A/N: Thank you for reading and for your support! This was quite a fast update, right? I hope you enjoy it!

To Duvarishka: Thank you for your review! I really enjoy reading my reader's thoughts about what I'm writing. I'm glad you liked Paul's reactions and I hope Iris's character developments will continue to interest you. Thank you!

Days

The day a door closes

Drew

Sunday, February 9th

"Thank you, you are now signed up for the Hoenn Grand Festival," the attendant said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy your stay in Fortree City."

Drew smiled back distractedly, his eyes on the big screen behind the attendant. It was showing all kinds of Coordinating related news, and right now it was a shot of May talking to a reporter.

Really, it was both impressive and infuriating that she had actually done it. She had managed to win five Ribbons in just as many days, and the press was loving it.

"Thank you," he said to the attendant, turning away from the stand and the confronting images on the screen.

That May was now again serious competition for him was not what bothered him so, though. No, the press – and especially the tabloids – were loving the story of the heart-broken girl fighting her way back into the spotlight. And of course he was the bad guy in all of this.

Biting back a sigh, Drew started to walk to his assigned room, carrying his bag with him. A glance up to the sky showed grey clouds and undoubtedly it was going to rain again, adding to the already humid feel of today. Drew sped up, wanting to be inside before it started pouring.

Fortunately, no one had any true information about what had happened between him and May, but that only fed into the theories that were floating around. He had to talk to her, to prevent further damage to his imago. If news came out about her pregnancy, it could easily turn into a PR disaster. Tabloids did not do nuanced stories about both sides of a conflict.

Even with only news of the break-up, his popularity was dropping. Drew usually knew how to deal with the press, but he'd never had things this big to deal with. It was even working through in the official circuit.

Drew breathed in through his nose to prevent gritting his teeth. Months ago, he had been asked to give a short performance during the opening ceremony, but just a few days ago he had been contacted that the program had changed and it was no longer necessary.

They claimed it was because of safety measures, because of the strange deaths that had happened in the past months, but it did feel very convenient to Drew.

He unlocked the door and entered his room. It was a small, basic one, but it was a private one and that was already much appreciated. Drew dropped his bag on the bed and after releasing Roserade for company, he slowly started to unpack. If things went according to plan, he would be staying here a while.

He knew that he couldn't blame it all on May, though it was very tempting. If he had spoken to her sooner, there wouldn't have been a big outburst at the Tournament. If he had been more convincing, she would have gotten the abortion. If she hadn't gotten pregnant…

But that was a stupid thought. 'What ifs' were useless. Besides, Drew knew that their relationship had been falling apart for a longer time already, and perhaps it had been only a matter of time until it had ended…

But if they'd seen it sooner, would they have been able to fix it? Would he have wanted to? Did he want-

"Rose?"

Drew was shaken out of his thoughts by the question from Roserade, and he realized he had been standing frozen in place, holding a pile of shirts midway to the closet.

"Just… distracted, that's all," he answered his Pokémon, and then put his focus back into the present. He would unpack and then he'd do some training-

A beep sounded from his phone. An email from his lawyer, mister Masandi, popped up on his screen.

"Ah, good news," Drew said to Roserade after reading the message. "Zack has reached an agreement with May's lawyer. We just need to sign some papers and then everything should be taken care of."

"Ra," Roserade responded, and then looked at him questioningly.

Yes, what was he going to do now? Drew put away the last of his clothes and pushed his now empty bag under the bed. This was a good opportunity to talk to May, and then to also bring up the matter of the press. They needed to make an agreement about that – he needed that, because she had the power right now to destroy his public image if she played her cards well, and-

"Roserade!" The green Pokémon pulled at his shirt.

He was stalling.

"Yes, we'll go," Drew said with a sharp nod. He recalled Roserade and then strode out of his room.

He faltered when he realized he didn't know where he could find May. Well, that wasn't going to stop him.

Drew walked to the main hall of the building, his steps slowing when he came across another large screen, again showing May, this time on a rerun of one of her battles. He pinched his lips together. Hadn't she wanted a responsible and stable career back when they were together? And just now-

Drew curtly shook his head and walked on to the desk with the receptionist in the center of the hall. When he asked for May's room number, the young man behind the counter gave him a long look, before answering his question. Drew thanked him and then was off again.

When he ended in front of her door, he hesitated. His fingers went to his Poké Balls, feeling the familiar shapes in his hand.

Right. Talk about the lawyers and the media matters. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

There was some stumbling on the other side and then a smiling May opened the door. The smile disappeared when she recognized him and Drew felt an unexpected pang in his chest.

"Hello, Drew," May said slowly.

"Hello," Drew greeted her politely; it would not do to start off on the wrong foot. "I have some things I want to discuss with you. May I come in?"

May was quiet for a moment, before she nodded and stepped aside to let him in. Her room was very similar to his, besides the huge amount of clothes that had already littered the room. Munchlax was sitting amongst the chaos. Drew nodded to the Pokémon in greeting, but Munchlax turned his head away.

The door closed behind him and Drew turned to look at May. Unwillingly, his eyes drifted to her stomach, and although well hidden by her baggy shirt, a slight bump seemed to be visible.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thank you."

The response was cool and Drew hadn't expected anything else. Well, he'd get to the point, then.

"I just got a message from my lawyer," Drew said. "Apparently, they have reached an agreement and we will have to make an appointment to sign some papers."

May nodded. "Alright. I'll have contact with Daisy about that."

For some reason, that answer disappointed him, but he didn't know why. He nodded.

"I also wanted to talk with you about how we could best announce the pregnancy to the media," he said. He didn't say 'preferably not how you did it at the Tournament' but perhaps it sounded through in his tone.

Her eyes narrowed and May pressed her lips together. Then she took a breath and said in a clipped tone, "I was planning on releasing a statement about the pregnancy after the Grand Festival. I will say that you are the father, that we have broken up for personal reasons and that we have reached an agreement about the baby."

She took a moment's pause and looked at him coldly. "Is that acceptable for you?"

It was not like he had a choice. His insides clenched; he had never seen her blue eyes seem so much like ice. That alone made him want to protest, just to see some reaction from her, but he was not here to pick a fight. He pressed down on the impulse to make a smart remark and instead nodded.

"Yes, thank you," he said. After all, her statement could be much worse for him than this.

"Is that all?" May asked tonelessly.

"Yes, that was it," Drew said, feeling off balance. May opened the door for him, an obvious sign for him to get out.

He walked out and, out of habit, Drew raised his hand in a goodbye to Munchlax and May, but when he turned to wave, the door was already closed in his face.

Drew stared at the closed door, feeling a strange hollowness. His hands went to his Poké Balls and he tightened his grip on them.

He had gotten what he wanted.

Drew turned sharply and left.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I think Drew is the hardest character to write, but I do enjoy the challenge. I know he's not everyone's favorite character right now, so I'm very curious to hear what you thought about this chapter.

Thank you!