Ayame stared at her wrist watch, her foot tapping incessantly on the ground. She would look up every few minutes to see the two contestants fighting. Dawn and May were still hung on the screen, watching the battle with great interest. Drew was sitting next to her. Ayame was fully aware of the growing irritation felt by Drew as she continued to tap her foot but she just couldn't help it!
"Where are they?" Ayame cried, startling May and Dawn.
Drew waved at them to continue watching the battle as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Ayame," He began slowly.
"I am not a baby!" Ayame protested against his tone. He sighed loudly as he sagged back in his seat.
"You are acting like one, if you must know." Drew said dryly, ignoring Ayame's pout, "And, why are you getting so jittery? They are not babies! And they could be sitting out there for all we know!"
Ayame relaxed her shoulders in defeat, slumping back in her seat, "I know!" Drew smiled, patting her head. Ayame looked up and smiled at him.
"What?"
"You know, it seems just like tomorrow, you were so small, and hiding behind your brother, afraid to come out! And you got that chewing gum in my hair!"
Drew chuckled, "If you want, I can repeat the performance." Ayame laughed and shook her head.
"I just realized. This is the first actual one-on-one conversation we ever had!" Drew raised his eyebrows at her exclamation.
"Really? We never talked before?"
"Not that I can remember!" Drew rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the screen. Some Fifi kid was winning and the battle had only one minute left. The odds looked very much against the other girl but he knew better than to declare the battle results before it was over.
"Who is up next?" Ayame asked. Drew looked at her out of corners of his eyes.
"Berlitz." Dawn nodded in confirmation, eyes glued to the screen. May turned her head to him and smiled at him softly. Something jumped in his stomach and he did not quite manage to hide his silly grin.
"And then Drew, then May and then me." Ayame ticked off her fingers. Drew nodded in agreement, stretching his arms up.
"This is so boring." Drew complained. Ayame ignored him, scanning the waiting room.
There were not many coordinators left. The room was almost empty except the ones fighting in the second round. Her gaze settled on Brian, the one who was up against Drew.
It might just be an illusion, but was the man staring at them?
Ayame shook her head. She is just being paranoid. She looked at the boy, prodding her brain to see if she had ever seen him.
Medium height, blond straight hair, black-violet eyes. Nothing she can remember.
"Ayame, its Dawn's turn." Ayame jumped, tearing her eyes away from the man.
"Huh? Oh! Best of luck, Dawn! We'll be cheering for you!" Ayame said, shaking the blunette's hand.
"And see if nii-chan and Kei are there." Drew added.
"Thank you, Ayame!" Dawn grinned at her, heading towards the door. "Sure, Hayden. I will."
Ayame turned her head quickly. Did he just turn his head away from them?
O.o
"Where are they?" Miyuki sighed again, turning her eyes away from the entrance door of the contest hall to look at her companion.
"Chiyo, pipe down, will you? The police station is not very close to the contest hall."
"But it is not that far also that it'll take almost half hour to go and come back!" Chiyo stated.
Miyuki had to agree. They were taking too long for the maximum 10 minutes trip. The station was just 2-3 minutes walk from the hall, after all.
She settled back in her seat, ignoring the red-head in favor of watching the Dawn girl's battle. She watched the two men -Ketchup and Rock, was it?- cheer as the girl walked on the stage and called on her Piplup.
But the battle couldn't hold her interest for too long. Not that it was boring- okay, fine! It was bloody humdrum to her! Not that you can blame the girl, she had better things to worry about than who won the stupid contest.
She was only here for two reasons. One, she was asked to go by Shimizu. And two, to keep an eye on the others in absence of Ayame. For Ayame, yeah okay. But she knew that Ayame won't win, so why bother?
Her gaze returned to the doors. Where were they? Were they okay? Some sort of trouble perhaps?
She felt herself instantly alarmed. She was just about to get up and go outside to make a call when she saw a shadow at the door. She bit her lip in anticipation.
She felt herself calm down a little as she watched Shu enter, followed by Daichi.
"They're back." She informed Chiyo, still rigid as she waited for a blue head to appear. But as the two men walked back to their seats beside them and still no sign of Kei, she whirled around to face the two men. "Where is Kei?"
Daichi turned to look at her, "He must be coming. He was outside for a bit- OW!" He turned to give Shu a glare for the smack on his head.
"Miyuki! I totally forgot! He called you outside." Shu informed.
"He did?" Miyuki asked.
"He did?" Daichi echoed, his voice laced with confusion, "When?"
"He did." Shu said firmly, promptly ignoring Daichi, "Go on, he must be waiting."
"Okay, I guess." Miyuki got up, a bit unsure as she wove her way out of the hall as the crowd went wild. She took a glance at the screen to see the blunette lose the battle. The name and the face of her opponent, Jeremy's came up on the screen with the 'Winner' flashing.
She took a deep breath once she got out in open. Arceus, it was hot inside! She looked around, searching for the man.
She spotted him standing in front of the building entrance, staring up at where she assumed was the screen.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. She was somewhat amused when he jumped and turned around, panting slightly.
"Are you bonkers? Don't creep up on me!"
"Shut up, Akagi. What did you call me for?" Miyuki said, all amusement gone from her voice.
"I? I called you?" Kei looked confused.
"Of course, you-oh." Miyuki fell silent, vowing to murder Shu the next time she saw him.
And awkward silence fell upon them as they both watched the screen as Shu's brother came on the stage.
"Hey look, Drew!" Kei pointed happily.
"Yeah? Didn't notice." She commented dryly, words out before she can catch them. She felt slightly guilty when she noticed hurt flash across the boy's face before it dissolved into a sneer.
"Sure, you- hey, have we seen him somewhere?" MIyuki turned to the screen, wide eyed as she saw the same boy, Brian come on stage.
"You think so too?" She exclaimed. Kei looked a little taken aback by her uncharacteristic enthusiasm but quickly composed himself.
"Yeah, have we seen him somewhere?"
"I don't know!" Miyuki admitted, "I thought so too but the others didn't think so. So, I simply thought I was imagining things but now that you too think so, come on! Let's go inside!"
Kei's eyes widened as the blonde took his big hands in her rather small ones, holding tightly as she pulled him inside the contest hall after her.
Kei looked back outside; eyes raking over the scene once to confirm everything was as it should be. But his eyes zeroed in on the park bench. Or more specifically, at the small, pink Pokmon standing near the lower right corner.
He came to a sudden halt, pulling Miyuki back towards him, causing her to lose her balance, "Akagi! What do you think you are doing?"
"'Yuki, "He said, using the nickname he did not use very often, for they were never really on good terms, "Look there and tell me what you make of that Ditto."
Miyuki looked in the direction the man was pointing and turned to look at him again, "Why, what do you mean? A ditto, not that uncommon, are they?"
"But, did boss not tell you? About the Ditto that-" He suddenly broke off as he watched the ditto transform into a Pokémon –well, by the looks, it looked like a Golbat, but you can't be sure- and took off.
Miyuki was left staring after the man as he ran after the Pokémon, vaguely feeling the slightly cold air where his hand had been held in hers.
O.o
"Drew, you were awesome out there!" Ayame exclaimed. May would not admit it, but that was, by far, the best match she had seen.
"As always." Drew performed an overdramatic bow followed by his trademark hair-flip.
The two girls rolled their eyes.
"Honestly, Drew, there's a limit to-"
"If you don't mind, May, I think your ribbon is more important than your lecture."
May's eyes widened as she ran to the door with a squeak, leaving the other two laughing.
O.o
"Can't these people be quiet for a moment?" Ash hissed. Dawn looked at him and then towards the group. Brock glanced up at the group next to them, huddled close together and whispering. Quite loudly, if he may add.
"And so? You recognized him, big deal! Who is he?" The black haired man, Drew's brother, was saying. "Where is Kei?"
"He ran off after a bleedin' Ditto!" The scary blonde complained, "Why did he run off after a ditto?"
"Wait, a ditto? Where did you find a ditto?" The raven asked, his voice slightly alarmed.
"What is up with you people? A ditto is not that uncommon in Hoenn!"
"But, 'Yuki-"
"Don't call me that!"
"A ditto, "The raven continued, ignoring the protest, "A Ditto sighting right now is a danger, considering our current situation."
"It is...wait, Shu?" The red haired man suddenly sat up straight, breaking up from the group.
"Yes?" Shu said.
"Why...why were we late..." The blue haired man mumbled.
"What are they going on about anyway?" Ash rolled his eyes. Brock looked at him but did not reply, still listening intently.
"This group was quite suspicious from the beginning, weren't they?" Dawn muttered ears intently on the group as she cheered for May.
"Shu, that burglar...a ditto…and the woman and..." Kei mumbled.
Shu was already whipping out a mobile and pressing 1 on his speed-dial, switching it to speaker "Hello?"
"Shu? Is that you? Hey, man! How is the contest? Is Drew winning? I hope he wins, and then we can have a part-"
"Rei! Shut up for a moment!" Shu said, shutting up the man instantly.
"What is it, boss?" Rei asked, switching to professional mode.
"Check on the woman, Amy."
They waited for few moments, each hearing intently to the squawking as Rei shouted at some people and a few more.
"Shu, this is bad..." Came a breathless voice before the call was cancelled.
Before Ash , Dawn, Brock or anyone else sitting near them can blink, the group of four was running out of the doors.
O.o
"Uhm, something weird happened." May said as she entered the waiting room.
The other two stopped in their congratulations when they saw her face.
"What happened?" Drew asked.
"They suddenly ran out of the hall."
"Oh, that happens all the time. One or two are always out. They can't sit still." Ayame said. May shook her head and continued.
"They all ran out. And very quickly too. They were huddled together and then they ran."
Ayame turned her head so quickly that she thought she heard something cracking. He was gone. The kid Drew was against, Brian was gone.
O.o
The four young adults looked around, nervously.
"Where is Ayame?" Daichi asked, tapping his foot impatiently.
"On the stage." Miyuki gave her curt reply. "She'll be out soon."
"Can't she withdraw or something?" Daichi asked.
"Does she even know what is going on?" Chiyo's logical question earned her some very blank glances. The girl sighed loudly before she pointed her finger at the back door leading to the waiting room and turned to Shu, "Go."
O.o
"I am sorry, sir. But only contestants are allowed to enter."
Shu looked up at the man. He was double of what Shu was. Shu blinked. No doubt he looked almost like a small fly in front of the giant.
"This is emergency." Shu nodded at the man.
The man just stared at him and repeated; "Only contestants are allowed to enter."
"Yeah, right." Shu gave him a smile as he reached into his jacket pocket, "Was just checking if you are doing your duty well. I am from the Rubello Police Force. Shu Felix Hayden. Let me through."
The man carefully examined the Police ID, switching from staring at the photo to the man in front of him, before he stepped aside with a sigh, "Very well, sir. Proceed."
"Thank you." Shu said, stepping around him and running inside as fast as his legs could carry him. He pushed open the double doors leading to the waiting area, not caring of the ruckus he made.
He was aware of the shocked looks he was getting as he strode to his brother, "Drew."
"Nii-chan!" Drew jumped, eyes slightly wide in surprise, "What are you doing here? I thought only-"
"I am allowed everywhere, Drew." Shu said, aware that some of the other contestant who were hanging back till the match finishes were listening to them interestedly.
"What happened, Shu?" May asked.
"Where is Ayame?" Drew pointed vaguely to his back with his thumb. "How long?"
Drew checked his watch and then leaned over Shu to see the screen behind his brother. Shu turned around quickly to the screen, "4 minutes to go."
Shu bit his lips as he watched her battle. She was making her points drop very quickly in an attempt to get the battle over with, without hurting her Umbreon or Leo's Starmie. Leo was not a very great opponent.
"What happened, anyway?" Drew asked.
Shu turned to face May and Drew, "That Amy character was pretty dodgy. And the Brian kid, where'd he go?"
"He disappeared...after the fight." Drew's eyes widened.
"Exactly." Shu said, turning to the door as the screen flashed Leo as the winner.
O.o
Meanwhile, outside
"And what do you think you were doing, running off like that?" Miyuki screeched.
The other three winced. Kei at least had the decency to look sheepish, "I saw a Ditto."
"And you thought you'd go and catch it? Are you out of your mind?" Miyuki demanded.
"Miyuki, calm down. I thought we cleared it up that a ditto is an important Pokémon right now." Shu said, appearing behind the group, Ayame with him. "What happened with the Ditto, Kei?"
"It ran, or flew towards there." Kei pointed at the end of the road, "And I followed it. Turns out, it was a stray."
"Oh, a stray. Are you sure?" Shu said, visibly relaxing before he spoke again, "We need to get to the Headquarters. The woman had disappeared."
O.o
Drew drummed his finger on the bottle he was holding, his mind going in a million directions. His first concern was the match May was having. If she won, he would be battling his girlfriend for the ribbon. Hmm, the thought gave him a double feeling, satisfaction mixed with a little of determination to win. She would no doubt, win against the weakling. She was the second strongest coordinator, after him, of course.
As he watched the marks dwindling down on the bar of her opponent, his mind began to worry over his second concern, his brother. He had come so urgently to fetch Ayame. Surely there must be some sort of emergency. But Shu was adamant on keeping the secret until the contest was over so as not to stress the younger brother. As if he could be at peace knowing that his only brother was out, fighting with some stupid villains while he was sitting here, ideal and bored out of his mind.
He sighed, taking out Rosalie's pokeball. As he watched the red light taking the form of his first Pokémon, he couldn't help but smile. He always had to smile when he saw the beautiful grass Pokémon. He loved all the Pokémon equally but Rosalie was just a little bit more special to him.
"Rose." The Pokémon greeted softly as he hopped on the seat next to him and settled down. That was the thing. He knew when he just wanted some sort of company to keep him from going insane.
"Hey, Rosalia." Drew greeted, running his finger on the soft coat of her crown. Rosalia gave him some sort of half-smile, touching his nose to Drew's fingertip in an affectionate and cute gesture. Drew let a grin loose, his eyes flicking up to the screen to see his girlfriend's name flash on the screen, "You ready to fight against May, Rose?"
"Rosalia." The Pokémon said, determination mirroring that of his master's.
Ah, we are sorry for the super long time taken to update. We were both very busy…we are hoping that we will be able to post the next chapter soon, because, honestly, this story is going to be ending with a few more chapters.
And uh, yeah, Ash, Brock and Dawn are not really the important ones here. We just thought we'll give them a cameo. Sorry to disappoint you, if you are their fan.
Reviews actually attract updates, ya know that? 14 favs, 29 alerts but still, only a few actually take time to review! Reviews are the motivation that authors needs to continue with a story. They kind of guilt the authors to update faster!
Thank you to those who review! This chapter was not very satisfactory, we know, but we are trying.
Review, people!