Chapter Three: Fallarbor Town– In which Drew makes plans, meets a new friend, May and Drew compete in her second contest, and things start to change.

Author's notes:
- Based on the episodes, "Pros and Con Artists" and "Come What May!"
- Fallarbor Town was always my favorite in the original Ruby and Sapphire and ORAS. I loved the concept of a town living in the shadow of a volcano and full of fossils and meteors. Also, the music on Route 113 was and still is my favorite song in any Pokémon game, ever.


Drew's plan for the rest of the contest year was simple.

It was four months into the circuit; he only needed two more ribbons, and he had eight months to get them. He planned to earn them quickly, as in, within the next two months quickly. Then he'd have an entire half of the year to prepare himself for the Grand Festival. He'd spend every second of that time wisely, studying and attending contests, working with his team and creating combinations and strategies that would solidify his place among the best coordinators in the world.

It was foolproof.

He could picture it: he'd earn his title before Solidad earned hers, not that it was ever a goal he'd thought of before. But he could dream about it; the coordinator who'd served as his mentor more than his own parents did… He could just imagine how proud of him she'd be.

The trip to Fallarbor town was relatively painless; it only took him four days to arrive. It would have taken him three, but he got a little preoccupied. While crossing the desert, he came across a very strong-willed Vibrava defending a particular cactus from other Vibravas. While the other Vibrava stuck together, this one stayed solo. It reminded him of himself in a way.

He'd watched it closely all morning, gaining more and more interest as the minutes went by. He'd done a quick search on his PokéNav for more information, and when he'd realized the final form of Vibrava was a Flygon, a Pokémon he'd always admired, he knew he had to have it.

The Vibrava didn't pay too much attention to him when he'd first emerged from his hiding place. Only when he called out to it did the Pokémon acknowledge him, with a hiss and a glare, but that was all Drew was granted. The Vibrava then turned his head and continued to ignore him.

This was definitely his type of Pokémon.

"Hey, Vibrava, how bout a battle?" Drew smirked, and flicked his hair.

The Vibrava blinked a few times, then slowly stretched its back out a bit, floated onto the ground and expanded its wings out, taking an offensive stance. It seemed totally uninterested in Drew, so he'd have to make sure this Vibrava knew he was a someone worth taking seriously.

"Roselia, let's go!"

His trusty partner took her stance, glaring down the Vibrava before her.

A perfect match up: a grass type vs. a ground-dragon type. Did he have the type advantage? Definitely. But even if he did't have the upper hand, it didn't matter; he had faith in Roselia. She had proved more times than once that her strength was enough to disregard any type advantage or disadvantage every now and then.

The Vibrava didn't give him any time to make the first move; it whipped up a powerful sandstorm and Drew lost sight of his Roselia. His arms moved to shield his eyes from the flying grains of sand, and he was already impressed by this wild Vibrava's aggression.

He heard his Roselia cry out, and his starter was sent flying out of the sand tornado by what he assumed had been a sand attack.

"You're okay, Roselia, we can win this!" he called down to her.

She nodded, and stood back up, awaiting orders.

"Let's take care of this sandstorm! Use petal dance and once you see Vibrava, follow up with magical leaf!"

Roselia shot out a glorious storm of petals that quickly diffused the raging sandstorm and returning the battlefield to stillness. There hovered the Vibrava out in the open, clearly confused as to how it was possible.

While the Vibrava was distracted, Roselia's combination magical leaf hit its mark. Vibrava took some major damage, but forced itself back up into the air and fired off a desperate dragon breath. Drew raised his eyebrows and smirked. Yeah, he definitely wanted this Pokémon.

"Roselia, counter it with a solar beam!"

She almost instantly charged up the energy she needed, and shot off the beam that dispelled the incoming dragon breath and was a critical hit on Vibrava.

It whined as it crashed down onto the ground again, twitching and trying its hardest to rise again. It just couldn't. Two direct hits from type advantage attacks, one of which was the most powerful grass move around, was too much.

Drew took the chance; he lobbed an empty Pokéball at the exhausted Vibrava, who disappeared inside the sphere with a flash of red light. Drew held his breath as the ball wiggled three times, and exhaled when it stilled. The Vibrava was locked inside, and it was his.

"Great job, Roselia," he remarked as he bent down to pick up the Pokéball.

He was more than pleased his newest catch, but there was a thought in the back of his mind he just couldn't get rid of.

First thing was first; he and Roselia made their way out of the out of the desert. Down the route, he found a small lake to sit by and relax for a little bit. It was time for his Pokémon to eat, and he was hungry, too.

First he withdrew his Masquerain, and set him and his Roselia up with their own bowls of the top notch breeder food he'd bought at an organic market in Slateport City.

Next, Drew released his Vibrava, who seemed startled. It landed on the ground, still a little too weak to fly, he assumed. It looked around frantically before spotting Drew standing before him. It hissed again and took a few shaky steps back.

"Hey, it's alright, you can calm down," Drew said calmly, raising his hands to show the Vibrava that the battle was over and he meant the Pokémon no harm.

Vibrava stopped backing away and looked at Drew intensely. He was waiting for an explanation.

"You're a lot like me, Vibrava," Drew admitted, taking a seat on the ground next to his Roselia and Masquerain. "I used to like being on my own, too. I didn't want anyone telling me what to do or where to go. But then I met Roselia, here."

Roselia smiled at Vibrava, who eyed her skeptically, and then focused back on Drew.

"And we became friends and we made a pretty good team," Drew nodded. "It wasn't long before we eventually found Masquerain here, and he joined us as well. Now we all travel and work together, as friends and as partners. I gave them the same option I'm giving you: to come with us.

"If you want to leave, Vibrava, I won't stop you. You are free to make the choice and go if you wish. I'd understand. But as a person who tried to live on their own for a while, I can tell you, it's not the best thing. And I'm much happier now than I was then. I want to offer you a chance to experience that, too."

Vibrava was still for a few moments, weighing Drew's offer in his mind. He looked over to Roselia and Masquerain, happily munching on their lunch. Vibrava tilted his head, indecisive, and a bit hungry.

Drew saw this; he's always been good at reading Pokémon.

"Here," he held out a handful of food to Vibrava.

Vibrava slowly crawled towards him, taking a few nibbles of the food he was offered. He chewed it slowly while Drew watched, smiling easily the whole time. And Vibrava made his choice.

He moved to sit next to Drew, who was more than happy to see he had just gained a new partner and teammate.

"Thanks for giving me a chance, Vibrava," Drew smirked, patting him on the head.

Drew fixed another bowl of food for his newest Pokémon, who gratefully accepted the meal and his new place on Drew's team.

"Roselia, why don't you tell Vibrava about contests and what it is that we do?" Drew offered, retrieving his own meal from his pack.

He sat and ate quietly then, enjoying watching his Pokémon chat in their own language. Sometimes he wished he could understand what it was they were saying. Vibrava listened intently, asking this occasional question now and then, or so he assumed, to which both she and Masquerain happily responded.

A few minutes later, Vibrava turned and looked at him with the same intensity as before, but in a new light. He wore an expression that said something like, 'let's do this,' and Drew smirked and nodded.

After lunch, he returned his Pokémon and continued on his way. He knew he wouldn't make it to town that day like he'd originally planned, but he figured not all things went according to plan. With that thought in mind, he was sticking with his plan of winning his last ribbons and taking home that ribbon cup.


Drew hadn't been to Fallarbor Town since he was a child, and it was a lot bigger than he'd initially recalled. It was the one contest he'd skipped in the last year because it was so far out of the way, and he didn't want to cross the desert the year before when he already knew he wouldn't be entering the Grand Festival last time.

Now here he was, leaving the contest hall having signed up for the contest that was to take place in two days. He'd never registered so late, but more of his time of the week was spent training his Masquerain and Vibrava, as well as going over combinations with Roselia. By the time he'd finished practicing each day, most of the day was gone, and the contest hall had closed for the night. That was how focused he was on training. And that was how he decided his Pokémon deserved a break.

That was why his Pokémon were enjoying a day at a local Pokémon spa in town. Roselia had given his a rose as a thank you when he left, and he promised them he'd be back to pick them up at the end of the day, telling them he wanted them to enjoy their time off. He wanted them in top shape for the contest, even though Roselia was the only who who'd be completing.

Walking around the back of the hall to avoid anyone from seeing him, he was heading to the local market to get some berries for Pokéblock when he caught sight of a Beautifly fluttering around, spreading its wings and waiting for orders. That was when he looked down and noticed the color red.

A red shirt, a yellow fanny pack, brown hair, a red bandana…

Oh.

May.

She was alone, isolated from everyone who was practicing in front of the hall. Her back was to him, making her oblivious to the fact that he was watching. And he fully intended to see her practice. Had she gotten better since their last encounter? Had she and her Beautifly mastered their moves? He waited to see.

The first thing she called for was that impressive silver wind, which still stunned him a bit after a few weeks of not seeing it. It was a promising start, and he wondered what her next move would be.

"Combine tackle!" she cried.

...

The world made sense again.

It had been a weird call for sure. Drew could easily name at least 20 combinations that would flow perfectly with silver wind. Tackle was not on the list.

It just got worse from there. She questioned herself and lost her nerve when she saw the combination wasn't working. She then tried gust, and then a string shot, which tangled her Beautifly up in a messy web.

Drew only had two thoughts about the performance: one, it was horrible, and she was just as inexperienced as the first time he'd seen her perform in a contest. She kept second guessing herself in an appeal, and that was probably a similar reflection of her battling skills as well. There wasn't much hope for this girl, just like he'd tried to explain to Solidad weeks before.

Two, at least she'd learned what a combination was. He didn't think that accounted for much, but it was something. At least she was trying, emphasis on trying. He couldn't say much about her skills as a trainer or a coordinator, but she had a lot of determination and she sure was stubborn. Once she'd got it through her head that coordinating wasn't meant for her, she could push that focus into something else, and probably be successful in some other avenue of life.

Beautifly was hovering over her trainer, hoping for some assistance to get untangled. That was when Drew approached them, pulling that rose out of his jacket. It was still perfect, just as all of Roselia's roses always had been.

"Nice work," he said evenly, not meeting her in the eye right away. "Botched up combinations, huh? No wonder; you're very indecisive."

"Drew?" she said, her voice a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

That surprised him a little bit. She'd actually remembered who he was? Was that because she cared enough? Maybe it was because he'd been such a dick to her before? Perhaps because she learned to respect him as the superior coordinator? The possibilities were endless.

He didn't know her reasoning. All he knew in that second was, he'd never forgotten her name, either, like he'd thought he was going to.

"Isn't that sweet; you even remember my name after all this time?" Drew smiled to himself. "Hi, May."

He tossed her the rose, relishing in the look of ever-expanding misunderstanding on her face. She caught it and didn't know what to say to him, which gave him nothing to work with. He was drawing a blank until her Beautifly lowered itself, getting a better look at the rose.

"Don't get your hopes up, May," he remarked. "The only reason I even came over here was to see Beautifly again."

"Then now you can go," she spit back.

Well damn, she wasn't playing around this time. She was used to his sarcasm already, and she had learned how to recover and channel her own right back at him. This girl was so unlike any other he'd ever met, and it intrigued him enough to want to keep talking to her. So he'd need a new approach, and he steered the conversation back to what he knew how to talk about best: contests, and how he was excellent in them.

"Anyhow…" he flicked his hair, his almost-ever-present-when-he-was-in-her-presence smirk returning. "I don't supposed you've won any ribbons yet, have you?"

Her face fell, and she pursed her lips. She brought the rose up to her face and turned away from him, as if she were trying to hide. And he understood, almost instantly.

"Didn't think so, after that last display" he commented.

He moved to walk away then, knowing she'd ask him if he gave her more of a reason to…

"So many ribbons do you have, mister perfect?!" she demanded.

He had already been reaching into his jacket to pull out his ribbon case before she'd even asked. It was even more satisfying to hear the envy in her gasp when he flashed his three ribbons. He didn't even need to turn around to just picture the matching look on her face.

"The nice yellow one on the right, won that one just a while ago," he explained. "A coordinator with no ribbons at all really doesn't stand a chance in a competition like this."

It was true, though. Throughout the week he'd been in town, he'd seen some serious coordinators. Even some he figured he might have to worry about. One night, he'd seen some girl and a Medicham practicing an ice punch; a powerful that could take out even his Roselia if it hit the right spot.

May's Beautifly and coordinating skills were just no match. She had to realize that by now, right?

Wrong.

So he walked away again, not looking back.

"Alright, Beautifly, we can do this!" he heard her call when he rounded the building.

Yep, she definitely had determination.


At precisely 4:30, he'd picked up his Pokémon, just as he'd promised. They all greeted him happily and showed off how great they all looked.

"You're all definitely contest ready," he complimented them.

Once he'd returned them to their Pokéballs, he'd made his way back to the Pokémon Center, intending to get their health checked too. Everything had to be perfect for this contest; especially now that he'd made himself seem like such a threat to May. He had to back that up.

He was standing in line when he'd heard someone call his name.

"Drew!"

It caught him off guard; he didn't know anyone in this town aside from May. So to hear someone call out to him, he didn't know what to expect.

He turned to find a group of three boys walking towards him: one who looked about his age, one older kid who looked to be about Solidad's age, and some small kid, who couldn't be older than seven at most. He vaguely recognized them, but he couldn't put his finger on why. And when he saw that Pikachu perched on the one in the blue hoodie. It gave him an idea.

"Your May's little friend, right?" he tried.

"Yeah, we met before," the kid confirmed. "I shoulda known that we'd see you here."

Drew lost interest quickly now that the mystery was solved.

"I just came to pick up a couple more ribbons so I can enter the Grand Festival," he answered back, halfway turning away hoping to convey that he wasn't interested in them before a thought occurred to him. "Are you all entered in the contest as well?"

How horrifying would that be? May was bad enough as it was. He couldn't even begin to imagine how pathetic her friends could be…or whatever they were to her. He wasn't too concerned about the younger or the older one, but the one who was the same age as him…maybe they were dating or whatever.

Regardless, maybe her friends could pass along the message that Drew was even better than the last time she'd battled him.

"Nah, we're just here to cheer for May and watch her compete, right Pikachu?" the boy clarified.

The Pikechu happily complied.

"I get it; you're afraid, huh?" Drew laced his every word with sarcasm.

Somehow he knew that May's companions would probably be just as short fused as she could be. Sure enough, he was right.

"NO!" the boy bickered back instantly. "I'm not afraid of anything! And I'd never back down from you or anyone else!"

"Is that a fact?" Drew laughed. "Why don't you and me have a little battle?"

That definitely stunned the boy from his outburst.

"You wanna battle…with me? A real battle?"

"Just because I'm a Pokémon Coordinator doesn't mean my battling skills aren't top notch."

The promise of a battle ignited something else in the boy before him.

The boy shifted from outraged to lost to fired up in a matter of seconds. He definitely was just like May, and Drew wouldn't be surprised if they were an item. Just another chance for Drew to prove himself better than May in every possible aspect: he'd show this trainer that he was the better battler, even as a coordinator.


There was a short walk with the group of May's friends Drew had to endure before they found a suitable space for the match. He stayed a few paces ahead of them, not participating in their conversation, because he didn't really feel welcome, nor did he want to.

Drew had learned all their names while walking outside with them to find a proper place for their battle.

"Hey Brock, will you officiate the battle?" the boy in blue asked.

"Of course; you got it, Ash," he responded.

"And Max, you agree with me that Tailow clearly has the advantage here, right?" Ash asked next.

"No doubt; a flying type against a grass type?" Max began. "It's just common sense."

He'd learned a decent amount about them just listening to them speak.

Starting with the oldest, Brock was a somewhat famous face: a notable gym leader from the Kanto region, known for his expertise with rock-type Pokémon. Solidad has mentioned him once or twice; he'd left Kanto to learn more about Pokémon breeding. It was an interesting choice for a successful gym leader to make. From what Drew gathered while listening to them converse on their walk, apparently he was more like a parental figure in the group. He'd asked if Ash's Pokémon had eaten the protein-packed food mix he'd created for them.

The little one, Max, was May's younger brother. He'd joined their journey when they'd left Petalburg City. He drilled Drew's opponent on every battle strategy while they exited the building. He mentioned something about how his father would go into a random battle, meaning he and May's father was clearly an experienced trainer. Drew made a mental note to look into that later.

Finally, there was his opponent, Ash: a trainer and wannabe champion of a Pokémon League. Hoenn was apparently his third go at the title. A boy from Kanto, he'd set out on his journey to complete to Pokédex and become a Pokémon Master. An admirable title for sure, but Drew was about to show him that he still had a long way to go.

"Anyone know where May is?" Max asked on their walk. "I want her to see Ash school this weenie."

'This weenie?' Ha. Creative.

Though he had extensive knowledge of Pokémon, the Max kid really was only seven.

"Leave her alone, Max, she's training to beat Drew just like I'm about to do," Ash responded, his Pikachu agreeing. "I want her here, too, but just imagine what awesome attacks she and Beautifly are probably practicing for the contest."

"Gee, Ash; if you love my sister so much, why don't you marry her?" Max teased.

"Gross, Max!" Ash immediately shot back. "No way! Never."

"You're right, Ash," Max laughed. "My sister will never get a boyfriend. She's too weird."

"Alright, you two, how about we focus on the upcoming battle?" Brock chided them. "And Max, you need to be nicer to your sister."

Drew rolled his eyes. Well, now he felt better about the fact that he'd given may two roses, knowing she was unattached.

Not the time for those thoughts. Not now, not ever.

The battle began quickly, and kept up at a high rate of speed. Drew calling for attacks, Ash countering, which in return prompted Drew to counter right back. It was back and fourth for a few minutes, Tailow managing a few hits on Roselia and Roselia returning the damage.

When Ash called for a peck attack, Drew knew exactly what to do.

"Stun spore, Roselia."

The paralyzing powder spread quickly, and Ash called for Tailow to dodge. But Drew's timing was too good, and Tailow couldn't escape the effect. The spores hit Tailow, and he was, for lack of a better term, stunned.

Drew was aware of a figure approaching from behind him. He could only smirk when he heard May gasp at seeing her friend's Tailow going down.

"Just in time for the best part, May," Drew acknowledged her. "Okay! Finish up with solar beam!"

She did just that. A huge beam of energy shot from Roselia's arms, effectively knocking out the small bird. Type advantage meant nothing for a Pokémon as strong as his Roselia.

He took pride in hearing everyone's collective gasps, especially May's, as Brock declared Drew the winner.

"I can't believe Ash lost…" May mumbled to herself, but he heard her.

"Believe it," Drew announced. "I'll explain why: in any Pokémon contest, you have to be on the same wavelength as your Pokémon if you wanna win. But, that can be the trickiest part about it, cause when a trainer gets confused, so does his Pokémon, but that's the true essence of team work."

Every word he spoke was true, and he looked over to her at the end to make sure she was paying attention. She was, which he was pleased about.

At the heart of it all, that was her problem. Her lack of confidence in herself leaked into her Pokémon. He'd learned early on that the bond between any trainer or coordinator in any battle was the most important element. He had watched her Beautifly a few times now, and had noticed the lack of a connection the two shared.

In May's first contest, she truly shined when she forgot where she was and was able to focus completely on her partner in their performance. It was a different case early that morning, when he was watching her call for different attacks over and over again hoping some combination would work. When she saw them falling apart and let the doubt consume her, her Beautifly felt the same confusion and nervous energy. He had realized that's where she struggled.

If she wanted to embarrass herself in another contest again, clearly he couldn't stop her, or scare or away, but he could at least give her some legitimate advice. In all truth, he didn't hate this girl. He found her interesting, to say the least. And he'd be a terrible person if he tried to steer her into failure again.

And he'd be a liar if he didn't admit that she had some potential. She had all the pieces; she just had to figure out how to put them together. To make a working combination; if she couldn't figure it out, that was on her.

It was her conscious decision to pursue contests and coordinating, and he clearly couldn't convince her that she wasn't meant for it. So he'd at least tried to help her out. By now she should at least know he was a good competitor, and he hoped she could see that knew what he was talking about. It was obvious, after all. Now it was all up to her; whether she took his advice or left it.

He saw a look of concentration on her face as she absorbed the words, and he had no more reason to stay there. So he bid them a short goodbye, and wished Ash's Tailow well.

Ash begrudgingly thanked him for the battle, and he turned away, intending to get his Roselia to the Pokémon Center to get her some extra rest before the contest tomorrow.


The Fallarbor Contest was so much more popular than he initially realized. The entire stadium was packed; he couldn't pick out one open seat in the entire room.

All the registered coordinators took the stage to greet the crowd and to get the contest started. Vivian welcomed the audience and introduced the first-time coordinators all at once.

Initially, he was surprised when May moved to stand beside him in the beginning. A bold move for sure, and he admired it. But he was taken aback even more when she smiled right back at him, clearly saying that she planned to give it her everything. He hoped it meant he'd see good things come from May today.

They separated in the common room, May going to stand by some girl with pigtails while Drew sat on a bench alone, watching the screen intently to see the other appeals.

The contest today was a little different than the ones he'd entered this season: it was a single move appeal round. Coordinators were only allowed to use one move to show the judges the artistry of their Pokémon. On top of that, of the 50 who competed, only four would advance to the battles. Slim odds for sure; he and Roselia knew the stakes were high. Maybe this would finally give him a bit of a challenge.

When it came his turn, he released his Roselia and together they summoned a brilliant petal dance. It was more sparkly and fragrant than any of the recent ones he'd seen. Once again, the power of his Roselia brought out so much pride in him. She definitely earned the 29.6 she'd been graded.

Other coordinators were going strong today as well. May's friend and her Medicham pulled off a terrifyingly powerful high jump kick resulting in a 29.5, which was dangerously close to him, and just like before, he knew he'd have to watch her.

May opted to use her Beautifly's silver wind, just like he knew she would. But she did much better than last time he watched her on stage. She was calm, cool, confident and collected, and her Beautifly was at the top of its game because of it. May scored a 25.9, which was a massive improvement for her. She deserved to be proud, but Drew wondered if anyone else would surpass her.

While May performed, Drew met up with her friend; the coordinator with the Medicham, Grace.

"Your Medicham is superb," he complimented her.

To his surprise, Grace burst out into hysterical laughter, thanking him and returning the praise to his Roselia excitedly. She was like a version of Solidad, hyped up on all the coffee in the world, but Grace radiated positivity at an alarmingly high level while Solidad was far more reserved. Drew felt awkward around her, and thanked Arceus when May returned to stand between them. They all watched the screen together, Drew and Grace throwing criticisms here and there, while May stayed silent, hoping no one was going to top her score.

One of the final appeals was by someone named Jessica; an unknown yet extremely eccentric entity for sure. She wore the most ridiculous poofy dress and descended onto to the stage from the ceiling. It was way too dramatic for a Hoenn contest, if it was even allowed; this crazy lady definitely needed to be in Sinnoh for super contests.

Still, Drew didn't rule her out, and rightfully so; she stunned the whole arena with her Dustox. How she'd trained it to achieve rainbow colors in its poison stings, Drew couldn't fathom. The whole audience and the judges were all equally as confused. No one called her out on using more than one move in her appeal. Everyone was trying to decipher how she pulled off the colors, and Drew couldn't help but feel something was off with the whole thing.

"Is that even allowed?" May asked quietly, clearly confused.

Jessica finished her performance by letting her Dustox lift her on a rainbow whirlwind. It was undeniably beautiful, but the focus on the move was divided between the lady floating somehow, and the actual attack itself.

May's loss for understanding persisted while Grace's positivity quickly vanished.

"I'm not sure how I feel about a Pokémon being upstaged by its coordinator…" Grace said, somewhat bitterly.

"You ask me, she's got no class at all," Drew agreed, turning away so he wouldn't have to watch anymore.

Despite Drew and Grace's criticisms, the judges seemed more than pleased with it all. Jessica scored a just above Drew at 29.7.

She was the highest score of the day, and guaranteed in the battle rounds for sure. Drew just hoped he'd match up with her so he could she her just what coordinating was really about.

Vivain called for the show to move on finally. There were only three coordinators remaining, and so far, Drew had noted May had stayed in the top four. It was all going to come down to the last few opponents.

He noticed her start shaking then, as she realized it came down to these final scores. Grace also sensed her anxiety and offered to go get May's friends for a little support, to which she nodded and thanked her. Drew didn't know what he could say to May to calm her down; this was exactly the type of thing he'd warned her about the day prior.

So when Grace walked out of the room, he also moved away. She didn't move to stop him, so he assumed it was fine. Most of their encounters hadn't been exactly friendly or pleasant, so he knew she didn't care if he was there with her. She probably preferred the space between them, anyway.

Fine by him; he and his Roselia had some battle strategies to go over.

Her friends arrived by her side moments later, just as the last appeal was finishing up.

When Ash asked, she confirmed only four of the people in the room would move on. Her brother did the math and concluded that she had the spot locked up if this one last person didn't do better than her.

Drew's eyes were drawn to the screen as they all awaited the final result.

"25.8!"

She did it. May exhaled fiercely and celebrated with her friends as her, his, Grace and the Jessica girl's pictures lit up the screen, confirming that they were the finalists.

This was going to get interesting…


Pure disappointment flooded through him when Drew realized neither he nor Grace would face that arrogant Jessica coordinator, and he didn't think May was totally capable of teaching her a lesson in battle.

Still, when she'd advanced on, her confidence came flooding back, so who knew? Maybe she could pull something off, like she'd pulled off making it into the battle rounds at all.

He couldn't dwell on it, though; he had a match with Grace coming up, and he had to be ready for it. She and her Medicham were meditating on the opposite side of the room, prepping themselves for their match against him, probably. She didn't seem worried about May battling this Jessica woman, she Drew decided he wouldn't either. He knew Grace wouldn't be easy, and he was worried about his Roselia going up against that ice punch.

Still, when Vivain announced the start of the battle, he found himself glancing at the screen out of the corner of his eye. A Dustox against a Beautifly promised to be a good match.

The battle had barely started, and May was already losing points. He thought that was it for her; she'd start to panic and lose the momentum she needed to carry her through to a win.

But she didn't; she kept a level head and she called for dodges and counter strikes so that her Beautifly could excell, just like he'd told her to. A few of Dustox's attacks, May was able to send right back at it. She'd definitely improved since their first battle.

Drew watched, amazed, as May had managed to knock off half of her opponent's points. She was finally getting a handle on herself. He almost applauded when she finished off Jessica's points with a perfectly timed spinning tackle.

May was cheering on the stage, her and her Beautifly were going on to the final match; the best she'd done in any contest.

That was when everything blew up.

Jessica wasn't accepting the loss well at all, and she shot back up screaming at May, who seemed as shocked as everyone in the audience was. Even Grace and Medicham's concentration was broken as they opened their eyes to watch the scene.

Some sort of device fell off of the Dustox, leaking rainbow-tinted sparkles. It had been no doubt damaged in the battle thanks to some of the bigger hits May managed to pull off. So that was where the color came from; Drew knew it hadn't been natural. And soon, everyone in the arena caught on. Mr. Contesta didn't hesitate to disqualify her, and suddenly the stage was filled with smoke.

Grace shot up from her seat, and Drew did that same.

"What is going on out there?!" Grace demanded.

Once the smoke cleared, two people and a Meowth stood in the center. Drew swore he'd seen them before; weren't they the ones who tried to steal those bluk berries way back in Slateport City? He was almost certain it was the same people.

And just like last time, they were easy enough to get rid of. One incredible thunderbolt from Ash's Pikachu had them ejected from the building, and the contest carried on.

"Well, that's a relief," Grace exhaled, falling back down onto the bench.

"Yeah," Drew breathed, still standing. "Definitely."

His fists stayed balled until he saw May, standing perfectly safe/fine and looking a bit embarrassed on the screen, standing next to Vivian who was ushering the contest forward.


He knew he was going to lose this battle from the second Medicham sent that first petal dance right back at Roselia.

Going against an opponent who could send any and every attack right back at him was tough, and he realized that unless he landed a big hit, he was guaranteed to fall short of his fourth contest ribbon.

Magical leaf and petal dance were useless. Stun spore wouldn't take off the amount of points he needed it to. His only hope was that solar beam would be too powerful to deflect with confusion. So he took the gamble, something he never did.

With no real sunlight, Roselia would take even longer to charge up her ultimate attack and it was guaranteed to be weaker, but he didn't have a choice. When Grace ordered her Medicham to use ice punch, it startled him. When the ice punches were thrown at the ground, he didn't understand. Whatever Grace was planning, he could only hope his Roselia could fire it off before it was done.

The beam was released, and it was soaring towards Medicham. Drew dared to hope that it might work out.

But it wasn't enough.

Huge pillars of ice shot up out of the ground, and Drew watched in horror as his final attempt was rebounded time and time again before finally it came back and collided with his Roselia, sending her flying backwards.

Grace didn't spare him a second to recover. Roselia was trying her hardest to stand back up, but she could barely move. Medicham, meanwhile, was coming at her fast with a high jump kick.

Next thing Drew knew, he was recalling his fainted Pokémon and thanking her from outside her Pokéball for fighting so hard for him. But that was it; he wasn't going to win his fourth ribbon here, and he contemplated leaving all together.

However, if he left, he couldn't see how May handled herself in the final round, and there was no doubt that watching his loss probably terrified her into a mess of nervous vibes and fear. Well, truthfully he could look it the whole contest and highlight clips online afterwards, sure…but it was always better seeing it in person.

So he made his way to the locker room, passing May as she made her way out to the stage. Just like he predicted, she was practically vibrating with nervousness.

Their eyes met just before they passed, and she looked up to him with so much uncertainty in her eyes.

"Trust your Pokémon, May," was all he said before he shuffled past her, her name being announced by Vivian as the crowd cheered on her entrance.


"You doing alright, Roselia?"

She nodded, her eyes downcast.

Drew released her the second he got back into the privacy of the locker room. He wanted to make sure she was okay, and that she knew he was proud of her.

"Don't feel bad, Roselia," he encouraged her. "You were as great as ever; I'm the one who messed up today. Besides, we've got plenty of time to get those last two ribbons, and I know we'll do it."

That seemed to perk her up a bit, and she began eating the Pokéblock he'd laid out for her.

Once he was satisfied that his Pokémon was taken care of, he turned his attention to the battle on the screen; both Pokémon had just been called onto the stage and the clock had begun.

May took the first move, calling for a tackle, just like she won her first battle with. It was an easy dodge for Medicham, and Grace timed her meditate command perfectly.

If May was truly nervous when she'd first took the stage for this battle, it didn't show at all. She didn't flinch when Grace called out for an ice punch; she calmly fought back with a gust, pushing Medicham back successfully.

Drew face-palmed when May called for a string shot – had she not watched his battle, literally minutes before this one? Medicham had sent almost every one of Drew's attacks back at him. May should have known that string shot was doomed to fail. He waited to see the panic in her eyes.

It flashed briefly, and it only got worse. A successful ice punch from Medicham encased Beautifly in solid ice.

May had lost half of her points, but she didn't seem to notice. She was shouting encouragements to her Beautifly, trying to get it to shatter the ice. Drew watched intently, wondering if it would work.

Sure enough, it did, and the battle was back on.

Drew watched as May continued to gradually improve, move by move. An expertly timed dodge and silver wind command suddenly put the battle in her favor. Drew winced when Medicham slammed onto the floor, knee first. Clearly a critical hit and Medicham took some serious damage. May gained a huge advantage, and he was all too curious to see if she could figure out the best ways to use it.

Just when he thought she couldn't surprise him anymore, May pulled off her first attack combination he'd seen her try. Unfortunately, it was stopped. If she could figure out a way to hit Grace with some form of combination like that, she could actually win.

May could actually win.

He couldn't believe it when he watched her call for a silver wind, which turned into a tornado and threw Medicham's concentration off. With confusion no longer holding it back, Beautifly was able to compete it's string shot/tackle combination, and it dealt some serious damage.

Medicham fell out of the spiral, completely trapped by a woven web. It seemed like this could be it, but Medicham broke out of the bind almost instantly. Still, May was relentless; she was on a roll and she refused to stop. She used silver wind in a way even he never would have thought of: Beautifly trapped Medicham's hands within two separate spirals of silver tornados, effectively stopping confusion and giving her a clear path for a final and fatal tackle attack to hit its mark.

Grace's point's plummeted, while May maintained almost all of hers. Medicham was still standing, but now Grace was in the same position Drew had been in in their previous battle: she had to make one final, last ditch effort.

"High jump kick!"

"Best defense is a good offense! Beautifly, use tackle!"

A blinding light signaled the massive head-on collision, and both Beautifly and Medicham were sent flying backwards. Everyone held his or her breath, Drew included.

When May's picture lit up the video board, everyone took a moment to absorb the shock.

She did it. May had won a contest.

May won.

Well, damn. Miracles do happen.

Yet it was anything but a miracle; she went through the entire contest like a professional coordinator did. That doe-eyed girl in the red bandana he'd met at that contest months ago, who had actually tripped before she even could get her Pokémon out her first time on a stage, was gone. As much as he couldn't believe it, it was true.

She still had a lot work to do, clearly. She was still in the beginning stages of her coordinating career, and she'd still face obstacles and challenges for sure. But at least she'd gotten that first ribbon.

That first ribbon was hers…

Drew found himself smirking up at the screen as the camera focused on her face. She was still frozen in place, still processing the fact that it was over and she came out on top. The crowd was roaring and she was completely unaware. It was like she was trapped inside her own little bubble.

Then slowly, reality set in. It finally hit her when her Beautifly hovered beside to her. Next thing, May was snatching her out of the air and hugging her, smiling stupidly big and speaking to her Pokémon. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but he was sure it was nothing but praise.

He stayed in the locker room for the ribbon ceremony, partially because he was too surprised to move, and partially because he wasn't ready to leave just yet. There were too many things he was thinking about.

He couldn't pick out a single thing he would want to say to her. No one, not even herself, doubted her more in the beginning than he did, and she had proved him wrong. In truth, he expected her to maybe win one contest so far down the road, but he stressed the 'so far down the road' part of that thought.

Drew had assumed, because of her first ever performance, it defined her as a performer. And though her unwavering determination had hinted that she'd planned to enter more contests, he assumed she'd need to go through at least five before she even got close to a final round battle, let alone actually win one. Yet here she was; her second contest ever, and she was taking home the grand prize.

He had been wrong.

She had proved him wrong.

"Roselia," he finally looked away from the TV after she'd been handed her ribbon. "I need another rose."


He waited for her.

As the contest hall slowly emptied out, she and her friends stayed, waiting for her to get off of cloud nine. It took a pretty long time, but he couldn't blame her. It was a hard-fought battle, and a well-earned win. It was definitely going to take some time for her to truly believe it. Hell, it was taking him a long time, too.

She never went back to the locker room after everything was over where he had been waiting. She went to join her friends up in the stands, and they were all content to just stay there with her and give her all the time she needed. A few stragglers went up to her, offered their congratulations and a few words to her, all of which she was quick to give them her thanks. She was unfamiliar to the concept of having fans, and it showed from the nervous blush on her face.

The same blush that had appeared when he'd given her the first rose, and when he'd called her out on not having ribbons before this day had ended.

Eventually, they were the only ones left in the building, save for the janitors sweeping the confetti off of the main stage. It was at least a few hours before she finally agreed that she was ready to go. They all stood slowly, and made their way towards the main lobby. Drew took that as his queue to leave, too.

The sun was setting, a golden hue in the light outdoors.

He'd beat them all outside in the race to get outside, and stood near the front door waiting for them to emerge.

None of them noticed him standing there. They all followed her out, when she stopped and opened her ribbon case just to check and make sure it was still in there. As if she believed it would have vanished if she didn't check it to be certain.

"Well, you did it, May," he greeted from behind.

She turned to face him, and he made sure she could see the rose. It was clear he was going to give it to her, but not without a price, of course.

The price of truth.

"Of course if it had been me you'd been competing against in the first round, things might have ended up a whole lot different," he threw in the comment before tossing the delicate flower to her.

For a brief moment, she seemed to be debating on how to take his words when the rose landed perfectly on top of her ribbon case. He didn't know if she had plans to enter the Grand Festival at the end of the year, but the fact that she had the ribbon case was a pretty good indication.

Finally, she reacted. She took that rose between her fingers, inspected it for a moment, and looked back up to him confidently. She was no longer afraid of whatever he could possibly say to her. She was no longer afraid to compete.

In that moment, they both realized that she'd left a mark on him, and she was going to leave a mark on the contest circuit. Whether it would be a good or bad mark, only time would tell. And he found he was no longer reserved to call her a coordinator, because if she continued on that path she had shown herself to be on today, she could become great. Maybe she could even reach his level some day.

What a scary and exciting thought: the prospect of competing against someone, constantly trying to outdo them and working endlessly to surpass him. It could give him some serious inspiration to keep getting better. The contest today had been a wake up call; he couldn't afford to become careless or overconfident, and he was starting to think that maybe having a constant source of pressure like that would benefit him, greatly.

There was a word for what was describing; a specific term for the thing he was thinking of. But he couldn't think of it, because the moment was getting too intense.

"I supposed this rose is for Beautifly, right?" she laughed, and didn't turn away from him.

She kept looking at him, as determined and unafraid as she had been all day. He smiled back at her, flicked his hair and turned.

"Yeah, something like that."

He walked away from them – from her – then, on the path back to his hotel. He had two more days to stay in Fallarbor Town – as per his hotel reservations – before he was set to pack up and head to Purika Town for the contest coming up in three weeks. Behind him, he could hear May telling her friends how she was excited for her next contest, and he idly wondered where they would go.

He found himself thinking about her the whole seven-block-walk back to his temporary residence; the girl he swore to himself he would forget just weeks ago.

It seemed so possible back then.

Now, he wasn't so sure, because things didn't always go according to plan.