while pretending to watch the same show as Ash.
Red looked at Max curiously. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"My sister?" Max replied. "You could easily do better than her."
Red sighed. "How much did you see?"
"They didn't see anything," Drew chimed in. "Dawn and I did. They only know because Dawn blabbed to Serena in front of them."
"I don't see what the big fuss is, but congrats I guess," Ash added quickly, before returning his focus to the TV.
"Seriously though. Why my sister?" Max asked again.
"I don't know Max; we've known each other a while and we care about each other. What else do you want me to say?"
"Don't worry kiddo, I'm sure one day you'll understand. You'll get a girlfriend eventually," Drew chuckled.
"Hey! I'm not that much younger than you! I know all about that stuff! I just think Pokémon are a much better focus for my effort!" Max fumed.
"On that note, I'm headed to bed. See you all around," Drew said, flicking his hair and leaving.
"What's on the TV?" Red asked his brother.
"Terminator," he answered.
"Noice! They usually have popcorn in these suites. I'll heat up some bags for us," Red told him, heading for the dining area.
Awakened by sunlight and the ship's horn, Red groaned.
"Just five more minutes…" he heard from Ash's bed, followed by a groan of agreement from Max's.
"Attention passengers, we are now approaching Petalburg City and will be docking shortly. If this is your destination, please be prepared to disembark." A voice chimed over the intercom.
Deciding to be the adult of the group, Red crawled out of bed and went to wake Ash and Max up, before jumping into the bathroom to get ready. After a few minutes, he came out and began packing his bags, while the other two followed his lead. Before long, they found themselves in the hallway waiting for their other two companions.
"Ugh, not again," Max sighed, before receiving a smack to the head.
"Excuse you, we've been waiting out here for you for almost fifteen minutes!" May angrily replied.
The group headed for the gangplank, Red and May ending up next to each other. After pondering, Red grabbed May's hand, interlocking it with his. Noticing this, Max let out another gag.
"What was that?" May asked without turning around.
"Um, nothing," Max responded.
"That's what I thought," May followed up, causing Serena to quietly snicker.
Making their way off the boat, they found themselves quickly navigating the outskirts of the city, not encountering much other foot traffic due to the time of day. After a brief walk, they found themselves standing in front of a familiar house, with a stadium and greenhouse nearby. May rang the doorbell and everyone waited.