Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story so far. I'm really glad you're enjoying it, and I hope this chapter will live up to your expectations. It's been a lot of fun to write.

Fair warning… The next couple chapters will be lighthearted but once the plot starts to reveal itself, it'll take a darker turn.

Battle Room

It was May's second day of school, and she was already late for Battle Room. It had taken her almost fifteen minutes of aimless wandering before she remembered that what she was looking for wasn't actually a room in the Academy building. The Battle Room was in its own building, Birtwick, next door. By the time she finally found her classroom, the professor was already well into his lecture. He stopped writing on the board when May opened the door. "Why, hello," he greeted her pleasantly. "What can I do for you?"

May looked around nervously at the faces staring back at her. "Hi. I'm looking for the Battle Room, I guess? It just says 'Battle Room' on my schedule."

The professor smiled and gestured vaguely around the class. "Well, then, you've come to the right place. Can I have your name, please?"

"It's May. May Maple."

"All right, Miss Maple, why don't you take the empty seat in front of Drew. Drew, please raise your hand."

May's eyes widened when she realized he was the same Drew with green hair from the day before, the one who'd called her a klutz and been generally rude to her. Drew had his head cupped in one hand and was waving the other lazily back and forth, a half smirk formed on his lips. Feeling dread curdle in her stomach, May took a deep breath and walked toward the empty seat, deliberately ignoring him. She sat down and placed her bag next to her as the professor continued with his lecture.

Several minutes later, May could feel her eyelids getting heavy. She began writing with her left hand to try to keep herself awake and found herself growing impatient. How was listening to a lecture supposed to help them in a real pokémon battle? She felt something jab her between her shoulder blades and whipped around to glare at Drew. He was staring ahead with his hands folded, attentively listening to the professor. The picture of innocence. He noticed May and mouthed, "What?"

"I know that was you," she hissed. "Stop poking me."

"Miss Maple." May turned around and felt her neck heat up when she realized she was being chastised. "Please refrain from distracting those around you who want to learn."

"But I-" May sputtered, feeling embarrassed and outraged. "I didn't… He poked me!"

The professor glanced at the boy behind her and raised an eyebrow. "Drew? Is that true?"

The green haired boy sat up a little straighter. "Yes, Professor. Her school map slipped off her desk, and I was merely trying to return it to her."

"Oh, well, that was nice of you. I'm sure Miss Maple would agree."

May grumbled a "thank you" under her breath and slumped further down into her chair, feeling her face flush crimson. As the professor went back to lecturing, the rest of the class eventually stopped shooting her curious looks and went back to staring at the board.

Nearly half-way through the class, the professor ordered the students to leave all their belongings except for their poké balls and head to the Battle Room next door. There was a collective murmuring as the class rose as one, eager to get on with the hands on portion of the class. This was what they'd all been waiting for. They followed the professor through the adjoining door and gazed around in awe. It was a large room with a wooden floor and mirrors along the walls. There were six sets of platforms that faced each other across a stage.

"Since this is our first class, we'll have one on one pokémon battles. After ten minutes, you'll switch partners. The purpose of this lesson is to battle against many opponents. Every trainer is different, and you'll need to adjust your strategy accordingly. I'll let you choose your own stations for the first round, and then we'll rotate to the right."

May did fairly well the first three rounds. She won against a blonde haired girl who used a Bulbasaur, lost to a guy named Wally who used a Ralts, and narrowly beat her next opponent's Metapod with her Wurmple, which gave her pokémon the experience it needed to evolve into Silcoon. Needless to say, May was feeling pretty good about the next match until she realized who her opponent was.

May stepped up to the platform on her right and pulled the poké ball containing Torchic from her belt. Drew grinned at her from where he stood across the stage. "You can forfeit now if you want," he said, his patronizing tone making her blood boil. "No one will blame you for backing out."

"Not a chance. Torchic, take the stage!" May said, doing her best to ignore his taunts as she tossed the poké ball out onto the wooden floor. Torchic appeared in a blinding flash and looked back at her expectantly.

"Well, if that's the way you want it," Drew said, flicking his bangs out of his eyes. He threw out his own poké ball, and a Roselia appeared, standing tall and regal.

"Roselia," it said, closing its eyes peacefully.

"Wow. I've never seen a pokémon like that before," May said before she could stop herself.

Drew chuckled at her. "Oh, yeah? Just shows how much you actually know about pokémon. It must have been pure luck that landed you in this academy in the first place."

"It wasn't luck. I worked hard to get here, just like you!" May shouted, feeling her face heat up in anger. "Ok, Torchic, use growl," she ordered, hoping her voice didn't waver uncertainly. It was one thing to read about a pokémon battle in a book, but it was another thing to actually participate in one, especially with Drew making snide remarks. It was unnerving. Torchic turned and looked at her before ruffling its feathers.

"Roselia, Mega Drain," Drew said calmly, pointing at Torchic.

Roselia leapt forward and twirled in the air as it sucked energy from Torchic. The little bird pokémon cried out and stumbled forward weakly. "No! Come on, Torchic, use Scratch!" May said, trying to encourage it.

It kicked out at Roselia with its clawed feet, but the rose pokémon was too fast and leapt out of the way before Torchic could manage a hit.

"Roselia, hit it with Stun Spore," Drew said. The rose pokémon released a cloud of spores that settled around Torchic, affectively paralyzing it. It fell on its stomach, struggling in vain to get back up. "Finish it off. Solar Beam." Roselia nodded happily and began gathering sunlight, preparing for the attack that would ultimately win the battle.

"Oh, Torchic!" May said, feeling panic surge through her. "Ember!" she suddenly remembered. "Use Ember!"

"Your Torchic may have the type advantage," Drew said, "but my Roselia is too strong for an attack of that level."

Torchic made a feeble effort to follow her command, but Roselia had already released its attack. Torchic was hit head on by the beam of light and thrown across the platform. It was already unconscious by the time it hit the floor. May jumped off the station and ran to its side, picking it up and cradling it in her arms. "It's ok, Torchic. You did your best," she said softly, returning it to its poké ball.

"If that was its best, I'd hate to see it at its worst," Drew said smugly.

"You shut up," May said, standing up so fast she felt lightheaded. She marched up to Drew and jabbed her finger in his chest. "Listen, you can mock me all you want, but don't you dare insult my pokémon! Torchic tried its best out there, and I'm proud of it."

"You're right, May," Drew said. His cocky grin was gone, but the words that came next cut deep. "It's not the Torchic's fault it lost so badly, it's you. There's a lot you need to learn before you can call yourself a capable trainer." May opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by the bell, announcing the end of class. Instead, she pushed pass him and stormed off the platform, nearly forgetting to retrieve her bag from the next room in her haste to leave.

"And then he practically called me a bad trainer. In front of the whole class," May said, as she finished ranting to Ash and Misty later at lunch. They'd decided to meet in the Platinum Dining Hall since they'd exchanged schedules the day before and realized they all had the same break. "It was so humiliating," she said, dropping her head into her arms dramatically.

"Wow. Sorry your first day of Battle Room sucked so bad," Ash said tactlessly.

"Don't worry, May," Misty said, putting a hand on her arm. "You have to remember, Drew's been here a year longer than you. He has a lot more experience."

"Yeah, and he wasn't that great at first, either," Ash added. "I heard he lost his first match so badly he cried."

"Really? If that's true, then why would he pick on people who are weaker than him?" May snapped her head up and glared past Ash and Misty. "I hate Drew. He's such a jerk!"

"I thought that at first too," Ash said, "but that's probably just his way of trying to help you. He's really not that bad once you get to know him."

"You keep saying that," May said, "but the more he opens his mouth, the more I want to beat his pretty face in."

"You know, maybe he picks on you because he likes you a little."

"What?" May looked at Misty as if she'd grown a second head and spouted a pair of horns to top it off. "Are you crazy? Didn't you hear what I just said? Drew hates me!"

"Okay, okay," Misty said, putting her hands up defensively. "Never mind. It was just a thought."

May stared sullenly at the table and picked at her food, running the conversation with Drew through her head again and again. Suddenly, she was hit with an inspiration and grabbed Misty's arm urgently. "You're a good trainer," she said, glancing from Misty to Ash, "Both of you. Will you help me train my pokémon? Please? I can't lose to Drew like that, again!"

She didn't miss the significant glance her two friends exchanged. "Um, sure. Of course, we'll help you," Ash said.

"But it has to be for more than just beating Drew," Misty added. "You have to really want to improve yourself."

"Of course!" May said. "I want to be the best trainer I can be."

"All right, then," Ash said, and the three shook on it. "It's a deal."

The rest of the week passed without much incident. May made a friend in Dawn, a fellow pokémon coordinator, who was in a couple of her classes.

Her professors were all knowledgeable pokémon trainers or researchers, and she liked them all, except for Selena Handel, who taught Pokémon Nutrition. May took an instant dislike to her for reasons even she, herself, couldn't pinpoint.

She tried to spend time with her suitemate, Brianna, whom she learned was a coordinator and also madly in love with Drew, much to her dismay. However, Brianna had a busy schedule that didn't leave her with much time for socializing. After her third invitation to hang out with Ash and Misty was rejected, May stopped inviting her altogether.

It also turned out she had the same Geometry class as Ash. Apparently, he hated math and had put off taking Geometry as a freshman, so now he had to take it as a sophomore. May wasn't a math genius by any stretch of the imagination, but she'd always been placed in the higher math levels at her old schools and understood the concepts enough to follow what her Professor was talking about without too much trouble.

Unfortunately, Drew—the bane of her existence—was in her class for, not only Battle Room, but for French and Pokémon Nutrition as well. At first she'd attempted to be civil, but after he'd given her the nickname "Madame Klutz" in French and called her out in front of the class for getting a question wrong in Pokémon Nutrition, she'd decided that, despite Ash's claims to the contrary, Drew really was a jerk. Not only that, but his ego was twice the size of the entire Hoenn region.

May began training for two hours every evening with Ash and sometimes with Misty. Dawn helped her on occasion. On the days her friends couldn't train with her, she went to the Battle Room and pitted her pokémon against the computer. To keep up with Drew, she spent most of her free time studying about pokémon psychology, battle strategies, different move combinations, and type advantages. She participated more in class and group discussions and worked harder than anyone in Battle Room. Her hard work began to pay off, and she gradually began to gain the respect of her peers. Blue days became her chance to prove herself.

It was Tuesday night of the fifth week, and May was on her way to Battle Room to challenge the computer. She had an extra bounce in her step as she strode down the now familiar corridors with the intention of working with the Skitty she'd recently added to her team. She and Ash had found it when they were training in the woods at the edge of the academy's property. The Skitty had been injured and weak, and they rushed it to the school's Pokémon Center for immediate medical attention. The Skitty made a full recovery and seemed to take a liking to May, so she decided to keep it.

She entered Birtwick and made her way toward the Battle Room but stopped short when she heard voices. The building was usually empty at this time of night, so she peered around the corner, her curiosity getting the better of her. Drew was talking with two other guys. One was Brendan Birch, a trainer who was in some of her classes. He wore a white beanie cap with a green elastic band over his black hair that made him stand out wherever he went. It was sometimes hard to tell that the cap wasn't actually his hair. The other guy was Nate Berkeley, the top trainer in the school. He had blonde hair that spiked up in the back and intense blue eyes. The three trainers spoke in hushed tones, expressions serious, and May couldn't help wondering what they were talking about.

For a moment she stayed where she was, feeling self conscious about going into the Battle Room with the boys hanging around nearby. She finally decided that hiding behind a wall was ridiculous and stepped out into view, marching determinedly toward the door. She started to enter her Student ID, but Drew noticed her before she could slip inside.

"Well, look who it is," he said, stretching the syllables out obnoxiously. The other boys stopped talking, and she could feel their eyes on her.

May turned around, feeling her stomach flip. "Hi, Drew."

"What're you doing out so late?" He asked, though it sounded more like an accusation to her.

"I was planning on training my new Skitty. If that's all right with you," she said sarcastically.

Brendan snickered, and Nate grinned and crossed his arms loosely over his chest.

Drew didn't seem fazed. "Well, looks like you didn't hear about the curfew that was just issued. Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Curfew?" May asked, looking at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Drew lifted his shoulder and dropped it in a strangely elegant gesture. "Apparently, another child went missing in LaRousse City this afternoon. The school board's probably just erring on the side of caution."

"Another one? How many does that make now, like, five?" May wondered aloud. She'd heard about the kidnappings on the news, which had started at the beginning of summer. The children ranged from ages ten to eighteen and were all male. One boy had managed to escape his kidnapper, but the only information he could provide was that the person had been wearing a black cloak. He couldn't even determine whether it was a man or a woman because the person never spoke. "Do you think it's Team Rocket?" she asked.

"Could be," Brendan said darkly, "Wouldn't put it past them to kidnap kids to meet their recruitment quota for the year."

"They've been featured in the news a lot recently too," Nate said. "I'm sure they're basking in all this publicity."

"It's stupid though," Drew said. "Do they really think people will join if they hear about the Rockets on the news? I mean, who really wants to be a Rocket Grunt when they grow up? Besides Nate, I mean."

"Ha. You're just jealous you can't make the cut," Nate smirked.

"Apparently, enough people do," Brendan said. "They've been flourishing for what? Twenty? Twenty-five years now? But that's how cults operate. They draw people in and force them into compliance. Who knows, they could have second or third generation Rockets in their ranks from progeny of the originals."

Drew gave Brendan a sideways glance. "That's fascinating, Birch, really. I love it when you get all analytical on us."

Brendan grinned and punched Drew playfully in the arm. "Shut up, asshole. I just think the psychology part is interesting."

"You would."

Nate yawned loudly and glanced at his wrist, though May noticed he wasn't actually wearing a watch. "Well, it's been fun and all, but I have a test in Calculus tomorrow, so…"

"Yeah, I should get going too," Brendan added. He clapped Drew on the shoulder with a, "see you, man," nodded at Nate, and offered May a two finger salute.

"Well," Nate drawled, glancing from Drew to May. "Guess I'll see you guys around."

"Uh, yeah." May felt a blush creep up her neck. She couldn't help noticing how attractive Nate was as he grinned at her and turned away. She gathered up the courage to call after him, "I'm May, by the way."

Nate smirked and jerked his thumb at Drew. "Yeah, I know. He's told me all about you."

Drew scoffed and shoved his hands into his pockets as Nate disappeared around the corner. "Don't listen to that bastard. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."

"He seems like a nice guy to me," May said immediately.

Drew scrunched his nose in disgust. "Then you have poor taste in guys."

"I do not!" May defended, feeling her face grow red. As an afterthought she added, "And I don't even know why I'm still talking to you. See you later."

"Are you going back to the dorms?" Drew asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I was going to train, but if there's a curfew…"

"I can, uh, walk you back," Drew said, falling into step beside her. "Since it's on the way."

"Oh, it's ok," she said quickly. "My Torchic will protect me." She fingered the poké ball on her belt and grinned at him, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, that reminds me. What were you guys doing out if you knew about the curfew?"

"Nate and I have Trainer's Passes since we're Elites, so the curfew doesn't apply to us," Drew said. "And Brendan was just tagging along." They got to the main entrance and Drew opened the door without looking at her. "Right. Well, guess I'll see you around, then." He walked out into the darkness, and May watched him go with an uneasy feeling settling over her. If she hadn't known any better, she'd have thought her rejection of Drew's offer had offended him. But that wasn't right. They were supposed to be rivals. Drew was supposed to mock and tease her, not be nice to her. Not offer to walk her home like he was trying to be chivalrous. That just completely upset the delicate balance between them. And she definitely wasn't supposed to feel guilty about making him upset because that just opened up a whole new level of awkward that May wasn't prepared to deal with. Yes, she decided to herself, it was definitely a good thing she knew better.

Author's Note: Well, that's the end of chapter two. I'm doing my best to keep the characters in character, but they're starting to develop their own personalities as I write them. Please let me know if they stray too much from their cannon counterparts. And on that note, please review!