New Chapter up. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 8
May was sitting in a nice, cosy café in Goldenrod City with a terrific view of The Radio Tower. As she was looking out on the terrain, she was playing with the contest ribbons she held in her pocket. She had 2 so far and now was only three away from the opportunity to compete and win the Johto Grand Festival. She was imagining herself winning with a trophy in her hand in a beautiful dress. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even realise a red headed girl approach her and sat across from her.
The girl cleared her throat and May startled and eventually turned to face the person who now was in her company. She was a pretty, young girl with long red hair, and she wore a yellow dress. She was looking at May with a wide smile. She seemed familiar to the young co-ordinator
'She must be involved in Contests in some way if she's here at this time of year, or maybe she's just a fan. Wait a fan! She had fans?'
"Hi May, long time no see." The girl chimed across the table.
"Oh... hi." May replied hoping her voice didn't betray her uncertainty as to who the girl is.
"You don't remember me, do you?" The girl asked her face turning into a frown.
Now that she really thought about it, this girl looked very familiar. There was a moment of awkward silence as may searched through her memory to recall who this was.
"Brianna, is that you?" May squealed shocked.
The girls face perked up into a smile again and she began to laugh.
"Yes, it's me, been too long hasn't it May?" Brianna had really changed over the years.
"Yes, it has considering I didn't recognise you." May laughed. "Look at you, you're so grown up!"
"Yep I'm all mature and fully focused now, I even have three Contest Ribbons so far." Brianna said with a wink.
"What? You have three? I only have two!" May cried. "I have to catch up to you, and I'll do it right here in the Goldenrod Contest!"
May's voice changed from panic to determination as she raised her hand into a fist with a confident smile to match.
"I wouldn't count on it if I were you," Brianna dismissed, wagging her finger. "There's a lot of strong co-ordinators here. Me, of course, and Drew's here too."
"Oh, so you know Drew is here too, do you?" May smirked. "Do you still have that big crush on him?"
"Uhhhhh, I guess you can say that." Brianna answered, her face flushing red. She then gained a smirk of her own. "Do you still have that big crush on Ash?"
This time it was May's turn to blush.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She muttered, touching the tips of her fingers against each other.
"Yeah, sure." Brianna laughed. "Have you spoken to Drew much since you got to Johto?"
"Not really, I seen him at the contest in Azalea Town, he seemed like his usual self. Other than that, I haven't really seen him." May admitted.
"Oh, that contest was a while ago, I thought he might have told you by now if you saw him." Brianna added, she looked to be getting slightly awkward.
"Told me what?" May asked curiously.
"Well me and Drew are actually going out now." Brianna told the co-ordinator she looked up to.
"Oh, wow really?" May was shocked at this information. She knew that Brianna a big crush of Drew back during her first trip through Hoenn, but she always assumed it was just admiration more than anything, especially considering she was quite young at the time. Processing those emotions can be very tricky, as May knows very well.
"I'm so happy for you guys." May told her fellow co-ordinator. She reached across the table to give her friend a hug. "You've achieved one of your dreams but I'm afraid you won't get your other one of winning the Grand Festival."
"You keep dreaming that." Brianna laughed. "If I can be honest with you May, I'm surprised you're taking this so well. I mean I heard you always preferred Ash, but I still thought you had something for Drew, especially when I saw you two talk all those years ago."
May simply shook her head with a smile.
"I always thought of Drew as a friend, and a good one at that, but there were no stronger feelings than that."
"He's a great person and I'm so happy with him." Brianna beamed with every word she spoke. "Well I should get going, it was great seeing you again and I'll see you in the contest."
With that, Brianna stood up and left as May waved her goodbye.
Shortly Before the Start of the Contest:
May was checking her hair one final time before the appeal round of the contest began when she saw a familiar figure walking towards her in the reflective surface.
"Well well, look who it is." Her rival remarked with a confident smirk.
"Well well yourself." May replied with a smile as she turned to look in the emerald eyes of Drew.
"It's a pleasure to see you again May, I've been holding onto this for you?" Drew smoothly pulled a rose out from the inside pocket of his jacket and held it out to May.
"Should you really be handing out roses now that you have a girlfriend?" May teased but she nonetheless took the rose.
"Brianna did mention she ran into you yesterday, saved me the awkward explanation." Drew said as he flicked a lock of his green hair.
"Why would it be awkward?" May inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"No reason." Drew answered with a wink.
May stared at Drew curiously wondering what he was talking about. She was snapped from her thoughts when the first name was called to the stage to start the appeal rounds.
"Well I better go get ready." Drew mentioned as he stretched. "I'll talk to you later May, good luck you'll need it."
"You too, because I'm going to win this." May retorted.
"He he he, how wrong you are, my darling May. Both of you are destined to be on the losing side of this affair."
May turned to face the voice and as spotting who it was let out a sound of disgust. The person she was facing was a very tall young man with long lavender hair and was dressed in a Cacturne outfit.
"Now, now May, when you react like that when you first see me again, I'm going to start believing that you don't like me." Harley chimed.
"It's just instinct at this stage." May replied while rolling her eyes.
"Aw but May I have changed for the better I promise you." Harley protested with a frown.
"I've fallen for this act before just stay away from me Harley okay?" May warned.
"You'll regret the way you treat me someday May. You'll be put in the place you belong, beneath the rest of us as the scum you are." Harley spoke calmly but May could sense the spite and danger in his voice. Harley walked away leaving the Petalburg co-ordinator on her own. She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath.
"Why can't I have normal rivals?"
The Next Day, Semi-finals of the Contest:
May couldn't believe it, she was sure she would win this contest, but she somehow lost to that damn Harley. She made too many mistakes she knows she did. She was playing back over the events of the battle in her head.
'I could've said dodge there, then I should've attacked, I could have won! All such simple errors.' The image of Harley's smug, smiling face will haunt her sleep for weeks.
She was still rueing her mistake when she rounded the corner and saw Drew and Brianna seemingly having a serious conversation. They were facing against each other in the other semi-final, it still seems weird they're having what looks like a serious conversation right before they battle. May didn't want to interrupt but she also didn't want to be nosy and pry into their relationship by eavesdropping.
'Who am I kidding? Of course, I do.' With this thought she jumped back behind the corner and began listening as closely as she could.
"I'm just not sure about this Drew." Brianna was saying. "It doesn't seem right."
"Just trust me, it's really doing no harm." Drew placed both his hands-on Brianna's shoulders. "Look, after this you'll still have three ribbons and I'll have just got my third. No one else in the Hoenn circuit has that many we'll be ahead of everyone."
"Yeah but intentionally losing? It's cheating and if we're caught, we'll be disqualified from not just this contest from the whole circuit!"
'Intentionally losing? No there's no way.' May was shocked at the sheer idea of it.
"It's not really cheating cause it's not guaranteeing I'll win." Drew explained. "When I beat you, I still have to go through Harley and he's not an easy opponent. It's really just a boost."
"I still don't know Drew." Brianna's indecisiveness was eating her up.
"Don't you love me?" Drew placed his hand underneath Brianna's chin and tilted her head up so that they made eye contact. "I thought we promised we'd do anything for each other, or did you not mean that? Were you lying to me? Because I can't be in a relationship with someone who lies, it's unhealthy."
"No." Brianna shouted, shaking he head vigorously, tears in the corners of her eyes. "I'll do it. I'll do it for you. I love you."
A smile crept across Drew's face.
"I knew you were the one for me, you're the best, I love you too." Drew kissed Brianna softly on the lips.
They broke away once they heard the announcement of their names to come to the stage. As soon as they disappeared behind the curtains, May collapsed to the floor and started taking heavy breaths. She hadn't even noticed she stopped breathing; she was so enamoured in the conversation. She was left reeling.
May stayed where she was seated, staring at the wall opposite her lost in thought. She just watched Drew convince Brianna to throw the contest battle. Why would he do that? It's not like Drew to do something like that. He always was too honest for something like that. Why would he do that? It's not like he lacks confidence or anything, he doesn't doubt his abilities. How could he even ask Brianna to do such a thing? He just said he loved her but someone who loves a person wouldn't ask such a thing. Why would Brianna agree? May had so many questions. She lost track of how long she was there sat there for.
She was snapped from her trance by the sound of raucous applause from the stage area. The winner of the battle must have been announced, she had no doubt about who it was. Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard the two emerge from the curtains once again.
"Thank you so much Brianna, no one suspects a thing." Drew said smugly. "After I beat that weirdo Harley we'll be on the same number of ribbons."
"I'd do anything for you Drew." Brianna's words seemed meaningful, but they were said with a sad tone. "I better go, good luck in the final I know you'll win."
"I love you too and thanks again." Drew shouted at her retreating back as a sly smile crossed his face.
Brianna rushed past where May was sitting, she didn't even notice her there as she walked outside the nearby doors. By just glancing at the younger girl's face, May could tell that she regretted it.
May had enough, she couldn't let this slide. She had to confront him. She finally stood up and remained there with her back against the wall for another moment, sorting through their thoughts. May steeled herself, turned the corner and walked towards her first rival. The emerald haired boy caught sight of her as she approached him.
"Well hello May, what gives me the pleasure of seeing you?"
"Trust me this won't be pleasurable; all you deserve is pain!" May spat at him, she was inches away from his face, her hands shaking, she was so angry that someone she considered a friend was taking advantage of another friend.
"Hey, calm down what's wrong?" Drew asked, taking a step back in shock from the anger exuding from May.
"What's wrong?!" May yelled. "You made Brianna lose on purpose just so you could win easily! You cheated!"
"What makes you think that?" Drew asked feigning innocence.
"I heard you two talk about it before your match." May explained.
"I see," Drew replied, he knew that he was caught out, so he decided to drop the facade. "Look, it does no harm. Brianna already has three ribbons and after I beat Harley, I'll have three. We'll be on even footing and be able to go forward together stride for stride."
"But what if you lose? Then you're just putting both you and Brianna at risk for no reward." May protested.
"I will win don't worry." Drew smirked while flicking his hair out of his eyes. "There's no way I can lose to that freak."
"How could you even consider asking her?" May shook her head. "How can you ask someone you love to sacrifice something important to her in order to advance your own goals?"
"She's not sacrificing anything. There is loads more contests left on the circuit, she'll definitely win two more." Drew rolled his eyes.
"She sacrificed her chance at this ribbon and her integrity as a co-ordinator." May's anger had completely overcome her at this point. "She done it all for you. Let me ask you Drew, if she asked you to let her win a battle against you, would you have agreed?"
Drew opened his mouth to answer but then closed it again. His silence spoke more than his words ever could have.
"That's what I thought." May whispered knowingly. "She loves you more than you love her, it's not even that. She has immeasurable devotion towards you."
"Why do you keep talking about love, this has nothing to with it." Drew was starting to get annoyed with his rival.
"What? I heard you tell her you loved her." May replied in awe at Drew's words.
"May those are just words they don't have to mean anything." Drew shook his head laughing. "I make her happy by being with her and she makes me happy by doing things like this for me. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. Telling her I love her keeps her happy and isn't her happiness most important?"
May was shocked to her core. She called this person a friend. Her first rival, an important person in her life. This isn't the person she thought she knew he was ugly inside.
"You manipulative piece of shit." May spoke through her gritted teeth.
"Hey, calm down May come on," Drew reached into the pocket of his jacket. "Here have this." He pulled a blood red rose and handed it to may.
May held it in her hand and stared at it for a few seconds. She then crumpled it in her hands and threw it at Drew, hitting him in the chest.
"Your stupid tricks don't work anymore Drew." She screamed at him. "Is the only reason you even became friends with me in the first place was because you wanted to do the same to me that you did to Brianna?"
"Not exactly," Drew remarked. "You are like my endgame; it takes more work to win you over."
This was the final straw for May, she drew back her hand and slapped Drew across the face.
"I'm going to find Brianna right now and expose you as the scum you are. I don't ever want to see your face again." Once she finished her sentence she walked away towards the doors.
Drew stood shocked with his hand holding the cheek slapped by his rival. He began to feel anger rising within him. How dare she lay a hand on him! He was about to run after her but thought better of it. His reputation was already at risk. He thought the best course of action was to just treat this as no big deal.
"Go ahead and tell her May." He laughed. "See if she believes you. Like you said, she's completely devoted to me."
May ignored him and walked through the doors of the contest stadium, she walked for a few more feet and then stopped and leaned against a tree. She breathed heavily as some as her anger subsided to allow sorrow to replace it. Poor, poor Brianna.
"How am I going to tell her?" May pondered aloud.
After a few moments she stepped away from the tree and made her way towards where she thought the young co-ordinator could be.
Hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review with your thoughts. Stay safe!
