I now present...my fastest update EVER! I would like to thank all the wonderful reviews, and Kefka VI for betaing for me, though due to the fact that i want to update before i go away for a week, i was unable to follow his great advice and have uploaded this as it is. So Enjoy!
Ch. 4 Pushing
"Where were you guys?"
The group stopped to camp that night at the edge of the forest and Misty had sent her younger self out to get the firewood. She went, grumbling and complaining all the way. When she returned all the seats by Ash where she had been hoping to sit were taken by Max on one side and May on the other. She fumed as she went to sit on the other side of Drew, who was glaring over at Ash and May as well. Brock looked up at the two and smiled a little nervously. Of course he knew they were both jealous, but what could he do about it? He knew both teens had a nasty temper, and things could get very bad, very quickly.
"Geez Mist, where did you go to wood, Viridian forest?" Ash said jokingly. May giggled, as did Dawn and the rest of the group, but Drew and Misty had only heard May.
Misty threw the wood down a little over-forcefully.
"Well you can go get it yourself next time then!" she shot at him, glaring.
"Pika-chu." The little rodent smacked itself on the head in a 'here we go again' manner. Brock began to make the fire as Ash replied.
"It was only a joke." He sounded hurt, but Misty was too upset to care.
"I think we should tell stories about what we've been doing." Said May brightly.
"Awesome idea May!" Ash agreed. Misty looked as though she would explode any second, while Drew looked like he might just mentally liquefy Ash. Older "Misty" smirked slightly.
"Well I'll go first." May began. "Johto is great! We've only entered one contest though, in Cherry Grove City. Oh, it was so beautiful there! Anyway, Drew and I had to go against each other before the finals, and his Masquierne beat my Squirtle…woops, I mean Wartortle, it evolved during that battle! Oh, but then he lost in the finals to this amazing girl named Mandy with her awesome Mareep."
"Wow that sounds great!" Dawn exclaimed. "You're going to love Sinnoh. I have one ribbon already. Course, it'll be really rough, all of us traveling together and entering the same contests." She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"No kidding, maybe that's why we should just go back to Johto." Drew said huffily. May looked at him disapprovingly.
"We don't have to enter the same ones." She said. "Besides don't you think that Ash's life is more important than some ribbons?"
"Sure." Drew mumbled. "Ow!" he yelled out. Misty had flicked him hard on the ear. "What was that for? I said your little boyfri-"
"The fire is getting low!" Older Misty cut across him. Everyone looked up at her. "Ash, May, why don't you go get some more wood." Ash blinked at her before standing up and shrugging and May stood as well.
"Oh, and don't go all the way to Viridian now Ash!" Misty called, still sounding very agitated and glaring for the umpteenth time at her older self.
What is she doing?! Misty thought furiously. Doesn't she remember how I, we, uh…anyway, feel about him!
"Sure is strange, having all of us together again." Ash said, breaking a branch off of a small tree. May pulled it back out of his hand and tossed it away.
"Yeah, it is I suppose…" she said. She hesitated for a moment, before sighing and speaking again. "Look, Ash, don't listen to Drew. Really, it'll be fine being in Sinnoh contests, and he doesn't want you to die either."
Ash stood up, arms full of wood. "Yeah, it's sorta scary isn't it, thinking I'll be dead soon." He paused. "May…who do you think it was Misty loved that died?" May collapsed, a look of disbelief on her face.
"You have got to be kidding me right?" she wailed. She knew he was dense, but this was just crazy.
"I bet it was Rudy, or Danny." He growled.
"Ash, I don't think it was-" May began, but before she could finish her sentence the two were caught in a net, hanging ten feet off the ground.
"Gah, what the?" Ash said, but then…
"Listen, is that a twerp caught in a net I hear?"
"His pathetic voice is speaking to me loud and clear!"
"I don't have Pikachu with me." Ash shouted, interrupting the annoyingly omnipresent team rocket.
"So you can just let us down now if you don't mind." Added May. The trio appeared in front of them.
"But that little runt is practically surgically attached to you." Jessie said.
"He's back with the others." May grumbled, her face smooshed against the net.
"Oh, so now you're back huh?" James said, remarking on May's presence. "And what are you two doing in the woods alone at night?" Jessie laughed at her statement.
"We're getting firewood alright, and we'd really like to get back so if you could let…" Ash started.
"You let them go!" shouted Misty from behind Team Rocket.
"Ooh, look Jessie, the runt is back too!" James laughed.
"Runt!?" Misty yelled angrily. "That's never a good idea." Ash said, watching the scene from above.
"Gyarados, go!" A giant blue dragon materialized in front of them, and Team Rocket huddled together.
"Oh no, I forgot she had that!" James whimpered, "Hyperbeam!" Misty shouted.
"Looks like team rocket's blasting off already!"
Misty let Ash and May down from their net, but didn't face them as they stood.
"Gee thanks Mist, lucky you came looking for us." Ash said, dusting himself off.
"Yeah, well, you were taking forever, and you two have the only fire pokemon, vulpix is back with Suzie." Misty started walking, and Ash and May took off after her.
"Where were you guys?" Drew asked rather snippily as Ash, May, and Misty re-entered the camp.
"Team Rocket." May said simply. Everyone understood and went back to what they were doing. May made a move to go sit over by Drew, but older Misty was too fast for her.
"Oh May, could you come and sit over here with me? I'd love to talk about you Wartortle, and that Skitty, how cute!" she said.
May quickly went over, eyes sparkling in excitement, and planted herself between Ash and older Misty. This forced young Misty to once again take a place next to Drew, where she glared angrily at the trio.
"What is with your older self?" Drew asked her.
"I have no idea, she's crazy!" He turned away from May, Misty, and now Ash's conversation.
"You do realize you just called yourself crazy?"
"I'm not so sure I did. That woman is nothing like me. I mean just look at how she's pushing…um…" she broke off.
"Yeah." Drew said.
"Let's just say I'd never do that." Misty concluded. Drew turned back to the others, where Ash and May were now bickering.
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"That's my line." Misty mumbled sadly. Drew smirked and flicked his hair. He had a plan.
Older Misty had set up the sleeping bags that night. Drew, who was unaccustomed to sleeping outdoors was to share the tent with Dawn. Originally the plan had been Max, but she had been adamant.
"I don't care who it is, it's my tent and I'm sleeping in it!" May turned faintly red and turned back to her own bag, which older Misty had placed on the very end, as far away from the tent as possible, and next to Ash. On his other side was Brock, then Older Misty, Max, and Misty right next to the tent.
"Goodni-ight!" Older Misty chirped, dousing the fire.
--
"So, Dawn, right?" Drew said awkwardly.
"Mhmm!" Dawn said happily, brushing her dark blue hair. She was incredibly happy that they had all forgotten the 'keep Dawn away from the couples' rule.
"Right, well, goodnight, I guess." He lay down and rolled over away from her, willing the girl to go to sleep too.
"So, what's the deal with you and May?"
He blushed, unseen thankfully, and mentally smacked himself for even considering she would let this opportunity slip through her fingers.
"We're rivals, and, friends I guess. I respect her as a coordinator and she's in awe of my talents." He shrugged.
"Well aren't you just Mr. Modesty. I think there's something else going on." Dawn said.
"That's nice, you can think what ever you want Dawn."
"Don't be silly! I can see the way you look at her, and how she constantly seeks your approval. She looks at you too you know." She said thoughtfully.
Drew opened his eyes and looked back toward her.
"Can't you see her blushing like, all the time? And I also see how jealous you are when she talks to Ash." She said slyly. She was sure this would get a rise out of him. But he was more silent than she could've expected. She huffed angrily, and lay down.
"Fine you stony boy, keep your feelings inside. You'll be sorry when someone else says it first."
Drew looked down at the canvas floor. He knew she was right, but he already had a plan.
After about half an hour, he heard soft grunts coming from Dawn.
"Finally." He breathed. "Roselia…" he let out the rose handed pokemon.
"Shh, Roselia, you know the drill."
"Rose." The Roselia produced a single red rose, like always. It wondered vaguely when its master was just going to tell the girl he liked her.
"Thanks. Okay return." He stood up slowly, tip toeing to the flap and unzipped it. Dawn rolled over.
"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" she mumbled. Drew froze, hand on the zipper, until she flopped over and started snoring. Drew breathed out a sigh of relief, and proceeded outside.
As he approached May's sleeping form, he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked.
What!? Oh wait I'm okay with that now. He shook off his thought, but liked the next one even less.
How did they end up so close together?
Ash and May were inches apart, their hands nearly touching. He knelt down and rolled Ash roughly away. He grunted, but didn't wake.
Drew knelt down next to May and wrapped her fingers delicately around the rose.
"I don't even know how many of these I've given you. Go figure." He stood up, and turned to go, but froze once again.
"Drew, don't go."
Is she still asleep? He thought frantically.
"Don't go I still need to train, c'mon let's battle."
He laughed quietly. "Dreaming."
"I always missed you." He grinned.
"Drew, I think I love you." He had almost made it back to the tent when he heard that.
"No way." He said, "She's asleep, just like I should be. I'm going to bed." And he zipped the flap and flopped down, May's unconscious words still filling his head.
May woke up first the next morning, which she soon realized was lucky. She looked down at her own hand, clamped around a rose that could only have come from one place.
"Drew," she muttered, blushing and twirling the flower.
"What?" a voice sounded from behind her, and she jumped and spun around, trying to hide the rose.
"Drew!" she squealed.
"So that's twice you've said that, and yet I still don't know why." He smiled and flicked his hair, a knowing look in his emerald eyes, but May was still fooled.
"Oh, uh, I was just, um, wondering if you wanted to uh…train." She invented wildly.
"You wanted to train this early in the morning?" he asked, laughing a little.
"Sure, but I uh, guess we should wait 'till after breakfast." She smiled and closed her eyes, so she didn't see Drew roll his.
"Yeah, breakfast." He offered a hand to help her up, and she went to take it, not realizing she had stuck out the hand with the rose in it.
How stupid can I get!
"That's nice, where'd you get that?" Drew asked, picking her up off the ground, his face a mask of calm while his mind was screaming at her. Tell me it was me, go on do it!
"Uh, yeah, well," she was bright red, and his green eyes pleaded with her. "You know exactly where it came from." She said with new confidence.
"I do?" It was everything he could do not to laugh.
"Yes you do mister; you gave it to me last night!"
"Are you sure it wasn't from him?" he asked, kicking at Ash.
Why in the heck would you say that?!
"Ash? Ha yeah right, the day's he's as romantic as you is the day Squirtle's fly!" She burst out laughing, causing Drew to smile. She clearly hadn't realized what she said.
"So, I'm romantic?" she stopped laughing abruptly, her face rivaling her bandanna in redness.
"Uh, yeah, sure…roses." She mumbled to the ground.
"Hey you two are up early; breakfast should be ready in about 20 minutes if you help." Brock said, breaking the moment and saving May from her own embarrassment.
"Yeah, I'll help!" she burst out, pushing past Drew and bounding up to Brock.
Drew just smiled…it was progress.
"Misty." Came a faint noise from below him. He looked down to see Ash with a huge grin plastered on his sleeping face. Drew's smile grew.
A lot of progress.
Thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed it! i'll be back in a week so peace!
STL