Okay, here's the next one-shot! Sorry I took so long with this one. I was busy setting up "Princess And The Politoed", which I JUST posted! Take a look, if you want to. Okay, basically, this a bit of a "Cinderella" one-shot with a Halloween twist. The plot is that the school May goes to is having a Halloween/Masquerade Ball. May initially isn't interested in going, mainly due to her impression that "Masquerade Ball romances never end well" but Drew's teasing comments make her go out of anger. At the same time, Drew is pestered by his buddy, Gary Oak, into going, too, with the justification that no one will recognize him in his costume, thus reducing the number of fangirls. I'll keep the rest under wraps for now. You'll just have to read it to figure out the rest.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Pokémon Academy... A school with many well-seasoned Pokémon Trainers, Coordinators, Breeders, Connoisseurs, Gym Leaders, and Doctors as students, teachers, and staff. However, this school was not without it's fun times...
Out on the bulletin board in the front of the school, there was a banner that said, "Halloween Masquerade Ball"
One girl in particular, a brunette Coordinator student with blue eyes, was looking at the banner, and sighed sadly. She was not really interested in masquerade balls, mainly due to the fact that no one could tell who was who until the last minute, and if luck turned you wrong, the moment would not end well, causing a lot of awkward tension.
"Hey, May!" A voice said, and Dawn turned around to see two of her best friends. Dawn, who was in the same class as May, and Misty, who was in the Gym Leader's course.
"Oh, Misty, Dawn, hi..." May said.
"Planning on going to the ball this Halloween?" Dawn asked, sparkly-eyed.
"No..." May said.
"EH?!" Misty and Dawn screamed, in disbelief.
"Why not?!" Misty asked.
"You know how I feel about these kinds of parties... If you have bad luck, and you find love... It may just be the person you hate the most." May said.
"I can see why that could cause you grief," Dawn said. "But why not try? Come on! We can all go together, and stick together to watch each other's back!"
"Maybe..." May said.
"Hey, May," A masculine voice said. "Planning on going to the ball?"
"Drew," May said, bitterly, as she turned to a boy with green eyes and hair. "If you must know, I really am not interested in going."
"For once, we agree on something," Drew said. "I'm not that eager to go, either. Too many girls will swarm around me."
"Drew, keep in mind that this is a masquerade ball," Misty said. "You'd be wearing a mask."
"Even if I was, my pheromones would be too much for the ladies. They'll flock to me like a Venomoth to a flame." Drew said.
"Arrogant, much?" Dawn said.
"Come on, let's go!" May said, as she started to walk away.
"Such a shame..." Drew said. "You'd look beautiful dressed as a Piloswine."
"Excuse me?!" May shouted, angry.
"Hey, I'm just pulling your leg, May," Drew said, with a wink. "But seriously, whatever you'd dress up in, I'm sure you wouldn't be attracting any boys anytime soon."
"Tch," May said. "Come on, girls, let's get out of here and get to our classes."
May, Misty, and Dawn all walked away. Once they were out of sight, Drew sighed sadly, his back hunched over, and sad.
"Failed at asking May to the ball, huh, buddy?" Another voice said, and Drew turned around to see his best friend, Gary Oak.
"Who said I was asking May to the ball. I was hoping that maybe she and I could go to a movie that night," Drew said. "Just one night with her... alone... No one to bother us..."
"You know..." Gary said. "You would be alone if you were dressed in a costume for the Masquerade."
"What?" Drew asked.
"Think about it," Gary said. "You'd be in a mask, and you'd be dressed differently. No one would recognize you!"
"Are you sure?" Drew said. "May's not going to be going..."
"Ever thought that maybe she was bluffing out of anger?" Gary asked. "You have a tendency to tick her off when you try flirting with her."
"You're right..." Drew said. "Fine, I'll go, but you're coming with!"
"Thought you'd never ask!" Gary said, smiling.
Back at Dawn's house later that day, May was pacing around Dawn's bedroom, ranting about Drew's comments, and then she said, "So, he thinks I can't get a guy, can he?"
"May, are you sure he isn't just trying to anger you because he likes you?" Misty asked.
"Why would he do that?" May said. "He's always teasing me like that!"
"Boys do that when they have crushes," Dawn said, in song. "Now, on to more important things."
"Like...?" May asked.
"Our costumes for the Masquerade Ball!" Dawn said, smiling.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" May said, stopping her best friend. "Who said I was going?"
"No one did; we decided on our own that you're going. The idea we have, May," Misty said. "Is if you go to the ball, and you dance with a boy... He might fall in love with you! And at the end of the dance, when the masks are being taken off..."
"When he finds out who I am, he might ask me to be his girlfriend... And then if I really like him, I'll say 'yes', and make Drew eat his words and get him so jealous!" May said, catching on.
"Exactly!" Misty said. "If you get a boyfriend, no doubt Drew will get angry about it!"
"But I have to make sure I really, really like the guy I dance with! I don't want to go out with someone just to make someone else jealous." May said.
"Good call," Dawn said. "Now, let's get started with our costumes."
"Great idea!" Misty said.
At school the next day, May did her best to ignore and avoid Drew at all costs. During Poffin class, May partnered up with Dawn to make Poffins, and were also secretly talking about their Masquerade Ball costumes. Drew noticed May's sudden behavior change. He sighed sadly, as an anime heart floated above him and snapped in half.
"What's eating May?" Drew asked, at lunch, as he ate his sandwich rather grumpily.
"I don't know. Maybe she's still miffed about yesterday." Gary asked.
"Then that does it," Drew said, as he stood up. "I'm asking her to the ball tonight!"
"I wouldn't do that," Gary said, interrupting. "I don't think she'll take you seriously. Not after yesterday."
"You're probably right," Drew said, slumping down. "I might as well go to the ball, and just hope she actually does come... Even if I won't recognize her."
"In that case," Gary said. "Come over to my place tonight; we'll get our costumes ready."
Drew nodded, and thanked Gary immensely. Drew, confident, thought, 'Ready or not, May, you're about to fall for me!'
The night of the ball came, and Misty, May, and Dawn were all in the dressing room, getting their costumes on. May, going as a Beautifly, was wearing a black dress with a silver sash and high-heel shoes, as well as silver gloves. On her back were black butterfly wings with yellow, red, and blue markings. May also had her hair the same as always, and was wearing a mask with blue eye circles, and two strands of thick fabric to represent antenna.
"Wow, May, you look like a Beautifly princess!" Dawn said, as she came out of her dressing room, wearing her costume. Dawn, going as a Pachirisu, was wearing a white dress with a pale blue sash, and a Pachirisu tail tied to it, and wearing pale blue high heels. Dawn was also wearing a mask that had Pachirisu's facial features on it, including the yellow cheek sacs.
"Thanks, Dawn," May said. "You look like a human Pachirisu."
"Don't forget about me," Misty said, as she came out of her dressing room, finally. "What do you think?"
Misty, being a Water Pokémon lover, decided to go as a Lumineon. Misty was wearing a dark blue dress with light blue on the edges of the skirt, and she was wearing a light blue sash, which tied two large fins that were dark blue with light blue, wavy markings on the edges. And then, there was a dark blue tail with a deep pink spot tied to the back of the skirt, too. Misty was also wearing light blue gloves, too. Misty also had a mask with deep pink eye holes amongst a light blue background.
"Whoa, you look amazing!" May and Dawn said.
"Thanks, ladies. Now, let's go dance!" Misty said.
In the dance hall at the school, there were black and orange decorations everywhere. Some of the school faculty's Ghost Pokémon were hanging around to give that eerie feeling to the party. Even a few of the Dark-type Pokémon lend a hand with decorating and providing the atmosphere of fear. Every student and teacher was dressed like a Pokémon or even a well-known Trainer or Coordinator. There were two particular boys at the refreshments table. The table had Gengar Shadow Fruit Punch, Litwick lollipops, Banette brownies, and finally, vanilla cake with Frosslass frosting decorations.
One of the boys had brown hair, and was wearing a black suit with yellow rings in certain parts of the suit, and his mask was black with red eye circles, making him an Umbreon. The other one was wearing a green suit, with a dark green cape, wearing a red glove on one hand, a blue one on the other hand, and wearing a green mask, a yellow collar, and yellow shoes, making him a Roserade.
"Are you sure this plan is going to work?" The Roserade boy asked.
"I sure am," The Umbreon boy asked. "No one recognizes you."
"That's good..." The boy dressed as a Roserade said. However, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, May was with her friends. He did not recognize May, since she was dressed in a costume and had a mask on, but he immediately felt his heart beat.
"Um... Drew, what's up?" The Umbreon boy asked his friend.
"Gary... I'm not sure whether or not my heart is playing tricks on me, but... That girl dressed as a Beautifly..." Drew said, pointing over to May. "She seems so familiar..."
"Dude, don't go sappy on... me?" Gary said, but soon found Drew was making a beeline for May.
Drew then tapped May on the shoulder. May turned around, and noticed Drew, before asking him, "May I help you?"
"May I have this dance?" Drew asked, as the music turned on for a slow dance.
"Um..." May looked back at her friends, who nodded eagerly, and then May smiled. "Okay."
As the music started, May and Drew were waltzing in the middle of the ballroom. It was like the Belle and the Beau of the Ball were in the dance. May noticed her dance partner's green eyes, and noticing how familiar they were, May thought, 'Where have I seen those eyes before...?'
Seeing the beauty before him, Drew felt as if his heart just swelled to three times its normal size. Noticing her sapphire eyes, Drew blushed, and then pulled May closer to him. May felt her heart beat, too, and she relaxed in her dance partner's arms.
'She's so beautiful... Now if only she would take her mask off... Then I could see who she really is...' Drew thought, forgetting all about May for the moment.
"May really seems to be enjoying herself, doesn't she?" Dawn asked Misty.
"She sure does," Misty replied. "But I wonder who that boy is..."
"If the costume is any indicator, then I think we may very well know who it is..." Dawn said.
Misty clued in, and then said to Dawn, "You think it might be...?"
Dawn nodded, and then both girls said, "Uh-oh..."
Drew noticed an opening, and then saw that one of the doors was opened and then he led May outside.
Misty wanted to chase after them, but Dawn held her back, as two other boys, Gary being one of them, and another being a boy dressed as a Prinplup, approached. The boys held their hands out, asking the girls for a dance, and then the girls smiled, and took the boys' hands before being led into a dance.
As Drew and May went outside, they were looking at the moon while out on the school's balcony. Drew took May's hand into his, and then she smiled, blushing.
"So... Did you enjoy tonight?" Drew asked, trying to make small talk with his mystery girl.
"I sure did. Initially, I wasn't going to come, but then I decided to come." May told her mystery boy.
"Why were you so reluctant to come?" Drew asked.
"Truth is... I've always been under this impression that when it comes to Masquerade Balls, a masquerade romance never ends well." May honestly said.
"What gives you that feeling?" Drew inquired.
"Well... Everyone's faces are masked, right?" May asked, getting a nod from Drew. "Well... What if the guy or girl you end up falling in love with at the ball turns out to be the person you hate the most in the end? Then it just becomes awkward and your dreams are shattered."
"I see... Is there anyone in particular that you dislike?" Drew inquired.
"Honestly, my feelings towards this one boy are very negative. He's always teasing me, giving me grief about everything I do in the Coordinating class..." May said.
'So, she's a Coordinator student here...' Drew thought. 'That narrows down where to look for her.'
"... In fact, earlier this week, he said that I'd look good if my costume was a Piloswine." May said.
Drew's eyes widened when he heard that. The only person he had ever said that to was his long-time crush, May. He was starting to piece together who this girl was...
"Why... Would he say something like that?" Drew asked, trying not to give himself away.
"He's always had this cocky, arrogant air around him. He always thinks he's better than everyone else in the Coordinator's class, but he always loses to Dawn when it comes to making Poffins." May said, with a laugh.
"What would his name be...?" Drew asked, dreading the answer.
"Sigh... Fine. His name is Drew," May said. "My main rival. I don't know what I feel towards him. Whenever I'm around him, all I feel is annoyance, animosity, rivalry... But at the same time, I feel like he might have a thing for me. He never talks to other girls the way he talks to me..."
'I knew it... It IS May...' Drew thought.
"But... I just don't know what to do about it." May said.
The clock struck midnight: time to take off the masks.
May reached up for her mask, only for Drew to pull her by the hand, and give her a big kiss on the lips. May was shocked at first, but then she melted into the kiss. As soon as the kiss parted, May then muttered, "I love you..."
"Funny..." Drew said, albeit he struggled not to be upset with himself. "You said that you have negative feelings towards me a little while ago, May."
Hearing her name be said, and hearing her own words being thrown back at her, May took off her mask, and then looked her dream love in the eyes, and then muttered, "No way... DREW?!"
Drew nodded, and then said, "I..."
May, in complete shock, then dropped her mask and ran off in tears.
"May, wait!" Drew shouted, picking up the mask, and then tried to run after May. However, May noticed he was coming after her, and then she left the dance hall. Misty and Dawn noticed this, and then nodded to each other. They both politely said a fond goodnight to their dates, and then ran after May.
'I kissed Drew... I kissed DREW! I KNEW this ball wouldn't end well for me!' May thought, tears streaming down her face, as she ran all the way back to her house.
Drew, having lost May in the crowd, just sulked, and fell to his knees, thinking, 'I thought falling in love when I had a crush on May would have been betraying her... But I fell for the same girl... Why did I have to be such a pest?!'
Drew then stood up, tears in his eyes, and he looked at the mask in his hands, thinking, 'May... I honestly, truly love you. It only took me until now to realize how much you dislike me... Don't worry... I WILL make it up to you!'
Gary then caught up to Drew, and then asked, "Dude, what happened to your beloved Beautifly?"
"That girl... Was MAY." Drew said, as he held the mask in his hands.
"MAY?! Are you sure it was her?" Gary asked.
"She repeated what I said about her being beautiful as a Piloswine. Is that proof enough?" Drew said, frustrated, but more with himself.
"Wow... You must be hopelessly in love with May to have seen past her disguise and still feel the symptoms of love." Gary said.
"You should talk!" Drew shouted, before leaving the ball.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" May shouted, while she, Misty, and Dawn were up in May's bedroom, later that night.
"May, chill out," Misty said. "So, you didn't know it was Drew. Big deal!"
"But I kissed him!" May said, her face red. "I kissed my main rival!"
"I think it was that he kissed you, May." Dawn said.
"Maybe so, but still..." May said, before sitting down. "After calling him out on his bad traits without knowing it... I'm sure he really hates me, now."
"He wouldn't have kissed you..." Misty said.
"True..." May said. "But how will I face him at school?"
"Just apologize. I'm sure that maybe after hearing your feelings from your own mouth, he's remorseful." Dawn said.
"Who knows...?" May said, before crying a little bit.
After a few hours, Dawn and Misty left May's house. Unknown to any of them, Drew was hiding in the bushes down below. May went out to the balcony, and soon, Drew found his chance.
"Okay, now," Drew said. He quietly sent out his Masquerain, and gave it the Beautifly mask. "Masquerain, bring this to May up on her balcony."
Masquerain took the mask, and then it flew up to May. Noticing the incoming Pokémon that had her mask, May said, "A Masquerain? But how did it get my mask?"
Masquerain then dropped the mask, which May caught. Looking at the Masquerain, she recognized it, and then she said, "Okay, Drew, stop playing 'Romeo' and come out..."
Drew then came out of hiding and then he said, "Clever as always, my Beautifly of the Ball."
"Yeah, right," May said, sarcastically. "I'll bet you knew that was me under the mask all along and then decided to toy with my feelings and then deliberately hurt them."
"May, you know me better than that!" Drew snapped. "I'll be honest here: I didn't recognize you under that mask. You were just too beautiful tonight."
"And I'm hideous the rest of the time?" May said.
"Far from it!" Drew said, getting desperate. "All those times I tease you... Those were all just excuses to talk to you. I really... REALLY like you, May."
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" May asked, tears in her eyes.
"Because... 'Love at first sight is unpredictable and strange, yet it is also the most blind and unreasonable form of love the heart can experience. This young prince has suffered the symptoms of such, as the Beautifly of the Ball captured his heart through her most beautiful blue eyes'." Drew said.
"That... That was..." May said.
"That's right. I was quoting your favorite movie, "The Beautifly Princess". You were the heroine in her Beautifly dress during the ball... Me, I was the lovelorn prince who is deeply in love with you!" Drew said, blushing red.
May started tearing up, and then she said, "You were my Masquerain Prince Charming tonight, Drew... Albeit you were dressed as a Roserade."
Drew laughed a little, and then said, "My Beautifly..."
"My prince..." May said.
Drew climbed the wall, and then he joined hands with May, before sharing one last kiss. However, Zubat were flying overhead, causing Drew to freak out in surprise, and then fall down into the bushes again. May blushed, and sighed romantically while feeling the sensation on her lips once again.
Okay, now I know what you're thinking: this was more romantic than it was spooky. Well, I have a hard time doing spooky, okay? Especially if it's a romance at the same time. I have a hard time putting two together when I can't help but have one dominate the other, you know? It's kind of like genetics in peas: the dominant allele has to overpower the recessive allele.
For those who read this, look at "The Princess And The Politoed", too! Um, please...