Update June 2013: This chapter has been updated and revised from its original version. Past errors have been fixed and adjustments have been made but the plot of the chapter, characters, and events have remained the same.
Sorry about my lateness again guys. This time, it wasn't just fanfiction's fault, it was mine and my dad's. Lol, he decided he wanted to switch internet services on Friday so I had to wait until today for the technician to get to my house and set everything up. I tried updating on my phone yesterday so that the chapter would get up on time, but unfortunately, fanfiction has yet to make that function possible for iPhones, so that didn't work out. Then I had a party to go to earlier today, so I couldn't update earlier, either! And then, when I got home and tried to update, fanfiction wouldn't update the chapter! I know, excuses, excuses, but all those things really happened! At least I'm only a day late, though, eh?
Anyhoo, I'm thinking that the next three chapters are going to be very long because I'm going to be cramming in a lot of events into one chapter. Why? Because I'm more than ready to get Drew and May's relationship started! I was originally going to drag everything out for about another six chapters or so, but that would mean more waiting for you guys and myself. Six weeks of waiting? I don't think so. So, without further ado, here's chapter 23 of my story! Happy reading, please review. :)
Note to FlygonFan: Your character, Myra, will be making her cameo in this chapter! I actually had to change a few details about your appeal for the sake of the story, but I made sure to only change the minor details. For example, instead of having both your empoleon and blaziken in the appeal, I took out empoleon and used Zephyr because the other coordinators are only going to be using one pokémon to appeal. Tell me what you think! :)
Responses to Reviews...
FlygonFan: Haha okay :)
EeveeTransformed: I did mention it, but I think it was in a response to another reviewer's review. :P I'm planning on having at least 40 chapters!
Pear-Shaped: Hehehe, poor Brianna :) Glad to have made your day!
Claudette14: Thanks! :D They'll be together eventually!
PinkBlackSk8tr: Lol, I fail at fake-smiling ;D
Angel-of-Energy: Thank you! :)
LoveLoverGrl: He is! And I feel like doing the same thing sometimes! But of course I can't considering the fact that I'm the author haha. ;P
Pelkasauras -Cherry3456: Thank you very much! I'm happy that I made your day with my update. Hopefully this update made your day again? :)
The Last Poison Apple: Haha, that was what I was going for!
LuvPeaceCandy: I know right? Fail whale! :F
Monochrome13: I don't know, I think a certain brunette may just be jealous. ;)
Chi-Chiwawa: You had some very good theories! Thanks for everything you said! I'll be sure to read your story whenever I can find time to! And just be patient with the reviews! Don't be discouraged! You'll be getting more as you go on! :)
chocolatehell: Well, I wrote the "tired and hungry" part to be honest lol. The parts that followed were pure jealousy :D As for the "shameless advertising" on my profile...of course I had to go through with it! I really do genuinely enjoy your stories and I really admire your writing talent! How could I not go on about your stories? Hope you didn't mind. xD And I hope your writer's block goes away soon!
Fprmr1: I am beyond excited! You should see how I get every time I see the commercial for the movie! I'm like an overly obsessed fangirl! Well, maybe I am one. xD And I read your fic and I liked it! Did you get my reviews?
Sora-May: Just like I do! :D
Love My Writing Or Else: Sorry about the "lack of potential" of the chapter. To be honest, it was more of a filler chapter than anything because it was supposed to build up forthis chapter! And I also didn't have much time to write last week...hehe xP And you didn't offend me! Constructive criticism is good whenever it's needed! How else do people improve if their mistakes aren't pointed out for them to fix them? :)
dorkyreader859: I love your username! I'm dorky, too haha. xD
ElseLorraine: Haha, thank you! :D But don't worry about your siblings. I have none, but the next closest things (my cousins) wouldn't be able to detect something fake in my smile to save their lives!
LAPKat: Care to give me some lessons? I could use some ;D Thanks!
Pokemaster: If you thought that was jealous, wait until you see how jealous she gets in the next couple chapters. ;)
Jace'sVampiress97: Haha, thanks! Caroline and Max saw right through her, eh? ;D
Love Unexpected chapter 23
"Hey, Brianna. How're you feeling?"
Brianna lifted her head from where she sat perched on the end of her bed. After marking her place in the book that she was reading, she turned to the door of her room to meet the eyes of her visitor.
"Hi, May," she greeted merrily with a smile. "I'm feeling great. My ankle's completely healed, so I can wear heels tomorrow at the contest and not have it be a suicide attempt."
May laughed at the hearty joke. "That's good—I can't say the same for myself, though," she said. "I made the mistake of picking a pair of five-inch heels to go with my dress."
"Five? May! That's a whole suicide attempt and a half!"
"Hey! It's technically only four inches without the one-inch platform!"
"I know. I was just kidding," the redhead said with a cheeky smile. "Mine are four-and-a-quarter inches, and I don't even have a platform."
"Oh, and I thought my heels were bad."
Brianna gave a goofy grin in response to May's playful eye roll. As the brunette came closer to the bed, she was able to reach out to grab May's wrist to pull her closer.
May eyed her hopeful expression with caution.
"Can I ask for a favor?" Brianna asked her, while still smiling cheekily.
"What's the favor?" May asked her back hesitantly.
"There's this horror movie playing on TV right now, but I'm too scared to watch it on my own. Will you watch it with me?"
May had to laugh. "I don't think I'm the best person to be watching a horror movie with. I'll be more scared than you are."
"Not if we're together! Horror movies are always easier to watch with a friend!"
"Ah, whatever," May sighed as she plopped down next to Brianna. "You'll owe me after this then."
"I'll give you the best repayment ever," Brianna promised and quickly grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.
There was something behind the huge grin that was present on her face, but May couldn't quite decide what it was.
As the TV came to life, Brianna was disappointed to find out that the movie had long started. The mutant krookodiles had already developed the ability to thrive in water and had since been terrorizing the population of a small island. Several people and pokémon had been reported missing or eaten by the mutants, but the gory scenes had already passed.
Having missed the beginning, Brianna quickly lost interest and reverted to making conversation with May.
"Did your mom send you the dress for your appeal tomorrow yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, she sent it to me two nights ago when we got here," May told her. "Did you get yours yet?"
"Uh huh, my uncle delivered it to me here last night. I'd show you, but I'm too lazy to get up."
May rolled her eyes and playfully swatted Brianna on the arm before she asked, "Your uncle lives in Fuchsia?"
"Yeah," Brianna responded without taking her eyes off the screen.
The beady black eyes of a krookodile had just appeared in the water as an unknowing man walked past the water's edge. Brianna shuddered involuntarily when the creepy background music began to play.
"Speaking of which, I'm going to stay in Fuchsia after the contest is over," she announced. "I haven't seen my uncle and aunt in a long time, so I'm going to stay with them a while."
"Aw, you're staying?" May asked, sounding rather disappointed. She had been enjoying Brianna's company.
Brianna nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Drew, though," she murmured as she brought her fingernails to her teeth.
May stiffened. "Tell Drew?" she repeated.
The uncomfortable coiling feeling of jealousy returned in May's stomach after its short absence all day.
Ever since the day that Brianna sprained her ankle, Drew had been paying more and more attention to the redhead than before. He stopped by her room constantly to check on her condition, and brought her all of her meals, despite the availability of room service.
And he had seldom paid any attention to May, often disregarding her whenever the three of them were in the same room. Every time any of those things happened, the twisting feeling in her gut would reappear.
But she couldn't figure out why the mere mentioning of Drew's name from Brianna's mouth would get the feeling to return. The grasshead wasn't even in the room!
"Yeah, I don't want to leave him so soon," Brianna whispered, and diverted her gaze to the bed. After a moment, she flicked them over to May. "Can I tell you a secret?"
May barely managed to get the word out. "S-sure."
"I think I've fallen for Drew."
"What?"
"I can't help myself! He's just so cute and sweet and caring! And when he lifted me up into his arms...ugh, it'd take one heck of a girl to not fall for him after that," the redhead gushed. "And there's just something about his greenness! Tell me it's not attractive."
May felt like she was going to pass out. The world had begun to spin and her mouth had begun to dry out. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't sit properly. If Brianna liked Drew then a relationship between the two would surely be on the horizon. It was obvious that Drew had developed feelings for Brianna, or else he wouldn't have been so caring toward her for the past two days. He had outgrown his feelings for May and put them to rest when he wrote her the note! He had written it because he had decided that he wanted Brianna instead!
Screw herself for inviting Brianna to travel with her and Drew. She had invited her own replacement to come and steal her place!
But then realization struck her, and she suddenly felt like smacking herself on the back of the head. Why was she letting the situation get to her? Why was she so jealous over Drew and Brianna's potential relationship? Hadn't she wanted this from the moment she invited Brianna to join them?
She had wanted a distraction to give her some time to think through her feelings for Gary and Drew. She had wanted time to decide on her choice between the two. She should be thrilled that she didn't need either things anymore.
The decision had been made for her. Drew and Brianna had each other now, so she would be able to focus on her feelings for Gary. From that moment on, she would force Drew from her mind and focus on Gary, and Gary alone. She liked Gary, and only Gary. Gary Oak, not Andrew Hayden. Brunet, not grasshead.
"I never said there was anything wrong with that! That's great! You guys would be so good together!" she exclaimed merrily, forcing herself to believe that she was truly happy as she drove the little green monster on her back away. "Does he know about your feelings?"
Brianna simply blinked at her excitement. "Um...no, but I plan on telling him soon," she eventually said after realizing that her mouth had been slightly agape.
"Want me to tell him? Maybe I could get him to travel with you instead!"
"No!" Brianna cried a little too loudly. "Don't do that! I don't want to travel with him!"
May looked confused. "Why not?"
"He's your traveling partner. And I'm going to be staying in Fuchsia for a while, so I don't want to hold him back."
"But—"
"Just don't do it, May."
"...fine."
"Good," Brianna breathed. She hoped May didn't catch the amount of relief in her tone.
A loud scream of terror pierced the air as the krookodile seized the man around the ankle and dragged him into the water.
Both May and Brianna met the sound by letting out shrieks of their own. Without thinking, they grabbed each in a crushing hug before slapping a hand over the other's eyes to help each other look away from the horrors of the movie.
"Is it safe to look yet?" Brianna asked after the screaming subsided.
"No idea," May said, her hand still over Brianna's eyes. "You look first."
"Not a chance. You look first."
"Together?"
"Okay, on the count of three then. One...two...three!"
Silence. Their hands moved from each other's eyes, but neither of them opened them.
"So...is it safe?" Brianna asked.
"I don't know! You said you were looking!"
"May! You said we were going to do it together!"
"Yeah, but you didn't even look either!" May shot back.
"Why don't we just shut off the TV then?"
"You do it. I can't find the remote."
"Why are you both sitting there with your eyes closed?" Drew's voice suddenly asked from the doorway of Brianna's room.
He had barged in after hearing the screaming, but all he found was the two girls clutching each other on the bed across from the TV with their eyes squeezed shut. They hadn't even noticed him throwing the door open.
Brianna and May slowly opened their eyes, carefully peeking at the TV one millimeter at a time. Once they saw that the movie had been cut off by a commercial about a bulbasaur-shaped pancake gridle, they glanced over at each other and began cracking up.
Drew cocked an eyebrow at them. "You guys were afraid of a pancake gridle?
"No!" Brianna laughed.
"Then what were you guys afraid of?"
"Some horror movie that Brianna wanted me to watch with her," May told him as her laughter died down, leaving a cramp in her stomach. An idea dawned on her after her brain started back up. "But now that you're here, you can watch the movie with Brianna! I don't have to sit through this traumatizing thing anymore!"
She turned to Brianna to discreetly waggle her eyebrows at her as she got off the bed. The redhead blinked at her again in surprise.
"I'll see you later Brianna," she said, and took her leave.
Drew moved to the side to allow May to pass by him to get through the door. Both he and Brianna exchanged confused glances between one another after May nudged him into the room, but he didn't notice what May had done after she grabbed the doorknob.
Before closing the door all the way, she had sent Brianna a quick wink and mouthed the words "good luck."
May toyed with the PokéBall containing her beautifly as Brianna sat beside her on the bench in the back room of the contest building. The two of them, along with the other seven beautifully dressed female coordinators (the guys were in a separate room), were giving their attention to the current appeal taking place just outside the room on the stage. A wall-mount television displayed it as usual.
Myra, a girl with bright blue eyes and curly hair from the Johto region, was currently performing with her blaziken, Zephyr. Like all of the other female coordinators, she wore a dress to meet the requirements of the contest.
The pink and molted orange number that she wore complemented her skin tone nicely. The white strip of fabric that encircled her waist ended in the back with a feminine assortment of faux swanna and moltres feathers that were formed into the shape of a bow, the same feathers also lining the neckline and hem of her dress.
She had on a silver necklace that had a heart-shaped lock charm dangling from it, catching sunlight along with the metallic material of the dress for a shiny effect. To finish off the look, a real lugia feather was intricately laced into her bangs, following the natural shape of her head before ending in thin air. How she had gotten her hands on it, no one knew.
Blaziken's fists ignited in flames at its trainer's command, blazing as fiery red wings began to emerge from its back. It roared as soon as the wings took shape, making white steam streak around it, but it did not move from its spot.
Myra closed her eyes for a moment as more flames sprouted from the pokémon's feet as well, and then reached out with her hand toward her pokémon.
"Ember!" she commanded.
Zephyr widened its beak to shoot out streams of burning embers, which surprised the audience when they made a violent turn toward the pokémon. The flames engulfed it, making its entire body glow with a brilliant orange light that made it look like a polished statue of orange gold.
"Finish off with Aerial Ace!"
Zephyr leapt into the sky, its powerful legs allowing it to reach an incredible height. The burning embers trailed behind it as it left behind a scorching red mark on the stage, where it had been standing a mere moment ago. After reaching a certain point in the air, it somersaulted once, ridding itself of all the flames that had surrounded its body, and then landed back on the stage.
It struck a battle pose as the embers rained back down on it, vanishing in puffs of smoke before they even touched its body, thus putting an end to Myra's performance.
"That was good, don't you think?" Brianna asked after Myra walked off the stage after being rewarded with a high score.
"Yeah, I liked her blaziken a lot," May replied.
"You would. Did it have anything to do with the fact that you have a blaziken, too?"
May nudged Brianna for her teasing. "Shut up," she told the girl and then turned her attention back to the TV. She nudged Brianna again when she saw who was next. "Hey Brianna, look—Drew's next."
Brianna blushed the color of a pecha berry. "Shut up."
May grinned and turned her attention to Drew's performance, trying not to pay any mind to how good he looked in his contest attire. The grey, black satin-lined blazer over the black V-neck tee was too distracting of a combination.
"Masquerain, Blizzard!" Drew commanded after his masquerain conjured a bountiful amount of bubbles in midair.
Doing as it was told, Masquerain released a sheer blanket of ice that flowed out of it like a ribbon in a summer's breeze. Gliding under the bubbles, the ice began to roll the spheres away from around masquerain, freezing them along the way until they hovered above the crowd. They marveled at the beauty of the delicate bubbles that were freshly encased in ice.
"Wrap it up with an Energy Ball," Drew called, keeping his hand in the pocket of his dress pants to give the look of nonchalance.
Masquerain gave a graceful little twirl as it fired out green orbs. They flew out and collided with every single bubble, successfully popping them until all that remained were tiny flakes of ice that fell down on the crowd like snow.
A remarkable score of 29.2 was given to him by the judges for the excellent appeal. The female audience gave him a deafening round of screaming and applause.
"Alright, now I'm nervous. How in the world am I supposed to follow up that?" Brianna groaned to May.
"How do you know you're going to be next?" May asked her.
"There are only three people left. I'm going to be next, I just know it. Just watch."
"I guarantee that it won't be you."
"Alright, let's get the next coordinator out here. Jordan, you're up!" Lilian announced into the microphone on the TV screen.
May turned to Brianna with a smug smile as a boy with caramel-colored skin walked onto the stage. "See? Told you so."
"Oh, hush up before I kick you with my heels," Brianna shot back.
May glanced at Brianna's shoes to see how wary of the threat she needed to be. Aside from the tall, skinny heel, she didn't see anything to worry about. The girl would be hurting herself as well if she really did kick May; the open-toed heels would make sure of it. Not to mention, the redhead would be running the risk of damaging the glitter adorned metallic leather of the shoes as well.
"Don't. I like those too much for you to ruin them," May said with a laugh.
"Why, thank you! Do you think they go with my dress?" Brianna responded in a jokingly girly tone. She then made a show of getting up off of the bench and twirling in a circle to give May a full look of her dress.
Brianna had chosen her gown well, May decided, as she appraised the navy blue number. Not only did the color go well with her red hair, but the fit flattered her body in every way possible. A silver brooch rested on her left hip and the gown slit down from there, revealing her entire left leg save for the top half of her thigh that was covered in a piece of the navy satin material of the dress. It and the shoulder straps were specked with silver sequins, giving the dress a bit of glam. Combined with the heels, Brianna looked like she was ready to stroll down a runway.
"Brianna, stop. Everyone's staring," May laughed as she tried to pull the redhead back down onto the bench.
"It's the nerves. I know I'm going to be next, so I'm letting out all of the nervous energy before I start hyperventilating," said girl joked.
"We're the last two coordinators left. You or I could be going next. It's a 50-50 chance."
"Yeah, but did Lilian just call your name? I don't think so."
May shook her head and waved her friend away with a chuckle.
After Brianna left, May watched her appeal for a good fraction of a minute before she got up and headed out into the hallway. She figured that since she was the last coordinator left to go that she wouldn't linger in the back room anymore. Besides, being in the hallway gave her three things that being in the back room couldn't.
One, a better view of Brianna's mystifying appeal with her milotic. The combination of Aqua Ring and Dragon Pulse was positively spellbinding. The audience and judges were in awe.
Two, time to prepare her beautifly for her appeal. The pokémon hadn't been in a contest for some time, so she wanted to make sure that it was okay. Also, it was crucial that beautifly remained out of its PokéBall for her upcoming appeal.
And three, freedom from the scrutinizing eyes of the female coordinators inside the back room. She had yet to determine whether their appraisals of her dress were flattering or insulting.
Regardless, they had been unbearably nerve-wracking.
"May! Is everything all set? You're about to get called!" Brianna exclaimed rather breathlessly as she came up to May from the stage.
"Yeah, I'm all ready," May replied. She took a deep breath to calm herself as her name was called by Lilian and began to walk forward.
"Congrats on your high score, by the way," she whispered to Brianna over her shoulder.
Brianna smiled even though the brunette couldn't see her and whispered back. "Thanks. Good luck, May."
The crowd could be heard loud and clear from both back rooms. Everyone in the audience was instantly captivated by May's appearance, and they chose to express their approval by cheering and applauding loudly.
The female coordinators all scowled at the television for none of them had managed to get such a reaction from the crowd. The male coordinators, on the other hand, all had their eyes widening and their mouths falling open at the sight of May in her contest outfit. The brunette sure knew how to dress to make herself look good.
Drew's initial reaction was nothing short of surprised when he heard the crowd's reaction. He had always known that May was a popular coordinator, but the crowd usually greeted coordinators like him in such an excited manner, not her. Though he managed to mask the shock rather well, he couldn't stop himself from gaping at her as well when she came entirely into view. He finally understood why she got the reaction that she did.
She was perfect, absolutely perfect. He honestly couldn't think of another word to describe her. Did she even know how beautiful she looked in that dress?
The flirty beautifly print number definitely boosted all of her body's assets. The sweetheart neckline softened her entire neck and collarbone area. A layer of sheer white chiffon lined the hem line for a feminine touch. The length of the dress hit her at the middle of her thighs, while the back flowed out in an elegant sweep train. And as if she didn't look captivating enough, the beautifly wings attached to her lower back seemed to be releasing silver glittery dust as she walked. With every step taken in her gold strappy heels, a little more dust trailed behind her, all the way until she came to a stop at the center of the stage.
And then the wings began to flutter, and the pokémon that had been clinging to her back took flight. The crowd gasped when her beautifly soared to the sky above her head, while raining the sparkly dust down on her and the stage as it began to perform a beautiful, mystic dance.
Drew recognized it to be a Quiver Dance, but he couldn't bring himself to pay much attention to beautifly. His eyes were stuck on May.
How clever of her to have beautifly cling onto her back instead of releasing it from its PokéBall. It sure was a unique and beautiful way to make an entrance. The audience was clearly eating it up, and the judges obviously approved as well by the way they were nodding their heads.
Suddenly, a blue aura surrounded the large pink rose that May had used to pin her hair up into a bun. Using Psychic, Beautifly took the rose out of its trainer's hair, making the loose curls fall out and cascade down her back and over her shoulders, perfectly in place.
As the crowd swooned over how May looked with her hair down, the rose was carried through the air until it hovered above Beautifly's head, the petals coming apart from the flower as it spun around. Next thing everyone knew, Beautifly was dancing in the air along with dozens of rose petals. A tiny Gust attack later, petals and glittery dust were raining down on the crowd, and May's appeal came to an end.
Drew didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful in his life.
May could barely make it back to her room at the Pokémon Center during the two-hour break from the contest. Her feet were killing her after standing in her heels for so long, so the first thing she did was take them off. Then, she stripped herself of her appeal dress and went to take a quick shower. After the hot water had relieved all of the stiffness in her body, she left the bathroom and put on the dress that she had chosen for the battle rounds.
When compared to the beautifly print dress that she had worn for her appeal, the burgundy number was a bit more conservative. The length still hit her a little bit above mid-thigh, but at least the dress had shoulder straps. And instead of a clavicle-baring sweetheart neckline, the drape neck design left only the base of her neck exposed. After pairing the dress with a pair of classic black point toe heels, she looked both flirty and classy.
"Well, I'm all set. Time for lunch," May said to herself after pulling her hair into a side ponytail.
She took a step toward the door, but after catching her reflection in the mirror, she decided to pull out a strand of hair to frame her face from the side opposite of the ponytail. After she did that, she was finally finished with her look.
Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she quickly made her way out of her room and to the diner across the street from the Pokémon Center, where she was supposed to be meeting Brianna and Drew.
"There you are! About time you got here," Brianna exclaimed when she saw the brunette approaching the diner that she and Drew had been waiting outside of.
"Yeah, took you long enough," Drew added with a smirk as he looked May over. She even made a conservative dress look good.
May frowned at his gibe.
"I didn't take that long," she insisted.
"I beg to differ."
"An hour and thirteen minutes is hardly a long time for a girl to get ready."
"Try an hour and forty-two minutes instead."
"Both of you just shut up," Brianna groaned in exasperation. "I'm hungry, I want to eat. Shut up, go inside, and let me eat."
"Fine. Let's go in and get a table," May huffed, and pushed open the glass door of the diner to enter.
Drew and Brianna followed behind May as she led them to an unoccupied booth in the diner. She immediately slid herself into one of the two leather seats and wiggled around until she was comfortable.
Brianna followed suit by sliding into the opposite chair and propped a menu up for both her and May to look at.
"So, which one of you ladies is going to move over for me?"
Both Brianna and May looked up to find Drew hovering by the end of the table, eying both of them through half-lidded eyes.
"Sit with Brianna—I'm not sharing a seat," May immediately piped, not wanting to miss the opportunity to drive the two together.
Both coordinators frowned at her, but neither said a word.
Drew grudgingly slid into Brianna's seat, while she nervously glanced at him and May.
Not too long after they ordered from the menu, their food was made and brought over to them. May immediately dug into her fries, while Brianna simply sipped her soda, and Drew took a small bite of his burger.
The entire meal carried on in the same manner, with May acting as if nothing had happened, Brianna trying not to think about what had happened, and Drew sulking over what had happened.
One could clearly see that the table lacked excitement and life...until a certain guy decided to bring some to the table for them.
"Oh my Arceus, you're that little cutie in the beautifly dress!" the purple-haired guy cried, his effeminate tone loud and ear-splitting.
May, along with Drew and Brianna, jumped a foot into the air as the guy forcibly slid himself into her seat. They all turned to get a good look at the bold person.
Drew's expression became lethal upon recognition. He knew this guy from various coordinating magazines; he would recognize that purple hair anywhere. But what was his name again?
"I'm Harley, honey, Harley Dabrowski. Pleased to make your acquaintence."
Oh, so that was his name.
Regardless, he had better let go of May's hand soon if he wanted to keep his own.
"Nice to meet you, Harley. I'm May Maple," May said with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, I know, I heard it when you were called onto the stage earlier today. I just couldn't remember your name off the top of my head," the guy named Harley replied as he finally let go of her hand. "All I could remember was that dress you wore! You looked positively gorgeous!"
"Th-thanks."
"I was going to enter the contest, too, but I figured I'd watch this time around instead of participating considering I already have three ribbons. I have to give everyone else a chance at the Grand Festival, right?"
"Uh...huh."
Drew couldn't believe how arrogant the guy was—and how rude he was being either! He hadn't even turned to greet Drew or Brianna!
As if he read Drew's mind, Harley turned to look at Drew and Brianna.
"Oh, are these your friends?" he asked as he appraised the two with glee. "You teenagers these days are so adorable—I saw you guys at the contest, too." He turned to Brianna. "Brianna, is it? That milotic of yours was positively divine, darling."
"Thank you," Brianna said with a polite smile.
Harley smiled cheekily before commenting on her "cute little face". Then, he turned to Drew.
"And you're...Andrew!" he exclaimed. "Andrew what again? Andrew Hayburn? Andrew Hayward?"
"Andrew Hayden," Drew corrected with a scowl.
"That's it!" Harley cried with an enthusiastic snap of his fingers. "Silly me! How could I have forgotten the last name of a handsome coordinator like you? No offense, sweetheart."
"None taken," Drew grumbled.
"Right," the purple-haired coordinator droned, and then took a moment to assess the guy's face.
"We have the same color eyes," he noted after a moment and then turned back to May.
Drew wrinkled his nose in disdain, while Brianna coughed to hide her laugh.
"So, May...if my memory serves me correctly, aren't you dating that handsome stud over there?" He jerked a thumb in Drew's direction. "Why aren't you sitting with him?"
May quickly grabbed a napkin from the table to cough into as she choked on her last fry. Brianna's eyes widened at the same time, but it wasn't clear if it was due to May's choking or Harley's straightforward question. Drew, on the other hand, actually felt himself starting to like Harley a bit.
"Well?" Harley pressed impatiently.
May coughed again before shaking her head. "No, I'm not dating him."
"What? You're lying."
"No, really—I'm not."
"How can this be? You two travel together, don't you? How could you not be dating?"
"You don't have to be dating to travel with someone."
"Well, in that case, you should consider dating him! You two would look amazing together!"
May blanched. She couldn't bring herself to look at Drew or Brianna because she didn't want to see their reactions to Harley's statement.
It was exactly what she needed: someone to point out that her and Drew made a good couple. Great, just great. What was she supposed to say?
"Uh, I'm sure that's a debatable opinion," she offered lamely, and then coughed again. "But if you'll excuse me, I just remembered I have a phone call to make. Nice meeting you, Harley," she said hurriedly after she failed to come up with a better response.
Then, she quickly got out of the seat before the guy could stop her, muttered a quick goodbye to both Drew and Brianna without looking at either of them, and walked out of the diner. She didn't stop until she reached the phones in the Pokémon Center. She suddenly had a strong urge to call Gary. She needed to see him to remind herself of who it was that she liked exactly.
May breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that one of the phones was unoccupied. She didn't hesitate to sit herself down on the chair and pick up the phone. Her fingers immediately went to punch in the first couple digits of Gary's number, but when she reached the end, she found herself unable to recall the final four digits.
Why couldn't she remember them? They had been lodged in her memory ever since she was sixteen.
"Who're you calling?" Drew's voice suddenly asked from beside her on the seat.
May jumped at the sound of his voice. She hadn't noticed his presence, so when she turned to find him sitting beside her on the seat, she nearly fell off the side.
"Uh...a friend," she managed to utter. "When did you get here?"
"I left the diner a minute after you did. That Harley guy was...annoying to say the least," he told her with a shudder.
"Oh."
Drew waited a moment for May to say something else, but when it became obvious that she wouldn't, he cleared his throat.
"Well, aren't you going to call your friend?" he asked, while giving her knee an affectionate nudge with his.
"Oh!" May exclaimed as she suddenly remembered the phone that she was still clutching in her hand. "Right. Let me just call him."
Drew discreetly swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't help but wonder if the "him" she was referring to was Gary.
"Can I meet him?" he asked to confirm his suspicion.
May's mouth grew dry at his request.
Drew wanted to meet her friend, but she wasn't about to call Gary now that he was beside her. She wanted to shoo him away, but she didn't want to appear rude. So, who was she going to call in his place? She had to call some guy friend of hers. But who could she call?
With no other option left, she decided to go with the first number that came to mind. After punching in the right digits, she waited with Drew for her guy friend to pick up.
A moment later, her friend's familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Is that May?" the guy exclaimed happily into his phone.
"Hi, Brock!" May greeted with genuine enthusiasm at sight of her old friend and traveling companion.
He hadn't changed much since the last time she had seen him at his wedding a year ago. Aside from the slight tan of his caramel tone skin, everything from his friendly eyes (that were still closed as always) to his brilliant white smile remained the same. Even his dark brown hair was still in the same, spiky 'do.
"It's great to see you! It's been so long!"
"I know! I've missed you, how've you been?"
"Hang on—before I answer that question, let me go get my wife! She's missed you, too!"
May laughed as Brock got up from his seat and disappeared from view. It would be nice to see his wife as well; it had been a while since she had seen her, too.
"Your friend's Brock Moulder?" Drew asked, his tone oozing surprise as he gaped at her.
May nodded timidly.
"How many famous friends do you have?"
"I'll tell you later," she promised hurriedly.
A couple seconds later, Brock returned with his wife in tow. She hadn't changed from the last time May had seen her at their wedding, either. Her mauve-colored hair still fell down her back and her blue eyes still held the same friendly twinkle.
"Hi, May! Long time no see!" she greeted with a smile plastered on her face.
But then it fell when she recognized the guy sitting beside May. Green eyes, green hair...was it really who she thought it was?
The guy seemed to recognize her as well. The shock on his face said it all as he took her in.
"Drew?" Brock's wife breathed.
Drew sucked in a shaky breath at the sound of her voice. "Solidad? Is that you?"
Author's Note: Well, didn't a lot happen in this chapter? I told you I'd be cramming in events! 7,000 words! Holy cow! I broke my record! Hope you guys liked it though. So many old characters were brought back! Guess who and who I'll be bringing back in the next chapter? Guess you'll just have to find out next week! And don't worry, I'll be returning to my weekly update schedule. You'll still get your chapter next Saturday. :) Thanks for reading, please review!
P.S. Did you guys get the pun about the little green monster? Haha, Drew...little green monster, get it? xD