A Jewel in Water
Part 28
A/N: ultra sad today. Let me express my feelings, just a little.
Ash looked ahead of him. This was the joy but also the pain of his career. Tears streamed down the childs' face. The face that was so full of confidence when he walked in but now bore the heartbroken expression of a loser. The expression the Ash knew far too well.
"I lost…" the child finally uttered.
"You lost." Ash replied, unsure of what else to say to the child who was painfully crying across from him. "You lost."
Misty wandered through that corridor that morning, desperately avoiding Rudy, but feeling a longing for Ash that she didn't know she could feel. Her face flushed and all of a sudden confliction flashed across her face. What was this desire that was welling up inside of her? It was the desire to be loved. She knew that in the end the only reason she even considered Rudys confession was because ultimately she was lonely. So, so, so lonely. With no friends around to confide in, was there anyone who would be able to pick her out of the lonely abyss she was stuck in? At the moment, it seemed not. Even Ash, the only person that she had the innate feeling of being able to help, was no where to be seen. She went to her study and sat down, whilst the maids hurriedly brought her the breakfast as she had asked. At least with her father away, some of the work that had been hence delegated to her and it could keep her occupied for a while. So that's how Mistys' morning commenced.
Meanwhile, after an emotional night, May finally managed to open her eyes from a peaceful dream she was having, to find herself in a unfamiliar place. After blinking a few times, realisation came to her and she remembered the previous nights events. Sleeping on it hadn't really helped. The only thing she could think of being able to help was to plan her next move. But who could she ask? Could she smash her pride away and go to Ash for some help? At the time, it was the only thing that she could think of doing. She got up and went to brush her teeth. She found her eyes wandering, as well as her eyes and that's when she saw Rudy standing in the garden. She spat out the paste in her mouth, and went back to the window to observe. That's when she saw it happen. The kinda thing that you don't really want to see. But when it happens, it's hard to look at the other person in the same way again. However, what made this infinitely times worse was the fact that in the split second of Rudy finishing up, their eyes met. And that was all it took to change the course of Mays day.
Drew, on the other hand, was not set to have quite as an eventful morning. The combination of staying up late and drinking had given him a splitting headache. As he staggered out of bed to grab a glass of water, he ended up spilling the jug of water on himself and the floor. After staring at the puddle for a few minutes, he uttered a groan, drank what was left in his cup, and trudged to the bathroom to fulfil some morning rituals. As he looked into the mirror, he saw his makeup strewn faced and convulsed in shock, before he realised that the person in the reflection was he himself. It got Misty to back out of the marriage and most likely it had gotten May to back away as far as possible as well. He washed off the makeup, his skin not feeling as fresh as it should have been should he have removed the makeup the night before. This wasn't the life for him, he decided. With his goal fulfilled he would probably have to go back home soon… how was he going to be able to prolong his time with May in the meantime? After hearing her confession the night before, he had had no opportunity to sit and reflect on it. I mean, don't get me wrong. Drew had known that May had a itty bitty crush on him. At first it was annoying. She was an immature little girl who had declared a self-proclaimed rivalry with him. She could not have even touched him back then when it came to skill. But as time went on, she started to grow this flair. There was a point where he felt to scared to touch her, which was ironic considering their beginnings. That's when his days of fun had come to an end. One second he was perfecting a performance move with his Roselia in Sinnoh, next he was being dragged into a helicopter and being delivered to his parents.
"We gave you your fun." His parents stated simply. "Now you have to respect us and your responsibilities and take care of this city. When are you going to realise that in life, not everyone can follow their dream? Your mother and I had to give up as much as you are giving up right now. Don't think we don't know how it feels."
Their point was valid. The LaRousse provincial royalty had been bestowed upon Drews family for a very long time. His parents would have had no say in the matter. But he could never quite forgive them for not setting him free. It felt more like they were achieving satisfaction, crushing the dreams that their child bore, just like their own parents did to themselves. His family was meant to lead an oppressive and unhappy life. He had no motivation to escape his fate anymore. Well actually, he didn't realise that there was a bit of motivation, hidden inside himself, in the form of a girl. But he didn't come to terms with it until much later. Anyway, after getting dressed and making sure that there were no more red hues of lipstick swept across his face, he made his way out of the room. A few doors down, May was also leaving her room, but her thoughts were occupying her senses as she didn't hear Drew approaching her. A tap on the shoulder made her suddenly jump and when she came face to face with Drew, her face flushed.
"Oh, um, hi!" she uttered, before dashing off into the distance. Drew watched her with confusion. That red blush was reminiscent of the old May, and if he was not mistaken, and after yesterdays outburst he was sure he was correct, the old May had been in love with him. Drews face flushed a little. In front of May, it was easy to maintain a poker face. But alone, when he was faced with his own feelings, it was extraordinarily difficult. And whilst humming a merry tune, he bobbed down the hall that May had fled through, to go and find himself some breakfast.
Reiji would be mad, Paul told himself matter of factly. It was not a huge concern of his, but it would probably result in his Torterra being pushed back a few spots in Reijis Daycare. Why did he know no other decent breeders? Maybe it was because of the fact that his stand offish personality made others want to smack him. The only person that seemed to be able to stand him was Ash, but he could never admit to his biggest rival that he was thankful for him being around. He felt the urge from his heart to his fingertips to burst out his bedroom door and find Ash to challenge him to another battle, but he couldn't. Not whilst his Electivire was in this condition. He had come to visit Misty under the guise of being a concerned cousin. It wasn't all-false, but he needed to ask his Uncle for some money. But dear Uncle had left, and with no clues as to when he would return, Paul wanted to go back home and do what little he could to save his friend. You see, his Electivire was dying. And it god damn broke Pauls heart.