"Sol? Sol, wake up!"

Soledad jolted herself awake, immediately being greeted by the blinding light of morning that shot through the bedroom window, bringing her to shut her eyes once again since they were sensitive at the dawn of her waking. She opened them into squints, however, when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder, the warmth from the person's touch surging through the fabric of her clothes and washing across the skin there, which caused her to wake instantly once she realized who was coaxing her to get up. She hoisted the top part of her body forward, turning her head to eye Harley as he removed his hand from her shoulder, sitting on the edge of the mattress, appearing fully awake since his metallic blue-green eyes showed no tiredness and he was dressed in his usual black gear that made him look like some sort of motorcyclist.

Soledad couldn't help but feel slightly jealous – Harley was always one step ahead of her.

Her eyes widened, though, once she remembered that it was morning outside, this day being the start of the contest that she had been stressing over for the past few days. Her stomach lurched with the cold sensation of nervousness and slight regret for agreeing to do this, despite that she straightened herself out in her mind and reminded her jumpy muscles that there was no reason to be anxious. Of course, mental descriptions of Drew and May's possible new formations, as well as the Brave Rush technique plunging into turmoil in the middle of a run, flashed through her head like the gruesome images of a painful memory. She couldn't help but grit her teeth, though she hid this well from Harley as he got up from the side of the bed.

"Ready for the contest in a few hours?" he asked in a somewhat-cheerful manner, as if expecting Soledad to be anticipating it. Instead, she felt the exact opposite, having to calm herself down by shaking grotesque predictions from her mind before meeting his eyes as he gazed down upon her laying figure. She forced herself to push away her anxiousness, scolding her fear by clenching her hands into fists. It was only morning and she was already on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

"Sol?"

Soledad blinked and brought her eyes to Harley, who had a look of bewilderment on his face. "You okay?" he then asked, the concern in his voice sounding more disturbed than caring. "It looks like you dazed off there for a second…"

The pink-red-haired coordinator shook away the subject with a flick of her hand, trying her best to let out a short chuckle without deteriorating it into a mumble of self-assurances. "I'm fine," she answered, feeling as if she had said those words a hundred times since her arrival in Slateport – she really needed to stop getting lost in her thoughts. In an attempt to take her mind off of her nervousness, she looked around, trying to remember what had happened last night; she could recall talking to Harley on the outside balcony, falling asleep leaning on the railing, and that was about it. She turned her confused eyes to the said amethyst-haired coordinator, who was now gazing at her with curiosity, and then asked, "How'd I get here last night?"

Harley blushed slightly, turning his eyes away and trying to hide his redness by putting on a face of firmness. Soledad quirked her eyebrow, though said nothing as he muttered out, "I-I helped you here when you fell asleep."

Not noticing the stutter in his words, Soledad only shrugged her shoulders, still wondering why his face was flushed as the said amethyst-haired coordinator reverted his eyes to the bedroom door. "We should probably start getting ready," he then suggested, changing the topic in a swift, yet solid manner, his blush dissipating as he headed that way almost immediately, leaving Soledad to blink one last time before getting up and following him.

They entered the living room, sunshine leaking in through the windows and brightening up the area, giving it a semblance of life that somehow helped Soledad push away any lingering drowsiness. Clashes of banging pots and pans emitted from the kitchen, growls of the names of two familiar Pokemon soon following as Harley snorted in annoyance towards it all. Soledad hummed in bewilderment, wondering what was going on in the culinary as she and her amethyst-haired partner approached it.

The sight of Garchomp and Cacturne arguing by the oven was the first thing to come into view, finally showing where the vicious snarls Soledad had heard prior of her arrival originated. The sharklike Pokemon had her claws on her hips, jabbing one of her arm fins towards the pan that sat on the stove, the blue flames that were simmering from underneath sizzling the eggs that rested inside. Cacturne, all in the while, crossed his arms, shaking his head in a calm manner as if he was an inspector physically-signaling that he didn't like the situation in front of him. This made Garchomp snarl even more, her clenched teeth visible as she lunged for the spatula cradled between the dark and grass type's folded limbs. He emitted a startled squeak, though it was mostly a jolt of furiousness towards the land-shark's immature actions, and jumped back before she could grab the aforementioned cooking tool.

As Harley rolled his eyes, Soledad couldn't help but frown in confusion, keeping her voice low since she didn't want to get involved in whatever war that was occurring between the two Pokemon. "What's going on?" she asked in a whisper and Harley grunted as if he was unimpressed.

"They've been arguing like this since I got up and released them," he eventually answered, feeling his muscles tense when Garchomp made another leap for the spatula – the eggs in the pan starting to burn since they had been left neglected. "You see, Garchomp likes to cook, too, but she hasn't had as much experience as Cacturne has, though she's in denial to accept this and therefore they're fighting over how to cook breakfast." With a groan, he added in a low hiss, "They do this every time."

Soledad turned her eyes to him, eyebrow still arched since she had heard that last part. "But if they do it every time, then why do you let them cook together?"

"Because sometimes they actually work together and produce the best meal one could have. Since this is a big day, I thought we could use a satisfying breakfast, and since we have been working on collaborative techniques lately, I also thought that they would work in harmony today." He let out an exhausted sigh. "But I guess some things don't change."

Soledad wanted to laugh at the humor of it all – on how his Pokemon were definitely one of a kind - but decided not to at the sight of Harley's annoyed expression. Instead, as she watched Garchomp and Cacturne duke it out with words that no doubtably included vulgar terms and insults on the other's mother, she mentally agreed with herself that it would probably be best if she and Harley just got something on the way to the contest.


After releasing the rest of their Pokemon to remind them all about what important event was happening today and that they should start preparing themselves for whatever challenge they were to face in the first round, Harley and Soledad grabbed any items needed for the contest, including medical supplies in case that, for some reason, they were unable to reach a Pokemon Center if their Pokemon were injured, and their coordinating licenses for various uses, such as getting in and signing up as competitors. When they got everything, which made Soledad feel as if she was packing to leave for the Army or something, Harley grabbed his keys from the hook by the door, then leading Soledad down the elegant hallways of the apartment building before the elevators took them to the bottom floor and they emerged into the noisy, bright, and concrete jungle that was Slateport City.

Cars whizzed by, honks from the usual traffic jams sounding louder than normal since Harley so happened to live on a street that was near a crowded intersection. The scent of seawater was fresh in the air, as it always was in the coasty town, and Soledad took a deep breath of it all, letting out a sigh of relaxation since the smell somehow made her feel more at home than she ever did in Pewter City. Harley shot a look towards the sky, examining the cloudless sea of blue as a colossal skyscraper on the other side of the street hid the sun away like a manmade eclipse. He hummed, as if expecting no different, before he walked down the entrance steps to the apartment building and headed towards the parking lot that sat to the side of the structure, housing the cars that belonged to the residents inside.

Soledad followed him, wondering how they were going to get to the contest stadium that he mentioned was on the other side of town. Fingering the Pokeballs in her pocket as her stomach flipped with another lurch of nervousness, she tried her best to push it away by asking, "How are we going to get there? Walking? Or by train?"

So far she and Harley had maneuvered through Slateport either by walking to their destination, or taking the city's overhead train. However, as Harley turned to eye her with bemused eyes, she suddenly felt foolish and clueless since he obviously had something else in mind. He smiled, keys in his hand. "Walking would take too long," he answered, continuing in entering the packed parking lot, she only a few steps behind him, "and even if we used the train, we would still have to walk from the station closest to the stadium, which is about an hour of time. We need to get there as early as possible to make sure we're all ready to go without any problems."

Soledad frowned, confused. "Then how are we going to get there?"

Harley turned to eye her again, his own eyebrow quirked. "Isn't that evident?" As if on cue, he held up his keys, pushing the button on the tiny remote that dangled from the chain. A nearby horn beeped, causing Soledad to jump before she turned her head to eye the four-door sedan that had just come to life in the middle of a long line of automobiles, its cobalt color making it stand out from the white and black paintjobs the other vehicles had.

Finally understanding it all, Soledad regained herself in the midst of following Harley towards his car, surprised that he had one, which showed in her next question: "I didn't know you drove."

Harley shrugged as he headed towards the door, his pink-red-haired partner taking a moment to lag behind and examine how new the vehicle looked. Its surfaces were shiny and dent-free, not even homing any scratches or errors in the paintjob, and when she opened the passenger door she was surprised to see that the black exterior inside actually showed some age – a rip in the leather here and there, though it was all barely noticeable if the viewer didn't focus on seeking any out. An air freshener fixed to let out the scent of a forest spring dangled from the rearview mirror, and what looked like a folded blanket sat in the back seat, a few books and a long cane accompanying it.

She got in, the seat slightly warm against her skin, the scented air inside reflecting it. Harley got into the driver's seat, shutting the door as he fumbled with his keys for the car's ignition. In the meantime, Soledad turned to eye him, then allowing her verdigris gaze to examine the average attributes of the automobile before she asked, "So, when did you get this?"

"About the time I moved out on my own." At the sight of her surprised expression, he added, "Yeah, believe it or not, this car's as old as Arceus. I don't use it often, though, so that's probably why it seems so…"

"Unused?"

He chuckled. "I guess."

Soledad hummed in understanding before placing her hands in her lap, leaning back to help relax herself as the seat's leather stretched to her movements-

She was suddenly thrown back, a startled squeak emitting from her mouth as her seat fell backwards and into the lying position. Her hands clenched with anxiety as Harley snapped his head to find out what had occurred to the side of him, and only to burst out into laughter upon seeing Soledad's situation. "Sorry 'bout that," he managed to apologize between giggles, though Soledad paid no heed to him as she slowly leaned forward, still trying to regain her surroundings and find out what just happened. "That seat's lock is busted or something, so it always falls back like that if you push too hard." Unbuckling his seatbelt, he twisted his body and reached for the cane that lay in the back, then pushing up Soledad's seat and placing the cane between it and the floor, proving the tool's purpose as it helped it stay up. Soledad, still slightly paranoid, reluctantly leaned back to test it, and sighed in relief to find out that it stayed still in place this time. "I probably should've told you ahead of time," the amethyst-haired coordinator explained, feeling guilty, though he sounded like he wanted to continue laughing. "Sorry again."

Soledad waved it off, just happy that she hadn't gotten bad whiplash from the incident.

Harley nodded before sorting out the car's key on his chain and turning on the vehicle, the engine roaring into life in the same manner a giant monster awoke from a thousand-year slumber. Soledad let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against her seat, smiling when it didn't fall backwards again, and turned her eyes to gaze out the window, watching the city of Slateport pass by like a moving blur of manmade structures. The memory of her arrival in Slateport flashed through her mind – on how she had woken up in a taxi when the said town had finally come into view. Afterwards, she had run into Harley again...

She turned her head to look at him with calescence, though he didn't notice her gaze, his metallic blue-green eyes focused on the road ahead as he maneuvered the car past an intersection and down an empty street.

And, for some reason, she didn't feel so nervous for the contest anymore.


About forty-five minutes into the trip, the domelike architecture of the contest hall stadium peered up from a large clearing towards the back of Slateport, the elongated forests that marked the routes past town visible behind its large exterior. The parking lot for the lavender-colored structure was filled with cars, and a long line of people hoping to get their seats in the audience before the event started blocked the view of the entrance into the hall. Soledad grunted slightly, not in the mood to push her way through a mosh pit of fans as Harley pulled the car into a nearby slot that was surprisingly open, where he then noticed her sense of anxiety, chuckling in the midst of it. "Don't worry," he told her, her verdigris irises focusing on his calm figure as he pulled his key from the car's ignition. "Competitors enter through a certain door towards the side."

Soledad frowned, somewhat upset that she hadn't remembered that from the last time she was in Slateport for the city's contest. But, then again, it had been long a time before she returned, and no doubt would she forget some things.

The two coordinators exited their car, then making their way to the stadium's other fancy entryway that consisted of deluxe greenery and tiled pavements leading up to the competitor's doorway into the building. Coordinators that had already arrived were training their Pokemon outside on the said paved walkways, stunning performances between partners filling the air with sparkles and beauteous combinations, while others simply battled, commands being roared out as Pokemon prepared themselves for the upcoming challenge through the art of actual fighting. Soledad stayed beside Harley as he led her through the supposed battlefield, not wanting to get in the way of anything or have to dodge a stray attack.

The pink-red-haired coordinator was quite amazed, needless to say; the Slateport City contest hall had changed since the last time any of them had seen it. Its size had expanded to colossal proportions, making Soledad feel overwhelmed whenever she attempted to spot the top of the dome-shaped stadium, and it looked like she was entering a pavilion for a famous rock band's concert rather than a competition of appeal and coordination. She cast her eyes towards the competitors around them, mentally agreeing with herself that the performances they were pulling off did indeed look professional, though she somehow wasn't bothered by this, instead wondering where May and Drew were, or even if they had arrived yet. Knowing Drew, she then thought, he would be here before the sun was up, no doubt dragging May with him.

It wasn't long before she and Harley entered into the hall's main loft, a young woman who looked like she had just graduated from high school peering at them from the kiosk center towards the back. Harley shot a look towards Soledad, gave her a warm smile that made her face flush, and walked over to the woman before telling her their info and handing her their licenses. She took them, examining them with an arched eyebrow in the midst of confirming their statuses through the computer beside her, and smiled when everything chimed positively. Their IDs into the competition were then printed out, handed to them, and they were all set to go.

"So, how much longer before the contest starts?" Soledad asked as she and Harley exited the loft and walked out into daylight, immediately being greeted by more stunning performances and the throes of battle as the coordinators in front of them continued to warm-up for the competition.

Harley, checking his watch, answered, "Not for another two hours. It starts at twelve."

Soledad hummed in agreement, wondering what they could do in their two hours of free time. The nervousness from before was starting to return, though she couldn't really tell if it was from anxiety or excitement. They could practice the Brave Rush formation, despite that she seriously thought it would make no difference apart from see if Garchomp was over her morning argument with Cacturne enough to get her head in the game. She closed her eyes to help think with all the background noise, regardless that it wasn't long before she felt a presence hovering over her shoulder, and she turned her head, jumping and blushing slightly once she realized that Harley's face was only a few feet away from hers – though his metallic blue-green eyes were focused on a sight up ahead and therefore she forced herself to calm down.

Harley, apparently oblivious to all this, only pointed his finger forward, his voice mellow. "We got company."

Soledad blinked before focusing her gaze to where he was staring, soon catching sight of May and Drew as they walked into view from afar, appearing casual as May jumped around in excitement for the contest, Drew shaking his head in disappointment towards her childishness (of course, she was unfazed by this). The pink-red-haired coordinator couldn't help but smirk, having expected that May and Drew would be one of the first here, but pushed the thoughts away as she waved her hand out to get their attention.

"So, are your formations all up and ready to go?" Drew asked once he and May approached, his reptilianlike glare only shifting to Harley once.

Soledad crossed her arms, pondering if she should give him a truthful answer, or just an answer. "Fine," she eventually replied, an image of the Brave Rush formation contorting into chaos filling her mind, and suddenly the idea of practicing it when they still had the chance sounded more appealing; despite that she didn't really want to reveal such a collaborative technique in front of so many contest attendants. She shot a look towards Harley, who met her gaze and nodded in a supporting manner, as if aware of her thoughts and physically telling her that everything would be okay. She wanted to smile, feeling at ease, though she kept it in to avoid embarrassing herself in front of May and Drew.

"How are your formations coming along?" Harley suddenly asked, causing Soledad to jump slightly, May to put on a face of bewilderment as she pondered for an answer, and Drew to simply glare at him as he had been doing before, though Soledad swore that the emerald glisten of his irises were dimmer this time – as if he was slightly hurt about something.

"Fine," the chartreuse-haired teen responded through the corner of his mouth, his tone constrict and coarse, despite that Harley didn't seem to notice as he checked his watch again.

However, Soledad thought that it would be good time to speak up. "Drew, are you okay? You look kind of nauseated."

Drew blinked, turning to Soledad, who was gazing at him with concern. He then grunted, his emotionless expression returning as he turned his eyes downward, avoiding Soledad's worry. He looked paler than usual, though Soledad doubted it was from nervousness – Drew, of all people, was not one to grow jumpy, even when a challenge never faced before was in pending to commence. Harley noticed this as well, but said nothing as he hid his own sense of solicitousness.

"Oh, he's just grumpy 'cause we had to get up early," May laughed before Drew could mutter out an evident lie of assurance. He glared at May and her unawareness towards the situation, while Soledad could only frown, knowing that that wasn't the case but agreeing with herself not to push on the subject. May then turned to Drew, her joyful eyes clashing together with his narrowed ones, despite that he nearly fell backwards when the brunette lunged forward and pulled him into a supporting hug, his face turning red as his eyes widened. Soledad snickered, though said nothing, and Harley only rolled his eyes as he had done before.

Drew forced himself from May's affectionate hold, his blush still present as he returned his attention to Soledad. "May and I should probably start preparing for the contest," he muttered, the implication of hurt in his voice lingering, and Soledad seemed to be the only one to notice it. The chartreuse-haired teen turned to his partner. "Come on, May," he ordered, suppressing a sigh and already heading towards the crowd of coordinators behind them. May put on a face of confusion, but shrugged it off when she waved goodbye to Soledad and Harley.

"See you when the contest starts!" she cried out as she took off after Drew, soon disappearing from view as she blended in with the practicing attendants of the competition.

Silence dominated both Harley and Soledad as they stared towards the spot Drew and May had been, though the amethyst-haired coordinator soon turned to Soledad, shrugging off any weirdness sealed into the air from Drew's disturbance – whatever it was. "Breakfast?" he then inquired in a calm manner.

Soledad met his eyes, still displaying confusion towards the prior reunion; but she soon smiled and nodded her head, grabbing his arm when he offered it to her in a gentlemanlike style, blushing slightly in the while as the two coordinators then headed off past the other competitors and towards the diner down the street.


After eating, Soledad and Harley left the diner and began to walk back down to the contest hall stadium, its epic size making Soledad feel small even when viewing it from afar. In the meantime of passing the crowded streets of pedestrians and halted cars behind elongated red lights, the pink-red-haired woman allowed her mind to wander towards what was possibly wrong with Drew. Sure enough, she had been expecting him to question her on her comments towards Harley the previous day; but he had done no such thing – not grabbing her arm, pulling her away, and interrogating her. She was surprised, needless to say, and therefore even more curious to know what was running through the chartreuse-haired teen's head.

Then again, maybe he had actually dropped the subject, as she had hoped he would do in the midst of postponing answering to her statements about Harley. Maybe he really was nervous, though something in Soledad's stomach told her to think otherwise, and she felt the urge to pull him away and ask him countless of questions – even if just to assure him that she meant nothing by what she had said the previous day, beating him to the punch by explaining herself before he could ask about it. However, she somehow felt as if that wouldn't work – as if he was bothered by something else – and unless she knew what it was, confronting him would only add more unwanted tension into the air, which was definitely not good when a contest was about to commence.

Soledad sighed in exhaustion. She loved Drew to death, but damn he could make stuff so complicated at times…

She pushed her thoughts aside when she and Harley walked onto the tiled pavement for the contest hall stadium, the coordinators upon it already beginning to pack up for the competition seeing as how it was scheduled to start in five more minutes. She tried to spot May and Drew from within the crowd, but, if they were here, the large group of coordinators that had gathered by the hall's door, waiting for permission to head inside and into the waiting room, hid them from plain sight. She shot a look towards Harley, who had his hands in his pockets, looking as casual as ever as he used his tall height to peer over the people before them and see if anything was happening towards the front.

"Welcome, competitors!" a voice suddenly spoke from the intercoms all around the outside area. It sounded feminine, and Soledad could tell that it was the host for the competition, Vivian Meridian, as she was usually the announcer for the Hoenn contest halls. The crowd quieted down as Vivian continued. "You are all attendants to Slateport City's first annual partner competition! Now, the rules will be explained once you all make your way to the meeting room, so do so now and await further instructions! Oh, and please do it in an orderly fashion."

Soledad couldn't help but frown, as the coordinators ahead paid no heed to the host's words, stumbling inside and immediately rushing past the shocked kiosk clerk and into the back hallways that led into the actual arena, as well as the room where the competitors of the contest waited for their turn to go. Soledad exchanged a look with Harley, who shrugged his shoulders as if telling her that even elegant beings were wild at times. She rolled her eyes, but then followed him as he headed inside, the whole area now keeping a sense of isolation as the coordinators' sudden absence marked the air with eerie silence. They passed the kiosk clerk, her expression showing pure shock as if she had just witnessed an amazing sight, and Soledad wanted to laugh though held it in as she and Harley then walked down the hallway, turned left, and entered the crowded waiting room.

Voices filled the room, plants and other potted shrubs sitting in various places against the white walls, the matching tiled flooring mirroring the dozens of feet that trampled on it as partners struggled to get last words into each other before the contest started. Red-leathered seats were spread out all over the place, though few people sat in them, too busy releasing their Pokemon and giving them a few more tips and assurances to even think about relaxing. Soledad was surprised at the various Pokemon that now filled the room – the other attendants had quite the arsenal; Aggron, Swampert, a few Eevee evolutions, and tons of others.

Past the noisy competitors, Soledad could hear the contest host, Vivian, direct the large audience that were in the arena. Even if the fans' cheers were muffled from the surrounding walls, the collage of voices were loud enough for Soledad to assume that all of the seats were filled in the colossal room. The three judges for the contest were introduced and Soledad showed no surprise towards their identities, as it was the usual three judges that attended every competition: Mr. Contesta; an honorable and observant person – Mr. Sukizo; a short yet wise man who favored the word 'remarkable' a lot – and the city's Nurse Joy.

After the introductions were done, Vivian's voice returned through the speakers that were placed around the waiting room, quieting down the crowd of coordinators almost instantly as they eagerly waited for her words. "Well, competitors," she began, her voice jumpy and cheerful, "the contest is about to commence!" Cheers filled the room, despite that Vivian managed to calm them down when she continued. "Now, for the rules: Partner competitions, as you probably already know, are contests that require two people to work together with each other and their Pokemon. Apart from that, the rounds are practically the same as a normal contest – you have the first round, a single appeal performed by one of your Pokemon pairs that show beauty and perfect coordination, which help decides if you are to make it to the next part - the battle rounds. People who have made it to the next round are then set to fight each other, slowly making their way to the top where the last team standing will be declared the winner. You are allowed to use your Pokemon pairs more than once, though we prefer you at least use every single one you have – we would like to see some variety, and we would also like to see your Pokemon work together in harmony. Surprise us!

"The rules have been explained. The first pair to come forth and perform their appeal will be announced shortly."

And, with that said, the intercom shut off, allowing the coordinators' cheers to return in an even louder manner than before. Meanwhile, Soledad turned to Harley, meeting his metallic blue-green gaze. "Who should we use for the appeal round?"

Harley turned his eyes downward in the act of contemplation, but soon pulled a Pokeball from his belt. "How about Banette and Butterfree?"

Soledad nodded in agreement, fingering Butterfree's Pokeball that lay in her jacket pocket. She then returned her gaze to Harley, in which she put on a frown of bewilderment when she noticed that he was staring at her with amused eyes.

"Still nervous?" he chimed, reminding Soledad that she had told him about her anxiousness last night, and she slowly nodded her head.

"Sort of," she responded, sounding embarrassed.

Harley chuckled slightly and Soledad's look of worry was wiped off her face when he suddenly pulled her into a comforting hug, her head resting against his warm chest as his hot breath fanned across her forehead. She blushed immediately, though felt comforted when Harley wrapped his arms around her, deepening the embrace. "Don't worry," he then cooed in her ear, his smile still present. "We'll do our best."

Soledad smiled, feeling relieved as she breathed in his intoxicating scent. However, she turned her eyes to the speaker when Vivian's voice returned: "Right! Are you all ready to start?" The coordinators jumped around in excitement, Harley and Soledad still in each other's arms, and Vivian continued. "The first pair to come up is…"

Soledad hummed in curiosity.

"…Drew Trandafir of La'Rousse and May Maple of Petalburg!"

Speak of Giratina, Soledad mentally muttered, hearing the crowds' cheers outside become louder upon hearing the names of the two famous coordinators. As if on cue, she watched Drew and May appear from the crowd, who didn't seem to notice her and Harley as they headed towards the hallway that led out into the arena. Of course, Soledad was too comfortable in Harley's hold to care much about making their presence known to the two teens, and therefore she remained silent as the said amethyst-haired coordinator tightened their embrace.

Unbeknownst to both of them, however, Drew had noticed them and their position when he walked by.

But, keeping only a saddened look among his gaze, he turned and followed May down the hallway, not saying a word.