Who updated on time? Me. Thas' right. B)

This chapter is super-de-duper oldrivalshippy. Read at your own risk. Mwuahahaha!

Songs used in this chapter in order of appearance:
Nothin' On You - B.O.B ft. Bruno Mars
I Wanna Go - Britney Spears
Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland

I always recommend listening to the song while it's being 'sung'. [:

Disclaimer: I don't nor will ever own Pokemon, it's characters, or the songs used.
Suggested for ages 13+ for swearing, alcohol, drugs, etc.

Bittersweet Memories
Chapter 4: Getting to Know You

The morning after their ship took off, Leaf was up and about at the crack of dawn. She had always been one to wake up early, to her it was the most peaceful time of day. After a soothing shower, she felt as revitalized and awake as ever.

Leaf crawled up to her bed, clad in only a white robe. She folded her legs Indian-style, and tapped a pencil to her chin. Between the sound of calm waves lapping against the side of the boat, and the occasional cawing of Wingulls who strayed a little too far out from Hoenn's coast, the atmosphere of the entire boat was tranquil. The quiet roar of the ship's engine purred throughout the S.S. Current's bottom decks like a lullaby. It was times like these when she wrote her songs. No distractions, just the rising sun and herself.

Except for the disrupting snores of her cabin mate.

Leaf sweatdropped. She loved May, but she wasn't exactly the lightest sleeper- or the lightest snorer. She had no problem writing songs when she lived with Misty since they slept in separate rooms, but the fact that they were sharing a small cabin made May's heavy breathing echo.

Deciding she would take a morning walk, Leaf threw on a sweatshirt, a pair of black soffes, and some flipflops. She wrote a note to May, mentioning her whereabouts, then quietly slipped out of the room. She sneaked down the corridor of their deck, curiously exploring each platform.

After almost an hour, she wandered to the top deck. She leaned over the edge of the ship's railing, admiring the Mantine and Wailmer swimming cheerfully alongside the boat. As one water-type leaped particularly high, Leaf reached out her hand, hoping to pet it.

"You should be careful. You might fall overboard."

Surprised by the voice that broke the peaceful silence, she drew back her hand and turned to face the owner. A light blush tinged her cheeks, embarrassed that she was caught in the act. "Oh hi, Gary."

"Hey." He greeted, leaning coolly against the rail. "Why are you up to at..." He paused to glance down at his wristwatch. "...7:15 in the morning? It's kind of early, don't you think?"

She looked away from him and gazed out into the vast sea of blue. "I've been up for a while, watching the sunrise. I guess I'm just a morning person." She faced him again. "And you?"

He shrugged and winked at a blonde who was jogging by. "Just checking out the place."

"I can see that." Leaf rolled her eyes. "Well, I should get going, the girls will probably be waking up soon."

"Wait-" He grabbed her shoulder, causing her to turn around and look him in the eye. "Let me walk you to your room." He dropped his hand. "It's on the way to mine, anyways."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Okay..." She began to walk off without him. Gary smirked and jogged after her to catch up. "So Leaf, what've you been up to?" He asked, trying to make small talk.

"Oh, nothing," She kept her attention forward as she walked a bit faster, "just trying to write a song."

"Whats it about?" He inquired, picking up his pace to match the brunette's.

"I don't know yet." She said defeatedly. "I don't know what to write about... I have no inspiration right now."

He grinned. "I could be your inspiration."

Leaf shot him a look and snorted. "You? Hah. Enlighten me."

He grinned as he slid down the rail of a flight of stairs, one of many that led deeper in the ship to their cabins. She walked after him, watching expectantly.

A brunette walked by, flirtatiously eyeing him. Gary smirked in return and walked backwards, gesturing after the girl's retreating figure. "Beautiful girls all over the world, I could be chasing, but my time would be wasted. They got nothing on you, baby." He dropped to the floor and spun around in a boy band-ish manner. He held out a hand towards her. "Nothing on you, baby." Leaf snorted and pushed past him.

"They might say hi, and I might say hey," The same blonde from earlier- who Leaf swore was stalking them- passed by, batting her lashes and smiling. The corners of Gary's lip's turned upwards as he gave her an acknowledging nod. "but you shouldn't worry about what they say- 'Cause they got nothing on you, baby." He slung an arm around her coolly. "Nothing on you, baby..."

Leaf rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys. "Well that was a lovely little show," She clasped her hands together and grinned sarcastically. "But this is my room. Thanks for walking me."

She stuck her hand in her pocket, and pulled it out, empty. Did she forget the key? "Aww, shit." She banged erratically on the door. "DAMN IT MAY, OPEN THE DOOR! I FORGOT MY KEY."

The sound of sheets rustling relieved her. 'She actually woke up? Without heavy duty equipment? Must be my lucky day.'

But alas, the sound of light snoring reached Leaf's disappointed ears. She sheepishly turned to Gary. "Can I stay with you until she gets up?"

Gary's usual grin grew so big that she thought it would fall off at any second. "Why, of course." He held out an arm. "Care to join me for breakfast m'lady?"

She looked at him questionably. "Um. Okay." She squeaked, linking her arms with his as he escorted her to the complimentary breakfast on the main deck.

...

Dawn yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Mornin' Misty." She said, watching her friend shuffle around the room. "Where are you off too?"

"Going to the pool." Misty replied, slipping on a v-neck over her bikini top. She turned around to face the sleepy bluenette. "Wanna come with?"

She nodded and sleepily dragged herself to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Misty rolled her eyes and jumped on the bed, switching on the TV. "Don't take too long!" She screamed over the sound of running water,

The door connecting their room to their friend's room swung open. "WHAT HAPPENED? IS EVERYONE OKAY?" A wide-eyed May stood at the door, clothes sprawled about and hair unkempt and poking out at different directions. One of her sheets trailed from her bed to the feet of the bewildered girl, as the rest of her was a crumpled mess.

Misty flinched at the sight of her dazed friend. "What are you talking about May? You look terrible."

"I heard screaming and banging and..." Her words slowly died down as her eyelids closed and a large yawn was released.

"That was just us." She laughed. "We're going to the pool. Want to go?"

May shook her head. "Not right now. I'll join you guys after I grab some breakfast, 'kay?" She wandered back into her room. "Do you know where Leaf is?"

"Nope, sorry." Misty called out.

May poked around until she discovered a slip of paper neatly folded next to Leaf's song book.

'Went on a walk. Be back soon.

-L'

May shrugged and put the note back in it's place. It had no specific time, so she assumed that she just left recently. She changed into her bikini, putting on jean shorts and a loose blouse over. "I'm going to the little cafe! Meet you guys at the pool later!" She grabbed her room key and skipped out the door.

She felt unusually giddy, and hummed to herself as she walked up the flights of stairs until she finally came up on the main deck. "Ahh, the sun's so nice today." She said to herself, smiling. She continued to make her way to the cafe, waving cheerfully at fans that pointed her out. As the double doors of the small restaurant came into view, she saw a patch of green make its way out, followed by black, then purple.

"Hey, it's Drew! Guys, over here! Ash! Paul!" She cupped her mouth and shouted, waving an arm in the air.

The boys made their way towards the peppy brunette. "Hi, May!" Ash grinned.

Drew nodded in acknowledgement. "Hey."

She smiled and turned to Paul, waiting for his reaction to her greeting. He closed his eyes and comfortably leaned back on his leg. Understanding that this gesture was the closest she would get as a response, she decided not to bother him. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"Well, I don't know May." Drew said sarcastically. "It's not like we just walked out of a restaurant."

She pouted. "Well sor-ry. I was going to ask you if you wanted to eat with me."

"Sorry! We were just heading off to the pool." Ash apologized.

"Really? Misty and Dawn are there. I was planning to go there after I eat. Alone." Her lip jutted out further.

"See you there, then!" The overly-dense boy smiled and scrambled off. Paul opened an eye and sighed. "I'll make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble." He slumped after him with a wave of his hand.

"...Well, I should probably go with them." Drew began to sneak off as she grabbed his arm.

"Pleeeease, Drew?"

He looked at her pouting face, then longingly at his escaping friends. "Fine." He surrendered, allowing himself to be dragged off to the cafe by the cute girl.

The doors of the bistro chimed, warning the waitress' that new customers had entered. A young women led them towards an open booth. "Wait!" May gasped. "Is that Leaf?" She pointed at an occupied booth wedged into the corner of the store. May wasted no time and ran up to her friend.

"...and Gary?" Drew curiously followed the girl, after instructing the waitress to bring their menus to the table.

The girl's were chatting away as Drew slid into the seat next to Gary. "Care to explain why you're eating breakfast with Leaf?"

Gary smirked. "Oh, you know, she got locked out of her room this morning. Decided to be a gentleman and stay with her."

Drew chuckled and slipped Gary a high-five. "Nice one, man."

"But enough about me, why are you here with May?"

Drew shrugged and nonchalantly leaned back in his chair. "She wanted someone to come with her." Gary nodded in approval.

The waitress approached them. "Hi, may I take your order?"

As May gave the women her preference, the other pair continued eating their dishes, while casually chatting with Drew. Eventually the quartet finished their meals and exited the cafe.

"I have to go change to my bathing suit." Leaf spoke up. "How 'bout you, Gary?"

"Same here." He confirmed. "We'll meet up with you guys in a few minutes, okay? Go ahead." And with that, the two brunettes made their way back to the cabins.

May poked Drew in the arm. "Do you know even know where the pool is?"

He flipped his hair. "Of course." He cockily walked away, knowing that she had no choice but to follow. With a vein popping out of her forehead, she trailed Drew to the pool in a silent fury.

At their arrival, the pair found Misty sitting on Ash's shoulders, while Dawn was poking Paul's side. "Pretty please with cherries on top? I wanna play chicken with them! C'mon, Paul, stop being such a downer." She pouted and turned him back to him.

Her eyebrows relaxed as she saw her friends. "Oh hi May! And Drew! Can you play chicken with us? Paul's being a grumpy 'tard."

Drew shrugged and pulled off his shirt before doing a cannonball into the pool.

May, who was peeved enough from Drew's earlier diva-fit, had trouble controlling her anger as his shirt landed perfectly on her face. She tore it off at threw it at a nearby lounge chair, undressing as she settled into a flat bed next to it, preparing to tan.

"Well hellooo ladies."

May opened her eyes to see her remaining friends standing by the poolside.

A shirtless Gary was making quite a few friends as Leaf took off her sundress and leaped into the pool with a huge splash. "Gary get your ass in here, they're playing chicken!"

After waving good-bye to a few pouting girls, he dived in shortly after her. May couldn't help but smile. Leaf seemed to be having a great time with Gary, regardless of all that happened to her. Maybe he'd be the one to finally heal her broken heart. But she couldn't help but have a bad feeling about him. Everything about Gary screamed player. He seemed like a good person and loyal friend, but no doubt he had broken hearts before.

She was pulled out of her reverie by a wave of water landing on her. Wet and pissed off, she sat up to glare daggers on the person who dared to interrupt her tanning session. Her attitude changed to a confused one when she found her grumpy friend standing in front of her- and the only one within splashing distance.

"Paul?" She questioned. The teen looked at her impassively, then side-stepped to reveal an innocent looking Dawn sitting upon an equally-innocent looking Drew hidden behind him.

"...You two are dead." She snarled, diving into the pool and taking Dawn down with her. The two girls engaged in a playful water fight, laughing and splashing around. May shrieked as she was hoisted up into someone's shoulders. Grabbing a handful of green hair, she glanced down to see Drew looking back up at her smirking.

"TRAITOR!" Dawn shrieked at Drew, pounding him with her fists. "Damn it Paul, get in here and help me out!"

"Stop throwing a tantrum, Troublesome."

"GET MY NAME RIGHT!"

May laughed heartily as Dawn sulked, feeling bullied.

"What, Paul. Can you not handle being beaten?" Drew taunted.

His onyx's glowed with amusement. "Is that a threat, dear Cabbage?"

Drew looked up at May. "What if it is, Paulie?" She peered down to catch his glance and giggled.

Paul growled and dove in, smirking. "Challenge accepted." Dawn happily mounted his shoulders as the pairs exchanged glances, ready to spar.

Gary popped out of the water next to them. In a voice that could rival a boxing ring's announcer, he declared, "Let's get ready to ruuuuuuumble!"

In a fit of excited screams and squealing, the teens fought it out. The guys struggled with avoiding being kicked in the face, while for throwing punches and insults benevolently. The girls had a grasp on each other's shoulders, pushing and giggling madly. Dawn reached out and grabbed May's hand, licking it.

"What the hell, Dawn!" She shrieked, and withdrew her limbs. "What was that?"

Dawn smirked. "That, dear May, was called a distraction." And with that, she put all her strength into shoving her friend down where she landed painfully in the rippling water, taking Drew along with her.

"Ding ding ding! And round one goes to Paul and Dawn!" Gary chortled from the side of the pool. Leaf burst into a fit of laughter. "Wooo! Go Dawn!"

May popped out of the water frowning. "You got lucky!" Drew came out after her, sputtering. "Damn, May! You kicked me in the gut on the way down."

"Oops, sorry." She sweatdropped.

An irritated roar emitted from the opposite side of the swimming pool. Everyone diverted their attention from the chicken fight over to the jacuzzi, where a red-faced Ash and a calm Misty were seated.

"No fair, Misty! You keep cheating!"

"Ash, you idiot. I told you I was a swimmer."

Leaf piped up. "That's where you guys were! You were awfully quiet the whole time... why?"

"Ash almost drowned himself to death because he kept challenging me to see which one of us could hold our breath longer." Misty rolled her eyes and gestured to him. "I kept telling him I won because I was a swimmer, but he still doesn't believe me."

"That's because it's all a lie! Cheeeeater!"

"It's true, Ash. Misty's just an insanely amazing swimmer!" Dawn shouted.

Paul groaned. "Can you get off of me?"

"Huh?" She looked down at him. "Ohh, off your shoulders. Ehehe, yeah..." She said, climbing off of his torso. "Thanks for finally helping me out!" She hugged him and waded her over to May.

Paul grunted in response. Her simple, friendly gesture caused his ears to glow a faint pink. Of course girls threw themselves at him everyday, but the genuine action effected him in a different way. He pulled himself out of the pool, convinced he was starting to lose his badass touch.

May climbed up from the poolside and wrapped a complimentary towel around herself. "This was fun and all, but I'm getting really prune-y." She frowned, wiggling her wrinkled fingers. "I think I'm gonna go take a shower now."

Leaf nodded. "Me too. I'll come with you." Dawn and Misty silently agreed and trailed after their friends.

"Bye guys!" Misty shouted. "Wanna meet up again later?"

"Sounds good. Dinner at 8?" Gary questioned.

The girls agreed, and with a few waves, departed from the pool.

...

Over the several days that they spent on the boat, the two bands gradually became closer and closer, up to the point where strangers would assume that they had known each other for years- imagine the surprise on their faces when they found out that the teens only knew each other for a little more than a week.

As the last day on the ship came, each person was looking forward to docking at Kanto. While they packed their luggage, simultaneous beeps reverberated through each cabin.

Misty picked up her phone with a questioning glance. "That was weird."

Dawn agreed. "Mhmm. Probably a mass-text?"

"Only one way to find out." Misty tapped her phone a few times before squinting to read the message. She murmured to herself while reading. "Concert...mhm..Celadon...ahh...song...O-kay!" She snapped her head up and stuck her phone back into her pocket. "We have a concert two days after we arrive- it's in Celadon city. Solidad wants us to practice our previous performance's routine since we don't have a ton of rehearsal time. We won't be singing with the boys for this show."

"'kay. We'll just do a quick run-through when we arrive. Anything else?"

Misty pulled out her phone again. "Umm... She asked if we have any new songs, and if we were up for debuting them."

Dawn mock-saluted and skipped to the attached room. "LEAF! Where's our song writer?"

The brunette walked out of the bathroom. "Right here! What's up?" She asked, holding a bag of toiletries.

"How are your songs coming along?"

She frowned slightly. "I haven't been able to come up with anything exceptional, though I did help Gary write a song during breakfast earlier."

"Gary? As in our competition 'Gary'? You've been hanging out with him a lot lately." Dawn said suspiciously.

"Oh come on, Dawn. You know they had no choice but to be involved in this competition! They're in the same position we are."

"No, no, it's not like that. I'm just saying that you two are really close." She smirked. On the inside, Dawn was truly confused. How could someone who was so scarred from her past with guys take so easily to Gary? Was it his smooth ways? Leaf usually stuck to avoiding all types of interaction with boys... Then again, she took pretty well to the rest of Roulette too. Maybe she was finally coming out of her shell.

Leaf just stuck her tongue at her blue-eyed friend and zipped up her suitcase.

The ship's PA system rang out.

"Attention Passengers: We will be docking in Fuschia City in half an hour. Please prepare your cabins upon arrival and return your room keys to the front desk. Thank you, and we hope you enjoyed sailing on the S.S. Current!"

"Guys, are you done packing and everything?" Misty shouted from the other room.

"Yup! And so is May. She finished a while earlier." Leaf responded.

"Where is she?"

"She went with Ash to the lunch buffet." The girls sweatdropped. How typical.

"Well I think we should go turn in our keys and wait on deck. I can't wait to see where we'll be staying at for the next couple months!" Dawn chirped.

Leaf 'mhm'-ed in agreement. "Lets get going then. I'll just leave another note for May."

She ripped out a page from her song book and wrote a short message. The band members shared a look as they silently pulled their bags to the main deck.

...

Five minutes away from docking, May and Dawn could barely contain their excitement.

"Kanto! Ahh- my god I've never been here before! It looks amazing!" Dawn squealed as she clasped her hands together dreamily.

Misty smiled. "Home, sweet home. You guys will love it here, it's great. I'm psyched to go visit to Cerulean!"

"Hey Mist," Ash whispered, poking her side. "You promise to do you-know-what?"

She swatted his hand away. "Shush! They might hear you! Yeah, yeah I will, don't worry. I told you though, it's nothing to worry about, I just have a small cold or something."

"You haven't sneezed all week." He countered.

"What do you know? Have you been stalking me to track how many times I sneeze? I don't think so." She hissed, pulling on his ear.

He whimpered. "But promised you would get checked."

"Fine, fine. Whatever floats your boat."

Ash snorted. "We're on a boat!"

Needless to say, he was temporary silenced as the Mallet collided with his head.

The final announcement from the ship's crew rang out, thanking the passengers and declaring the arrival to their destination. As tourists crowded out into the port, Dawn rushed down the steps, falling unto her knees at the beach's golden sand. "LAAAAND! OH SWEET LAND!" She exclaimed, dramatically hugging the grainy ground under her.

"I thought you liked the boat ride, Dawn." May pondered.

"Hell no." The blunette deadpanned. "I get seasick."

"You didn't seem like it at all..."

"I just hid it behind my amazing acting skills. I didn't want you guys to worry." She snobbishly stuck her nose up.

May laughed then tackled her into a hug. "Even when you mean well, you're still a brat."

The two best friends giggled madly, exchanging violent hugs. It was a strange but sweet sight, until a certain grouch decided to intervene.

"I'd hate to intrude on this love fest," Paul said spat almost bitterly, "But we should go. Reggie's here."

Sure enough, a sleek, black, 6-door hummer pulled up in the beach's parking lot, attracting the attention of the male tourist's around it.

"Geez, don't get your panties in a knot, Paul." Dawn muttered, lugging her bags towards the shiny car.

Drew let out a low whistle. "Damn..."

"Like it?" The boys' manager grinned while stepping out of the Hummer. He spun the keys around his finger. "It's yours while you're in Kanto. You eight need transportation for going out on your own, and this was one of the largest non-mini van rides I could find. Shall we go?"

"All of our bags won't fit in there..." Drew said, skeptically.

Reggie gestured to a spacious silver BMW pulling up behind the black car. "Solidad and Harley will pack whatever can't fit into the other car."

The large group tumbled into the Hummer, fighting over the seats. Reggie shook his head. "Still as immature as ever."

They eventually decided on their seating arrangements: While Gary and Ash fought over who had the privilege to sit shot-gun, Leaf snuck into the front and kicked Gary out, leaving him to sit in the center row, on the left of May, who had Dawn sitting on her right. Misty, Drew, and Paul silently filed into the back, not wanting to be involved in the childish quarrel.

A comfortable silence filled the vehicle during the long ride to Saffron City. Once the passengers' initial fascination with the new region blew over, they diverted their attention to their friends as they chatted endlessly. Their admiring glances towards the scenery faded when certain teens dozed off to sleep.

As they pulled up into the hotel's parking lot, they were surprised to find paparazzi waiting there. Misty groaned. "Ugh, already? We just got to Kanto, and we technically haven't even started the tour yet."

Reggie turned off the Hummer's engine and tossed the keys at an awaiting valet. "You guys should be used to it by now. You've been at the top of the charts for a while- you can only expect this."

"Ehh, I guess." She shrugged, climbing out of the backseat. "It's still annoying, though." A few attendants rushed out of the rotating doors and immediately began loading their suitcases unto baggage carts.

Dawn daintily hopped out of the car and slipped a pair of white sunglasses over her head. "This place is amazing! And I'm loving the service." She winked at an unsuspecting bell boy, who's knees buckled under him. She giggled at her victim then proceeded to strut down the faux red carpet leading into the extravagant hotel, flashing a dazzling smile at the photographers.

The large C-shaped building stood in the heart of Saffron City- It towered over it's surroundings in an intimidating manner. The floor was tiled in black granite as strips of beige and viridian tapestry ran down the never-ending hallways. Marble sculptures were scattered throughout the corridors.

Gary whistled. "Classy. They didn't hold back at all, did they?"

"No kidding." Ash said, poking a small statue. "If this is just the lobby, I wonder what our suite's look like."

"Guys, come on!" May shouted, holding the elevator door open with a hand. "We're going to our rooms now!"

The two boys exchanged glances and raced towards the lift, excited to see their temporary living quarters.

...

"This is awesome!" Leaf cried, jumping on the room's black suede sofa.

The girls had arrived at their suite, and although it wasn't nearly as elaborate as the main foyer, it was still was more than they expected. Their large living space was filled with a long sofa and a TV which was parallel to the door. A square kitchen was located near the entrance, directly across the only bathroom. Four compact rooms were smushed side-by-side, with just enough personal space for it them to be deemed 'livable' by the girl's standards. A twin sized bed was in the center of each room, with a wooden desk next to it. A sliding closet doubled as a wall in each area.

Dawn studied the bland white surface. "Do you think we could paint it?"

May shook her head, "Nope, this is still a hotel, remember? Even if we are living here."

"Ahh, phooey." The bluenette huffed and plopped onto her bed. "Well, it's still a nice place. The view outside my window is so amazing..."

The door of their suite rattled open as their manager stepped inside. "Hey girls." Solidad greeted, "How are you liking the hotel?"

"We love it!" Leaf smiled.

Solidad laughed. "That's good. Now you all know that you don't have much time for rehearsal, so I think you girls should squeeze some in tonight. There's a free studio a block or two away that you can practice in at any time of day- it's usually always open. And no excuses about 'forgetting' the choreo! The last time you did this was just a week or two ago, and I better see it as flawless as it was before."

The girls simultaneously nodded their heads.

Satisfied, she grinned. "Good. I arranged someone to come and pick you up the day of the concert, which is two nights from today-" She glared at anyone who would dare to forget, "-and they'll be here at around four. You'll have a few hours for prep time and et cetera. You guys know the drill. Until then, practice, practice, practice!" The woman gracefully exited the room.

Misty slouched into the sofa. "Wow. This is going to be some tour... Technically it's not even a tour."

"Yeah, I know! No cramped tour bus or anything. We just drive over to the other cities and return back to this cute little suite." Dawn said, slamming the kitchen cupboards to try and find a packet of hot cocoa.

May on the other was digging intently through her bags. "Where is it, where is it, where is it..."

"Where is what, May?" Leaf inquired.

"My laptop! I told Max I would videochat with him as soon as I got here." May cried, flinging her arms around desperately.

Leaf slammed her hands down on her panicking friend's shoulders. "Calm down. You put it on the table." She pointed a circular glass table next to the couch.

May's eyes lit up as she barreled towards the desk, nearly tackling a surprised bluenette armed with hot chocolate. She flipped open the computer and impatiently tapped her fingers as the monitor slowly came to life. As it finished loading, she clicked on the videochatting icon and typed in her screen name and password at an impossibly fast speed. May clicked on the tab that held her brother's username, and smiled as his face came onto the screen.

She sighed in relief and relaxed into the sofa. "Hey, Max! I wasn't sure if you'd still be up. It is a bit later in Hoenn."

"Well I am." He grinned. "How's Kanto?"

"It's really amazing. You would've loved it! I'll take lots of pictures..."

Leaf smiled at the sibling love. She walked into her room to give them more privacy and bent down to her luggage to unpack. She needed to chance into something more comfortable for when they rehearsed for their portion of the concert... and for when she did a little private rehearsing of her own.

...

"I-I-I wanna go-o-o, all the way-ay-ay
Taking out my freak tonight!
I-I-I wanna show-ow-ow
All the dirt-ir-irt
I got running through my minddd...

Oh ohh."

"And that was the final song from Bittersweet!" Harley shouted into the microphone. "They really are bittersweet, no?" He cackled madly at his hilarious joke. The awkward coughs from the audience proved otherwise.

"O-kay. Well while we prep for the next set, we're gonna have a quick five minute break. We'll be back with Roulette right after this intermission!" The crowed cheered, excited for the next band.

"Woo, that was an awesome first concert! These Kanto supporters are really animated." May beamed as the four shared a group hug. "By the way, that last song was great, Dawn."

Said girl grinned. "Thanks! Leaf was seriously badass during it. Especially since that was her first time preforming on the drums instead of her usual bass." She turned to her left to compliment the girl and was surprised when the brunette wasn't in her previous spot. "Leaf...? Where is she?"

Misty shrugged and dodged a platform being swung around by the hustling stage crew. "She probably wanted to change. Hey- Looks like they're done with intermission."

An unfamiliar girl ran onto the stage. "He-llooooo Celadon City! How are you doing tonight?" The audience roared, regardless if it was out of enthusiasm or relief that the strange, purple haired, cookie-loving MC was no longer cracking jokes. "Hahaha! I'm Maylene, a good friend of Roulette's, and without further ado, here they are!" She laughed lightly and jogged off the stage. Distracted, she bumped into May.

"Oops- sorry!" She apologized. "Oh! You're May, right? Hi, I'm Maylene. From Sinnoh. Like I said on stage, I'm a friend of the boys."

May giggled and shook her hand. "Yup! Nice to meet you. Sinnoh huh? Are you here visiting?"

The pinkette nodded her head and smiled, before being dragged away shortly by Reggie who muttered something about 'having alone time'.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, Leaf's face broke out into a grin. She recognized the current song playing as the one that Gary sang to her the first day on the boat.

"They got nothing on you, baby."

She heart fluttered a bit, when he caught her eye backstage and smirked. She couldn't explain it, but she found it easy to trust him. And now she could say they were best friends. With the exception of Misty, Dawn, and May of course- but they were her sisters. He made her learn how to open up to men again- even if it wasn't to the fullest extent.

"Hope you guys liked that! Next we have a new song for you guys to check out. Enjoy!" Ash winked, and the entire female population of the audience screamed in ecstasy.

Gary chuckled and traded his guitar for Ash's microphone. "Featuring a special guest."

"Special guest? Only person I met today was Maylene. I didn't know she sang." May quirked a brow from backstage.

"Wait, did they say Gary wrote this song?" Dawn asked, eyes wide in realization. "Then I know who it is."

Leaf took a breathe. "Here we go..."

"How you doin' young lady, that feelin' that you givin' really drives me crazy. You don't have to play about the joke- I was at a loss of words first time that we spoke." Gary grinned as the crowd screeched, the first few rows of the audience clawing desperately at his feet.

A feminine voice rang out from the opposite side of the girls' position on the stage. "You're looking for a girl that'll treat you right, you lookin' for her in the day time with the light."

He smirked as he approached her. "You might be the type if I play my cards right, I'll find out by the end of the night."

"HOLY SHIT, IS THAT LEAF?" Misty shrieked. "WHAT? WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS?"

"You expect me to just let you hit it, but will you still respect me if you get it?"

"I didn't know either!" May's jaw dropped to the floor. Both girls paused and glared accusingly at Dawn.

"All I can do is try, gimme one chance, what's the problem I don't see no ring on your hand? I be the first to admit it, I'm curious about you, you seem so innocent."

"...What?" She waved her hands in front of her face and defended herself. "I honestly didn't know! I just pieced the whole thing together now!"

"You wanna get in my world, get lost in it. Boy I'm tired of running, let's walk for a minute."

Solidad walked up to the group before a cat fight could start. "Why is Leaf up there? I don't mind it, but I wish I was told. I didn't think you guys would have enough time to rehearse with them."

"Promiscuous girl, wherever you are, I'm all alone, and it's you that I want." Gary smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows at Leaf flirtaciously.

She rolled her eyes and strutted past him, ignoring his antics. In an equally provacative voice, she sang, "Promiscuous boy, you already know, that I'm all yours, what you waiting for?"

The girls watched in amazement. That was definitely not their Leaf. Not their sweet, innocent, hidden, reserved Leaf. This one was bold, flirty, and sexy. But the biggest difference in this one... she was genuinely having a great time. A rare sight to see.

Gary pouted. "Promiscuous girl, you're teasing me. You know what I want, and I got what you need."

"Promiscuous boy, let's get to the point, 'cause we're on a roll... Are you ready?" She stuck her tongue out and giggled, cat walking to the front of the stage. "Roses are red, some diamonds are blue. Chivalry is dead, but you're still kinda cute."

He followed after her. "Hey! I can't keep my mind off you. Where you at, do you mind if I come through?"

She reached out and touched the hands of the cheering crowd. "I'm out of this world come with me to my planet, get you on my level do you think that you can handle it?" Leaf looked at him with a challenging smirk.

Gary popped his collar and rapped coolly, sending the glance back. "They call me Gary, last name Oak. Recognize game, I'mma a lay mine bro."

She wagged a finger at him teasingly. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. But if I get lonely, Imma need your help. Pay attention to me I don't talk for my health-"

"-I want you on my team-"

"-So does everybody else." Leaf deadpanned.

"Baby we can keep it on the low, let your guard down ain't nobody gotta know. If you with it girl I know a place we can go." He winked and motioned backstage.

Leaf made a disgusted expression. "What kind of girl do you take me for?"

The chorus repeated itself, the two teens taunting each other on stage and laughing.

Gary frowned. "Don't be mad, don't get mean."

She mimiced him. "Don't get mad, don't be mean."

"Hey! Don't be mad, don't get mean."

"Don't get mad, don't be mean." She huffed and walked down the steps of the stage to sing out in the audience.

"Wait!" Gary cried and trailed her. "I don't mean no harm, I can see you with my t-shirt on."

She turned around and sang suggestively. "I can see you with nothing on, feeling on me before you bring that on."

"Bring that on?"

"You know what I mean." She rolled her eyes.

He laughed. "Girl, I'm a freak you shouldn't say those things."

"I'm only trying to get inside your brain, to see if you can work me the way you say." She grinned and continued to interact with the crowd.

Gary made his way to the stage nonchalantly. "It's OK, it's alright, I got something that you gonna like."

She turned and followed him curiously. "Hey is that the truth, or are you talking trash? Is your game M.V.P. like Steve Nash?"

"Promiscuous Girl, wherever you are, I'm all alone, and its you that I want." He continued to tease her.

She crossed her arms and stuck her bottom lip forward, facing away from him. "Promiscuous Boy, I'm calling your name. But you're driving me crazy, the way you're making me wait."

He sighed then walked up to her. "Promiscuous Girl, you're teasing me," He wrapped an arm around her to make her face him. "You know what I want, and I got what you need."

"Promiscuous Boy, we're one in the same, so we don't gotta play games no more..." She smiled brightly and threw her arms around him.

As the music died down, the audience erupted into a fit of deafening wolf whistles and screaming. She released him from his hug and ran off the stage happily.

Drew made his way to the main mic. "That was some hot stuff, huh?" He chuckled. "Well our next song..."

As soon as Leaf made her way into the curtains, she was gagged by a certain red head. "LEAF! That was freaking amazing!"

Dawn jumped and wrapped her arms around the two. "Where did that even come from? Holy cow!"

"Don't forget meee!" May cried as she tackled the girls. "That was very... promiscuous of you, Leaf." She giggled.

Leaf laughed and pulled away. "Aww, thanks guys! Sorry for not telling you, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Boy was that a surprise." May smirked, an amused expression taking over her features. Her eyes softened as Leaf pulled her into another hug. "You really were fantastic."

That night, their opening concert turned out to be a hit, gaining them more popularity than ever. And as for Leaf, the indestructible wall that surrounded her heart slowly began to crumble.

So what do you think? Leave your comments and suggestions in the box below!
...Wow I've been on youtube too much.

Told you it was an oldrivalshippy chapter... Maybe too ORS. I just felt like writing about Leaf and Gary. Mainly because I started reading the manga the same day I started this chapter, and I'm in love with Blue and Green. Nyaaaah. (:

Expect all/most of the chapters to end with a concert scene, since they're on tour and they have a concert almost every day. Why? Because I said so. & I have oh-so-many songs I want them to preform.

I know, I know. I disappointed ya'll with the lack of drama in this. I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter by revealing Misty's problem. Oooooh. It'll be pokeshippy!

Just wanted to say that I appreciate all of the feedback and everything. You guys really are amazing. :D

Review/Favorite/Alert/Check out my other stories/Mindless rambling/blah.
~Brie

PS: If I deleted all of the chapters of this story except for the first one/prologue, would the reviews from any chapter after the initial one get removed? Just wondering. :3 tyty.