Author's Note: Still looking for OCs. Check last chapter for details. OCs will probably be used in the next chapter if I have at least one more.
Day Three: Drew x May
It took May forever to find the right one.
Now, to be more specific, it's probably best to start off with where she was. At that particular moment, she stood in the middle of the Goldenrod City Department Store. People were bustling around her, and as she stood there, she was nearly propelled headfirst into the Right One (capitalized for emphasized importance). Apparently, even the people of Goldenrod City believed in last-minute shopping. Or maybe it was more for Christmas. May didn't really know or care.
Moreover, this wasn't the first place she tried. In fact, she spent the better part of the day looking for the Right One in store after store and down street after winding street. She'd gotten lost no less than seven times in the course of her search (as a result of no fault of her own but more because the city architects were certifiably deranged), but here she was, finally staring at the exact object she knew Drew would love.
Plucking it from the shelf, she pushed through crowds of people in thick jackets. She dodged new shelves that seemed to crop up whenever she thought she'd nearly pushed through a particularly thick throng, and she shimmied her slim body through tiny gaps between shoppers and carts. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she managed to find the line to the checkout counter. Another eternity passed before she could finally pay and skip out the door with the box in hand.
Winter holidays in Goldenrod City have always been particularly noteworthy for the amount of gusto the citizens put into celebrating them. From the Winter Solstice Festival featured at the very beginning of the season to the Spring Equinox Festival at the end, the city became flooded with appropriate decorations and lights each week. For the last two weeks of December, for example, every shop window and spare space in the city seemed to be crammed with a mishmash of dreidel cut-outs, tinsel, and models of Baby New Year. One could say that the citizens of Goldenrod City simply loved holidays and celebrations. More cynical Johtonians insisted it was just an excuse to be gaudy and get drunk. The latter was usually the actual case.
However, as May pushed herself into the cold December air and made her way through crowds back to the pokémon center, she really didn't think too much about Goldenrod's traditions or annual vibes. She had her mind's eye on only one prize that day, and he promised to wait for her at the pokémon center.
Journeying there, however, was an entirely different ordeal. Although the center and the Goldenrod City Department Store weren't that far from each other, she still managed to find herself wandering down empty alleys and hitting dead ends three times before she finally reached the glass doors of the building. She was definitely thankful for the warmth. After all, it took her roughly an hour to actually find the place.
Inhaling deeply, she looked around. Straight ahead was the desk where Nurse Joy – now in a Santa hat instead of her usual nurse's hat (despite it being over a week before Christmas) – quietly worked at a computer. To the left was a row of green videophones, all occupied by trainers calling people who looked just like them, only far, far older. And to the right…
"May!"
She turned her head to see a row of booths with green, plastic seats and white, plastic tables. Some of them were already occupied by trainers chatting happily with one another, but only one caught her interest. There, a green-haired boy sat and smiled at her.
"Drew!" she replied.
Trotting over to him, she returned his smile before slipping into the booth across from him. The plastic bag she held rustled to remind her it was there. However, she placed it next to her. There were far more important things to think about.
Before she could say anything, she turned back to Drew and came face-to-face with the blossom of a bright, red rose. Her blue eyes widened as she stared at it.
"For you," Drew explained. "It matches how you looked in your last contest."
With a smile, she accepted the rose and blushed. "Drew, it's beautiful! Oh, wait! I've got something for you too!"
Placing the rose gently in her lap, she reached for the box in the bag. After she pulled it out, she placed it on the table and slid it towards him. Outside, it was just an ordinary, white box. Drew carefully picked it up and stared at it for a beat.
"Go on!" May said. "Open it!"
He looked up and raised his eyebrows. Then, just as carefully, he slid his thumb under the top flap and flicked it open. Inside was an object he wasn't entirely expecting. With a blink, he pulled the wooden figurine out and placed it on the table. It was a lovely piece of woodwork. He had to admit that.
It was just that it was in the shape of a wobbuffet.
"Uh… it's… it's very nice, May," Drew said. "What is it?"
May smiled. "It's a wobbuffet, of course! I got it because it reminds me of you! You know. The kind of friend who helps me bounce back whenever I lose a contest or whenever something goes wrong!"
At the word "friend," Drew paled a little. "Thanks."
Tilting her head, May let her grin widen. "Don't mention it! Happy Hanukkah, Drew! I hope we'll see each other in the next contest!"
With that, she rose to her feet, winked, and jogged away happily to leave Drew behind.