A/N: Time for a new chapter! Thank you all and please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover, though I did edit it.

Days

The day that's a good day

Drew

Friday, November 22nd

There were quite some Gyms in Hoenn, but Drew's decision had fallen on the Rustboro Gym. It was considered to be a Gym for starters, and even if Roxanne would go all out on him, Roserade would still have the type advantage. And it was close enough to travel by foot and train a bit, if the weather didn't turn against him like the last time he had wanted to travel and train.

Drew was seated on the couch with his laptop on his lap, though he wasn't paying much attention to the screen, which was showing the internet page of the Rustboro Gym. He wasn't sure how he estimated his chances. On one hand, he knew his Pokémon were strong, on the other hand, they had zero experience with competitive battling, and neither did he.

It was kind of exciting, really. It had been a long time since he had felt challenged, and this uncertainty about what to expect was thrilling. He should prepare for this. He might be able to beat Roxanne using his strong Pokémon and the type advantage, but the Wayland Tournament battles would be both Contest and Competitive, and he would undoubtedly face experienced Trainers. No, he needed to truly gain experience, and with that thought in mind, he turned his attention back to the screen.

It took him not long to find out that there was a disappointing amount of official League battles to be found on the internet – not unsurprisingly, as the League wouldn't want to miss out on any profits. Of course there were enough bad quality videos around, but a better idea occurred to Drew. There was a Gym in this very city, why not have a look there?

Mind made up, Drew shut off his laptop and grabbed his coat and Poké Balls, before rushing out into the city. Even though he had never been there, it was relatively easy to find the Gym, and as Drew had hoped, there was a battle going on right now.

Feeling a bit awkward, he sat down on the mostly empty tribune. On the second row two elderly men were seated, conversing with each other and not paying much attention to the battle, and on the front row a girl with pigtails was seated, watching the battle anxiously.

Wattson was facing off against a young girl with short hair and her Pidgey, and Drew didn't need to have any experience with Battling to know how this one was going to end. Still, the girl managed to knock out Wattson's Magneton when she used her Charmander, but the fire type was defeated by Voltorb's Selfdestruct, leaving her with her already weakened Pidgey against Magnemite.

The two girls left the battlefield dejectedly, and were followed up by young man with a Golem, who won after a short battle, and a teenage boy with a Marshtomp and Vulpix. Judging by Wattson's reaction, the teenager came here more often, and after he had won and left, there was a short lull between battles.

"Hey boy, you're enjoying yourself?" Wattson called, and Drew was surprised that it was him who was being addressed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just… watching," he answered, and Wattson laughed his booming laugh.

"Gathering intelligence, eh? Smart boy!" He laughed again. "But go ahead, and I'm looking forward to have an electrifying battle with you when you're ready!"

Drew smiled a bit awkwardly (it was rather odd to be called boy) and then the next challenger entered, pulling Wattson's attention away from him.

More battles followed each other, some short and easy, some more complicated and with surprises, and while they were hardly as engaging as Contests, Drew still found himself interested. He was pleased to notice that there were at least two other Coordinators who showed to up to challenge Wattson, though both of them lost.

"Well, that's it, I'm calling it a day!" Wattson boomed, and Drew startled out of his thoughts. The challenger had left and even the two men, who had sat with him on the tribune for most of the afternoon, were gone.

"You, boy!" Wattson addressed him again, grinning broadly. "I hope you had fun, and if you want to challenge me, you better hurry up and reserve a timeslot for next week, it's been crazily busy these past days!"

Drew stood up and nodded his head at Wattson. "Thank you, I might do that some other time."

"I will be looking forward to it!" Wattson yelled his goodbye, and Drew raised his hand in a silent response, quickly leaving the Gym and its loud and slightly intimidating Leader.

Wattson had timed it perfectly, because if Drew hurried, he would be able to do the groceries and cook them a proper meal, since it was his turn to cook tonight. And it would be in his favor if the cooking went well…

Because despite all his preparations when it came to his choice for the Gym and the route he wanted to travel, he still hadn't told May, and he knew that he couldn't keep procrastinating. Tonight would be the best time as any if the situation was in his favor.

And the situation was in his favor, Drew realized about an hour later. The meal was almost done and May was cheerful that it was the weekend, so Drew pushed aside his nervousness (which was totally unnecessary) and grabbed his laptop.

"May, do you have a moment?" he asked, opening up the laptop and putting it on the kitchen table. He quickly opened the Wayland Tournament's site as May got up from playing with Skitty and walked over.

"Here, look," he said, pushing the laptop in her direction.

"The Wayland Tournament," May read out loud, realization dawning in her eyes. Her smile had diminished slightly when she looked back at him. "You want to participate, don't you?"

There was something in her expression that made him feel guilty, but that was ridiculous. Alright, he knew May didn't like to stay here alone, but it was her own choice and it was his choice to pursue his dreams.

"Yes, I've been thinking about it," he said carefully. "It sounds like a great challenge."

"I already thought so." She smiled. "I think it's great, too. Maybe I could come to watch if you get far in the Tournament."

Drew was surprised by the rush of relief and maybe it was reflected in his smile, but he quickly smirked and flipped his hair. "When I get far in the Tournament, May, when."

May's smile brightened and Drew felt himself smiling back.

"Why don't we go out for dinner this weekend?" he proposed happily, but contrary to what he had expected, May didn't immediately jump at the opportunity.

"Hm, I actually said that I would work at home tomorrow... There are really a lot of people who want to go to the Wayland Tournament, you know," May said, with an apologizing laugh, and Drew forced his own lips to go along. Was she actually declining? "And since I thought that you would probably be training all day..."

"Yeah, of course I'm busy, but…"

"But we could do something in the evening," May finished the sentence for him, giving him a hopeful smile. "Go out for dinner, I mean, after we're both done working."

"Alright then, then that's set." It was not quite how Drew had imagined it to go, but May's eyes were sparkling and he couldn't help but smile back. He turned back to the stove to check on the meal, while May put away his laptop and started to set the table.

"It looks good, Drew," May said, leaning closer to see what he was cooking.

"Yeah, yeah, it's done, we can eat," Drew answered, smirking at May's pout.

Drew felt satisfaction as May practically inhaled the food, and he supposed that he had been right, cooking for her did put her in a good mood. When they were done, Drew put the dishes in the dishwasher while May started to feed the Pokémon.

She was humming as she distributed the food and Drew found himself distractedly watching her with a smile. After filling the last bowl, May got up and pushed her hair out of her face.

"What?" she asked when she caught his eye.

Drew smirked. "You look cute, that's all."

"You look cute, too." May flustered slightly and her eyes shone with mirth. There was of silence and a hopeful glint appeared in May's blue eyes. "Wanna watch a movie?"

He grew quasi wary. "As long as it isn't some cheesy chick flick…"

"Disney movies aren't cheesy chick flics." May grinned brightly, before dashing off to the living room.

More slowly, Drew followed her, smiling. Today had been a good day.

A/N: Thanks a lot for reading! I would really appreciate if you took the time to leave a review :)

Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: Remember the Name by dinobot (add a space after each letter). FFN. This is a very interesting two-shot in which Ash loses his memory, and the new Ash suddenly is a lot more in touch with his feelings, especially towards Misty… Thanks to PokeshipperByHeart for recommending this story to me :)

Pokémon: Not My Idea of a Good Time by QUEENSPELLER67. FFN. An amusing one-shot about several characters (including Ash, Misty, Dawn, Paul, Drew and May) who are going out for a fun evening in Hoenn. Turns out that alcohol and casinos don't mix well.

A song of Ice and Fire: Robb Returns by The Dark Scribbler. FFN. An AU story in which Robb is sent back after his death to change things… An incredibly long, very awesome multi-chaptered story that is regularly updated.

Please, feel free to send me recommendations!