Fighting the Fates

by Warlordess

Complete While making their way through Sootopolis, Ash and friends run across a local Seer who says Ash and May are fated to be together! Then Misty and Drew pop into the picture. Whatever could they have to say about this? Poke x Contestshippy fic.

4. Fatal Attractions

Author - Chibi / Warlordess

Disclaimer - I don't own anything. . . But Misty's coming back as of April. . . first, wasn't it? So, either way, it doesn't matter, as the people who do run the show around here are keeping up with all of it a lot better than I ever could.

OoO

Fiction Title - "Fighting the Fates"

Chapter Four - "Fatal Attractions"

Summary - While making their way through Sootopolis, Ash and friends stumble across a local fortuneteller who says. . . dun, dun, dun! Ash and May are destined to be together! And then Misty and Drew pop into the picture. . . Whatever could they have to say about this? Pokeshippy and Contestshippy fic. Tee hee. :)

Ages -

Ash / 15

May / 13

Misty / 16

Drew / 14

Brock / 18

Max / 10

OoO

Ash sighed as the group of now-six (not including Pikachu, who was sitting on his shoulder) made their way once again into the Sootopolis shopping center, May being held at bay by Brock by an invisible length of rope so that she wouldn't disappear into one of the many stores that were so often beckoning to her.

He just couldn't really believe that they were back again. That wasn't to say that he wasn't curious about Misty's motives. True, he had asked her at least four times over the course of an hour after she'd made her decision that they should come back here and find out about just how destined she and he, and May and Drew were to be together, romantically speaking. . . but every time she would simply shrug and turn her head, telling him that she was just, "Testing a theory."

This didn't help him at all, as he had had to borrow Brock's dictionary twice just to look up the word "theory" so that he could remember what it meant; "hypothesis", "speculation", "assumption". . . Yea. Actually attending more than five years of school might have been a wonderful choice, he had decided at that time, but then. . . No, he had to have a dream! He had to go on a journey that lasted years on end, his entire adolescence! There was no way for him to understand any of those words. . .

Oh, and then it got better; about thirty minutes before they'd decided to leave for the mall, May had seen him about ready to collapse from the sheer wonder of why Misty was going to such lengths to find out everything to do with what was going on, and the Hoenn girl had taken a hold of him and pulled him into nearest broom-cupboard, using one of the many "Do not disturb" signs that Brock and Max had made to hang on the door outside, intent on having a little, uninterrupted chat with him.

"Hey. . . ! What the - May? Why did you drag me in here. . . ?" Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously as he looked around, although it wasn't like he could really see anything. Most of those things didn't come equipped with light switches, after all. "Uhm, do you really think this is the best time for us to be, I don't know, causing this kind of misunderstanding. . . ? Because, uh, if Brock finds us in here, I just know he's gonna make something really big of it, not to mention what Misty might just be capable of. . ."

"Yea, about Misty. . . Aren't you curious about why she's here?" May asked, and Ash could just barely see her leaning towards him in a determined sort of way.

"Uh. . ." He backed away from her, now slightly terrified of what she was capable of. "Well, yea, but she already explained how she got here, and she's told me a million times why, so I know that if I keep asking her, she'll only get annoyed. . . and an annoyed Misty is never a good thing and, well. . . I'm really not in the mood for her trying to kill me, or you, so. . ."

"Ash!" May shrieked, and Ash almost jumped, gulping, and he shushed her as he thought he heard someone from outside the door. "Don't tell me to be quiet; we need to clear up exactly why Misty would come all this way just to -- mpphh --!" And Ash took a more physical approach and near-jumped her, placing a hand over her mouth.

"Sh!" He said in the uncomfortable silence of them sitting like that, with her half in his arms, her back being forced against the rim of a bucket that smelt distinctly - awfully - like amonia, her attempting to fight him off so that she could then maybe-possibly kill him. . . And then he backed away from her as though there had been nothing going on to begin with, and not as though she had been on fire, not as though there was tension, as though he was nervous; but simply as though he had realized there was nothing to worry about. "So, what was all of that about. . . ?"

". . . Hold on. . . C - couldn't. . . breathe. . . Need to c - catch. . . up. . ." May gasped, waving a frantic hand around, again, that Ash could barely see. When she was finally able to work her lungs willingly again, she had also regained a sense of calm so that she didn't feel like kicking him, and she continued, "I know you've been wondering about why Misty's so intent on going to see the fortuneteller, Ash."

"Well, yea. . ." He shrugged.

"And, well, since you're you, I know that you'd easily believe that cock - and - bull story she's feeding about 'testing a theory'. . ." And here, May allowed a distinct roll of her eyes that, even in the almost - pitch, black darkness, Ash was able to catch.

"Wait, what? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He said, sounding insulted.

"Ugh, listen, Ash, the point is. . ." And here, May leaned in, gripping him by the shoulders before he was able to start yelling any louder, because, if he did, he would end up drawing even more attention to their little hiding spot, ". . . Think about it! So what if she had a theory? There's got to be more to it than that! Misty found out from Brock about that fortuneteller and her opinion about, you know. . . us, and she was so upset about it that she freaked out long and loud enough for her Psyduck to grasp enough of a headache to be able to use Teleport! She came all this way, and then, and I'm not exactly sure whether I'm more pleased with her or scared, she didn't mind tearing you to pieces because she considered you a two-timer! And she wanted to kill me for, seemingly, no reason at all, and then said that she was just trying to freak me out a little? What sense does it make?" May waited for Ash to blink, as though he was coming to comprehend the oddity of it all. "Ash, are you getting it. . . ?"

"I . . . I think I am, actually. . ." And, indeed, his eyes were widening as though something had just slid into place, "Oh, my God, May. . . Misty, she's. . . She's insane! I - I always wondered, and now I know for sure!"

"Oh, Ash! You're such an. . . idiot!" And May dropped his shoulders so that he hit the ground and she went back to her spot, "Think about it again, and without the too-too violent tendencies, please." She looked at him, and he looked back and then nodded again, sighed, closed his eyes, paced himself, as though trying to clear his mind, "First of all, you get to Sootopolis with your group of friends and head to the mall to stock up on supplies. . . There, after a little fun-time window shopping, you find yourself the target of the fortuneteller's evil scheme."

"Wait, wait. . ." Ash blinked and the picture that had printed itself so firmly into his mind faded instantly, "Window shopping? You call what you did window shopping? And what evil scheme? Who was the target? You're the one who led us all over there!" He scoffed, although he had to admit, May's version of events was pretty interesting, "Listen, if you're gonna tell the story, do it right!"

"Okay, okay. . ." She sighed here too, as though knowing it was going to dull the order of events, "Well, anyway, yea, after the fortuneteller chews out your oldest friend for being a romantic - psychic - paranormal stick-in-the-mud, she turns to you and says that you're destined to be with one of your other friends; the cutest, sweetest, kindest one of the bunch, whose got the greatest sense of style and comes from a nice family and has lots of class and --" Again, and this time with a humorous smile on his face, Ash interrupted her.

"-- And modest; don't forget modest. Uhm, May, a - are you sure of who you're talking about?" He asked, pointing at her. She glared and stuck her tongue out at him, but he could barely tell.

"Anyway, yea, of course, you're shocked, because, although she's clearly the most attractive, beautiful, wonderful girl in the world, you just don't feel that way for her, and, though you're a great guy, she doesn't feel that way for you, either. And thus, you have your first problem. Then, almost immediately, you have four more."

"Wait. . ." Ash blinked again, although, contrary to what he was planning on in the beginning, he wasn't going to comment on May's beginning statement. Rather, "four more problems. . . Don't you mean three? I mean, there's Brock, there's Max. . . And then there's Misty. Drew's not a problem, though, is he?" And then a small grin flitted across his face, "Or is he. . . ?"

May turned red again, sputtered, and then waved another hand in front of her face.

"Right, right; of course, you're absolutely right! There are only three problems! What was I thinking? Anyway. . ." And she regained that mysterious 'story-teller' air about her and continued once again, ". . . You tell the fortuneteller that there's no chance that you and your friend will ever be more than just that; friends, but she warns you that, unless you change your mind, something awful may happen, yet you ignore her and return to the Center, where you meet up with. . . uh. . ." Ash looked at May now, quirking an eyebrow, that small grin still on his face, "Oh, alright, fine! Problem number three! Yes, yes, I'm talking about Drew! Drew, Drew, Drew!" Her face was red from a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Ash remained where he sat, although the smile on his face widened to one that was almost out of malice, "Good for you, May; at least you've admitted that you've got a problem."

"It is not a problem! Now let me continue the story!" And she went on. "Problem number three, while both arrogant and rude, manages to maintain a large fan club. . . Stupid, idiotic, girly fan club. . . I'll show those little. . ." Ash cleared his throat and then slapped his hand against the floor and May snapped out of a weird jealous-like trance, laughed, and got back to what she'd been saying, "And, in the middle of a dispute with your destined friend, manages to. . . er. . ." And here, May broke off and turned red again, looked away, whistled, and then said in a strange, far away tone, "'Mars is bright tonight.'"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. . ." Ash muttered, rolling his eyes, aware that May was trying to distract him, "Just admit it, already, May! You've got a crush on Drew! Woohoo! You wanna know something! I've been in love with Misty for - what's it been now? - over a year! I think it's just natural to fall for someone you'd least expect. Remember? Misty's insane. And you just got done saying Drew's arrogant, which we all know. . . The next thing we'll be seeing is Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy having a grudge match over Brock in the pig pen." Ash shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just face it; that's reality for us, and it's unbelievable, but that's all in the eyes of the beholder, and, well, I'm a guy who carries a foot-tall, yellow rat on his shoulder that shoots out electric attacks at will, and I can understand everything it says!"

". . . Fine." She sighed again, then continued, "In the middle of a dispute with your destined friend, problem number three, manages to gain her as another, er, crushee? Yay for her. . . right? And later on that night problem number two calls up what becomes problem number four and tells her of the events, unbeknownst to everyone else, and she freaks all of us out next day by showing up out of the blue and trying to kill your destined, cute, adorable, best-dressed friend. . ."

"You tell, uh, 'problem number four' that, and I don't think that you'll be helping your case, at least, not when you say it that way. . ." Ash commented.

"What, don't you agree with me?" She asked him.

"Well, I mean, it's not that I don't. . . It's just that. . . I mean, with Misty, it's, well, she's. . ."

"Awe, Ash, that's the sweetest thing!"

"It. . . is? Since when? 'Cause I'm gonna have to remember it, or write it down or something!" He said, and actually began rummaging through his pockets for a pencil and some paper to take it down with.

"No, not the actual comment, but just the fact that, since you're so in love with Misty, no other girl looks nearly as beautiful as her! Awe, that's just so cute! It doesn't even matter to you that she wears her hair in a side-ponytail that's out of style, or that, for three years, she walked around in suspenders, or that she wears orange tennis shoes!" May cooed as she reached her feet and moreover began hopping up and down on the spot to show just how romantic she thought that was of him.

"Oh, well. . ." Ash was sure she could feel the brilliant glow his face was giving off. "Uhm, it's not. . . I never said it was about the way she looked anyway. . . Oh, damnit! Now I can't stop it. . ." And he took his hat off his head and placed it over his face and seemed to be hoping that it wouldn't burst into flames.

"Well, anyway, let's finish this up real quick. . . before we have to go. . . Everyone's probably worried about where we disappeared to." May said, dusting herself off, "Misty came all this way after she left you to go watch her gym in Cerulean all that time ago. The only thing that made her come back other than that invite to the Togepi convention, which, of course, turned out to be a total bomb, was when you were told that you could have a chance at an everlasting romantic relationship with another girl. . . And she made it here in the blink of an eye when she found out about it, as though she flew, like her life depended on it or something. . . And you think all of that was just to test some theory." Ash just sat there and stared at May for a few seconds and then, huffing, May turned her back on him again, "C'mon, Ash, even you're smarter than that."

"May. . ." The raven-haired trainer said, also getting to his feet, "Look, maybe there is more to it than that. . . but if she's not willing to tell me, then I'm not gonna push it. . . It's Misty, remember? She tried to kill us just this morning? She could be psycho."

"Hey, you're the one whose in love with her." May shrugged as Ash went to open the door, and then the knob was turned and all was silent because. . . well. . . a very irate Misty stood before them, and she looked like she'd been waiting for their reentry into the main part of the Center for quite awhile, at least, from what they could tell of the fiery aura that surrounded her.

It was at this point that Ash and May took in their situation. May's hair was tousled pretty badly from when Ash had pressed her backwards, holding her mouth shut when he thought he'd heard someone outside the door (know he knew he'd been right), and his jacket-vest was hanging over one of his shoulders from when May had been gripping him, trying to force him to realize just what Misty was doing there. And then there was just the setting. A broom-cupboard, after the two had been told they were basically destined to be together, and there was a sign hanging from the door that said 'Do not disturb'. . .

God, they were so doomed.

And Misty seemed to know that as well, as her eyes were twitching in a horrible, evil way as though she were trying to control her impulses, and the fire that was radiating around her was so vibrant it was a wonder that they weren't burned alive, and she had obviously misinterpreted what had just gone on between them as they had known she would misinterpret it.

Oh, and it got worse.

Brock just happened to amble by at that point, whistling carelessly as he made his way to the front of the Center, figuring everyone would be ready to leave for the mall, and then he saw that two of the group were basically being cornered.

"Oh, hey, guys; what's going on?" Only, as he was the oldest, he too took a moment to let his eyes rove over the incriminating evidence. "Are you all ready to. . ." And then his brow rose in shock, and, strangely enough, a weird, perverted grin fitted itself to his face, "Like rabbits, you two! Couldn't you even wait until Misty was gone to get down to your business? I swear, kids today. . . And Ash, what would your mother think? Oh, wait. . ." For Misty had turned on him in an instant and her fury had reached its peak, lashing out at the closest source of annoyance she could find. "No, wait, Misty, you don't understand. . . I - I was just, you know, kidding around. . ."

Her mallet, the upgraded one with the bent nails, was out in a flash, and Brock was on the run; the chase was on.

Of course, Brock ended up surviving, which, if you looked at it the right way, could have been surmised as a good thing. How else were Ash and everyone going to gorge out on the best food when camping out on the road, when they should be eating cold-canned beans every night? Who else would've brought humor to their every Pokemon Center visit, if not for their Breeder friend's antics with Nurse Joy? Not to mention, Max needed a hobby that wasn't supplied by his PokeNav, and pulling Brock away from the girls whenever he got out of hand was about as good as it got since he still hadn't gotten a chance to return to Littleroot Town and attain his Trainer's License.

Ash and May had explained to Misty about the, er, incident in the broom-cupboard, about how there had been only an extensive amount of talking done, and nothing more, although neither was sure that she believed them, as she seemed to be refraining from talking to them. This, Ash had decided, was an even worse revenge tactic than her yelling continuously in fury. . .

And then, the group of six had picked up their Pokemon from the front desk, not wanting to leave anymore time for mistakes and inconveniences among one another (May could only sigh in gratefulness that Drew didn't find out about the broom-cupboard), and had headed to the Sootopolis mall to find out their alternating futures with one another. . . of course, as it was Misty's idea, it was also on her tab.

And that was where they were now, just inside the main entrance to the shopping center, standing almost stiffly to the side to avoid getting in the other purchasers' ways. Ash couldn't help glancing at Misty at least once, wondering why she wasn't ushering the rest of them straight for the fortuneteller. Was she waiting for him, or one of the others, to guide her to the woman? Was that all it was. . . ?

His brow furrowed. No; that couldn't have been it. . . because he could see it now. Her knees actually looked as though they were trembling, and she was clenching her fists, though it was in a different way than before, when she was angry; it was more like she was trying to reassure herself. . . But what about?

"Er, Myst? It's this way." He said, and pointed towards the long, wide hall of stores. He could already see a large crowd gathered around the same area they'd been at yesterday, and the memory of what he'd heard, what he'd learned, resurfaced. . . and then he too began to wonder, began to almost fear, just what he'd be hearing today as well.

"Well, then, let's go." Misty said, and she smiled at Ash as though trying to convince him that she didn't have a care in the world and threw a secure fist into the air and began walking towards the crowd of people, "I wanna know just how good this lady is, just what she's capable of. . . !" But she gulped; she was scared.

She approached the table, scattering the congregation, which began to mutter almost excitedly, as some of the people recognized Ash and May from the day before. This didn't seem to help Misty's attitude, nor did the fortuneteller's response to the large group filing out before her little place of residence.

"You've returned sooner than I'd expected. . ." She actually smiled at them all in a cloudy sort of way, as though trying to interpret their motives, however she needn't wait long to find out just why they were there. . .

"I asked for their. . . er. . . support! And I want your opinion, you could say!" Misty said, and she slammed her hand down onto the table. At first, the others thought that it was out of anger, as though she was just trying to make a point, but then, when she removed her fist again, Ash saw that there was a fifty dollar bill there, "You charge ten dollars per person, right? Well, I'll pay fifty if you can tell my specifically, just how a romantic relationship would go between me and him," and at this point, she nodded towards Ash, who decided that the ceiling was suddenly a very interesting thing, "and those two," then she pointed out Drew and May, who blushed in unison and turned away from each other.

"Hn," the woman was frowning now, especially at Misty, as though this was something she hadn't counted on. Nevertheless, she accepted the money, nodding in an almost shy, exceptionally calm, sort of way, and beckoned them all closer. "You realize that I must state your season before I describe exactly why your loves are hopeless, otherwise you might not understand. . . Is that alright with you?"

Misty didn't move for a moment. She seemed to be thinking over the woman's statement, as though sure she had heard incorrectly. 'Hopeless?' That wasn't the word she had been going for. . . And the woman had used the word in plural. . . Did that mean that May and Drew were in love with each other, or that May did love Drew, even if it wasn't requited? But that wasn't the point of the fortuneteller's question. She turned to face Ash and May, not sure what stating her season had to do with anything, and they nodded their ascent, although they were looking just as unhappy as her at the pre-news.

"Fine. . ." But she was still afraid. ". . . But," she glanced at Drew and they exchanged a silent word, "could you go first?"

It was May's turn to be hesitant, considering Drew's comment from the afternoon before.

"Only those who aren't confident about themselves would resort to such means. . . And that means that I would never do that on my own." Those were his words, so how would Misty's fear of the fortuneteller's biting tone, her fear of 'destiny', make it any different for him? And not only that, but May was also just a bit frightened for the 'them' that was included in this. They were losing something in this, too; maybe it wasn't as much as Ash and Misty, since she knew that, even though she might have gotten there one day, she wasn't in love with Drew just yet, but. . . She clutched anxiously at the hem of her shirt as she waited for Drew's reply. Surely, he'd deny the offer; surely, he'd be just as worried about what was coming, he'd want to prolong the wonderful naivety they were capable of before learning how they weren't meant to be, how they weren't even compatible in the least. . .

. . . But. . .

". . . Sure, yea." He shrugged, his hands in his pockets, as though he couldn't care less, and her eyes widened as he stepped forward even more, leaving her behind.

May tried to look at that another way. Drew was being courageous. Yes; that was it. So, even if his other main qualities were different from hers, his sharing that one thing with Ash put them on the same plateau, meaning that he and she. . . they had to be somewhat in tune with each other. . . Right? She tried to focus on Misty regaining her spot alongside Ash, Brock, and the others, but as soon as the fortuneteller had begun speaking about Drew, her head snapped back in the direction of his stance, and she couldn't look away. . . She had to know.

"You are Winter." The woman said with only the simplest glance at Drew, who didn't even nod. Maybe he already knew from when he'd been there the day before, when he'd been learning about his lack of a future with that other girl, and the woman was saying all of this for everyone else's benefit, although, if that was the case, May had yet to learn why. "You are a facet of white, as is your name, a safety-net or security-blanket. . ." May was shocked by this news, and she could tell that her finding this out, not to mention everyone else finally becoming aware of it, was something of a discomfort to Drew, "Because of this, you are a very difficult person to reach, and you have few that you can call your friends. Nevertheless, you are also vigilant to those who trust in you, and you're wise." The woman took a deep breath, turned her gaze to Misty, and nodded as though pointing out that she was going to move on to the appointed topic, "However. . . you can't force those two very separate molds together. . ." And her sights reached May.

"No. . . No! Tell me why!" The Hoenn girl said, and she stomped forward, too, taking up the spot beside Drew, who looked suddenly shell-shocked and moved a little farther to the right to give her some space to vent. "Be more specific when you're going to say that something's so pointless to pursue!"

"My dear," the woman did indeed look sympathetic, much more than she had for Misty, and maybe that was because she had taken a liking to May's character the day before, when she'd shown up with Ash, someone who was such a perfect match for her, "you have to understand. Just think about what I told you. What are you exactly? What did I say you were yesterday?"

"Er. . ." May blinked in confusion, stepped back, unsure, and then her eyes widened; Brock's and Max's did as well, but theirs were the only ones to do so. Ash wasn't smart enough to understand, and Misty and Drew's retelling's of the story about what had happened at the mall the day before hadn't extended so far as for them to get it right away, "B - but. . . you can't mean that it's that literal. . . No. . ." She looked quite close to tears.

"I'm apologetic that the repercussions aren't to your fortunality, but that's sometimes the case, isn't it, in this business?" The fortuneteller gave a wry grin, and then, as Ash, Drew, and Misty were still looking quite perplexed, she sighed and began to explain, "The girl, May, is a Spring, and the boy, Drew, is a Winter. . . All Springs and Winters clash for the simple explanation that. . . Spring is the season of life, while Winter is the season of death." The woman turned her gaze back to May and Drew as everyone's eyes widened in near-horror at the news, ". . . In other words, everything you will bring to fruit, everything you will bring to life. . . He will most likely undoubtedly be the death of it, as Winter is to Spring."

No one seemed to know how quite to react to this. Max and Brock were looking every part the nonchalant spectators, albeit somehow disappointed for May's sake, and Ash had a distinct frown on his face at the depressing note of it all. . . Misty was biting her lip, and her hands were behind her back, where she was twisting at the hem of her shirt again in great nervousness. . . If this was how bad May and Drew's future was going to be, after all, when they weren't even in love yet, then just what could she expect. . . ? And then May did something that none of them knew how to react to.

"Ah. . . hah, hah, hah, hah!" She laughed almost embarrassedly, her face flushed ever so slightly as one of her arms shot behind her head and she sweatdropped. She stood back a bit, almost as though just realizing that she'd been glaring and looking so remarkably fierce. She looked like she'd returned to her normal self, "O - oh, well! I guess t - that you can't have, you know, everything that y - you want!"

And Drew shrugged again as well, knowing that, even if May was faking this reaction, it wasn't the best time to reprimand her for it either way. . . And Misty took their places, stepping up to the table in a slightly shaky way. But her jaw was set.

". . . Well, then, I guess it's my turn."

OoO

Notes - Okee, I have to say. . . I'd thought of about three different ways to end this chapter, and I had to go with this one. I was going to go all the way through to Ash and Misty agreeing to go on a date, and May and Drew doing the same, but, well, look how long this thing is already, right? And then I was going to shorten it to the part where everyone learns how incompatible Ash and Misty are, and Misty runs off, but, still, that was going to be a while too long, so then I decided to cut it to this length. . . Sorry, but you'll all have to live with it.

That brings me to another topic. . . Eh; I'd thought that this fic would be around five or six chapters, but, well, now I don't think that's going to happen. At all. It'll probably be seven, or eight. I'm hoping it won't be more than seven, though. Oh, well; I'll have more information, hopefully, by the time I'm finished writing the next chapter or two. You'll all have to stay tuned until then, alright?

Uhm, also, lesse. . . Thanks for the reviews! I lurve getting reviews! Gods, they are my favorite part of the. . . er. . . week, I suppose, since I only get to the library to read them once a week. . . Heh. But they are my favorite time. Yep. That's why, when I can afford to, I try to update more than one fic at a time; so that I can have about two pages of nothing but review - alerts sent to my email box when next I go to the library to check up on my emails. It's something wonderful, too, that they're always such great, praising comments! You guys are so kind to me, if a little easily impressed. . . My fics aren't that good. . .

Please review this time around as well, so that I'll feel more inclined to update!