Here's the latest chapter. I don't own Pokémon.
There's a lot of introductions of game characters from the Ranger spin offs to keep up with the Ranger theme.
Hope you like it!
Chapter 5Still in their first moments of reaching Pueltown, Almia, the group were continuing their friendly amble to the nearest Pokémon Centre, enjoying the company of people and pokémon alike.
They were walking along one of the main roads, with May humming a tune and smiling at all of the people and pokémon. She couldn't believe she'd remained in that dreary office for so long, avoiding the fresh air and cheerful disposition of those in the real world. There was a soft breeze with the faintest hints of the salty sea air ruffling through the town, making the young woman just want to sing.
Smiling at a particularly young boy's angry calls for his friends to wait for him, May barely noticed as her companions came to a halt, all of them blocked by a rather large crowd. It had appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed to the young woman.
'What's going on?' May frowned in clear confusion as she walked towards the crowd.
From her time as Hoenn Gym Leader, she knew that crowds this size only ever appeared at a planned event. Unfortunately, it usually was one in which a Champion or Elite Four Member was involved. Considering Almia had no such thing established as of yet, May was perplexed at what could possibly draw such a large crowd.
'May, wait for us!' Dawn's voice called as May continued to rush ahead, Blaziken by her side.
Moving to ask one of the people in the back, one of the men before her growled a warning at her not to come closer to him. With a blink, she frowned at his rude demeanour, noticing that he stood out against the others' bright clothing. Wondering why he was wearing black clothing in such fine weather, May retracted a few steps upon noticing he had a sinister glare on his haggard expression.
'Well, today happens to be the day we celebrate the Rangers, of course,' Lucas chuckled, taking the opportunity to stand beside her. Awkwardly, she glanced at the young man who sent her a knowing smile in response. Whilst he appeared perfectly friendly, May honestly had no clue how to react.
Instinctively, she sent him an uncertain smile of her own.
In response, he sent her a subtle wink, causing her to blanche slightly as Dawn frowned at her cousin.
Seeing the man react so confidently, she could only frown subtly, not wanting to encourage the man in any way. Silently, she wondered if she had inadvertently sent him a sign to indicate she was interested. She really hoped not, or things could get very awkward later, and not just for her, but Dawn too.
Deciding to distract herself by concentrating on the events before her, May chose to ignore the man's gaze on her. To her, this sounded like a recurring event. If that was the case, why had her brother never told her about this celebration?
Suppressing such ludicrous notions, May returned her thoughts to the festival before her. Whatever it was, Max hadn't told her, and she couldn't imagine why. It couldn't be that it was dangerous, he'd always told her about any dangers. Did he consider it insignificant? Or was he concerned that it was something embarrassing she would tease him about later? If it was traditional, she wouldn't tease him. After all, she'd never teased Ash about his adventures in the Orange Islands, no matter how much ammunition Misty had given her. One place's customs were not to be mocked, no matter how strange they seemed to outsiders.
'Why are you celebrating the Rangers?' She found herself questioning, ignoring the surprised glances some of the people in the crowd were sending her as she walked forward.
'You might not want to ask that question too loudly, May. After all, the Rangers are almost considered sacred to the people of Almia. They not only keep us safe, but they look after our pokémon and the environment too. The festival is just a chance for us to truly show our appreciation for all they do, and it's manifested in the crème de la crème, with the top Houndooms themselves, the Top Rangers. They're the ones who will be coming here soon to parade through the streets,' Lucas continued to explain, his gaze trained on the road ahead.
'And how many of them are there?' Harley frowned, hands on his hips, his eyebrow arched in cool irritation. The man, after all, preferred to be the star of the show. May knew from experience that he'd never enjoyed much competition. He'd grown accustomed to May and Drew at the insistence of Solidad, but could he really handle a group of Rangers?
'There's fifteen now, but only nine could come to today's event. Spenser, Joel, Cameron, Lunick and Elita have been designated missions so they were unable to come to the festival. Jackie, Wendy, Sven, Kate, Keith, Kellyn, Solana and, the most recently promoted, Ben, Summer and Max are the ones who will be at the festival today. They're rarely in the same spot at once, and all I can say is it's an honour to be here to witness them,' Lucas beamed, his eyes sparkling with a delight that caught May by surprise. Clearly the Rangers were truly respected in Almia, and her brother hadn't wanted her to tease him about this rather unconventional status.
Pausing at his words, the young woman couldn't help but grin. So, Jackie, Solana and Max would be in Pueltown too. Whilst she knew of Max's recent promotion, she hadn't had the chance to congratulate him in person yet.
Considering just how many Top Rangers she knew, May wondered what the statistical odds were that something like this would happen when she had finally decided to continue her journey? Previously, she'd always attributed that kind of dumb luck to Ash, but now she couldn't be so sure. After all, her black haired friend was back in Kanto to battle their Champion. Maybe it was fate, though could that idea possibly be true?
'They're coming!' A child's voice called, pulling her out of her thoughts.
With a soft smile, May looked back at her pokémon and winked once. In reaction, he rolled his eyes and stepped forward, following her as she somehow managed to squeeze her way through the crowd to the front, making sure she avoided the cranky man from before. Considering how luck had brought her here, she wouldn't let the opportunity to see her brother and old friends pass by.
'Here they come!' Another voice called, before the crowd erupted into cheers, drowning out the sound of her friends calling her name in concern.
With a light laugh, May felt the reassuring presence of her Blaziken press into her back, reminding her that her starter pokémon was beside her every step of the way on her journey. His presence reminded her that she was safe, cared for and not alone.
The cheers were increasing in noise substantially, and May found herself cheering alongside the strangers around her.
Sure enough, a green haired man headed the congregation, his hair pulled away from his forehead by a white band. He wore the black, red, yellow and white uniform of a ranger, a Fearow flying gracefully behind him.
Around her, the crowd started chanting at the sight of the man, 'Spenser!'
Alongside him was a blonde haired man, wearing sunglasses and a purple suit, the three headed Dodrio ambling slowly after the man. Upon seeing him, the crowd cheered, 'Joel!'
A buff, red haired man wearing a black singlet and green cargo shorts petted a Pelipper as he followed the duo, and May could deduce from the crowd that his name was Cameron. Again, the crowd advised her that Elita was the pink haired woman beside him glanced at him coolly, her Skarmory snapping slightly at the water and flying type.
After them sauntered the all too familiar Jack Walker, his blond hair styled in its messy form, his own black, yellow, red and white ranger uniform flattering his toned body. As usual, he'd probably refused to hinder any pokémon by having it as his partner. Beside him walked a green haired beauty in the dress form of his uniform's colours, a Staraptor flapping its wings idly next to her.
Those around May so kindly reiterated her name to be Wendy, and on the other side of her walked a man with styled black hair, his ranger uniform styled to reveal his well-muscled arms, which were crossed across his chest. The man glanced smugly at the crowd before flickering his gaze at May and then to the Luxray which stalked the man, his expression fierce as he responded to the name Sven.
In a separate trio behind Jackie's group was a light brown haired young man, his arm raised in the air in acknowledgement of the crowd, a Buizel imitating his moves near him, spurting little turrets of water at any who called the name Keith. A brunette woman with hair styled in curly pigtails skipped between the two men, her expression filled with delight as a Pachirisu waved from the top of her head beamed when she heard people calling Kate. Last in their trio was another brunette, whose hair stuck at odd angles akin to Jackie's. He seemed to respond to the name Kellyn, and was followed by a rather fierce looking Munchlax, reminding May of her own.
In the last group were four members. The first May saw made her grin as she recognised the unique light blue hair of her friend, Solana, which was styled to defy gravity. On her shoulders were her partners, Plusle and Minun. She walked next to a brunette whose hair was styled so it all pointed upward, his own uniform was a lighter colour than the rest. It was red, white and a light blue, though a yellow scarf was wrapped around his neck. Above him flew a Staraptor, its cries filling the air around them. By deduction, May recognised this man's name to be Ben, whose name was simultaneously called out with someone named Summer. Again, by deduction, May suspected Summer was the woman who was trailing behind him in a somewhat upset manner. From glancing at the two, May found that they appeared to be twins, her uniform matching his, though a Pichu sat on her shoulder, wielding a light blue ukulele. And walking alongside her, arms raised in the air was Max, May's younger brother. His thick glasses had been abandoned for contacts, which wouldn't hinder him in the field, and his eager grin filled his older sister with pride. Sure enough, the Ralts they had encountered in Hoenn was gliding beside him until it paused, appearing to search the crowd for something.
Blinking, May frowned as her brother paused to glance back at his partner pokémon. Her brother said something to the Ralts before it teleported away from the group, vanishing in thin air.
'Ralts?' Her brother's voice called, making their procession come to a slight pause, Solana's gaze darkening as her eyes scanned the crowd for any danger. May herself found her gaze meeting Jackie's surprised expression before a soft noise before her sounded, pulling her attention away from the blond man. Looking down, she noticed a mop of green hair attached to a small, white frame, as it raised its head up at her. With a small smile, it called its name, reiterating Ralts' reappearance.
'What? You managed to find me in this giant crowd? You're far stronger than I gave you credit for,' May gasped as her sapphire eyes fell on the pokémon which had appeared before her, grabbing her hands in its own smooth white ones. She felt tears sting at her eyes as it nodded at her, its small, white face beaming up at her.
'Ralts, ralts ralts!' It grinned up at her, its green hair covering its eyes perfectly, though May knew it felt her joy at seeing her brother and his partner pokémon after far too long time apart.
'Hi Ralts, it's great to see you too,' May grinned down before petting its head softly, enjoying the soft purr which came from the small pokémon.
Almost immediately, she heard three different people gasp before three shadows rushed forward and stood before her, causing the crowd around her to revert into a stunned silence, apparently star struck by their close encounter with the famous trio.
Her heart pounding as she heard the crowd whisper in shock, May looked up at the trio and offered a weak smile. Honestly, she didn't know if she could handle another public chastising, but Ralts had seemed extremely pleased to see her. She anxiously fidgeted with her shirt as she focused on the stunned expression of her younger brother, her own starter pokémon touching her shoulder in a soothing manner, reminding her that he was there for her.
'May!' Her brother's voice whispered at her, his expression filled with surprise.
'Hi there, little brother. Congratulations on your promotion,' May grinned at her sibling, unable to suppress her joy.
'M-May, you're really here!' Max gasped, shocking her by the tearfulness in his voice. His black eyes were shimmering with tears as he sent her shaky smile.
'Max, what's wrong?' May responded as she gently moved his bluish black hair away from his face. He may be taller than her, but he would always be her baby brother, and when something made him cry, she'd do her best to fight it.
'I didn't think I'd ever see you out of Sootopolis!' He responded before pulling her up, over the barricades and crushing her in a tight hug. Neither sibling appeared to notice as the crowd surrounding them was silently observing their emotional reunion, nor a hooded figure watching them, their face hidden from all by the hood of a teal coloured jacket.
'Hey, save some for me!' Solana's soft voice glared in faux anger as she gently pushed the brother and sister duo apart. May found herself blinking back tears of her own as she laughed at her friend's indignant pout.
'Solana, it's been far too long,' the brunette grinned in response before hugging the young woman tightly.
'You can say that again,' Solana grinned before pulling away from her friend and not so subtly pushing Jackie towards her.
'Jackie,' May grinned at him, holding her arms out for him to hug. The man rolled his eyes slightly before pulling her into a hug, ignoring the coos from the crowd behind them.
'It's great to see you, May. When Max told us you weren't leaving Petalburg and then you'd moved to Sootopolis without a plan to move on, we were all quite worried,' Jackie whispered in her ear. They pulled apart and May could see that his dark green eyes filled with concern. It left her feeling touched at his concern, and once again extremely guilty for worrying others so.
'I know, but Harley made me come to my senses somewhat,' May grinned as she turned to see her friends standing where she'd been, looking equally perplexed at her position on the other side of the barricade.
'Harley?' Max choked out, his expression completely bewildered as he flicked his eyes from his naïve sister to the manipulative man in the Banette costume.
'So what, pipsqueak, I can do a good deed too, you know!' Harley snapped, stomping his foot in anger, apparently having noticed the younger man's suspicions.
'Whoa, calm down, there's no need to be so angry,' Lucas responded, his expression filled with a bewildered alarm as he took a cautious step away from the eccentric man. He seemed flustered and unsure of how to react to the unusual scene, leaving May wanting to burst into a fit of giggles.
However, suppressing the instinctive response to giggle, May knew that it would only incite the man, as much as Lucas' evident fear would too. Dawn's pleading eyes beside the duo reiterated to her that she needed to save everyone from the impeding tirade.
'Hey Harley, come over the fence, I'm sure my friends would love to meet you!' She blurted out, desperate for a distraction to prevent the impeding rant. She ignored Max's distraught expression, knowing he would understand her motives perfectly.
'Oooh, meet the great Jack Walker? Don't mind if I do, hon!' Harley winked before jumping the barricade with a theatrical extravagance. Seeing the confidence with which his feet landed on solid ground, May could not help but feel a little envious of the man's superior balance.
'Count me in!' Dawn grinned before also jumping the structure. When her cousin stood frozen, she rolled her eyes and pinched his nose, making him shake his head in a somewhat fazed fashion and follow suit.
'Let's carry on with this procession!' Spenser called before marching on ahead, subtly sending a nod to a brightly coloured hooded figure, who responded by placing their hands in their pockets and hiding in the crowd, a pink haired woman smiling at their exchange as she, too, followed the man.
'Where are we going?' May questioned as she walked beside her brother, their little group in the centre of the procession, completely unaware of the now hidden figure's presence.
'Just to this area's base,' Solana explained in a clipped manner as she walked side by side with Dawn, apparently having given up on walking beside Jackie whilst Harley was in their company.
Judging by her unimpressed tone, May knew that she did not approve of Harley's attempts at gushing over an extremely stony Jackie, who appeared to be doing his best not to respond to the younger man. Considering the other groups around them, May realised that the three rangers should probably be leading their group onward.
Subtly nudging her brother to go on ahead, May called to her purple haired friend, 'Harley, do you think you could remind me of the basics of contests again? I'm afraid that my memory is a little rusty.'
Immediately, the man turned back to grab her arm in his own before almost hollering his overenthusiastic response, 'Why of course I'll tell you everything I know, hon! Leave it to me, and you'll definitely win this year's Top Coordinator title at last!'
'Sure thing,' May grinned at the man as she saw Dawn roll her eyes at his antics.
Biting back a smile, she listened as Harley listed the importance of contests, not just for beauty, but also ingenuity and determination.
Feeling relieved that the man could talk faster than a motorboat could float, May followed the troupe until they reached a small, modest building with walls that were rendered white. Its red roof was covered with grass, which offered not only an improved insulation, but also vegetation and a home for a small flock of Starly.
'Wow, this is gorgeous!' Dawn gasped as she rushed ahead to have a closer look at the building.
'It's unique, I'll give it that,' Harley muttered as he glanced at the building with a pained expression.
'It's beautiful,' May agreed with her friend, having never seen anything like it before. She wondered how Brock would have reacted to the unusual sight.
'That's a typical ranger base in Almia,' Lucas grinned, his expression filled with pride as his gaze flickered from May's expression to Dawn's. He didn't notice as Max frowned at him with clear displeasure, nor Harley's obvious glower.
'If you think this is gorgeous, you should visit our headquarters with Max sometime,' Solana grinned, placing a hand casually on her hip as she scratched Plusle's ear softly. On her other shoulder, Minun pouted at being ignored whilst Blaziken jumped up onto the roof of the building.
'Blaziken, that's not your home!' May called, though she smiled at her starter pokémon's childlike reaction. The Starly, likewise, seemed surprised by his movements and called out in alarm.
'May, I must admit that you have raised your Blaziken well,' Jackie mused as he watched the pokémon's movements, which were not only quick, but powerful.
'Thank you,' May blushed, focusing her attention on her feet. To have Jackie compliment her pokémon was a great commendation. He'd been strong, capable and confident when she'd first met him, something she'd always aspired for. If Brendan had heard of her thoughts, he'd have teased her immensely, even if it was all false. Neither man didn't hold a candle to Drew, but then, no one ever did. She'd spent years pining for the man, but she knew she'd blown any chance with him, if she'd ever even had one. And the one time she decided to give another a chance, they were more compatible as friends.
Considering her memories of the chartreuse haired man, she felt something stab at her heart. He'd always been too perfect for the likes of her, achieving goals far faster and better than she ever could. While Harley had given her some hope that he wasn't with the blonde from the images she'd seen, she couldn't help but feel as though she'd always be cursed with unrequited love. At least now she had a chance to prove herself to him—no, to the world.
'Chin up,' Dawn's soft voice whispered in her ear, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Blinking back tears she hadn't noticed were forming, May sent the woman who was one of her closest friends a small smile. Trust Dawn to notice her pain and remind her where she was. She felt the woman snake her hand into her own to offer May's hand a tight squeeze.
'I think I'm tired from the journey, is there a Pokémon Centre near here I can sleep in?' May asked, feigning a yawn. She saw her brother frown at her and knew the man wasn't fooled, though she reassured him with a sheepish smile of her own.
'Nonsense, you're not staying in a Pokémon Centre, stay with us!' A bulky man roared as he walked out of the building, his crew cut hair drawing attention to his striking blue eyes.
'Ummm, are you sure?' May questioned, poking her fingers together nervously. She didn't like relying on hospitality of strangers, not if there was a Pokémon Centre nearby. Besides, the man's strong muscles intimidated her somewhat.
'No need to worry about it, the name's Barlow. Any friend of Max's is a friend of me too,' the man chuckled before clasping her younger brother's shoulder in a tight grip.
Watching her brother wince at the contact, she responded anxiously, 'Well, thank you, I suppose.'
'Come on in,' He grinned before leading her into a well lit room, its light blue tiles reflecting the lights from the ceiling. The walls were an off white, and appeared to be well looked after.
In the back of the room, in the far right corner, was a white line of cabinets with a bright red counters. A woman stood behind the counter in a business like suit, causing May to suspect her to be an Operator who aided Rangers based on their knowledge at hand.
On the other side of the back room was a heap of metallic, mechanical mess. In the middle of it was a woman in overalls, breaking apart what appeared to be a giant computer, a gold band glinting on her ring finger as she poked her tongue out in concentration.
'Hey, Elaine, we've got company so keep the noise down!' Barlow shouted at her, though he followed it with a booming laugh which resonated around the walls.
'Company?' A tall, skinny man questioned, walking into the room from a previously unnoticed door in the middle of the back wall. May glanced at him, noticing not only his Ranger uniform, but also his dark brown hair, which was styled around his head in a giant afro.
'Is anyone in the base in Vientown?' Max questioned as he glared between the people in the building, apparently annoyed by their sudden appearance.
'Relax, Luana is tending to the needs of people there,' the newcomer laughed, running a hand along the leaves of a Budew which had followed him into the room.
Seeing the grass and poison pokémon made May wince as she once again found herself forcing memories of Drew out of her mind. She wouldn't give the man a chance to throw her into yet another depression. It had been bad enough when she'd silently wanted him to visit her in Petalburg whilst she was Gym Leader there. Of course, he'd never come, so she knew his desires had nothing to do with her being by his side.
'Well, who are you?' The brunette frowned as Elaine stepped up from her destruction, her short brown hair somewhat controlled by the red goggles she moved from her eyes up to her hair.
'Hi, I'm May, these are my friends Harley, Dawn and Dawn's cousin, Lucas,' May smiled in response, pointing at each of her companions in turn.
'You from Hoenn, huh?' Elaine grinned, her black gloved hand clinging onto a monkey wrench, as she left the large metal contraption behind her, heading towards them.
'Yes, so is Harley, Dawn is from Sinnoh,' May responded, her expression becoming slightly strained. The woman, whilst friendly enough, still appeared somewhat intimidating, though her knowing smirk increased upon noticing Max's angry glower.
'Leave my sister alone, will you?' Max growled, pushing the woman in a surprisingly rough manner.
'I knew it!' She laughed, hitting Max's arm with the heavy tool, though her brother, to his credit, barely flinched.
'You, me and everyone else in the room knew it!' Max retorted, a slight flush filling his cheeks. His anger caught May by surprise. Whilst puberty had rendered her brother an irritable know-it-all, she'd found his temper had calmed down by him reaching adulthood. Now, witnessing his anger at his colleague, she struggled to contain her shock at her brother's uncharacteristic retort with this particular stranger.
'What is going on?' May frowned as she glanced at Barlow, Jackie and Solana in clear confusion. Her brother was usually not this angry, and it concerned her to see him so inexplicably furious.
'Those two have a strong rivalry going since Elaine made the mistake of babying him once he was delegated to our base. After he pulled a prank on her with a few of the Squirtle from the nearby forest, she didn't make that mistake again,' Barlow chuckled as he ruffled Max's hair in a fatherly manner.
'Hey, it was not a mistake!' Elaine hollered, moving the throw the monkey wrench at the formidable man who seemed completely unfazed by her movement.
'No, Elaine!' The unnamed brunette man scowled, grabbing the tool from her hand before sighing in relief.
Noticing the stunned expressions of the others, he chuckled nervously, using the wrench to scratch his back anxiously.
When no one made a move to prevent the suddenly awkward silence, he explained, 'The name's Crawford, and I don't think you want to witness Elaine's notorious temper right now. From personal experience, I would like to warn everyone against enraging her unnecessarily.'
Someone chuckled behind them as another group of people entered the building, 'Smart move, Crawford. No one wants to witness an angry Elaine, ever.'
'Kellyn's right, she's notorious for her anger,' The brunette woman chuckled as she casually leaned on his shoulder, her Pachirisu jumping from her head to his as his Munchlax scratched its back before sniffing May's pockets hopefully.
'Your Munchlax is really strong,' May complimented the man as she fished a pokéblock from her pocket. Immediately, the big eater pokémon nuzzled her hand, encouraging her to release one of the blocks of pokémon food. With a small smile, she offered him one of her specially made May's Purple Surprise, which was formulated for her own Munchlax.
The others gaped as the small pokémon ate the tiny cube, his stomach inflating almost immediately before he started to snooze happily on the ground.
'He ate the pokéblock! Unbelievable, your Munchlax is the pickiest I've ever encountered, and he just ate hers!' The brunette whispered to her companion, who was equally surprised as they watched the big eater pokémon snore slightly.
'I agree with you, Munchlax. I could really use my bed,' May giggled nervously, wanting peace more than anything as she petted the pokémon's head softly.
'I'll show you the dorm,' Elaine grinned before slapping Crawford's arm away, ignoring the stunned expressions of the other rangers at seeing the pokémon's appetite so easily combatted.
As the three younger women moved to follow her, she called, 'By the way, Crawford, put that monkey wrench in the wrong place, and not even your Budew's aromatherapy can save you from the pain you'll suffer by me.'
Glancing back at the group of men surrounding Solana, May noticed the man's blood had drained from his face. Solana, appearing to have noticed her female companions were leaving, scurried after them with a subtle wink at May.
Walking past the blue curtain, May let out a gasp at the spacious team room, with black leather couch, a red carpet and the latest TV hanging on the wall. On one side of the room was a dormitory for men, on the other was one for women. On the far wall was a door, which May suspected lead to a kitchen. Max had told her more about being a ranger than either of the siblings lead on, and May was grateful that her bond with her brother was so close.
'Follow me,' Elaine grinned before walking into another room, revealing numerous queen sized beds with various colours of sheets on them.
Entering the room, May took a seat on a red bed, the curly haired woman joining her on the bed before muttering, 'The name's Kate, it's a pleasure to finally meet the sister Max always gushes about.'
'Oh, I'm not too sure that he's said a lot of positive things about me, but it's nice to meet you too. He's told me so much about everyone, that it's nice to finally put faces to names.' May blushed, scratching her cheek nervously as Dawn took a seat on the blue bed beside May's, her eyes focused on the two's discussion.
'Please, he told us about how you rose to the challenge of being a Gym Leader and encouraging him to go on his dream. Not many people would have done that if they were in your position, you know. Besides, we're all family in the Ranger Union, so there's no need for any modesty. What you did gave your brother a great chance, and it meant he worked all the harder to reach the coveted position of Top Ranger,' Elaine lectured, placing a firm hand on May's shoulder, her brown eyes piercing May's blue as she towered over the younger woman.
'I just did what I had to. Both of us didn't need to sacrifice our dreams because of one unfortunate event. What kind of sister would I have been if I'd left him there to look after everything? It was better to just put my own dreams to rest so he could live for the both of us,' May shrugged as she felt Blaziken follow them into the room, sitting cross legged on the cream carpet.
'You didn't sacrifice your dream, you delayed it,' Dawn growled, uncharacteristically angered by her chipper friend's abnormal gloom.
'Did I?' May whispered as her thoughts flew to Drew. Sure, her main goal had always been to be a Top Coordinator, but losing him as part of her support network had left a gaping hole in her heart that she hadn't been able to fulfil. Not with Steven, Brendan or Max. Could it be that her irksome, arrogant rival meant more to her than she'd ever acknowledged? No, she wouldn't acknowledge loving the man, not if she could help it. Sometimes, she'd slip, and that would send her into an even larger depression.
Pushing aside those thoughts, she noticed her companions staring at her in clear confusion. Where her new acquaintances appeared completely perplexed, Solana's expression was contemplative.
Dawn, however, was already hiding her head in a plump, blue cushion, unsuccessfully trying to smother her rather boisterous giggles.
'What are you laughing at?' May yelled at her friend, an angry flush filling her cheeks.
'Please! We all know it's Drew! You're finally showing your affections for him! May I'm so proud of you! You're no longer hiding behind denial, just like Misty!' Dawn squealed at her friend, no longer bothering to hide her laughter.
Watching their companions blink in surprise, Dawn continued her overjoyed ramble, 'It's so cute how obvious you two are! Can you just get over your pride and talk to each other already! I've been shipping you two since you mentioned him to me and I want you to hurry up and get married already!'
'Dawn!' May gasped, blanching at her friend's blatant betrayal of her secrets. Feeling her anger rise inside her, she snapped back, 'Well at least I'm not yoyo-ing between turnip head Paul or whipped Kenny! Just pick one already!'
'Oh, that was a low blow! You know that Kenny's been demanding that I see him, but it just doesn't feel right!' Dawn gasped back, throwing her pillow at her friend, who squeaked as she deflected it.
'So was talking about wedding bells for me and a certain Oddish head!' May whispered, pouting childishly.
'Sorry, May, I should have considered your feelings before I blabbed that,' Dawn sighed before jumping off her bed and pulling her brunette friend into a tight hug.
'Care to explain what's going on?' Kate frowned, scratching her head in confusion.
The two friends glanced at each other before grimacing shyly, not wanting to explain either of their thoughts.
'Kate, what you're witnessing is how adorable first love can be,' Elaine mused, her eyes sparkling in delight.
'I remember feeling that sense of love once,' Solana grinned, rubbing her lips thoughtfully.
'What happened?' Kate questioned, her mouth pulled in a slight smirk.
'You're far too young for that, now I'll get us all some dinner before we call it a night,' Solana grinned, petting the younger brunette's cheek softly before walking out of the room.
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