Her hand felt soft and warm, and fitted perfectly in his - completing the space left in his. He didn't exactly know how to describe what he was feeling, staring at her back and her hair bouncing softly next to her head while she continued to pull his hand.

Weird? No.

Anxious? Not anymore.

All Drew knew was that somehow, as much as he would like to deny it, it felt right.

The music from the party became almost inaudible and the chatter became muffled as they walked further away from the contest hall and approached the beach, the wind carrying a scent of salt to their noses.

Eventually, the pavement ended, concrete giving way to sand, and they were finally standing before a vast ocean. The waters glistened, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of the pale white moon - a wraith-silver disc hanging in the lonely sky. The faint wind brushed against the water's surface, the ripples ruffled the stillness of the surface, and shattered the reflection.

Still holding her hand, Drew stood beside her as they watched the waves carelessly dribbling onto the sand, lapping at their feet, fizzing and bubbling like brine.

Stars shone like sugar spilt over black marble, sparkling under the moonlight. The night sky was such a welcome sight, appearing like magic at each sunset, promising to return in dawn's first light.

Drew looked at May for a few moments. The cool onshore breeze blew right across her face, her eyelids fluttering shut as she inhaled the briny aroma. She bowed her head to one side, her closing lashes weighed down with mascara to keep out the salty sting.

"Beautiful," she whispered.

Drew was instantly drawn to her voice. He had it memorised. He'd be able to hear it anywhere no matter what. Even though she had whispered it, it came out more as a breath rather than a simple adjective. Her eyes were fixed towards the view ahead and her face was bathed in the glow of the twinkling stars. He had always thought that she was pretty, but in that moment, pretty would be too simple of an adjective for her.

She looked beautiful.

And he'd do anything to freeze that moment and capture it.

Well, she looked beautiful every day. The breeze was billowing the ends of her hair as if they were the ribbons of a kite. It made her hair look soft and lustrous, and all he wanted to do was run his hands through it.

She wore a tiny smile as her eyes looked half lidded up at the sky, and she grasped his hand tighter. "We met on this same beach 11 years ago. Remember?" she said, her eyes twinkling as if in sync with the stars above.

He nodded. "Of course."

"You were so rude that day. Arrogant too might I add."

"Ha," he scoffed. "You're just exaggerating it."

A small giggle escaped her lips and she turned to face him. "You've got no finesse, no moves!" she mimicked his tone, which sounded more like a silly, nasal voice. "You and your Pokemon here, you've got no style!"

"I don't talk like that," Drew frowned at her, before letting out a soft chuckle. He smiled, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "Well, those tacky, pink frisbee routines were really cheesy."

"Excuse me! Let me remind you, that frisbee routine got me and my Beautifly to the second round!"

He remembered. He was watching her appeal from the sidelines, and he was surprised by the performance she put on with her Beautifly. If anything, he was almost impressed by it. Sure, she had a shaky start when she tripped on stage, but she had managed to compose herself and continue. He had expected her to somehow break down right there and leave the contest hall, probably from embarrassment and humiliation. She proved him wrong by doing much better than he had anticipated that day.

He smiled at her. The young him would have taken every single opportunity to snicker or snort at her comment, anything to see her all worked up. But he wasn't like that anymore. Because that would be immature, and he was anything but that now.

"You've come a long way since then, May," he said softly.

In fact, both of them had come a long way since.

Silence hung between the two. Drew watched her closely, admiring how different she looked. His smile grew wider. He felt more comfortable with her now, way different than when they were at the party earlier. But, was she still the same even after all these years? She used to be more open, constantly voicing out whatever that was on her mind and what she was feeling, without a fear of being judged. She was like an enigma to him now.

"Drew?"

He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Hm?"

May closed her eyes, letting the ocean breeze caress her face. She hummed to herself before taking a deep breath and faced him. "Drew… do you hate me?"

He stared at her, wearing a puzzled expression. "Why would I hate you?"

"For leaving these past five years. And for not contacting you like I promised."

There it was. The topic he so desperately wanted to talk about, yet he avoided because he didn't know how to bring it up. It was as if she could read his mind.

"Why?" he asked calmly. "Why did you leave, May?

Her bright blue eyes looked as if an ocean had been encased inside of small glass marbles. She shook her head and forced herself to turn away, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

"May…" Drew said, moving closer to her. He squeezed her hand softly and placed his other hand on her cheek, pushing her head gently to face him again. "Look at me."

He caressed her cheek and took another step forward. His heart skipped a beat as her eyes slowly met his. His face was close to hers now, and he could feel her breath dancing on his lips. He stared at her and she stared back at him, neither of them saying a word.

His eyes grew soft. He hated seeing her so broken. He just had the urge to do something, to comfort her. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to obliterate her thoughts. To make her feel better. Even though he wanted to know the truth behind her absence, it could wait. At least until she felt better and ready.

He leaned in slowly, touching his forehead against hers. May whispered his name softly, and his heart fluttered at her voice. At how she said his name. Never before had his name sounded so amazing. He leaned in a little closer, his lips almost meeting hers.

But May shut her eyes and pulled away abruptly, forcing him off of her. She turned her back to him, facing the ocean.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shaking her head. Her words were choked in between sobs, and Drew couldn't bear it because suddenly she started crying and he felt close to it too. "I can't do this right now."

Drew stood there frozen and his eyes grew watery. He slowly brought his hand to her shoulders in an attempt to get her attention, but she pushed it away. "Why did you leave? Please tell me. Did I do something wrong?"

"I wish I could tell you the reason I left," she said meekly and turned to look at him again. Her eyes grew soft before a wave of guilt washed over. Her eyes were now shimmering with the tears she was trying to hold back and Drew felt his heart crumbling. "But, it doesn't matter anymore now. I already told you that I'm sorry."

"May," he inhaled sharply, trying to control the waver in his voice. "Was I the reason you left?"

A fresh bubble of tears trickled down her cheeks. She could barely look at him now without breaking down into more tears. Her loose shoulders were shaking, her hands hung low and she made no attempt to conceal or wipe away her own tears.

"Forget it." Her voice had faded to a faint whisper, nearly swallowed by a gust of wind from the ocean. But, Drew heard her. "Please."

Words left him. He stared into those bright blue eyes and his heart fell silent. He couldn't will his lips to move. His mind went blank, eyes searching hers as he desperately tried to find answers in them.

They stood there in silence, neither of them moving and Drew made a mental note to keep a distance, afraid to trigger more emotions from her. While he wanted her to be more open, this wasn't it. But this also wasn't how he wanted the night to end. This wasn't how he wanted things to be after not seeing her for five years.

He had to fix it.

"May?" he called out to her. "I think we should have a battle."

She paused. "What? A battle? Why?"

He shrugged, and smiled faintly at her. "I don't know. It's just that… I remember when we used to have practice battles all the time, no matter the occasion. And I also remember when it used to always cheer you up after any contest loss."

She blinked, giving him a short, questioning look. "I… I don't know."

"Come on, May," he said slowly, taking a deep breath as he tried moving closer to her again. He reached forward to grab hold of her hand. This time, she didn't try to brush him off, to his relief. "It'll just be like the good old days."

May paused, head tilted towards the black sky. The moonlight streamed down upon her pale skin. The shape of her lips slowly reflected the crescent above. She was smiling a little, but a smile with a twist to it. Like the smile of a child who is determined not to weep. She turned to face him again. Happiness flared in her eyes and for the first time tonight, it was genuine. And it began to mirror in his too. Even if the world around him started collapsing, his heart would not get crushed as long as that smile was eternally stained on her lips.

And it did. Her smile was still in place and her expression shifted into a more determined one. "You're on!" she said, accepting his challenge.

The joy in her eyes were replaced with one that displayed wildfire. The same kind of fire she had when they always battled, both practice and in a contest. Arceus, she looked so adorable when she was all fired up like that. He missed it. Whatever she was feeling earlier was long forgotten and she was clearly ready to take him on. And he missed that too. Excitement rushed through his veins. He could feel his own fire burning, hotter than ever. And he only ever felt that way with her.

He was pleased. His rival was back. The only rival that ever mattered to him.

Drew chuckled and walked past her, heading across the sand to stand a few metres away from her that would serve as their makeshift battlefield.

"Hey Drew!" May called out to him, smirking a little. "I hope you're not afraid that I'll beat you!"

He returned the smug look and nodded. He was going to prove to her that he was still as strong as before. He's not going to lose to her easily, even if it's just a practice battle. He watched with bated breath as she pulled out a pokeball. He couldn't help but wonder how strong she had gotten over the years.

Again, he was curious. Which of her pokemon was she going to use?

Her Blaziken? He's the powerhouse in her team after all. It would make for good training to be battling with her Blaziken.

Maybe her Glaceon?

"Let's go! Beautifly, take the stage!" she cheered.

His smirk grew wider. There it was - her iconic catchphrase when summoning her Pokemon. She tossed her pokeball in the air and it opened in a bright, white flash. The butterfly Pokemon frolicked about in the air, a shower of sparkles falling around her even without launching an attack. He was always happy to see her Beautifly. Her wings seemed even more coruscant and colourful every time he saw her, and the moonlight made them gleam more.

He reached into his pocket and felt for his own Pokeball. He gave his bangs a quick flick before hurling his Pokeball forward, bursting open the moment it reached the ground. His bouquet Pokemon landed gracefully in front of him, striking an elegant pose. Roserade perked up when she met May's eyes, resisting all the urge to run across and embrace her.

Drew smiled.

Drew knew that she had always liked May, even back when she was only just a Roselia. So, it was no surprise that she would get excited to see May again, especially after all these years.

"Wow, talk about déjà vu," he chuckled. It certainly was. It reminded him of the good, old days. They had both used the same Pokemon during their first practice and contest battle together, in the same city even. The memory left him feeling all nostalgic. The twinkle in May's eyes told him that she was also thinking the same thing.

"You ready for this, Beautifly?" she said, looking up to her Pokemon. Her Beautifly nodded in an affirmative, hovering just a few inches from her trainer.

"After you, May," he offered with another flick of his hair.

She smirked at him and nodded. She pointed forward and ordered a silver wind from her Beautifly. A massive pillar of light and silver flashes formed, heading straight for his Roserade. No doubt, her Pokémon have really gotten stronger.

But, he had been training too and there was no way he would lose to her. He briefly called for his Pokémon to dodge it. Roserade nodded, jumping up quickly and spun around, breaking apart the vortex Beautifly had created. It prompted May to grit her teeth slightly and clench her fists.

"Roserade!" Drew yelled. "Petal dance!

Roserade jumped again, releasing a gorgeous but devastating stream of petals that shot towards Beautifly. May swiftly called for a dodge with a somersault. Beautifly responded instantly, flying through the air with precision and grace, clearly appeared to be well rehearsed and quick.

"Beautifly, quick! Use hidden power!" May called out.

White orbs of powerful light shot out towards Roserade. Drew immediately shouted for her to dodge, but it was a little late. The shining orbs struck Roserade, sending her flying backwards. She quickly stood up again and composed herself, still fit and strong for combat. May and Drew smiled at each other. Their Pokémon may have been friends off of the battlefield, but when they were on it, there was no mercy for what it's worth.

"Don't think you can beat me that easily," he smirked. "Roserade, use Dazzling Gleam!"

A blinding cascade of light flooded the battlefield.

"Now, add Magical Leaf!" He added.

Beautiful leaves glowed through the Dazzling Gleam, flying straight for May's Beautifly. Magical Leaf never missed its target. She should remember that. He looked over at May, her teeth clenched harder and she furrowed her eyebrows at him.

But, May didn't panic. She seemed to be ready for something like this.

"If you think I'm out of moves, you're wrong!" she grinned at him. "Beautifly! Use Quiver Dance!"

His eyes widened when she called for that. Quiver Dance must have been Beautifly's new move. He watched closely as Beautifly used Quiver Dance to gain speed. May never failed to surprise him. She always had something up her sleeve.

"Now, Beautifly!" she shouted. "Use Silver Wind! Follow that up with Aerial Ace!"

Beautifly rose in the air, releasing another huge and beautiful silver vortex, however, it was much stronger this time. She twirled gracefully in mid-air, and charged straight towards Roserade and the glowing tornado of leaves. She was flying at breakneck speed, having done Quiver Dance had helped to increase her speed greatly, making Aerial Ace twice as fast.

Both combination attacks collided with each other, resulting in an explosion.

Drew brought his hand in front of his face, shielding him from the blast. When the smoke had cleared, he blinked his eyes slowly. His brain stuttered for a moment and his eyes took in more light than he expected, every part of him went on a pause while his thoughts caught up. Roserade was lying on the ground, looking weak and immobilized. She twitched and shivered, trying to raise her head, but it was no use.

"Roserade!" he cried out, rushing forward to check on his Pokémon.

He pulled her into his lap, assuring her that she had done her best and had put up a great battle, before returning her back into her PokéBall. He glanced across at May, who was embracing her Pokémon lovingly and whispering words to her. He couldn't really hear what she was saying, but he was sure it was nothing but praise. She had a big smile on her face, and he couldn't help but smile as well.

"Wow, May. I hate to admit it, but you've indeed gotten stronger," he expressed as he walked up to her, extending his hand. "That was a great battle."

She smiled gleefully, accepting his gesture and shook his hand gently. "Hey thanks, Drew! You're pretty strong yourself. You didn't make it easy for me."

"You've really come a long way, May," he said softly, smiling at her. "I'm glad to have you back as my rival again."

Her face fell. She cleared her throat and bit her lip. "Well, you've always been my motivation to train hard and become stronger. Look at us. We're top coordinators now. Who would've thought, huh? And now we're all here competing for another Grand Festival."

"Yeah. And it'll be pretty exciting to see how everyone has changed over the years too. This Grand Festival's not going to be easy."

May nodded. "I'll bet."

Then, she shot him a smile that could light up the entire night.

And Arceus, he was completely smitten.

His heart skipped a beat and he swore he could feel his cheeks burning. He coughed into his hand to mask the blush. "It's getting a little late. Shall we head back?"

She nodded and they slowly made their way back to the resort.

They stood in the hallway together. It was late, and they knew they should be getting back into their own rooms and call it a night, but there was some hesitation in both of them. May glanced over at him, giving him a confused look as she wondered what they were waiting for. He was wondering the same thing too. He didn't know why, but somehow he just didn't want the night to end just yet.

"Which room are you in?" he asked her lightly.

"724."

Silence followed as the two coordinators stood there, just staring at each other. Not moving, not talking. There were so many things he wanted to tell May. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her. He wanted to tell her how impressed he was with their battle earlier, evident that she was still a worthy rival and that he was eager to be able to compete with her once more. He wanted to tell her how incredibly beautiful she looked tonight. How her dress complimented her skin tone perfectly and how radiant she looked under the moonlight. And lastly, he wanted to tell her how thrilled he was to see her again.

But he knew he could never get the words out of his mouth. In these moments, however, it felt like none of those matter all that much.

May looked at him, her eyes somewhat expectant. They sparkled like an orient sapphire even though the corridor was very dark with only several light sconces on the walls.

"So, uh … I'll see you tomorrow then?" Drew faltered. Her eyes were still watching him, a small smile was playing on her lips that his eyes immediately focused on. Arceus, he loved her smile, and the thought of kissing her right there made his cheeks burn and his heart beat faster. But, he wiped that thought away. He wasn't going to, especially after his initial attempt earlier on the beach.

May nodded. He returned her smile and turned his face away from her, taking small steps towards his room.

"Drew?" she whispered, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for tonight. I'm so happy to see all of us together again. Like how we used to be," she said, smiling. "And I'm really sorry for leaving all those years, Drew."

He blinked, turning his head to meet her eyes, which held a myriad of emotions that he still couldn't define. He exhaled slowly.

"I'm glad you came, May. I really am," he said, his voice soft. He was suddenly really embarrassed. "Remember when we used to always tell each other things? No matter how bizarre it was? Just… don't forget, okay? I'm still confused about your absence all these years. Just tell me when you're ready, okay?"

Drew heard her sigh before she nodded. They stared back at each other for what seemed like hours until she finally dropped her gaze.

"Goodnight, May."

"Wait, there's one more thing," her voice was quieter now, almost like a whisper.

She looked back up at him, a gentle flush of pink had arisen in her cheeks that made her look vulnerable. She walked closer to him and he held his breath as she leaned up on the tips of her toes and tentatively pressed her soft lips to his cheeks, startling him.

He could feel the heat growing on his cheeks. He didn't know what sort of expression was on his face, but he suddenly wanted to run back into his room and figure out the crazy heart rhythms that he was experiencing. Just as he was going to lose himself in that moment, she slowly pulled away, a look of discomfiture on her face.

"Goodnight, Drew. See you tomorrow."

He watched her retreating form, slowly walking away from him and sliding her contest pass through the key slider of a room a few metres away from his.

"Hey May. I meant what I said and … I will never hate you," he told her.

"Thank you," her voice was quiet, yet somehow it boomed in his ears. As if it was the only thing he could hear. He couldn't bear her presence any longer.

A smile exploded onto his lips and it took all of his willpower not to run back to her and kiss her.

Drew could have sworn he'd fallen asleep with his smile only growing wider every time he painted the images of what happened tonight in his head.

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone, thank you for reading! Just a note, I will be changing the story title from 'Love, Lie and Deceit' to 'Those Three Little Words' as I think it suits the story more. That's all.

Damn. Just as Drew was happy to finally be able to see May again, he still couldn't learn why she left. Will he finally know the reason about her absence all these years? Or will May continue keeping him in the dark?

The first round of the appeals will begin next chapter. What will happen then?

If you liked this chapter, take a moment to leave a review so that I'd know about your opinions on the story so far. I appreciate every single feedback and it'll definitely encourage me to write and update quickly.

With that, stay tuned for the next chapter!

; This chapter title is inspired by the song 'Fall For You' by Secondhand Serenade