Indigo Plateau– In which it's all or nothing in the Grand Festival, and more is on the line than just the ribbon cup.

Author's notes:
- It's hard to believe it, but… We're. Almost. There.
- Yep, I suck. It's been a hot minute since I've updated, but in my defense, life has been crazy. It never fails to floor me how much support this story has received, and your kind words and encouragements mean a lot to me. Guys, I promise I'm finishing this story. And I'll do it sooner rather than later.
- Based on the episodes, "May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!," "Thinning the Hoard," and "Channeling the Battle Zone."
- One hundred and thirty three pages and 52,428 words. I'm going to take a long nap now.

Indigo Plateau was massive. This venue almost put Slateport City's Grand Festival arenas to shame. Almost.

The only reason it didn't was because Hoenn was the birthplace of contests (and also because it was in his home region, therefore it was obviously the best), and this place wasn't originally intended to be used for Pokémon contests in general.

Originally, the Plateau was created to host the Pokémon League for Kanto trainers, but it had been loaned to the "up-and-coming Kanto Contest Committee" to host the Grand Festival until a proper stadium for the ultimate contest could be built. Solidad told Drew they still had another one or two years to go before the new and official contest stadiums were finished, but they made sure the Grand Festival's schedule didn't interfere with the Pokémon League tournaments. Kanto trainers had another four months before it was time for the league to start up, anyway.

Drew, Roselia and Masquerain wandered through the temporary home of Kanto's Grand Festival, marveling at the sheer size of it alone. Flygon and Absol were both resting in their respective Pokéballs, after an intense morning of hardcore workouts and training. Not that he dared letting Absol be seen just yet. Absol's main debut was just days away, and after Drew's Vibrava had been leaked out in Coordinator's Weekly weeks before the Hoenn Grand Festival last season, he wasn't taking any more chances. Damn press coverage.

There were at least six Pokémon Centers…no, make that seven. Several towering dorm buildings were there ready to house the temporary residents for the Festival. Small cafés, restaurants and shops were scattered about and…were those office buildings? There were even a few small grocery stores here and there. You name it, it seemed like Indigo Plateau had it. Not to mention the giant lake and pristine beaches that this all sat against. Honestly, this place probably had its own local government. It was basically a small city.

Naturally, Drew had arrived for the Festival several days early. When he checked into his pre-assigned dormitory, the receptionist looked surprised to see a coordinator so early, and told him he was the first competitor to arrive. He had merely shrugged it off and explained that he wanted to get to know the area. But after several days of exploring and still spotting new things every day, Drew resigned himself to the fact that this little "city-not-city" complex was huge, and that practicing for the Festival was the most important thing he could do.

More time passed, and little by little, coordinators and their visiting parties started began to fill the space. Drew noticed by three days out, the place was packed, making it harder to find secluded places to practice with his Pokémon. There were a few people who appeared vaguely familiar to him from contests he'd competed in or watched throughout the season. They all seemed to have people to talk to, but Drew kept to himself. He was holding out to see a familiar, friendly face, or two.

He had no idea when May was going to arrive, as he hadn't asked her in Mulberry City, nor did he have a way to contact her, so he tried not to hold his breath in anticipation of meeting her here. It would happen when it would happen, and as much as it felt like it sucked (not that he should be thinking that way with the Grand Festival here), he knew there was nothing else he could do. It sucked, because he really wanted her to be there already. He knew he liked her, but why was he always growing more and more attached to the idea of seeing her, exactly? Maybe he just liked the extra motivation.

Solidad was a different story, because he knew when she was set to arrive, and he was able to communicate with her when he wanted to. She had told him via text message that she'd be there the morning before the first round. And Drew couldn't wait to see her. When he'd first arrived in Kanto, he'd expected to see Solidad a lot throughout the season, and to talk just as much, if not more, but it never worked out. Both of them were so drastically focused on their seasons. It seemed like they just kept avoiding each other in towns and contests with their schedules pulling them in different directions, and their usual tradition of speaking after every contest was all but put on hold as well. There was that much pressure.

The last time Drew could remember properly speaking to Solidad was before he'd caught his Absol at Mt. Moon, and that had happened months ago. Of course he'd tuned into see the contests she'd competed in, but she'd earned her five ribbons so quickly, that had also ended months ago as well. Not to say there had been no communication at all. Of course they texted each other on a not-so-frequently basis. About once a week, they'd send each other a message asking how the other one was doing. And a short conversation would typically follow, but it never really went past about five or six messages. So really, it had been a long while since Drew got to talk to his best friend. Entirely too long, actually. He wanted to see Solidad and her Pokémon. He missed them, and it had been a weird few months without them.

Drew was looking forward to seeing both of the girls, really. But with May, it was more from a confusing and weird, "I-Want-To-See-You-But-We're-Rivals-But-At-The-Same-Time-I-Don't-Know-Just-How-Much-I-Truly-Feel-For-You" standpoint. Drew had to shake his head every time he thought of that. He needed to be at his sharpest. He needed to think back to his last Grand Festival mindset, though this time around, it seemed to be more difficult.

Contest first, feelings second.

With Solidad, it was a simple, "You're-My-Best-Friend" thing. He liked the simplicity. Why couldn't it just be simple with May?

No matter what, the clock was ticking. The reunions would start soon.

And thankfully, he didn't have to wait too much longer.

With the Grand Festival coming, three days would fly by.

The sunlight was leaking through the curtains when Drew first opened his eyes. He turned his head and looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand: 10:46 a.m.

He'd slept in again.

He blamed the beds in the dorms; they were really, really comfortable. Or maybe anything would be comfortable when you train until 3 a.m. and a little (a lot of) exhaustion set in, he supposed.

Because of the sheer amount of coordinators and media outlets flooding into the plateau, Drew had to be careful about when and where he trained. It was nice to able to walk through the plazas and green spaces and see the competition giving previews of their Pokémon, but he wasn't that dumb. He wouldn't let the other competitors gain the edge by knowing what he could and would throw at them. The news stations were eating it up as well, filming practice appeals and interviewing coordinators left and right. It was repelling to him.

Especially on the third day, when he saw Harley soaking up the spotlight for an interview with a local station. His Cacturne stuck faithfully at his side as Harley probably gushed about how great his Pokémon were and how confident he was that he was going to win it all or whatever. Drew could only speculate, because of course the second he recognized the older coordinator, he took himself out of the area quickly before he could be spotted. The last thing Drew wanted was a confrontation with Harley of all people. And truthfully, Drew still wasn't over the stunts Harley pulled back in Mulberry. So avoiding Harley at all costs was a high priority.

But still; the Indigo Plateau was being overrun by more coordinators as the Grand Festival drew closer. It made training in private, well, almost impossible.

Drew had resigned to train at night, which worked in the way he wanted it to: no one else was out and around, or at least, not as many as before. It was easier to slip into little private areas (or arenas, if they were unlocked, which he preferred, because it gave his team the chance to get familiar with the stages and battlefields) with no one out. So that was his schedule. He was training late at night, which resulted in late mornings.

That was slightly annoying; Drew had always been someone who believed strongly in the 'early Pidgey gets the Weedle' phrase. So getting up in late in the mornings made him feel like he was missing an important portion of the day. Regardless, he spent a lot of hours training at night that he didn't normally use, so he guessed that kind of made up for it. Maybe.

As far as things go, training at night wasn't all that bad. The whole plateau was well lit by an influx of streetlights that had been installed over the last few years due to "growing safety concerns." It was nice and bright wherever Drew and his team settled to practice, and it almost resembled daylight closely enough. In simple terms, in worked for him and his practice.

And practice, they did. For hours, every single night.

Masquerain was showing a lot of promise that season. His silver wind was so sharp and refined, that Drew knew without a doubt he'd be performing their opening appeal. And they'd open with that move. It was basically perfected, and it just seemed like the best bet.

Now, because it was the Grand Festival, the judges would be expecting some level of risks to be taken by the performers, and Drew, not really a risk taker in contests, knew there really was no way to avoid it. So he decided Absol would lead off his secondary appeal. Debuting Flygon at the Hoenn Grand Festival felt like a good choice, and the excitement of the judges and the crowd was evident when Flyon took the stage to battle May. With how hard Absol was working, he expected the same level of excitement, if not more.

Bonus: Absol was strong. Like, scary strong. And he had proven his worth in both appeals and battles. Drew thought that Roselia or Flygon were the strongest parts of his team, but in more practice battles than not, Absol managed to take both of them down. Not to say they didn't give him quite the fight, but still, it was a pleasant surprise for Drew to see that his Absol was as high-powered as he was beautiful.

Bringing Absol into this Grand Festival was his best idea yet. Maybe even his most powerful play in his coordinating career so far.

Drew knew Flygon was more of a battle type than an appeal type, so he'd definitely pair up nicely with Absol in the battle rounds. They'd practiced combinations together and everything seemed great. After having to have a talk about working together and not trying to outdo each other like in the beginning, the two seemed like a natural and obvious choice for contest battling.

That left Roselia. Where did she fit in all of this? Drew hadn't really formed a strategy for her yet, and aside from maybe one or two battle rounds with her, Drew couldn't decide if he was going to use her in this Grand Festival at all. It stung him a little bit, to know that she might sit this one out, but one night, he talked to her about it, and the two seemed to agree that unless the moment called for her, it was the smarter play to keep her on the side.

Roselia trained with the rest of them like normal, and kept up her speed and strength just incase Drew changed his mind. But for the most part, he seemed locked in.

So that was his strategy for this Grand Festival, and it was a strategy he had a lot of faith in. Show off Masquerain in the opening round, debut Absol in the preliminaries, and finish strong with Absol and Flygon (and maybe Roselia) in the battles.

Ribbon cup worthy? Absolutely.

And now, here he and his team were, resting up before the big day tomorrow; the calm before the storm.

He rolled over (on that damn comfy bed) onto his back and looked to his Pokémon, all scattered about the spacious dorm room and still resting. There was no point in waking them seeing as they were probably still exhausted from the battle practice. They all looked great, Absol especially, and Drew debated on whether or not training the night before the Grand Festival would be a good idea. The opening ceremony and appeal rounds started at 9 in the morning, after all, and they couldn't risk going into day one exhausted…or getting up so late. But could they afford to miss anymore training time? The was it; the final, 24-hour stretch.

Drew shook his head; he'd worry about it later.

With the morning well underway, he knew he'd have to rush through his routine quickly. The shower was piping hot and he rinsed all the soap and shampoo off as quickly as he possibly could. He brushed his teeth just as quickly.

Drew didn't have time to waste; she was coming today.

He could hear PokéNav buzz on the nightstand behind his closed bathroom door. Drew wrapped a towel securely around his waste and slipped out of the bathroom quietly and saw that his Pokémon were still asleep. Arceus, he really wore them out. He felt a little guilty, but really, the pressure was on…

He grabbed his PokéNav and opened the message from Solidad.

We're flying in from Pewter, so I should be there in about 30. Meet me at the check in?

Drew chuckled. Leave it to Solidad to be so relaxed about the championship of coordinating that she'd leave for it at 11:30 a.m. the day before. Drew had already been here for six days.

Sounds good; meet you there.

He moved to set his PokéNav back down, but it buzzed almost instantly.

Can't wait!

A good-natured smile placed curled up on his face, and he rolled his eyes.

Don't text and fly, Sol.

Her simple response of a tongue sticking out emoji came, and Drew moved back into the bathroom to change and finish getting ready for the day.

By the time Drew deemed himself acceptable, Roselia was just sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Everyone else was still fast asleep, Flygon occasionally twitching in his unconscious state. She watched as Drew snuck back into the room and gave him a small wave.

He nodded to acknowledge her, and reached for his purple vest to throw on over his black shirt.

"Solidad's almost here," he whispered, careful not to disturb the rest of his team. "Wanna come with me to meet her?"

Roselia nodded, gently lifting herself off of the bed and tiptoeing over to Drew's side. Drew was filling a few bowls of Pokémon food for his team, so if they woke up while he was gone, they'd be taken care of until he got back. Drew made sure the curtains were shut tightly, and he nodded down to Roselia. The two made it to the door.

Locking the door behind them, Roselia and Drew started down the hallway towards the registration building.

He was almost to the entrance when Solidad texted him again, saying she was next in line to check in and get her dorm assignment. He and Roselia strolled down the sidewalk, growing more and more excited to see her.

The sun was shining and it was a spectacular day in the Indigo Plateau. It was warm, dry and crisp. It reminded him of autumn in Hoenn, but it was nearing the end of summer in Kanto. A gentle breeze from the lake spread the cool, clean air, and Roselia seemed to bask in the perfect weather. What a sharp contrast to Hoenn's near constant heat and humidity. He'd noticed the differences between the regions all season.

Drew and his starter stepped closer to the front entrance, but something seemed off. People were running or shouting or gathering. There was some kind of commotion was rifling up a lot of coordinators in the registration hall.

Drew could hear jumbled shouting and angry voices before he'd even entered the room. He and Roselia exchanged a confused look, and shuffled into the mess to see just what was going on. As they got closer, the muffled complaints grew clearer.

"Give me back my hat!" someone shouted.

"This isn't funny!" another aggravated voice threw in.

"Hey, stop!" and another.

Dozens upon dozens of upset people huddled close together there, dumbfounded and angry as a growing stack of hats shuffled through the mix. Drew could see the stack growing taller and taller as it was visible over the people in front of him. And it was moving. Someone was swiping hats? Roselia rolled her eyes and Drew watched the scene with a quirked eyebrow.

What the hell?

The stack of hats seemed to make a pause right in front of the crowd; Drew couldn't see past them, but then some of the anger appeared to be redirected.

"Hey, is that your Aipom?" one person demanded.

"Give us back our hats!" some other frustrated soul screamed.

"Cut out the Mankey business right away!" and yet, another.

What exactly was going on? From the general context, Drew assumed one coordinator's Aipom was starting a hat collection. And that collection comprised other people's stolen hats? What coordinator would dare bring a Pokémon that inexperienced and that out-of-line to the Grand Festival? Weird…

"Hey, Aipom, you gotta give 'em back their hats!" a familiar voice pleaded.

Drew recognized the voice a moment later, and though he couldn't see the person who that voice belonged to, he knew that is was in fact them, and they had clearly just arrived, blocked by the low-key angry mob that had formed. It shouldn't have surprised him that of course, something crazy started going on the second they appeared. Odd events always occurred whenever May and her friends were around.

May. The thought of her presence made his chest grow warm. And tight.

The stack of hats suddenly toppled over, and a few coordinators moved in quickly to swipe their hats as they were now all over the floor before they could be taken again. The crowd dispersed, and Drew finally caught a glimpse of May, standing behind Max and Brock and looking just as confused as the rest of them. Ash was on the floor, partially buried under a flurry of hats. It was a foolish scene. Roselia chuckled beside him, and Drew simply sighed.

His eyes locked on May again, and she apparently didn't notice him there. How could she? Her gaze was set on the weird occurrence before her, and the concentrated look on her face said she was trying to decide whether or not she should do something. Maybe release her Combusken? No, too dangerous, she would know better.

He could see her quickly working out plans in her head, dismissing and reevaluating, further proving to him that in a split second, she was able to come up with a lot of strategies. A skill she'd picked up over the course of her near-two years as a coordinator, and a dangerous one at that. Drew gulped; this was the Grand Festival after all, and only the best of the best made it here.

But it was just May, and did he really need to be that nervous about her being here?

His brain told him probably not, because he'd never lost to her before and he didn't plan on starting any time soon, but that empty feeling in his chest was telling him otherwise.

A swift motion also caught his eye, and Drew looked down to see that Aipom grab Ash's hat and begin to scamper away. Clearly this wasn't his Pokémon as he'd previously accused of. Drew knew that Ash wasn't a bad trainer, and he doubted Ash had any Pokémon this disobedient.

"Hey, cut it out!" Ash scolded, standing quickly and watching the rambunctious Aipom angrily.

Nobody really moved, save for a few bystanders who were sorting through the mess of hats. Almost everyone was unsure of what to do about the out-of-control Aipom. A volunteer Nurse Joy was moving towards the chaos to see what was going on.

When the Aipom dove for the nurse's hat as well, a few things happened. One, Ash's Pikachu started to dash after the unbound Pokémon. Two, Brock moved to Nurse Joy's side, making sure she was alright after the "vicious attack," or at least that's what Brock made it seem like. Three, Brock actually sprang into action before anyone else could, chasing after Pikachu and the Aipom like a madman, screaming for him to give back the hats he freshly stole. What a…dramatic scene.

The Aipom was clever, though. It jumped into a decorative tree, fooling Ash's Pokémon into ramming right into the pot. Ouch.

Aipom was clearly satisfied with itself, and continued its antics by leaping for Brock himself, slapping the Nurse Joy's hat neatly atop his head. Brock, stunned, fell backwards and crashed on the ground. His teeth were either gritted in frustration of pain, but he stayed down regardless.

Alright, enough fun. Someone was actually going to get hurt if this kept going.

Drew and Roselia stepped forward.

"Roselia, use petal dance."

A lot of eyes shot to Drew in that moment. It seemed like most of the coordinators surrounding him recognized him. Looks of shock, fear, and confusion…they were all around.

Roelia stepped forward. She used her strong arms and mastery of the move to create a small tornado of petals. Not enough to do any real damage. Just enough to slow down and sweep up that crazy wild Pokémon. Aipom was effortlessly sucked in and suspended in the air, unable to escape.

Well, that solved one problem. At least Aipom wasn't still going, but now the real question was, how did they get it down? The second Roselia let up that petal dance, Aipom would bolt, and knew it. But with only one Pokémon with him, there wasn't much more he could do. He just needed someone else to step in, and with all of these skilled coordinators around, it was only a matter of time before–

"Slowbro, use psychic, now!"

Despite all the commotion going on around him, he still heard her voice, clear as day, as it boomed from across the room. A huge grin spread across Drew's face as a familiar, shining blue aura appeared around Aipom, trapping him further. One of the best psychic attacks he'd ever seen, hands down. Solidad stood proudly across the room from him, throwing him a small wave when he gave her a nod.

Solidad bent down and said something to Slowbro, pointing to Ash back on Drew's side of the room. Slowbro seemed to oblige, controlling its mental energy and gently floating the little purple monkey Pokémon down to Ash's arms. Drew watched as Ash made a grab for the Pokémon and quickly removed his hat, securing it back atop his head.

Ash scolded the Aipom, but the little Pokémon squirmed free and sprang for the door, no one fast enough to catch it. The friends all watched it go, and none of them moved to stop it. Aipom was definitely not their Pokémon.

Still, the mere presence of Ash caused it to go nuts, and Drew stuffed his hands in his pockets and stepped over to meet them. Solidad was advancing as well.

"Thanks for doing that, Drew," Ash greeted him, while May, finally registering his presence, looked on curiously before turning back to see him.

"What's going on?" Drew asked. "You're all way over the top. You need to chill out more than that Aipom."

"Come on," May piped up comfortably, stepping closer, and Drew's eyes shot to hers. "I'll bet you're just as nervous as I am."

Oh, he was nervous. Maybe not in the way she was implying, though. Or…maybe that, too. No, he wasn't scared of facing her…right? Why could he never think straight when she was this close?

"Sorry, May, but I don't do that…" he did his best to sound like his normal, confident self, flicking his hair out of his eyes a little.

There was a lot of noise in that room, and there was the hammering of his heartbeat in his chest, but Drew swore he could feel the sound of her footsteps vibrating in his chest like booming thunder. Five minutes prior, all he could think about was seeing Solidad. Now, it dawned on him that May was here, too…

"But you used to, back in your younger days," her voice was as light and airy as ever, and Solidad strutted to a stop before the group, her Slowbro in tow.

She stood before him, for the first time in months, a soft smile on her face. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him; it had been far too long, and she'd missed Drew just as much as he'd missed her.

They locked eyes and grinned at each other easily.

May was a little shaken up. Clearly this was the coordinator who had ordered that incredible physic attack, and Drew was eyeing her with a small smile on his face. Who in the world was this? She seemed about Brock's age, which was probably too old for Drew, right? She didn't seem like a crazed Drew fan girl, either. But Drew seemed really at ease with her presence, and apparently they knew each other? May's eyes darted back and forth between the pair, feeling just a little inexplicably uneasy.

Brock turned, and jumped with a shout, scaring the hell out of May, her brother and Ash. They watched utterly lost as Brock helplessly fell in love with another girl instantly.

But then, something different; Brock called her by her name. He knew her, too.

"WOW," Brock exclaimed. "Do my eyes deceive, or are you Solidad?"

"Solidad?" May questioned aloud.

Solidad seemed a bit surprised at first, but then her face morphed into an easy sort of understanding. Her smile reformed and May couldn't help but analyze her a bit. Solidad had long, gorgeous pink hair. A lovely face with piercing blue eyes. Red dress hidden underneath an orange overcoat. Red boots to match the belt around her frame. And a winning smile, to top it all off. This girl was really pretty, and Brock was clearly all about it, but May grew to expect this kind of behavior from Brock.

So why was Drew looking at her eagerly as well?

Something felt off in May's stomach, and all those roses she secretly kept over the last two years seemed to feel heavy in her fanny pack. What exactly was Drew's relationship with this older girl, and why did Brock have to make it worse by being so enraptured by her presence, too?

May had a startling series of thoughts.

Could those roses really have been for Beautifly? When was the last time he'd given her a rose, anyway? May couldn't recalle a time when Drew had given her one in Kanto…because she didn't have Beautifly with her? Her stomach churned a little with the realization as the two boys before her continued to fawn over Solidad.

Okay, to be fair, Drew wasn't fawning over Solidad. He was simply looking at her. But it was a gentle and easy look, kind of like the ones Drew had given May a few times in his unguarded moments. Well, this look now was not exactly the same, she noted, but still, it was a similar look and it bothered her. It was a side of and a look from Drew May rarely got to see, and the one she cherished. It felt special to her, like it should have been only for her. And now, here he was, sharing that look with someone else.

Was she…was she jealous?

Why on earth should she be jealous? Because Drew was looking at this other girl in a weird way? No, not weird, but it wasn't a look he gave anyone. It did seem odd, but why? What was going on?

May bit her lip a little nervously when she realized her face felt warm. Thankfully, no one was looking at her, but also, that bothered her, because Drew was more or less ignoring her presence now. She backed up just an inch more behind Max, just to be sure no one could see her expression.

The moment went on without her.

"Of course!" Solidad's eyes sparked with familiarity. "You're the gym leader from back at the Pewter gym, am I right?

"That's me!" Brock all but exploded. "I'm Brock! You remembered! And you found me right in the middle of my journey to become the greatest Pokémon breeder in the whole world!"

May, Ash and Max watched the exchange in disbelief.

"What do ya know?" Ash said quietly to them.

"She knows him," Max said, equally as surprised.

"There's a new one…" May threw in lamely.

"I haven't seen you since Pewter City," Solidad remarked, that friendly smile still on her face. "I sure saw you a lot back then."

Well, there was no surprise there; Brock chasing after a pretty girl. Ash, May and Max simultaneously rolled their eyes. It got a little more awkward when Brock boldly grabbed one of her hands, leaning in closer, still love struck. Solidad seemed a little off put, but not nervous by any means, like the other girls Brock usually pulled these kinds of stunts with.

"Now perhaps destiny has brought us back together to pick up the pieces of our broken hearts, right where they left off!" Brock continued to obsess over Solidad's presence.

The girl named Solidad simply smiled apologetically at him. Clearly she was used to this.

"I'm sorry; at the moment, I really need to talk to Drew," she said politely. "Maybe later."

Like a professional, Solidad merely dropped his hand as if it was nothing. Brock's face fell, clearly disappointed that the reunion had ended. May stiffened at her dismissal. Now, Solidad moved past them, and strolled up to Drew. May didn't miss how the smiles never left their faces.

"It's been a while," Solidad started. "How are you?"

"Fine, good to see you," Drew responded immediately.

Brock settled back down a bit and joined his group. May watched them talk easily. They were clearly very comfortable with each other. She'd never seen Drew go a full five minutes without some kind of sarcastic remark or cocky attitude, but it was very evident that Drew wasn't going to do that in this exchange. It was odd.

"Guess Brock's not her only friend…" Ash commented.

May gave Ash an exasperated side glance, unbeknownst to him.

"Your Roselia is awesome," Solidad praised him. "A great petal dance!"

"Your Slowbro's psychic was right on the money, too, Solidad," he grinned right back. "Really beautiful as well."

May bit the inside of her cheek. Drew had never, ever openly praised another coordinator so easily. Especially not her. And while Drew had definitely grown so much nicer over the time she'd known him, it hurt a part of her deep down that he'd never really complimented her or her Pokémon in this way. She looked down, a little deflated. Solidad's eyes flashed over to her curiously, and then back to Drew, raising her eyebrows a bit.

"Thank you, Drew," Solidad continued. "Nice to see you haven't changed a bit."

Drew's smile finally faltered a bit, making the connection in his brain. Solidad kept her pleasant smile on, but now there was something else behind it. Something that made Drew uncomfortable. Something that said, "introduce me, already!" He gulped.

Had he known Solidad was going to meet May here? Absolutely. Had he thought it would happen when he wasn't around or that he wouldn't have to handle it? Absolutely. This was a trap; not a malicious one, because Solidad wasn't like that. But this was starting to feel like an entirely too awkward situation and as much as he wanted to catch up with Solidad, he didn't want to be there when she met the girl with the red bandana; his rival; his…whatever else she was. The one Solidad always seemed so interested in.

"You know, I can't wait to see all of your Pokémon; I'm sure they're all awesome," Drew tried to keep it innocent, but now May's presence was once again burning in the back of brain.

Solidad's eyes didn't change, and Drew knew the only way to escape now was…to escape.

"L–Later," he said, and turned to walk away.

He was slowly coming to realize that the two people he was most worried about in the Grand Festival, were right before him. His fearsomely powerful best friend, and his rival…and love interest? He shivered slightly at the thoughts. Now was not the time for that. The need to train was suddenly overwhelming. Who cares if anyone else saw him in the middle of the day? At the moment, he sure didn't.

And yet, it was rude for him to just leave it at that. He hadn't formally acknowledged May's presence other than a small comment, and unbeknown to him, that fact stung her a little bit. May was watching him go, disappointed and confused, when he thankfully half-way turned back to face her briefly.

"Hey, May?" he said carefully, her eyes locked on him. "She's a tough cookie."

And that was it. That was all he could say.

He had Pokémon waiting for him back in his dorm room.

"Huh?"

May tried to ask him for a bit more clarification, but he either didn't hear her, or he flat out ignored her again.

That left May in the extremely awkward position of having to speak to this girl, whoever she was. May didn't know what she expected, but she felt nervous energy coursing through her body.

May slowly turned around to see Solidad slowly approaching her. The first thing she noticed was just how friendly this girl looked. Solidad didn't look like she was out for a fight, but rather quite the opposite. The smile on her face met her warm eyes, and Solidad was genuinely interested in meeting her. May stared a little, and Solidad only smiled more at her confusion.

"You must be May!" she introduced herself excitedly, as if she'd been waiting for this moment. "I'm Solidad! I've heard so much about you from Drew!"

…

WHAT?

Stunned was the only word that could even begin to describe what May felt at Solidad's words. Drew, talking about her to other people? What on earth could that have meant? What in the world could Drew have said about her? May's cheeks were burning a little at the possibilities.

"Oh…" May said, still a little doubtful. "You have?"

"Yep, sure have!" Solidad continued, cheerful. "We're good friends, Drew and I. We go way back. I definitely want to talk to you more about it, but I'm actually in the middle of checking in. I just got my room key and I need to go drop off my things."

Solidad gave her an apologetic smile, and May tilted her head a bit, looking for any clues as to what Solidad and her rival could have spoken about prior to May actually meeting her.

"I know the Grand Festival starts tomorrow morning, but what's say we all grab dinner together tonight? All of us! Talk and get to know each other a little more?"

"Oh, uh –" May started.

"OF COURSE WE'LL BE THERE," Brock chimed in, too loud. "HOW COULD ANYONE SAY NO TO DINNER WITH THE BEAUTI–"

Max made quick work of Brock, grabbing his ear and muttering something along the lines of 'you need help,' all the while Solidad just laughed calmly. While Max dragged Brock a respectable few feet away, May laughed uneasily at the scene, too.

"He used to do that in Pewter City when we were younger," Solidad remembered, shaking her head a bit. "Nice to know some things never change, huh? But anyway, dinner… So how about it?"

May still felt a little unsure. She turned and looked to Ash for some silent advice, and he gave her a calm smile and a gentle nod of encouragement.

"Yeah, I guess that could be fun," May said in a small voice.

Solidad's smile grew – as if it could get any bigger – and nodded.

"Great! Here's my number; text me when you guys are ready."

She handed May a small slip of paper, scribbled down a few numbers neatly and was off with a nice wave. May took the paper and gave her a smile. Ash gave a small wave back, calling out "see you tonight!" Brock was all but crying that the older coordinator was gone, and Max sternly reminding him they'd see her in a few hours.

She'd met May; Solidad finally got to meet the girl who'd unknowingly given her best friend so much more than he could have ever asked for. And she was even more adorable in person than Solidad expected her to be. She already loved May, could totally understand what Drew saw in her and knew they would be great friends.

Solidad was smiling hugely as she walked away.

Finally.

Solidad did not but into other peoples' business. It just wasn't something she did.

Of course, if one of her friends needed her, she was there for them in whatever ways she could be. And she was always respectful; she made sure to never cross that line between concern and overbearing. No matter how helpless someone looked, if they didn't ask for her opinion and/or assistance in a personal matter, she kept herself at bay.

Long story short: Solidad did not meddle. Period.

…But in this case, it seemed she was going to have to make an exception.

The sunshine was exquisite the way it sparkled on the waters of the shore. Lapras and Solidad were just about finished practicing for the afternoon. The coordinator couldn't recall the last time her attention had been so divided while training. And right before the Grand Festival, no less! But it was okay; this was something she deemed personal – a high priority, and unlike her best friend Drew, she could put personal matters before competing. Not to say she didn't feel prepared for the festival, anyway; she'd spent the last six months getting ready for this.

Despite the distraction, Solidad felt good. Just from her current practice session, she could tell things were going to go without a hitch, her Lapras having performed their appeal without flaw every single time.

She was at her first Kanto Grand Festival. The stakes were high, yes, but she felt fine. She'd never competed in a Grand Festival in her home region, and though it hadn't begun yet, she could still feel just how absolutely wonderful this was going to be. It had been great competing in Hoenn and Sinnoh, but here at home, she felt more like her own self. And it showed all season, in how quickly she'd earned her five ribbons and how ready she felt for this ultimate contest.

Her Pokémon were all primped, polished and perfect. They were all ready to go.

Her phone had chimed 30 minutes prior, May confirming her number and asking Solidad just where she wanted to meet her and her friends that night. It was innocent enough, and Solidad replied easily with a time and place before calling out another sheer cold attach from her Lapras.

Solidad paused again when another reply came through.

That sounds great!

She was about to put her phone away when May sent another text.

Will Drew be there, too?

Up until that point in Drew and May's relationship (if it could be called that, yet), Solidad had only heard bits and pieces of May's journey through the descriptions of Drew. And of course, Solidad was looking from the outside in, but she knew how Drew would get flustered (pretty easily) while talking about May, but would organically bring her up if she wasn't being discussed. Hell, for the better half of the last two contest seasons, whenever they talked, May was always brought up in some way, shape, or form. Originally, Solidad would be the one to bring her up, just to test out the theory. When she stopped, Drew would start to speak of her on his own. When she began to notice Drew talking about her more and more, it all but confirmed it.

Even with how much he tried to hide it, it was so obvious to Solidad that Drew Hayden had feelings for May Maple.

And when Solidad had pieced it together, she had been thrilled. More than thrilled; she had been ecstatic. Completely and utterly elated that her best friend, someone she considered a little brother almost, had found that happiness. Drew even seemed to discover a new reason to love coordinating since May had walked into his life, and Solidad couldn't have been more keen to meeting the girl that started it all. Solidad was thrilled about finally meeting May, to get to know her on a personal level, and to try to see things from May's point of view.

Now, here Solidad sat, smiling down at that little, timid text message on her PokéNav.

It didn't take long for Solidad to figure out there was something there for May, too. Maybe it was the little glances May stole of Drew an hour ago when they'd first met, or that uneasy look of nervousness when she'd met Solidad that gave it away.

By any means, these clearly unspoken feelings were mutual between the two. It was wonderful.

Drew never came off as one who would get involved with this kind of thing, but it just went to show that the heart wants what it wants. May on the other hand, had no doubt been on the receiving end of sarcasm and endless mixed signals from Drew, so how was she supposed to know that any feelings she held might be reciprocated?

These two clearly needed help, and Solidad knew what she had to do.

Solidad wasn't a person who meddled. But in this case, how could she not be?

'I think she's adorable. Seriously, she's so pretty in person, Drew!'

'I can tell she's going to be so great in this contest, and give us a run for our money.'

'I can't wait to get to know her more.'

'Do you have her phone number? I bet I got her number before you did!'

These were some of the several text messages from Solidad that Drew studiously ignored since arriving back in his dorm room. Solidad meeting May was something he almost dreaded, and judging from the texts, it was going to be just as bad as he expected, if not worse.

The rest of his Pokémon had finally woken up and were excited to see him return. Flygon and Absol had already finished off the food he'd left for them, while Masquerain still had a few bites to go. Roselia moved over to her specified bowl and Drew poured her some food as well.

His PokéNav buzzed. He ignored it.

"Tomorrow's the big day, guys," Drew said, sitting on the edge of his bed and leaning forward on his knees while looking at them. "Who's ready?"

All his Pokémon chirped in response, telling him they were excited and set to get started. He smiled proudly at the team.

Before he could say anything else, his PokéNav buzzed yet again. Leaning against the mattress made the vibrations from his back pocket more audible. His Pokémon eyed him suspiciously, but he waved them off.

"It's just Solidad," he clarified.

The others hummed in response, save for Absol, who looked a little lost.

"You'll meet her, soon," Drew assured him. "She's a good friend of ours."

Absol nodded thoughtfully.

"So tonight's gonna be our last practice," he informed the Pokémon. "Obviously we won't stay out as late, but Masquerain and Absol, I definitely want to make sure our appeals are ready for the–"

Buzz.

His finger twitched. He didn't have time for this.

Drew, in the middle of a pep talk, tried his hardest to ignore it, but maybe something was wrong if she was texting him this much in this short amount of time? His curiosity won, and he sighed, standing up to take out his PokéNav. He scanned through all the tiny chat bubbles quickly. And nothing was wrong. Solidad was still gushing about how wonderful it was that she was finally meeting May and how excited she was about everything. There was one last was different, though.

'We're all having dinner tonight at the place on the corner. The one with the deck and the patio; I forgot the name. But it's me, May, and her friends. Why don't you come?'

Ignoring the rest of the wall of messages she'd left him already, Drew typed a simple reply.

'Thanks for the offer, but I've been practicing at night, and this will be my last chance.'

He sent it, but was worried he might have sounded curt. He quickly typed out another message. He didn't want Solidad to think he was avoiding her, or that he didn't want to talk to her. He just didn't want to talk to her about May. Not now, anyway.

'Have fun, though.'

She sent back a quick 'Boo,' and he looked back at his Pokémon.

"Anyways…guys, I know that we've all been working so hard, and–"

Buzz.

He reached for a pillow and threw it on top of his phone, unwilling to simply turn it off for some unknown reason.

May Maple was absolutely delightful and funny and charming and beautiful and sweet and polite and caring and all that was good in the world. She was basically a ray of sunshine with a red bandana on top.

Solidad absolutely adored her.

More than that; May was ecstatic, tickled, grateful, chipper, happy, etc. Well, she hadn't said much to Solidad yet, but just from watching how May interacted with her own friends, and her little polite responses so far proved to Solidad this girl was a treasure. You name it, and if it was a positive attribute, Solidad was feeling it.

Sitting down for dinner with this gang had been a fantastic idea. This had been the perfect chance to get close to and to get to know May and her friends.

Arceus, how long had Solidad waited for this chance? Only over a year…

Conversation with the young group was so simple, it felt like they'd been friends for a long time. Well, save for Brock, who was the same age as her and whom she had actually known for years. With the rest of them, she bonded quickly.

When they'd first arrived, Solidad already had a table reserved and waiting for them out on the patio, looking out at one of the contest stadiums. May's friends seemed eager to sit down, and May seemed a little bit reserved. Solidad understood, and gave May her space at first, focusing on her younger brother, the trainer, Ash and her old friend Brock.

Ash was eager to talk about his dreams of becoming a League champion. He'd gone through three regions already – an impressive feat – and placed high in league standings each time. His collection of badges was ever growing, and now he was collecting the Frontier symbols, most of which he'd already obtained. Solidad nodded and listened as he spoke fondly of his early adventures in Kanto and Johto, and more recently Hoenn. He'd also said it had felt strange at first to be back, competing on his home turf again. She could relate – it was how she felt when she'd first arrived for the Kanto season.

When Ash seemed to be satisfied with his own introduction, Max – who was May's younger brother – piped up, excited to chatter. He went on and on about how he and May's father was a highly regarded gym leader in Hoenn. When Solidad confirmed she knew of Norman Maple, Max's eyes shined. Max told Solidad how he dreamed of becoming a Pokémon champion as well, and maybe one day, he could take over his father's gym. Of course, Max knew he had to be a league champ to qualify for a gym leadership, but he knew he could do it. And Solidad didn't doubt him for a second; this kid wasn't even old enough to receive a starter Pokémon, and his knowledge on various Pokémon seemed endless. Solidad was intrigued when he'd even spoke animatedly about Pokémon in Galar; one of a few regions she'd never traveled to.

Brock seemed to almost explode when Solidad finally turned to face him. He'd been waiting so patiently to talk to her since they'd all arrived. Solidad just assumed he wanted to catch up, but he spoke so fast at first, she could barely understand him. She smiled apologetically, but Brock didn't seem to take the hint.

It was then when he yelped, and Max gave him an annoyed glare that Solidad realized the almost nine-year-old had swiftly kicked Brock underneath the table, and Brock grew embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he smiled awkwardly through gritted teeth as he reached down with one of his hands to rub his now-bruised leg. "I'm talking too fast, huh?"

"It's alright," Solidad shook it off, and encouraged him to start again, Max smirking triumphantly beside his older friend.

Brock picked up again at a much more reasonable pace, explaining his goals and aspirations of becoming a Pokémon breeder. The passion was clear in his dialect and tone. Solidad could remember Brock had come from a huge family, and he was always so caring and loving with his younger brothers and sisters. Pokémon breeding seemed the perfect path for Brock.

The longer time they spent together, the more they all were at ease. It was a relief to Solidad – she got on with May's friends so easily. May herself had remained mostly silent giving small smiles, nods and a comment or two when appropriate. Solidad didn't miss the way she was being timidly watched. She smiled softly at May from time to time, just to reassure her.

Brock spoke the longest, because he'd fallen into telling way too many stories about how he saved the day a few times, or how he'd become such a great cook, and couldn't help but recall plenty of times he was the one who really took care of the group. His friends all knew his game; trying to make himself look good for the pretty girl, but he wasn't being over the top, so they just grinned and agreed to help his cause. He seemed to really like Solidad.

Max had to poke Brock in the side to silently inform him he'd been talking way too much, and Brock laughed awkwardly. He finished by asking how long Solidad had been competing, and pointed out that she'd never spoken of a desire to pursue professional coordinating when they lived in Pewter City together.

"Keep in mind coordinating wasn't a thing back when we were kids," Solidad reminded him. "I picked this up a few years ago when it was still brand new. It's funny – remember how most people expected me to be a trainer?"

"That's right, you always had such a great connection with Pokémon," Brock mused. "I remember my Geodude loved you."

"You're sweet," Solidad said, and Brock smiled hugely. "I've loved all Pokémon since…well, before I could remember."

"Unlike you, May," Max snickered, and May swatted at him in embarrassment, intent on listening to the experienced coordinator before her as she had been the whole time.

"I tried casual battling for a while, even went for a gym or two," Solidad remembered. "Those badges are still sitting in my nightstand at home, and they haven't moved. Gym battling was odd to me. It just never really felt like enough; I wanted to get more out of the battles than I was getting. Then, I heard about contests from a cousin of mine who visited Hoenn. She told me all about the one she attended on a vacation, and I remember looking it up the second I got home. I knew that was what I was looking for. And I've made so many friends in contests; Drew being one of my oldest and best.

"It all feels like it was forever ago! Coordinating was an instant fit for me, and I've loved it since day one. I left for Hoenn and did a few seasons before I got really serious. Last season, I was in Sinnoh trying super contests. I've been around, and I don't' want to brag, but I have kind of a reputation, or so I'm told."

"It's so weird…" May finally spoke, a little hesitant; she didn't want this to come off the wrong way. "Drew's never mentioned you…"

"Really," Solidad rolled her eyes with a shrug, but smiled regardless. "Knowing Drew, I'm sure he's got plenty of other things to talk about."

May bit her lip a bit.

"I guess…"

Sensing the conversation had shifted away from him, Brock grew a little anxious that Solidad would forget all about him. After all, she was there to compete in the top contest, so once she touched on that subject, she might not get back to just casually talking to him. Or when the Festival was over, who knew how long it would be before he saw her again, if he even did see her again.

He jumped and slid across the table, taking up Solidad's vision. She jumped back a bit, startled, but kept her good-natured smile and laughed a bit at Brock's antics. He used to flirt like this when they were younger, too. It may have been off-putting to others, but Solidad liked quirks in people.

"Hey, I know what!" Brock chimed in. "Maybe we can exchange email addresses and stay in touch while we're on the road!"

Solidad opened her mouth to respond, but Max – clearly all too familiar with these antics – grabbed at Brock's ear easily and tugged him away.

"Come on," Max sounded exasperated as he dragged Brock away. "Maybe you should exchange your idea of cool with mine…"

Both Ash and May rolled their eyes, but Solidad seemed entirely relaxed, even waving them off a bit.

"He's such a card," Solidad spoke easily, turning back to May. "Actually, the first time I met Drew was at the very first contest he ever entered. He ended up being my opponent in the final match."

Simultaneously, May and Ash's mouths dropped open. May had a worried look flash through her eyes.

"He made it all the way to the final round?" she was dumbstruck.

May could vividly recall her first contest match against her rival, in her very own first contest. She didn't even stand a chance. Drew floored her and walked away as if she was nothing. While May had improved tremendously, she had still never bested in him a battle before, and now she was coming to terms with the reason why. He'd been good – great even, since day one.

She'd always known Drew was a talented coordinator. From the day she met him, she knew Drew held himself to a higher standard than her, often looking down on her, and he'd never had any trouble informing her of the fact that he was better than her. But she never gave up, working for the day that she would look at him across a stage after a tough battle that she'd have won. A day when he would reach across for her hand, shake it in a congratulatory manner, and acknowledge that she was better.

Would that day ever come? It didn't seem like it was possible, especially now. While May had gotten better, so had he. She may never bet him. May's eyes fell.

This was no mindset to have, especially going into the Grand Festival, but how could she see any differently…

"So which one of you two won it?" Ash asked, invested.

Solidad smiled to herself recalling that day she'd first met Drew; how hard fought the battle between them had been and how utterly wiped out her and her Pokémon were after the fact. She could still remember his face, their first conversation, meeting for coffee the first time, and every other time. What a beautiful friendship that had come from that first, powerful struggle.

"I managed to win after the time ran out," she said, stirring her drink and sorting through the memories. "I've never fought a more grueling battle. You know, Drew and his Roselia are just the most amazing team."

It was silent for a few moments as Solidad pondered. When she looked up, particularly at May, she could see that the young coordinator was struggling with something. Looks of concentration and confusion were dancing across her face, and it was obvious that there was a lot of self-doubt in her mind in the moments. Solidad bit the inside of her cheek; this hadn't been her intention, but she needed to turn this around. May had gone through a similar beginning in her coordinating career, just like Drew had.

"After he lost, I could see tears of sadness in his eyes – Roselia's, too," she explained.

Again, the two young friends' mouths hung open in shock. The mental image of Drew, crying after a loss or…crying at all? May couldn't picture it.

"What?" May asked, unbelieving.

"That's not like Drew!" Ash exclaimed.

Ah, Drew, the tough guy. Naturally, that's how he projected himself to others. Solidad doubted many people knew Drew the way she did. Hopefully May could see through him, and knew what a sweetheart he could be.

"It was his first loss, but that just made him work harder," she explained, looking towards the contest arena. "He's been getting steadily stronger ever sense. We see each other at contests so often, we've been able to stay in close touch."

May absorbed every word Solidad spoke, trying to process a lot of things about her rival at once. Of course she'd known Drew had a soft side to him; she'd seen it many times before, in short bursts.

But Drew crying? Drew being this close with someone, and someone thinking this highly of him outside of coordinating?

It was a weird image to think about. Very weird.

Often times, May found herself thinking of Drew, both inside and outside of contests. Lately, she thought about him more than ever. Even when she wasn't practicing or doing anything contest related. He was just there, in the back of her head. She'd think about things he'd said to her, things she saw him do, wondered what he could be doing those moments, etc. She never understood why.

When the thoughts of Drew first persisted, she thought it was just because he had been…well, an ass when they'd first met. He was quick to tease her and in the beginning, she couldn't tell if he was seriously that negative, or even if he hated her. Maybe he had, and back then, it never bothered her much. Hell, there were times when she was absolutely certain she'd hated him herself. But then, somewhere along the road, the teasing got less and less. The few quips that did fall from his lips seemed to pack less of a punch. And now, they didn't seem malicious at all; like just friendly banter. She could finally differentiate when he was being playful, and that all in all, it was just friendly competition.

Somewhere along the way, things changed, and they changed pretty drastically, and it was kind of easy to figure out when it started.

She didn't allow herself to think of the Mirage Island incidents often, but when she did, she never focused on the danger for long. No, instead, she thought of Drew, and all the moments they'd gone through together. She remembered how he'd grabbed onto her in the air as they plummeted towards the open ocean, coaching her on what they needed to do. She recalled how she'd been so determined to keep him alive, and worked to keep his head above the water when they fell into that river together and he was unconscious; she'd barely regarded her own safety. She recollected how she'd never been happier when he'd woken up after being out for hours, and the fear she felt before he'd come back to her. She thought of when he turned around and saved her again, freeing her from Team Rocket's clutches and how they combined their attacks to save the day together – the first time they'd ever worked together. And most of all, she'd always, always, always reminisced about how he'd kissed her on the cheek when they'd all made it back. How he took her on a walk away from her friends and he'd thanked her in the only way he'd deemed worthy of the moment.

She always felt a little breathless thinking of those times, but she definitely saw a shift in the way he acted around her after that day. And she started having thoughts that maybe she shouldn't have, especially about someone she considered a rival. She did her best to bury them, thinking she could easily get over it.

But, it was all so complicated, and she couldn't ever get over it. She couldn't ignore the way he made her feel nervous whenever she'd run into him, and like she absolutely had to talk to him. Most of the time, it was simple; Drew could talk endlessly about contests, after all.

Aside from surviving on Mirage Island, it felt like she'd never really had a proper conversation with Drew that didn't revolve around coordinating. And he'd never seemed to really want to strike one up as well. It drove her to the hard conclusion that maybe he didn't have the same thoughts as she did.

And it was why she'd always done what she could to deny to others and herself that there was not and would never be anything going on between herself and Drew, other than being rivals.

She could live with that. Of course she could. The fact that she'd felt a slight twinge of jealousy when Drew's fan girls raved about him, or when Brianna had boldly declared that she was going to announce her own feelings to him, or when May even suspected that very morning that something could have gone on between this older girl in front of her and Drew…those times and more all meant nothing.

…Right?

"So you guys have known each other for a while then, huh?" Ash asked innocently, and May perked up from her stupor of thoughts about her rival – just her rival.

"Oh yeah," Solidad nodded. "For the last few years, we've made it a point to call each other frequently and stay up to date on what the other is doing."

Solidad wasn't blind to the way May pursed her lips a bit with her response. Internally, Solidad knew that this girl in the red bandana was in the same boat as Drew. Feelings? Yes. Knowing how to proceed? Not a clue. Both of these two were so oblivious, like they were definitely made for each other.

"Drew and I are very good friends," Solidad clarified, watching for any reaction from the young girl in front of her. "We just talk all the time. Honestly, I consider him like a little brother at this point."

May's blue eyes shot up to Solidad's soft smile, and the older coordinator could see the hidden relief begin to soften May's features. Her shoulders fell a little bit and May looked away and half smiled to herself, like she was finally getting comfortable where she was.

"So what do you end up talking about with Drew?" May inquired with the first genuine smile Solidad had seen from her.

"Not about our performances, ever; he's the type who never listened to anyone else's advice," Solidad laughed a little to herself. "So we end up talking about other coordinators we might have seen in performances."

May looked intrigued. Solidad turned it up a notch.

"And at some point, he started in on you," she tested the water.

Then May recoiled a little bit. The smile was gone, replaced by pure shock. Her eyes were wide and she stared at Solidad as if she'd heard her incorrectly. Had Drew actually been talking about her amongst other coordinators who'd impressed him?

"You and only you," Solidad finished.

May didn't speak. She continued to stare blankly at Solidad, not knowing if she actually believed her for a moment. Not that Solidad had given any prior indications that she would be a person who would lie, but this information completely floored May. She felt like she might fall out of the chair.

The look on her face made Solidad want to weep with joy and laugh with mirth. She didn't know what to expect from May with her statements, but it was clear Drew hadn't really done a great job of explaining himself to her yet.

"See, I think since he's been watching you grow stronger in your performances, he'd gotten feelings for you," she added when May still didn't speak.

Okay, so maybe that was a little too much to reveal, but hey, someone had to get this ball rolling. Clearly Drew wasn't going to, and Solidad almost rolled her eyes. He'd known May for almost two years, and he'd been feeling this way for how long? That boy was as shy as they came.

Still, hearing that Drew might have had feelings for her might not be what May needed to hear from Solidad. In all honesty, she'd just wanted to see how the young coordinator would react to the news. And there wasn't disgust or recoil or anything negative. It appeared May wasn't offended or off-put in any way by this revelation. May just appear surprised – really, really surprised – which was a great sign.

Solidad had done her part; hopefully this would get some sparks flying for the two from here on out.

Anything more, May would have to hear from Drew himself. She deserved that.

"I think it's because of your abilities that he's gotten more competitive," Solidad elaborated.

May blinked twice, and shook her head a little. Her expression fell in the slightest with Solidad's spin on the "feelings" topic. How odd; she'd felt so much hope in the previous seconds. Now she was right back where she had been. She was happy to have apprently given Drew some inspiration to want to be a better coordinator, because that meant he actually recognized that she had talent. But on the other hand, was that all she was to him? Just another coordinator who strengthened his love for competition and nothing else?

"More competitive?" May asked slowly, a little disappointment leaking into her voice. "You mean towards me?"

Solidad nodded, something knowing in her ever-present smile.

"Makes sense to me!" Ash agreed, reminding both girls that he'd been there the whole time. "When you find one person you just refuse to lose to, it'll make you really strong!"

May looked down at her drink, staring at her own reflection.

"Maybe you're right," she mused. "But I still know that I'm not anywhere near as good as Drew is, yet…"

Sensing the sharp turn in May's mood, and her plummet back into the deep pool of self-doubt, Solidad frowned a bit. May had absolutely no reason to be self-conscious, as Solidad had followed her coordinating career since May's first contest. Drew had explained a few occasions that May struggled often with not believing in herself, but how could May doubt her natural talent for competing?

Had May had a shaky start? Yes, most coordinators did. Arceus knew Solidad didn't start off so hot. But May had improved incredibly in such a short amount of time. She'd qualified for the Hoenn Grand Festival in her first season alone, and here she was on the eve of her second Grand Festival in a region completely new and unfamiliar to her. That was no small feat. May deserved to be proud of herself, and of her Pokémon. She'd earned enough ribbons to be proud.

Solidad sprang into action.

"Now stop it," Solidad encouraged May to look up to her. "You need to have more confidence in yourself, May. You see, if you're going to be one of my rivals, I expect no less of you than that. Just as you'd expect no less of me, right? You need to know just how good you really are!"

Slowly but surely, a tiny smile reappeared on May's face. The two coordinators – and now, hopefully friends – eyed each other for a moment.

"Thanks," May nodded. "Then I'll do just that."

The pleasant moment was cut short when Max and Brock returned to the table, bearing extra straws, a last round of refills and some unusual black rose that someone had left for May. The rose in question popped open and exploded springs in May's face, and the group came up with a few theories as to who it may have come from.

May seemed to freak out for a brief moment, but with a little reassurance from her friends, she was back to her chipper self in no time.

For almost another hour, the group stayed at the table, swapping travel stories and laughing like old friends before an alarm went off on Max's PokéNav.

"May, it's 15 minutes to 10," he informed his older sister.

"Really, already?" she questioned. "Wow."

"You and your Pokémon need to turn in," Brock advised. "You, too, Solidad. The opening ceremonies start at eight, but you both will need to check in by seven."

"Ugh, that's so early," Ash whined. "Did we get up that early for the last Grand Festival?"

"Yes, Ash, we did," Max rolled his eyes.

"Still, I wish we didn't have to go now, I was having fun," Ash complained more.

"Don't worry, we'll all meet up again after the first round tomorrow," Solidad stood up from the table. "We'll celebrate all of us getting to the second round!"

"Sounds good to me!" May flashed a big grin and winked.

The group of friends walked towards the entrance of the patio together. When they made it to the entrance, they discovered they were both staying in different dorm buildings and would have to part ways then and there.

"Do you know if you're performing in arena one or two tomorrow?" Solidad asked.

"Um, I'm not actually sure…" May scratched her head a bit.

"Typical May," Max sang a little, and May lightly smacked his head.

"It's in my registration packet, little bother," she informed Max, annoyed, but then softened when she faced Solidad again. "I'll text it to you when I get to my room."

"Sounds good," Solidad nodded.

May reached out to shake her newest rival's hand goodnight, but Solidad shook her head and smiled.

"I think we're a little past that now, don't you?" she asked, stretching her arms. "You can ask Drew, I'm a hugger, though it doesn't actually like it much."

May grinned sweetly, and quickly hugged Solidad. The older coordinator turned and hugged all of May's friends as well. It wasn't lost on her that Brock squeezed a bit more tightly and held on for a few extra, precious milliseconds, but she didn't mind. Brock could be extreme, but he was a good guy with a big heart. He'd never bothered her once growing up and he didn't bother her then.

They parted ways then, Solidad reaching her dorm building after a short walk under the streetlights and stars. As she was entering the building, she caught sight of Drew and Masquerain making their way towards the door. She raised an eyebrow, and he caught sight of her. Apparently they were in the same dorm building, neither of them had known. How had they missed that detail?

Drew strolled up to Solidad with his hands in his pockets, Masquerain landing on his head.

"Heading out for one more practice session," he answered her before she could ask, and added, "just an hour or so, no more," before she could remind him of the time.

"Gotcha," Solidad replied. "You should have come to dinner; we had fun."

"Sorry I missed it," Drew shrugged, eyeing the door.

"I like her," Solidad stated, and Drew's eyes shot to her skeptically. "Don't worry; I said nice things about you."

"You guys talked about me?" Drew asked, suddenly very interested. "What did you say? What did she say?"

Solidad's eyes grew mischievous, and a playful smile appeared on her face.

"You should have come to dinner," she repeated playfully.

Drew's eyes narrowed, but he backed off, almost afraid to push the subject anymore, and surprised he'd even tried in the first place. Damn reflexes.

"I'm in room 317 on the third floor if you need anything," Solidad informed him.

"I'm in 100 on the first," Drew said. "And I'm in arena one for the first appeals."

"Me too," she told him. "Looks like we'll be together for this whole thing, then. That's good."

Drew was silent for a moment, like he was unsure of whether or not he wanted to speak again, but he licked his lips and looked away again, not meeting Solidad in the eyes anymore. Very unlike him.

"Is May in arena one, too?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, but she said she would text me when she found out," Solidad informed him, secretly happy that he'd asked.

Progress was progress, and it felt like a lot of progress was being made.

Drew rolled his eyes, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

"Just like May," he commented, possibly not aware he'd even said it out loud.

Solidad pretended not to hear it.

It was silent again for a short moment before Drew finally turned back to her.

"Well, we're off," he informed.

Solidad nodded, and with a quick reminder not to stay out late, and a promise that she had, "laid some good ground work for him," just to tease him a bit, she bid his suddenly red-faced self and Masquerain good luck, goodnight, and went up to her room to sleep the final hours before the start of the Grand Festival.

She was just settling under the sheets when her PokéNav buzzed on her bedside. A quick check of the text from May said she was also in arena one, and little burst of happiness went off in Solidad's chest.

She quickly typed out a, 'Can't wait!' message before she opened her conversation with Drew.

"We'll all be together in arena one," she texted, knowing she wouldn't get a response, but just imagining Drew's face when he read that. He was probably smiling like an idiot.

"It'll be fun," he surprised her by replying quickly.

Finally, Solidad double-checked her preset alarm for the morning, and rolled over to close her eyes. What a day.

The room was quiet and comfortable. The cool air was soothing and the pull of sleep was coursing through her veins. But, though she was tired, she had trouble falling asleep at first.

She was entirely too excited, for more reasons than just the start of the Festival.

This was already a blast. She'd have to meddle more often.

There was nothing like the excitement that came with opening ceremonies.

In those moments, Drew swore he lived solely for feeling. Nothing could match the amount of hype that came with this contest. Those initial moments of pure adrenaline leading up to the start of what he spent months preparing for was unparalleled, and as he stood back stage in arena one next to Solidad and May, he tried his best to shut out everything but Lillian introducing the Grand Festival.

Meeting them both in the backstage room had felt awkward at first.

Solidad was already there when he'd first arrived, half an hour earlier than she needed to be. She was sitting looking up at one of the display screens on the wall, reading the statistics from the slideshow of the registered coordinators the Contest Committee had been playing. It was silent in the room, nerves strangling the words of any of the few other early coordinators present; they were probably unable to sleep, just as Drew had mostly been. They all held coffee cups, just as Drew did. He strolled up to her, stretching the last bit of sleep away.

"Hey," he greeted his friend.

She smiled and looked up to him, removing the coffee cup from her lips.

"Good morning," she said. "This is it, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. And you?"

"Same."

Drew flopped down on the bench next to her, and the two remained silent as their eyes flipped back from the coordinator stat profiles on the screen, and the doorway as more competitors flowed in. Both knew the other wouldn't divulge their tactics and plans for the festival to the other – after all, outside of here, they may be best friends, but here, they were against each other.

Drew knew it was only a matter of time when May would arrive, so he tried to brace himself for her to walk through that door. He was nervous – he was so nervous, and he couldn't wait for her to appear. He tried exchanged small comments every now and then with Solidad when he sort of recognized one of the coordinators who walked through the door.

"I think I battled him in Cerulean," he'd say.

"I saw her profile on the TV earlier," Solidad would offer.

One by one, the room filled. Dozens of the best coordinators in the region surrounded them. Only the best of the best could be here, and it would be easy to feel intimidated by the raw talent and sheer power of each person in the room, but Drew didn't care at all. He wasn't nervous about them. He found he wasn't even nervous about sitting next to Solidad, the best coordinator he knew, or the prospect of having the battle her in the festival.

All he cared about in that moment, was a girl dressed in red, walking through the door and rubbing at her eyes a little bit. And how his chest felt hallow and full all at once.

Arceus, what was happening?

It was never like this. Seeing May and being in her presence had never been this difficult for him before, if difficult was even the right word. Over the last year, these strange, persistent nerves began building, and only grew stronger when initially, he thought they would fade. Why was this happening so frequently now? Why did he feel this way when he was near her? What did this mean?

He did his best to shake it - he had to) and focus on the fact that she'd barely made it with just five minutes.

"May!" Solidad called out to her, jumping to her feet and waving her down.

Drew rose as well, but said nothing as they watched May catch sight of them and skip over to them.

"Hey, guys, good to see you," May said, sounding like she was trying too hard to convince them she wasn't nervous.

"You as well," Solidad greeted, and then subtly elbowed Drew in the side for his silence.

He shot his friend a quick glare from the side, but composed his face before May could see it and placed a tight smirk on his face.

"I'm impressed that you made it on time," Drew joked. "Solidad was starting to get worried, but I guess she just doesn't know how you wait until the last minute with these kinds of things yet."

"Oh wah," May waved him off, careful not to look him in the eyes. "So I like my sleep. Sue me."

Drew wanted to comment again, but was bothered by her not looking directly at him. So he shut his mouth and let Solidad take over, which she was happy to do.

"Well, guys, we're all here," she said cheerfully. "I can't wait to get started."

"Me, too," May supplied. "But why do they make us show up so early?"

"So they can check us in and show us our slot number for the appeals," Solidad answered. "I'm the 49th performer. Drew is number 133, which is super late for our stage."

"They wanted to try to save the best for last," Drew threw out, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

May's expression shot up, and she looked slightly panicked. Solidad quirked an eyebrow and Drew smirked to himself, because of course this was happening. He already knew.

"Where do we do that?" May said in rapid whispers. "I didn't see anything like that!"

"Relax, May," Solidad calmed her. "We'll just go let them know you're here. I'll show you the way."

The two girls shuffled out of the room, leaving Drew alone again in the sea of coordinators. But again, he felt nothing but confident and unfazed. If anything, now that May was gone, the room felt a lot emptier.

How odd.

The crowd could be heard before anything even started. They'd begun filling the stadium, and the low rumble of the thousands of people's chatter broke through the walls and into the waiting room.

Drew's friends – well, his best friend and his rival/whatever – returned with a minute to spare, and the three approached one of the monitors in the room to see Lillian dancing out on to the stage.

May proudly informed Drew she was going 33rd, which was the earliest of the three. Solidad assured her that she would do great and that both her and Drew would be watching. The two girls stepped forward and joined Drew in place.

Solidad thankfully took the place between him and May, which made it a bit easier for Drew to focus on the screen and the contest. The monitor behind them for displaying arena two's performance started its own live feed. A male announcer took his place on the other stage to get things started over there. Drew and Solidad silently noted to watch both monitors as much as they could, with Solidad pointing out the second monitor to May.

Lillian stopped in the center of the arena, and all eyes were on her. This was it.

"Good morning, all you wonderful contest fans!" Lillian boomed. "Time to witness the love between some very talented coordinators and their Pokémon! The Indigo Plateau Grand Festival is about to get underway, so let's do it!"

The crowd was alive, screaming, chanting, exploding and giving off every bit of energy they possibly could – and then some. The stage crew shot off fire works between the two arenas so both stadiums could see them. May was enraptured by the display, but Drew and Solidad had previously both agreed it was pointless to shoot fireworks during the day. Still, May was enjoying it, so neither of them said anything. They just smiled and held back a laugh together.

The rest was the standard affair. Lillian showcased the ribbon cup, and a spotlight was aimed on the glorious prize. All eyes in the Indigo Plateau was on that trophy, and after an hour of nonstop noise, it was almost eerie how silent it was for a few seconds, that grand prize shining there in the light with 270 coordinators wanting it.

Drew looked up at that ribbon cup, and he could not have stopped smiling even if he'd wanted to. Arceus, did he want that trophy and that title, but Arceus, was he going to have to work for it…

Lillian went on and explained the rules: how out of the initial 270 people who would perform today, only 64 coordinators would advance from the preliminaries. Each performer was only allowed one move to show off just how much they deserved to be in the top percentile.

One-move appeals were tough. Coordinators had to showcase to the judges, and more-or-less the world, who they were and why they deserved to be there with just one single attack. It was more or a time conservation rule than anything else – giving 270 contestants even three minutes would have taken entirely too long. But if these coordinators had made it to the Grand Festival, one move should have been all they needed.

The judges were all introduced next, and each had a few words to say about why they were happy to be there. What came as a pleasant surprise was seeing Vivian as a guest judge. Drew and May hadn't seen her in what felt like a long time. It was nice to see a little bit of home.

"Wow, I can't believe it's really her!" May chimed, looking to Drew.

Drew looked over at her and nodded as well, and Solidad stole a glance between the two before they turned away from each other.

Finally, one last surprise: arena one had a guest host. Drew watched as once again, Jessie from Team Rocket bore a different disguise. Drew sighed, and Solidad eyes him, but he simply shook his head and mouthed, 'I'll tell you later.' With a suspicious nod from Solidad, Drew turned his attention back to the screen and watched Jessie for any signs of concern. Jessie herself, however, seemed content with hosting this contest instead of meddling, and Drew rationalized there was no way she was working with Harley again after their fallout from the last time. He vowed to watch carefully, but not let it eat up all of his attention. It was clear all Jessie wanted was attention, and she finally had it.

"As you can see, you're in good hands!" Lillian assured the crowd, the arena's roof opening to the open sky and sunshine per the first coordinator's request. "So let's get to round one, where the elite meet and compete! So sit back and watch these talented coordinators as they all show off their brilliant moments!"

And then, finally, in unison, Jessie and Lillian shouted the words Drew had been waiting months to hear.

"So let's get busy!"

The crowd erupted. The Kanto Grand Festival had begun.

Arena one was explosive. Arena two appeared just the same.

Drew's head whipped back and forth between the two monitors, displaying the first round in both halls. He swore to Solidad at one point he was definitely going to have whiplash, or a sore neck by the time the day was done. And the appeals! They were the best he'd ever seen. It seemed like somehow, this was more intense than the Hoenn Grand Festival last year. Then why didn't he feel the pressure from watching these performances?

Why was he so scared of May?

He took moments to steal little glances of her every now and then, just to see how she was doing. She seemed focused, watching the screen with concentration, like he should have been doing. So every few minutes, he'd have to force his eyes back on the monitor, all too knowing that she was there, mere inches away. Her very presence was all too obvious for him to ignore.

It had been mostly silent between the three through the first few performances. Solidad could easily sense the tension coming from both of her young coordinator friends beside her, so she decided to try and help the cause. She began commenting on the performances, and she could almost feel Drew's tension ease slightly as he fell into the rhythm of having something to focus on, rather than splitting his attention like he had been.

"I can't believe that frenzy plant only scored a 77," Solidad started.

"For sure, it was worth at least an 85," Drew agreed.

"Mr. Contesta is really expecting a lot from us this time," she hummed.

"I noticed his scores have been a lot harsher late in the season," Drew replied.

"Right, like how he only gave that gorgeous dive appeal a 73, where as Nurse Joy and Mr. Sukizo both scored her an 84. But it was the first water performance, so I can understand expecting more."

"True, but it's still early. That Pichu definitely deserved the 88 to got."

"Oh, for sure."

They bantered more and more with each passing performance.

May listened to the two old friends go back and forth with their opinions, and she felt somewhat left out. They were so comfortable with each other, and she was a bit envious. While she already felt comfortable with Solidad, she still had so much to work on with Drew. And she was torn with trying to participate in their commentary, or just staying quiet and eliminating the chance of sounding foolish with two far more experienced coordinators.

The older coordinator was surprised May had stayed so silent, and she'd hoped May would have jumped in on her own. But she needed a little prodding, clearly unaware that Solidad had been trying to involve her in the conversation.

"What did you think, May?" Solidad surprised her by suddenly asking.

May blinked, and looked away from the screen to see both her companions looking at her expectantly. Drew's eyes were especially curious.

"Oh, um…about what?" she asked slowly, a bit of red dusting her face.

"About the Jigglypuff's sing appeal," Drew clarified, studying the way her face was a light shade of red and trying to understand why it made him feel so odd.

He'd seen May blush quite a few times, mostly around him. Was he the reason for this time, too? And what could it have really meant?

"Oh!" she squeaked a bit. "I thought it was…different? Like, we weren't watching a big flashy appeal like we have been so far. I mean, I guess I'm just saying it wasn't an entirely visual thing, which was unique…I liked it."

Solidad smiled warmly at her, and Drew was nodding approvingly. So she did have some insight. May exhaled in relief that she seemingly didn't sound stupid.

The comments and appeals went on, May participating more as she felt more comfortable. And it actually felt sort of natural for all three of them, which surprised Drew. He'd been so worried that Solidad meeting May would have been a much bigger deal than it was turning out to be, and he was totally fine. He figured it was because Solidad knew not to push him.

A stagehand announced the next five coordinators were needed outside and lined up, and May was told she was on standby. With a quick reassurance from Solidad, and a meaningful 'good luck' from Drew, May was rushed out of the room, preparing for her Grand Festival debut.

The appeal scores so far have averaged out around the mid 80's, when suddenly, after May left the room, the scores started getting higher and higher. It was more common to see 90's and 93's, and both Solidad and Drew waited eagerly to see what May's plan was.

"Finally, one of us is up," Solidad told him excitedly.

"Yeah, let's see what May pulls out," Drew said, his eyes totally locked on the screen in a way they hadn't been so far throughout the day.

The next few performances dragged on. Both Drew and Solidad were impatient to see May go on, though Solidad was able to keep herself still. Drew's fingers absentmindedly drummed on his leg at his side. Their commentary was a lot shorter as well, as if somehow, if they said less, it would make May's turn come quicker.

Minutes passed by when finally, Lillian looked down at teleprompter off the stage and gestured to the entrance of the field as the previous coordinator cleared the way.

"From Petalburg City, please welcome our next contestant, May!" Lillian boomed.

May dashed out of the tunnel, not bothering to wave to the crowd, her Pokéball in hand. She was totally focused on her movements, careful not to let anything go wrong. Drew could see the concentration etched on her facial features.

"Combusken, take the stage!" May summoned.

Her trusty fire-type appeared, hyped and ready to strike. Drew nodded to himself at the choice; Combusken was a huge playmaker for May's team, and her very first Pokémon partner overall. It was a smart choice to start with him.

May reached behind her back and produced a familiar plastic disc from her pack. Her Pokémon locked eyes with her and signaled he was ready to start when she was.

"Use sky uppercut!" she commanded.

May lobbed the Frisbee as hard as she could up into the air as Combusken's hands began to glow, and little flickers of electric power seemed to drip off his long, powerful claws. Combusken dug his hands into the ground and dragged them along as he chased the flying disc, leaving a trail of light and tearing up the stage in a bold display of strength. At the right moment, Combusken launched himself into the air, not only striking the Frisbee dead center, but also completely obliterating the pink disc. The hit reduced the Frisbee into dozens of bits of plastic. Combusken's fur shined in the sunlight as it landed back down onto the ground in he and May's preplanned finishing pose.

Solidad applauded a bit at his side, and Drew would have probably done so as well if it didn't look a bit ridiculous.

"May and Combusken are both looking pretty sharp," Solidad glowed. "I can understand why you're so worried."

Drew laughed a bit at her side, because it was the only response he could muster. Sharp was right…

"A sky uppercut, with wings!" Lillian relayed. "Just when we thought we'd see a fire type move, May shows us a fighting type! The mark of a true champion!"

The judges held up a 94 for May's performance. Drew swallowed hard.

"Wow," Solidad breathed. "Well deserved."

"Absolutely," Drew said.

Just before May returned, Solidad was summoned for her own appeal. Solidad remarked before she slipped out how relieved she was that she had caught May's performance before she had to go, and Drew assured her he would fill her in on what she was going to miss while she was gone.

He wasn't alone for long. May appeared back at his side no more than a minute after Solidad was had left the room. The girl in red appeared a little crestfallen when she noticed Solidad's absence, but Drew told her she'd gone to perform. May's eyes brightened, and she nodded.

Drew couldn't help but note the way May's eyes sparkled. Or how perfect her smile was on her face. Or how she just looked so happy to be there, whether it was in the Grand Festival, or standing next to him specifically. He tried to give her a small smile back, but didn't know what his face looked like with all of the nervous energy surging through him. Arceus, what was she doing to him, just standing there are looking so damn beautiful?

Drew was just turning around to check what was happening in the other arena. The announcer was introducing a young man and his Gengar. The roof had been shut and the stadium looked dark. Drew was intrigued, and couldn't wait to see what this coordinator wanted to do, but a small voice took his attention elsewhere.

"What did you think of my performance?" May asked, timidly.

Drew turned and looked at her, and noticed her face had shifted a bit. Her eyes now held an almost pleading look. Normally, May would never ask for his opinion on her appeals, in fear that he might tease her or make her nervous to continue on. But times had changed. He'd been nicer to her over the Kanto season, and over the last year in general. She was feeling confident in herself after her high score.

Drew was trying to find the words. She clearly cared, a lot. She was proud of what she had done and she clearly valued his opinion as well. This felt new; an entirely different atmosphere settled around them. One which felt as though they were the only two there, in that moment. The contest temporarily forgotten, Drew was focused on her. Their eyes were connected and it was pleasant. Were things truly changing between them?

"I thought you did great, May," he told her, honestly.

It was the highest form of praise he could give someone, and she knew it.

She smiled – beamed, even – at him and nodded.

"Thank you, Drew."

His heart fluttered, and he moved to look back at the screen in front of him to wait for Solidad and to try to calm his heart. He'd forgotten the Gengar completely.

A few somewhat forgettable coordinators went on, and Drew watched as Lillian ushered for the stage's water space to be opened. The floor split and retraced, and Solidad took a place on the center pedestal floating in the water. Drew wondered which of Solidad's Pokémon he was about to see. With a water stage, Solidad was unpredictable. Both Slowbro and Lapras were dangerously good at appeals, if she even opted for one of them…

The camera zoomed in on Solidad, looking calm, cool and completely collected. She'd never seemed nervous on a stage, and the warm spotlight felt comforting to her. Jessie was introducing her to the crowd, and the screams were almost deafening.

"Let's move on with our next entry from Pewter City, Solidad!"

Solidad was a well-known coordinator, and in Kanto, she was almost a celebrity. She smiled to herself; this was finally it, her moment. This was what she'd spent the last few years working towards. Her home region, her Grand Festival, her chance at the top title.

A moment of stillness passed, and Solidad relished in the feelings of accomplishment. Then, she opened her eyes.

"Now, Lapras, let's go!"

Solidad made sure to toss her Pokéball high into the air, ensuring that Lapras had quite a bit of distance to fall before she would hit the water of the pool below her. Everyone watched, enraptured, as Solidad's huge Pokémon sailed through the air for a few seconds.

"Lapras, what do you know?" Drew commented offhandedly, mostly to himself, but a curious sound from May prompted him to keep explaining. "Those two have been partners for a long, long time. I'm sure her Lapras is super high-powered at this point."

"Oh," was all May said, turning her attention back to the performance.

Gravity did its job, and Solidad's Pokémon landed in the water with such force, almost all of the water splashed out of the pool and huge waves sloshed towards the crowd in the lower seconds of the stands. The threat of being completely drenched, most of the members of the audience flinched away, bracing for the spray, but Solidad wanted this. It was all going according to plan.

"NOW, use sheer cold!"

With a mighty yell, Lapras became encased in an icy blue glow, and within an instant, all of the splashing water froze solid. A brilliant sculpture of spiked ice filled the arena, and a chill spread through the warm air. Not a single drop of water splashed anyone in the audience, and everyone watched was amazed. She hadn't just used the whole stage; Solidad had made the entire arena her stage. Drew smiled and shook his head; he expected nothing less than this level of greatness from her.

The camera stayed on the older coordinator, waving to the audience and thanking them for their praise. The judges' score of 97 flashed on the bottom side of the screen.

"WOW," May spoke in disbelief.

"Solidad, what a pro…" Drew applauded.

Something clicked in May's brain, and she turned to face him suddenly. Her confidence hadn't waivered, apparently. Drew eyed her a little skeptically.

"Hey," she started, something teasing in her tone. "You're not saying she'd better than you?"

Drew rolled his eyes, reaching up to flip his hair.

"I'm just giving credit where credit is due, and that's true," he informed her casually.

"Yeah?" May challenged. "I wonder…"

"Hm?" Drew looked back at May, a bit confused.

"I heard you cried after Solidad beat you…" she tested him. "That true?"

Ice shot through Drew's body, and he jolted as if he'd been electrocuted.

Betrayal. Complete and utter betrayal. The term resounded in his mind like an echoing bell in an empty hall. He felt betrayed.

Well, maybe that was being a little dramatic, but in the moment he couldn't force himself to care. All he could feel was totally and utterly mortified as May, his rival and his…whatever, stared him down, an empowered smile and daring eyes. Was she actually taunting him for his weakest moment? One he never wanted to share with anyone who wasn't there? It made his stomach churn uncomfortably. Something shifted inside him. May had a habit of making him nervous, but this was entirely different.

This was almost painful.

Oh, he was going to absolutely make sure Solidad knew just how angry he was for telling that story to May. And of course it had to have been Solidad who'd casually slipped that story. She was the only person who knew he had cried, because she was the only other person who had been there.

Was May making fun of him? Was she trying to shake him up and throw him off? Or was she just throwing that in his face as some kind of revenge for all the times he'd insulted her? It didn't seem like something May would do…but this was the Grand Festival. Did that change things? Was he an idiot for letting his guard down for a few moments with her already?

He looked at May from the sides of his eyes, unsure of what his expression looked like. And for a brief moment, May's eyes fell just a little, indicating that maybe she knew she'd struck a nerve. Great, now he definitely looked weak in front of his rival. Could this moment get any worse? Probably not. Solidad was going to get an earful when he saw her again, but for now, she wasn't there. It was just Drew and May. He had to recover; he simply had to recover. This was no way to feel at the Grand Festival.

"Well, if that's psychological warfare you're trying on me, it won't do a thing," he strained to smile, but his rebuttal didn't make him feel any better on the inside.

"Don't be silly!" May tried. "It just didn't sound something like the Drew I've come to know would do; that's all."

Who was the Drew she had come to know, exactly? He thought about it for a brief moment. They were rivals, and May had become very familiar with his competitive front and snarky attitude. But she knew there was more to him than that, and she craved to see more of those venerable moments. Those real moments.

Drew figured that's what she was trying to do. And for the almost two-years that they had known each other, he'd been open unguarded for very few precious times. And though the shock and humiliation hit him like a train moments before…May's soft smile almost made it melt away. She wasn't saying anything to be malicious, because that wasn't who she was. She just wanted to get to know him; the him outside of contests.

Would it be okay for her to do that? The other times he'd been open with her hadn't killed him yet…

"Well, to tell the truth, I was just a bundle of nerves back then…" Drew slowly admitted, seeing how the words felt coming from his soul.

The mood changed again. A silence fell over them. May had never seen Drew admit a fault, especially to her. In some ways, the moment that passed was tense and extremely awkward. May sort of regretted initiating it, but deep down inside her, she was happy that Drew finally, finally seemed okay with being more of himself with her.

"Thank you for telling me that," May said honestly.

Drew's eyes widened, and he looked back to her for a second, not knowing what to say. Still somewhat lost, and trying to navigate back to a common place, May gave him another smile.

"Don't worry," she teased playfully. "I won't tell anyone else you cried."

His shoulders dropped, and he visibly relaxed in front of her. She was glad.

"Yeah, you have no clue how much trouble Solidad is in for that one," Drew flicked his hair and turned back to the screen.

She laughed, and turned back as well.

Oh, how far they'd come.

They didn't say anything else until Solidad returned. May spoke animatedly about Solidad's performance, praising it, and Drew gave her a pat on the shoulder and a simple, "great job."

Solidad was thankful for both, and the three fell back into the rhythm of judging the other performances. Forty minutes later, Drew was called.

"Knock 'em dead," Solidad encouraged as he turned to take his leave.

"Good luck out there, Drew!" May offered.

Drew nodded to them both, and left, noticing how anxious he was to be on stage. Drew hadn't been this nervous for a contest in a long time. He wondered why this was coming back, so strongly, now.

Then again, it could just be the exact move he'd chosen for his entrance…

He was cleared by an official and told to stand and wait for his turn. Drew's fingers nervously trace Masquerain's Pokéball in his pocket. When it was finally his turn to go out, he opted to enter like Solidad had. Simply take his place and wait to begin, with no big entrance or anything like May's running start.

With a media cue, Lillian waved back to the audience to signal the start of the next contestant.

"And now, our next contestant: from LaRousse City, it's Drew!"

The crowd received him well enough. He couldn't help but notice that t wasn't as loud as his Hoenn debuts, but then again, this wasn't his home. And his ears still popped one or two times at the roar from the stands surrounding him on stage.

"Okay, Masquerain, let's hit it!"

His faithful water-bug type appeared above him, hovering over the direct center of their stage. Drew caught his Pokéball and quickly tucked it away, peaking up at his Pokémon in the open-air and harsh sunlight. The conditions probably couldn't have been more perfect and Masquerain was at the ready.

But it was strange.

He'd done this so many times. He'd stood there, center stage, the cheers showering him and performed as effortlessly as if it were breathing. Appeals were a second nature to him, and one he had never, ever been nervous for. Not even in his first contest ever did he feel so pressured.

And now, he did.

Drew pursed his lips and kept himself still as his eyes looked all around at the crowd. There had to be a reason he was feeling like this. Maybe he was sick. Or perhaps the true weight of the competition dawned on him?

Having seen his two biggest rivals here and perform already definitely shook him up. May's words caught him off guard, too, as well as their brief open moments back in the waiting room. And Solidad and May conversing about Arceus knew what else… What other embarrassing stories could Solidad share with May about him?

And why for the love of Arceus couldn't he just focus on the contest? He was on stage in that moment and his mind was somewhere else!

This was suddenly a lot more serious than Drew realized. He swallowed hard; it was time to start.

"Silverwind!"

Months prior, when Drew had first thought of using what he considered May's signature move for his appeal, he didn't give it a second thought. Now, watching Masquerain charge up a twister of glittering bands of silver and sparkles before him, he didn't know what he had been thinking.

Well, actually, he had been thinking that he would do what he'd always done: trying to outdo his rival with his own version of the move. That was the core reason he'd caught Masquerain in the first place. But choreographing the attack in the way that he had, and putting his own spin on it had never made it seem better. Just different. May's silver wind had always blown him away even more every time. What if he never got better with his own silver wind?

A strong gust blasted through the whole stadium, whipping around the hair of everyone watching. Masquerain continued to twirl and give out its best performance; the strongest silver wind Drew had ever seen come from his bug Pokémon partner. Drew's ears were assaulted with the merciless applause of thousands upon thousands of people as the performance went on.

Somehow, it didn't feel like they were cheering for him; he'd used her move, after all.

It became clear to Drew in those moments that silver wind would never be his. The striking move, no matter how he modified it or changed it, would always, always belong to the girl in the red bandana. And she'd always been the master of it.

The thought of never being able to outdo May was foreign to him. He'd never once since knowing her thought he could ever lose to her, in any way. And coming to terms by watching this silver wind drove the point home all the more.

Masquerain never let up. If anything, the attack only seemed to grow stronger with each passing second. It was an appeal any coordinator would be proud of and fearfully respect. Drew was proud, despite the new and constant noise in his head.

"And, stop!" Drew commanded.

With practiced ease, Masquerain stopped instantly, halting the winds and the remaining silver strips, which broke apart in the sun. The crowd received the show extremely well.

It was a good appeal; simple, yet elegant. He and his Pokémon had used the whole stage as well as the weather to their advantage. The judges scored him with high marks; a 96 – higher than May, one point below Solidad. It did little to boost his confidence.

When he exited the stage, Drew took a few minutes in a private room with Masquerain to let him know how great of a job he'd done. He'd always made sure to praise his Pokémon after performances; the encouragement helped them going forward. He fed Masquerain some special Pokéblock as a thank you, and returned him to his Pokéball.

From there, he slowly made his way back to the waiting room, his thoughts louder than ever.

How did Drew do it? How did he always manage to amaze her?

May watched his Masquerain whip up an incredible tornado of silver light and strong gusts. Her eyes sparkled as she watched Drew take a move she was all too familiar with and some how make it special with his own flare. She'd gone a whole season without that move, and Drew's use of it made her a little homesick. She really missed her Beautifly.

His appeal was incredible. Drew bowed as he always did and May couldn't take her eyes off of him. His confidence, his swagger, his overall self; he was born to be in contests. He was…

"Awesome…" she breathed.

Somehow, a move she had seen so many times always felt new to her. Every time he used silver wind or petal dance, he tweaked it in some way that made it different or special or just…better. She never understood how this one coordinator was able to refine and recreate the same moves over and over again to create a whole new visual experience. He knew how to amaze people in the simplest ways.

Drew was the coordinator she aspired to be.

"A little bland, don't you think?"

May wheeled around to see Solidad, returning from her bathroom break and commenting on Drew's performance in a way that she wouldn't have even thought. 'Bland?' That had to be a joke, right?

"You…think so?" May asked.

Solidad smiled a genuine smile and nodded.

"On a sunny stage like this, anyone would want to put on a flashy outfit," Solidad explained. "But Drew wants to win based on his Pokémon's moves alone. Typical stubborn minded move."

May hummed thoughtfully. The older coordinator shook her head, turning her focus back to her friend on the monitor as he exited the screen. She rolled her eyes at him and laughed a little to herself. It was clear to Solidad that May had missed the significance of the silver wind. It wasn't her place to explain, so she let it drop, then.

Solidad had a feeling the whole thing would come to light soon. These two were so dense, they were absolutely made for each other.

Drew was taking a while to get back, so the girls spent the next few minutes chatting and watching the competition. A few nice appeals went on, but they weren't entirely focused on them. They were waiting for Drew to get back.

"It's time for our next contestant!" Jessediah announced, but her face seemed to fall a bit. "From Slateport City, Harley's here."

May squinted at the screen and leaned forward, earning a curious look from Solidad. Had Jessediah announced someone named Harley? She may have misheard that, because it definitely didn't look like the Harley she knew and dreaded on stage. A dark-cloaked figure stood ominously and not moving. The camera panned towards the figure, waiting.

"Who is that?" May questioned.

Before Solidad could affirm she had no idea, the coordinator in question ripped off his black cape, revealing exactly who May was hoping was not underneath. Harley; her rival, Harley.

Even more horrifying, Harley was dressed from head to toe in May's clothes. He perfectly matched everything from her red polo and bandana to her shoes and fanny pack. Harley even matched her hair. It was beyond horrifying.

"Peak-a-boo!" Harley cooed at the camera. "It's your favorite naughty coordinator!"

Harley had humiliated May more than his fair share of times throughout their acquaintance, but nothing – absolutely nothing – could ever, or would ever top this. He danced around while impersonating her, blowing kisses and winking.

May felt as though her soul left her body.

"I. Could. Just. Die." May cried, hiding her face in her hands and sinking towards the ground.

Her eyes scanned those around her. Most of the coordinators in the room were looking back and forth between her and the screen. Some were snickering and pointing. She heard whispers and hushed cackles. Others just looked plain lost. One or two looked embarrassed for her. May wanted to be invisible.

This was not happening. Not at the Grand Festival. Not when things were going so well. Where was Drew when she needed him to throw a snide comment about how desperate Harley was or whatever?

"Isn't it just like my old buddy Harley to come up with a cute stunt like that?" Solidad laughed casually.

May's eyes shot to Solidad, in pure disbelief.

"You're saying Harley is your old buddy?" May shrieked.

Solidad looked down to the young coordinator next to her to notice a large amount of confusion in her eyes.

"Yep, he's one of a kind!" Solidad confirmed. "I really like him."

May definitely wanted to lie down and cease to exist. How could someone as sweet as Solidad have a good relationship with Harley of all people? It made zero sense. This had to be a dream, or rather a nightmare.

Where the hell was Drew? And what exactly could Drew do for her in this situation?

Why did she want him there when she was feeling like this?

Drew was making his way back to the waiting room with May and Solidad when he noticed peculiar.

He passed by the other spare rooms, filled with other competitors watching the contest on stage via monitors just like his own, as he was sneaking peaks at every screen through every doorway he could as he walked by. He tried not to miss any more of the appeals than he already had when he noticed red.

There was her red bandana, her yellow pack, her white and black gloves, all on screen. Drew stopped for a second and backed up towards a doorway to take a second look at the screen. Why on earth would May be back on stage? She'd already performed and scored highly. And why on earth was she spastically throwing kisses and waving to the crowd? It was so unlike her.

Drew stuck his head through the threshold of the other waiting room and looked harder at the screen.

When he saw the purple hair, it all clicked, and he wanted to throw up and slap himself all at once.

There stood Harley, dressed in May's own outfit. He matched her perfectly, even fixing his hair to stick out and frame his face just like May's did. What an absolute creep. Drew couldn't even imagine what May was feeling, no doubt watching the screen. He knew he needed to get next to her, and assure her that Harley was no threat for her, no matter what kind of shit he pulled.

He took himself out of the room, aiming for his own door at the end of the hall. Drew could already hear May shrieking in utter horror before he even entered. From the entrance, he could see May holding her head and shaking it. Yep, she was mortified.

It was very clear that the older coordinator had learned nothing from their last run in. Drew had told Harley not to piss him off anymore. Drew thought he made it clear that Harley wasn't allowed to even think about crossing another line, especially in regards to May. Apparently, that warning went in one in ear and out the other. Someone really needed to teach Harley a lesson.

Drew really hoped they'd be matched up in the battle rounds…

But for now, May needed some support. He couldn't handle Harley right away, but he could be there for his friend. Was it okay to think of her that? He assumed so. He and Solidad were rivals and friends.

Drew wasted no time in putting himself next to May, hoping somehow, the presence of a decent rival or friendly face could help ease her terror in some way. He fought the urge to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"He always keeps it…fresh?" Drew said lamely, still somewhat at a loss for words himself.

May looked over to him with tired, sad eyes, like she was trying to keep it together. Drew frowned. It must have been exhausting having to constantly worry about this psycho messing with her at every contest she was unfortunate enough to see him at. He leaned in a little.

"Try not to worry about it," he whispered to her. "You know how he is."

May nodded weakly, and both turned back to the screen to watch the appeal play out.

Harley called out his Banette, who in turn used wil-o-wisp. The dark blue flames somehow contrasted against the warmth and bright sunshine. Somehow, in mid day, Harley's ghost type Pokémon managed a spooky appeal. Maybe it was the way the Pokémon was laughing while being surrounded by blue flames. It was a fitting performance for a scary coordinator. There was no denying that Harley sure knew how to define himself and his style with his Pokémon's moves.

"You're just the cutest thing!" Harley cheered.

"Cute?" May paled. "The word is gross."

Drew didn't hold back his snicker. May gave him a small, gracious smile to show she appreciated him taking her side, especially after Solidad's surprise acceptance of the whole Harley thing. May tried to be more understanding; Harley was pretty deceptive. Solidad probably didn't how manipulative Harley could be.

Harley's score appeared on the screen, but both Drew and May studiously ignored it.

"Gross is being too kind, May," Drew joked quietly so Solidad wouldn't hear.

May's face shifted, and some brightness returned.

"You know Drew, you are kind of funny when you're not making fun of me," she teased, some of her previous embarrassment fading.

"I'm actually funny all the time, you just don't get good humor," he scoffed playfully.

Drew then gave her a smug wink, and May herself silently giggled at the gesture. Her laugh was light and airy, and it was the first time Drew heard her laugh at something he said. It was entirely too cute, and he turned back to the screen, his face suddenly burning as was hers. Solidad smiled off to the side, having not missed the near-silent exchange. She really did need to teach Drew how to whisper one of these days…

But she was glad she didn't miss the interactions.

"Okay, all 270 entries have completed their first round!" Lillian announced happily. "Now it's time to hear what our judges are thinking!"

The camera focused on the judges' panel as Solidad, Drew and May cut their conversation and listened. They weren't the only ones; the whole waiting room went silent.

"A memorable first round; every coordinator did a great job in finding just the right way to show off their Pokémon!" Mr. Contesta praised. "Just what the Grand Festival deserves!"

"True; remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo remarked.

"There was an amazing communication between all the coordinators and their Pokémon!" Nurse Joy added. "And they all had such a great time performing, as well! I just loved it!"

"WOW; just wonderful!" Vivian exclaimed. "With all the Pokémon shining brightly and looking absolutely stunning! I'm so glad I was asked to come to Kanto to see all this!"

Lillian took over again, indicating this was the time to reveal the top 64. The waiting room was tense. Drew knew only a few of the people surrounding him would continue on, but there was no doubt the girls at each of his side were going in.

Solidad's face popped up in second place. Drew was surprised there was a coordinator who'd scored higher than her. He saw his own face appear a few spaces behind her's and unfortunately, a few rows down, he spotted Harley's face. Of the four, May's face was the last to appear. She wasn't in last place, and it uplifted her a little bit.

"I'm in!" May cheered.

"The battle's just starting," Solidad agreed. "Get ready."

"Right!" May agreed.

The three of them looked around the room for a moment, spotting several other coordinators celebrating. Most of them looked crestfallen, one or two tearing up. Losing in the Grand Festival was hard (Drew knew that better than anyone in the room, having finished in second place during his last go), but he couldn't imagine working so hard to get to the ultimate contest only to be knocked out in the very beginning. Still, everyone in the room deserved to feel proud of themselves. Earning five contest ribbons in a season was no minor achievement (unless you were Solidad, he supposed). Being able to compete on the highest stage was truly an honor; he hoped the contestants going home realized that, and that it helped ease the loss a little.

And he wasn't one for compassionate thoughts like that in the past.

Winning used to be the only thing that mattered. Not that winning wasn't still his main objective, but he'd grown to be more understanding and empathetic with those who lost around him. And he wondered if that girl in the red bandana beside him had anything to do with his personal growth.

Losing in the previous Grand Festival had been devastating, but he knew every time he'd seen May be defeated, it bothered him a lot more than his own defeats.

So weird.

He sneaked a peak at her to see her beaming smile, and he felt better.

"When all 64 of those semifinalists are on stage tomorrow, I'm sure they're all going to give us some amazing performances, and believe me, we can hardly wait!" Lillian promised. "Great job today, everyone! Good luck tomorrow!"

The room cleared out pretty quickly. The trio held back to let everyone get out and to congratulate each other.

"I'm so glad all three of us made it," May sighed happily. "I was so nervous when I saw you guys perform, and then everyone else was amazing of course. Part of me is shocked to see I made it with all this talent!"

"Well it is the Grand Festival," Drew reminded her. "Only the best of the best move on."

"We definitely need to celebrate tonight," Solidad agreed. "I'm so excited for the next round, and I just know we're all going to make it to the battle rounds, too."

"Yes, yes, yes!" May grinned. "I'm totally up for celebrating."

"Tonight?" Drew clarified, both girls looking at him. "Actually, I was going to–"

Two things happened simultaneously. One, May's face fell a bit when it became apparent Drew had other plans and two, Solidad shook her head.

"Oh no, not this time Mr. Hayden," Solidad wagged her finger. "You skipped dinner last night, you're not getting out of it tonight."

"But I was going to–" Drew tried again.

"What, train?" Solidad challenged him easily, a confidant smirk on her face. "You told me you've been practicing at night. So we can all meet up at sunset – or earlier – and then you can go. Stop avoiding us, dweeb. How often did we even see each other this whole season?"

"We didn't," Drew sighed, relenting.

"We did not," Solidad repeated. "So tonight, we politely request two hours of your time, Drew. Just come hang out; we all know you've been training for months."

Drew looked back and forth between the two. Solidad stood there, one hand on her hip and smirking. May said nothing, but her eyes were eager. Drew could have definitely talked his way out of it with Solidad, but something in May's expression gripped him tightly, and told him he absolutely couldn't say no. May looked as though she would have been disappointed if he didn't go, and he couldn't imagine disappointing her in those moments.

"Two hours," Drew stated with finality. "No more, though. If you guys thought today was tough, tomorrow is going to be so much harder. I want to make sure my team is ready."

May's face broke out into a huge smile, and Solidad nodded firmly.

"Then it's settled," she decided. "We'll all meet for 5 o'clock on the rooftop patio of Drew and I's dorm building. Do you know where that is, May? It's right next door to the Pokémon Center. It's got an incredible view of the Pewter Mountain Range; should be a great place to watch the sunset."

"Sounds good to me," May nodded.

Solidad was dead on the money; the view of the sunset was totally unbelievable.

The older coordinator met up with May and her friends on the patio, delighted to see the four of them together. May's Combusken was with her, eagerly awaiting a good meal he had been previously promised. Solidad leaned out over the rail to watch the sun go down, content listening to the sounds of May's Pokémon munching away and while she thanked her starter for his hard work in getting them to round two.

May's friends were also speaking sweet words to her. Solidad didn't want to interrupt their conversation and quickly checked her PokéNav.

"I'll be there in two minutes," Drew had texted her. "I'm coming up in the elevator now."

It would be good to have the whole gang together. Solidad had also invited Harley to meet up with them, because she hadn't seen him in a long time, and she knew Drew and May both knew him as well. How wonderful that so many of her friends were there to compete, and they'd all made it through to the semifinals.

"Tomorrow's going to be a great day," Solidad assured May. "I hope I go against you in the second round."

"I hope so, too," May said sweetly. "Your Lapras looked just so beautiful and graceful today."

Harley arrived before Drew did, still dressed in May's own outfit, and Solidad stifled another laugh at Harley's antics. May seemed more or less unenthused, and Solidad didn't totally understand why.

"It's Harley!" May announced, sounding almost scared.

"Call me 'Mayley,' honey," Harley teased.

Solidad rolled her eyes and smiled; Harley was still as eccentric as ever. She couldn't wait to catch up.

"Why are you dressed up like me?" May demanded.

"Oh, c'mon, hun; couldn't you be flattered?" Harley cooed. "It would make Harley-poo so happy!"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Solidad saw Drew round the corner and approach the group. A curious look took over his features, and he looked slightly skeptical to approach. Solidad gave him an encouraging look, but his suspicious, narrowed eyes stayed put.

"Not right now; I have a headache…" May whined.

"You think you've got a headache now?" Harley sang. "Girl, just wait until I win!"

He then spun around, pointing his finger right at the approaching Drew's approaching figure. Drew watched with cautious and angry eyes.

"YOU," Harley singled out. "Oh, Drew…that means you're gonna lose, too."

Harley topped off his whole speech by blowing a kiss to Drew. Drew, meanwhile, starred daggers at Harley's smug form. It was bad enough that he pulled his little stunt in round one, but he was still dressed like May, clearly trying to shake both of them up. It was all too obvious from that knowing glint in Harley's eyes that he knew just how much mocking May like this was bothering him. This guy had gone well past Drew's tolerance when he tried to hurt May back in

May didn't miss how Drew glared at Harley. He was really angry about something. Maybe he was still angry about Harley's meddling in the last Grand Festival? The expression on Drew's face was dark. May could see he really didn't like Harley and wondered why. Then again, it was nice to have someone on her side if Solidad wasn't going to be.

"Oh Drew…" she breathed.

When Ash's hat was stolen by that wild Aipom again, Max, Pikachu and Brock rushed off to try and help Ash catch it. That left just the four of them together. It was an odd group; May, Drew, Solidad and Harley.

Harley sang endlessly about how wonderful he was, and Solidad laughed at his antics off to the side. The odd pair spent time catching up; clearly they were good friends – which confused Drew – and clearly they hadn't seen each other in a while.

May looked just as awkward as he felt, and Drew was reserved, barely even acknowledging the people he was with. His eyes stayed locked on the sunset. It felt weird for his to be there, with the people he was pitted against, as friends enjoying their time together. Eventually, May moved to sit next to Drew against the wall.

"He really doesn't stop, does he?" May asked Drew lightly.

He looked at her; she was so much better at openly conversing with him than when they first met. Did that mean something? Or was Drew just hoping it meant something?

"If the Grand Festival was solely about talking about yourself, Harley would have every ribbon cup," Drew rolled his eyes. "Every single one, May."

The tension eased as she laughed again; it was a sound Drew could get used to. He liked making her laugh. He wanted to do it more.

Was that a thought he should be having, especially at a time like this? He decided to try not to care. This moment, there with her…it felt good. With the coming hard battles and trials and competition, the still moment there, with his friend and rival felt good. Harley continued to make dramatic gestures in front of them, mostly to Solidad, and they were content to keep ignoring them.

"Are you ready for round two?" Drew asked innocently.

"I guess so; I kind of have to be," May replied easily. "For a time, I was worried I wasn't going to be at this Grand Festival…"

Drew paused for a moment, and reflected. But then, smiled to himself.

"May, I never doubted that you'd be here; not once, this whole season," he said. "You deserve it."

Her eyes went a bit wide and she turned to look at him. This was, without a doubt, the nicest thing he'd said to her. She'd spent a lot of her time chasing his praise, thinking she had to work hard to earn it, but there, in the stillness of the red and orange sky, with just the two of them, it rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

As she faced him, she didn't see any signs that he was going to look at her. His gaze was dead-focused on that sunset before him, but he had a small, genuine smile planted on his face. And she felt her own face heat up with a blush that could rival that sunset.

She'd never felt more thankful for him, and she'd really never felt closer.

Part of her wished the moment could last.

After a few minutes, Solidad moved to a table, and motioned for May and Drew to move into their conversation. May and Drew reluctantly took seats; it was unclear if they didn't want to abandon their private time, or if they were truly that apprehensive about being in Harley's presence, but there was undeniably an underlying tension there amongst them. Solidad's good-natured didn't allow her to bring any attention to it, and she more or less assumed it would pass.

Drew stayed mostly silent throughout the evening as they conversed. He would occasionally throw in a polite nod, or a short reply when spoken to, but mostly, Solidad could see the anticipation rolling off of him. He wanted to go practice. Being there in the presence of his friends and talented coordinators was clearly affecting him. Solidad deduced that May's presence was especially tough. He'd seen how great she'd done on that first day, and how she'd grown since day one. Her confidence was beaming as she was holding her own with Harley.

"I'm just saying, hun, my beautiful Octillery is going to wipe the floor with the competition tomorrow," Harley boasted. "He's in prime shape and he'll send you home crying."

"Please," May retorted. "You're gonna see how much my Munchlax has trained tomorrow. We've got an appeal that's gonna blow the judges away."

"Whatever girlfriend," Harley brushed her off. "I'm curious as to who our little Drew is planning on using in round two."

Drew rolled his eyes, and Solidad knew better than expecting Drew to reveal his strategy to anyone, let alone his rivals.

"You'll see tomorrow," was all Drew replied.

"Can you not act so high and mighty for five minutes, shrimp?" Harley taunted. ""

"I know better than to discuss strategy," Drew deadpanned. "Especially with someone who is constantly looking for an advantage; you want to be better? Practice and get better."

There was a pause as May's eyes flicked back and forth between the two boys, waiting for anything to happen. Harley let out a small breath.

"Boor-ring!" Harley drawled, and promptly went back to his little talking match with May.

Solidad laughed as she watched the rivalry between her old and new friend. It was sure to make for some wonderful competition. Her eyes occasionally checked on Drew, who was paying attention as well, but seeming far off at the same time.

The sun continued on its way down and eventually the stars began appearing in the sky as the four – mostly three – chatted away. May's group never did return after their abrupt departure.

"No worries, Solidad," May reassured her. "Ash probably wanted to go get food, and Max is so deadest on copying everything that Ash does, I sometimes call him Ditto."

Solidad nodded in understanding, taking note of Drew's bouncing leg. He kept eyeing the skyline behind them. She figured he'd "suffered" enough. She cleared her throat lightly, and Drew looked over to her, catching her signal. She gave him a small smile and encouraging nod, and Drew shot up in his chair. The three looked up at him.

"Well, I've gotta get going," Drew stated.

"So early, Drewsy?" Harley playfully mocked.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Drew bided mostly Solidad and May a goodnight, gave a curt nod to Harley, and was on his way.

Harley watched him go with a strange look in his eyes as he twirled his hair.

Absol landed perfectly on all fours after completing the move set once again. He panted slightly, but he didn't mind. Drew had made it clear that this appeal had to be perfect, and the pressures of performing for the first time were high.

"Really great, Absol," Drew praised. "Really great. We gotta make sure that razor wind is perfect, though. We'll run it a few mores times, okay?"

Absol nodded.

The moon was high and bright in the little clearing in the woods Drew had found. It was a quiet and isolated space, just a short 10-minute walk from the Indigo Plateau. Drew had gone to this secret place every night to train, totally undisturbed. So when the sounds of someone or something disturbed his training, he was surprised.

Absol immediately jumped in front of Drew as the sounds of whatever was approaching drew their gazes. His Pokémon readied himself as Drew watched…as Harley broke through the bushes coming into view, all while furiously brushing at twigs in his hair.

He was still dressed up like May, and it made Drew feel uneasy.

"Stupid plants," Harley miserably ran his fingers through his hair, and then looked up to Drew with minor annoyance. "Leave it to someone as dark and moody as you to pick such a stupid place to hide at night."

"Leave it to someone as creepy and weird as you to stalk me through the woods at night," Drew spit back.

Drew eased up slightly, but Absol kept his stance ready, sensing his trainer didn't like this new presence.

"Keep trying to be cute, Drew; you're impressing nobody," Harley provoked.

Drew's fists clenched at his sides and he remained quiet, waiting for an explanation.

"My-oh-my, just look at your pretty little Absol," Harley sang as he approached. "Another new Pokémon to debut in a Grand Festival. That's so last year, honey. And a bit risky for you; I thought you were the goody-by-the-book coordinator who didn't like to take risks."

Harley continued to inspect Absol, and Drew felt an anger deep within his chest. There had to be a reason Harley was there. Then Harley changed tactics when Drew failed to respond; he said nothing and waited, knowing Drew was eyeing him up and down. That creepy smile and outfit were too much, and Drew lost that composure.

"You need to change clothes," Drew said roughly. "And you need to leave me alone."

"Puh-lease," Harley yawned, but that smirk said he was enjoying this. "You best believe I'm gonna get out of this ugly outfit soon. Girlfriend has horrible taste in fabric; it was like, less that $45 to put this crummy outfit together."

Even in the dark, Harley didn't miss Drew's lip twitch ever so slightly. His mouth curled up into a dark grin.

"Why are you here?" Drew demanded. "Do you think belittling May in front of me is supposed to accomplish something?"

"Ah, but that's the thing, dweeb," Harley spun around, one hand on his hip as he leaned slightly. "I know it bothers you. A lot. More than you want to admit."

Drew recoiled, and Absol growled sensing his trainer's dismay.

"I see the way you look at her," Harley continued. "I know all about your little crush on May. I've always known. And here's the funny thing, Drew…she doesn't care. She doesn't care about you, or your coordinating. All she wants to do is beat you to get you out of the way. You're annoying to her."

"You don't know that," Drew snapped. "You don't know anything. We've been through a lot more together than you even know. And if you think using May against me is going to shake me up, then you're more delusional then I thought you were."

Harley burst into laughter. Drew flinched again. Absol's front claws dug into the dirt.

"You're such an idiot!" Harley practically cried in hysterics. "You can try to deny your feelings and shit all you want, but it's written all over your face. It's so obvious in the ways you try to impress her. You gave her roses, for Mew's sakes. You're reeking of desperation, and she couldn't care less. And I'll tell you the best part, Drew, because I think it's funny to watch your face be all horrified in the ways it is right now…"

Drew quickly rearranged his face from whatever expression he had to the hardest glare he could muster, but in all reality, all he felt was going to be sick.

"You're going to lose in this Grand Festival, just like you did last year. And when you do, May will see you're all talk and she'll lose whatever respect for you she might still have. And she will never, ever see you as anything other than an obstacle. You're not perfect, and she's going to know it real soon. The only thing you really are, Drew, is a small, insignificant pest who wants to impress this girl so badly, it's pathetic. You're pathetic.

"And I'll tell you something else…she'll never love you."

Drew stood there, his mouth wide open and he starred at Harley, whose cocky attitude and malicious rant shook him to his core. Drew didn't know how Harley figured it out. He knew Solidad wouldn't have told him. Maybe it really was that obvious?

What if everything Harley had said to him was actually true? He knew that was no mindset to have, but nevertheless, this dark hole opened up in Drew's chest and he couldn't find it in him to speak.

Harley snickered at how defeated Drew looked; it served him right for ruining his plans in Mulberry City. Absol looked back at his trainer for some kind of order, but it never came. Drew's fists were still balled at his side, and his eyes were completely downcast.

There was no doubt Drew was seething with anger, but also feeling a hopeless sorrow that Absol could sense, but not fully understand. Drew had been so normal minutes ago.

Absol turned back to see Harley's retreating figure, throwing a peace sign for good measure.

"See ya tomorrow, Drew!" Harley shouted over his back. "Good luck!"

Drew just watched him go.

He didn't sleep.

Or…maybe he had, but if that was true, he perhaps dozed off for mere minutes before jolting awake again. The last time he'd struggled to sleep this much was after everything that happened on Mirage Island. And Harley's verbal attack couldn't have been nearly as traumatic as that, right?

The tossing and turning went on all night. Drew's Pokémon were thankfully all peacefully resting on their sides of the room with Absol snoring noticeably. All the practice probably tired him out, so it was somewhat of a relief to see his star performer of the upcoming round getting recharged for the day ahead.

He rolled over and looked to the clock on the nightstand. The dull red numbers showed 3:37 a.m. Last time he'd checked, he saw 3:23 a.m., and that definitely felt like hours ago.

It was a long night, and Drew was miserable. Horrible thoughts replayed Harley's stupid rant in his ears. He couldn't get those horrible words out of his mind.

"She'll never love you."

How dare he insist that Drew loved May. That couldn't have been the case at all. It was absolutely just a crush; maybe even just infatuation with watching her battle, or maybe the fact that she existed gave him some new competitive rush from having a rival.

Love? How absurd. It wasn't that bad. It couldn't have been.

And yet…why didn't he have those thoughts when Harley initially said it?

He shook his head, turned back to the clock. Surely more time had passed.

3:39 a.m.

Fantastic.

Everyone was moved into arena one for round two. With only 64 coordinators left, one arena was sufficient enough.

It was another early morning for the coordinators, but May was sure to show up more prepared that morning. She'd registered and gotten her appeal number for the round before she'd even made it.

Solidad was there, coffee in hand, gesturing May to join her on the bench she'd claimed. May smiled and moved towards her. Her eyes searched for the color green, but…it wasn't there.

"Looking for Drew?" Solidad questioned when May sat down.

"What?" May jumped a little. "Oh, um, n–"

"He hasn't shown up yet," Solidad admitted, a little concerned.

It wasn't like to Drew to not be the first one in a contest waiting room. And with the show starting in a mere 15 minutes, and he being the first performer of the day…well, it seems like something was wrong.

"Girls!" Harley appeared behind them. "I was wondering where my two favorite ladies were. Everyone in here is so boring…"

"Hello, Harley," Solidad turned to look up at him.

"Hey," May said, a little weary, her eyes now focused on the entry way.

The last few stragglers wandered into the room, none of them the coordinator she was looking for. May pursed her lips, checked the time on the display screen, and continued her watch.

"I don't know about you two, but I just have the best feeling about today!" Harley clasped his hands together with the widest grin. "My darling Pokémon are so ready to go out there and win it all! Just wait until you watch my performance today!"

"That's good, but Harley, have you by chance seen –" Solidad started, but May elbowed her in the side grabbing her attention.

Solidad turned back to see Drew slowly making his way into the room. One hand was running through his hair attempting to smooth it down, seemingly still damp from a late morning shower? The other was clenching a coffee steaming to-go cup, no doubt filled with coffee. Drew's eyes had some darkness under them. Solidad's worry told her he'd probably been out training all night. May beside her said nothing, but no doubt noticed the state he seemed to be in.

Both girls stood at the same time, Harley behind them completely forgotten. The purple-haired coordinator, meanwhile, just smirked and slipped away, having noticed the same scene unfolding.

Drew shuffled into the room until he came right up to Solidad and May. His eyes looked up and bulged a little when he saw his rival, and he quickly made sure to look only at Solidad. May tilted her head to the side; she'd never seen him like this.

"You look–" Solidad paused.

Drew shook his head.

"Just don't."

Solidad quickly shut her mouth and observed. Drew definitely wasn't himself. She waited to see if May would say anything, but all the young girl did was watch him. She was totally absorbed in studying his face. Solidad wondered if May could read something that she herself couldn't.

Just when May looked like she was finally going to speak, a stagehand rushed into view.

"Mr. Hayden, good morning! We need you on standby right now."

With that, the girls watched as Drew chugged the remainder of his cup and tossed it into the trashcan without a pause while he was escorted out of the room.

May immediately wheeled to face Solidad the second he was out of the room.

"Something seems wrong," May said quickly.

"Yeah, for sure," Solidad mused. "I'm hoping he was just up late training like he always is, but…"

"No," May concluded for her. "This isn't exhaustion, or maybe it is partially, but something felt weird just now. Drew never looks less than 100% on his contest days, and I'm sure he's gone into a lot of performances more tired than he might be now."

Solidad quirked her eyebrows, both amazed and impressed with how easily May had read Drew, and equally stunned with how truly concerned she seemed about him. Though she knew it shouldn't surprise her.

There were feelings there, probably unrecognized, but Solidad could read May's face like a book.

She cared for Drew. More than she knew.

The PA system came to life with an announcement, drawing Solidad's attention away.

"Coordinators, please refer to the posters on the walls of your waiting area for today's order of performances. Please be ready to arrive on deck 10 minutes before your timeslot. The second appeals round will begin shortly."

May licked her lips waiting for Solidad to respond, and when the older coordinator finally looked back down to her.

"There's nothing we can do right now," Solidad said quietly. "We'll have to wait for our appeals to end before we can talk to him again. Let's go check where we stand in line for our turns."

May's eyes fell a little bit, and her frown deepened.

"I know it sucks, but trust me, Drew's tough," Solidad placed a hand on her shoulder. "He might just be nervous for today, but like I said, we'll wait and see."

"Okay," May sighed.

Both girls moved to read off their placement in the performance order. Solidad went back to trying to psych her up for the performance they'd both worked so hard for. And her words were somewhat reassuring.

But May felt uneasy.

Drew felt uneasy.

The stagehand had left him at the entrance to the stage. From the opening of the tunnel, he could see the thousands of people bouncing in their seats.

His foot tapped as he kept checking his PokéNav for the time. Four minutes before he was to go on. He worked on keeping his breathing steady and his eyes closed.

This didn't feel right.

Why did Harley get into his head so badly this time? Well, why was actually obvious: to throw him off. This was the Grand Festival, and just like any contest, Harley was willing to do what he had to do to win, whether it was on stage or off.

But what Harley said shouldn't have bothered Drew this much. He had been telling himself that all night and all morning.

Two minutes to go. He knew he couldn't perform like this. He couldn't afford to let his team suffer a loss because he felt lousy over what some jealous, cheap coordinator had said to him.

Drew had to be perfect, like he always was. More than ever, he had to be himself.

So he took a deep breath, placed on a hallow smirk, and rushed out onto the stage when he heard his name boom over the loud speaker.

"Alright, Absol, it's your turn! Come on out!"

His newest Pokémon took the stage for the first time. His pure white fur reflected the sunlight even more than he could have hoped for. The crowd roared its excitement to see Drew's newest and unexpected Pokémon appear.

They'd trained so hard for this moment. For so many months, just as he had with Vibrava and eventually Flygon, they'd worked tirelessly through the months just to get to this long awaited day. And finally, it was here. Seeing his teammate stand there so boldly, waiting for his commands, took Drew's breath away. And for that brief second, he felt ok.

But the moment couldn't last; they had to get started.

Drew sucked in a breath.

"Absol, use flash!"

Absol looked down, concentrating, and reared his head back up unleashing a torrent of light beams that seemed to rival the sun. Some audience members dove for their sunglasses to take away some of the sting, but they found it didn't help. The flash was the most glorious any of them had ever seen.

It was like Absol's fur was mixed with diamonds, the sparkles and glimmers reflecting off of him were a testament to how well Drew had groomed him for this.

The judges moved to shield their eyes with their hands, but kept facing Absol and Drew's direction, intrigued with his opening move and eager to see what Drew would pull next.

"Absol gives us a blinding flash!" Lillian announced in wonder. "Absol's absorbed all that light, and it's sparkling with a beautiful glow! What a fantastic way to demonstrate such a sophisticated and highly polished move!"

The light slowly started to fade, and Drew's ears began picking up all the "oohs" and "ahhs" of the audience surrounding him. It was like Drew had forgotten he was being observed. And the thought of Solidad and May watching him backstage suddenly struck him.

His finger twitched. His foot slid back a little, like he was trying to steady himself.

"Now, water pulse!" Drew gestured forward with his hand.

Absol crouched down and began to glow blue this time to charge up. Then, he surrounded himself with a raging vortex of water. The column of rushing water grew taller and taller as Absol pumped more power into it.

It was gorgeous. Drew's eyes studied every inch of that water pulse and couldn't find a single fault in it.

"Absol raised that giant water pulse into a giant waterfall!" Lillian praised. "Enjoy while you can, because you don't see something this high-level often!"

As the water continues to spiral in a perfect formation, Drew knew no one could doubt the sheer mastery his Pokémon had displayed. Despite everything he'd felt earlier, this whole performance seemed to be going without a hitch. Drew could almost relax.

Almost.

It came time for the moment Drew had been apprehensive about. He knew he shouldn't doubt his Absol with how hard he had worked for this, but the next move was the one they'd struggled with.

Drew and Absol had been working on this very move when Harley came and interrupted them last night…

After Harley had left, Absol patiently waited for Drew to continue their practice. He knew that Drew wasn't totally pleased with his razor wind attack, and he fully expected to keep going for at least a little while longer. After all, Drew had made it very clear to Absol that nothing short of the best would work in this debut Absol was facing, and Absol met the challenge head on, eager to prove himself.

But his trainer remained silent, and had kept his eyes down cast, and his fists balled.

They stayed like that, in the dark forest with no indication as to how long it would last. It was still pretty early; Absol figured maybe Drew just needed a few minutes.

"It's time to go," Drew suddenly informed his Pokémon.

Absol tried to protest, wanting Drew to know he was more than willing to keep going, but Drew raised his hand.

"Let's go," he repeated, raising Absol's Pokéball.

The memory threw Drew off. His lip twitched, but he quickly put his smirk back on, full power. He couldn't ruin it all when he was this close…

"Razor wind, go!" Drew screamed, almost shocked by how loud his voice was.

He then watched as blades of light slashed through the water tornado, ripping it apart and quelling the currents instantly. Drew looked at every single one of those slices with a sense of utter dread.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't perfect.

The remaining water droplets collected the sunlight as they rained down all around Drew's Pokémon, who stood strongly and proudly center stage. Drew's face was expressionless as he joined Absol in the middle.

"Amazing!" Lillian stated. "Absol's powerful razor wind pulverized the water pulse INSTANTLY! An excellent finish to an excellent performance."

The crowd's reassuring cheers did nothing to ease the emptiness he felt. He bowed mechanically by Absol's side, both going down in unison.

As Drew came back up to his full stand, his face was laced with hurt, anger and disappointment.

He was completely unaware the stage cameraman was totally focused on him.

And that May was backstage, feeling like she'd been punched in the gut simply from his expression.

Both girls waited for Drew to reappear, but he never did. Either he'd gone to another waiting room, or he'd left.

Solidad strongly doubted the latter, but before she could give it much thought, Harley was called onto the stage.

May and Solidad watched silently as Harley put on a show with his Octillery. Solidad tried to strike up some kind of conversation about how long Harley had told her he had trained his water-type to withstand fire attacks, but May only hummed while she spoke.

It was clear that while May watched the appeals, her mind was definitely elsewhere. Solidad couldn't blame her; she was starting to worry as well.

But there was no time for it as she was called off to prepare. May wished her a good performance, gave her a small hug and turned back to the screen to watch the end of a random coordinator's showcase.

Solidad was deep in thought when she gracefully entered the arena. She hadn't seen Harley as she wandered down the tunnel to the stage. He's seemingly vanished, just as Drew had.

when she heard Lillian announce her name, she gripped her trusty Pokéball and began, as if nothing was wrong.

Her resilient Slowbro appeared, smiling and waving a cheery, easy smile to the crowd, and her heart warmed. She smiled at her dopey partner, who wasn't one to be underestimated despite his charming appearance.

"Slowbro, let's give them a show!" Solidad called, falling back into her rhythm. "Start with psychic!"

Slowbro began to dance, while an eerie blue glow encased the Pokémon, and he began to glide across the stage with elegance.

As Lillian praised her Pokémon, Solidad felt even more confident. She called for him to use water gun as he came to a halt. Slowbro shot water up into the air from his mouth, still utilizing psychic to manipulate the water's flow and command it into a wonderful spiral that reminded her of Drew's performance.

He'd done so well; competing in a Grand Festival even with experienced Pokémon was tough enough, but for the second season in a row, Drew had almost flawlessly introduced a brand new Pokémon into appeals. That was commendable, and he should have been extremely proud. So that painful look on his face at the end of it made even less sense.

The judges praised her appeal, and she was sent backstage with confidence.

May was called back before Solidad made it back, and the two met in passing in the tunnel.

May was quick to praise Solidad and Slowbro, just as the judges and audience had, and Solidad thanked her. But Solidad noticed while there was sincerity in May's words, there was still a hardness in her eyes. And it wasn't nerves.

When May turned to walk away, Solidad gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, May, I'm worried too, but this moment is too important to let that get to you," Solidad advised. "After this, I promise we'll find Drew and make sure he's doing better, but right now, focus on you."

May looked at her with softening eyes.

"You and your Pokémon have worked too hard to get here," Solidad continued. "Don't forget that. Go out there and give it everything you've got. Drew wouldn't want you to slack off for any reason, but especially over him."

May's lip shook a little, and she nodded gratefully up at Solidad.

The older coordinator let her go, and took a long, deep breath, encouraging May to do that same. May followed her lead, and felt all the better for it. He Munchlax's Pokéball didn't feel as heavy knowing she had all these friends to cheer her on. And when she stepped out on stage to perform, she felt ready.

She hoped that where ever Drew was, he would be watching.

Back in his training spot deep in the woods, Drew and Absol found themselves in a similar position as the previous night. Absol didn't like the hard stare Drew was giving his PokéNav, propped up on a tree stump with the volume turned up to the max.

The live stream of the appeals round played in the background. Drew stopped momentarily to watch a few of the events on screen before he would turn his attention back to Absol, and they would go through the process again.

This anger was driven from elsewhere. From last night.

"Another near flawless performance from Solidad! Ladies and gentlemen, this year's Grand Festival is shaping up to be the best we've ever seen!"

Drew shook his head, clenched his fists, and called out again. Absol followed through again. He wasn't sure what they were trying to accomplish at that point; he only knew his trainer was hurt, and having a good understanding of pain himself, Absol just wanted to ease it. No matter what it took.

More coordinators performed on that tiny screen, but Drew seemed unfazed. When they called one name in particular, he stopped. Absol watched as Drew approached the small device and immediately shut it down, shoving it back into his pocket and stopped.

Drew shook slightly, not understanding why he felt so torn to pieces. He'd always loved watching May perform, but now he just couldn't bear to see it. Now there was only hurting with the thought of her, and the thought of not having her. It was merciless, and he was at a breaking point. He'd never known a frustration like this.

He'd never known a hallow pain like this.

Seconds ticked by, with Absol quietly watching him and a breeze that swept his hair in front of his eyes.

Strangely he heard what sounded like a bell chime, ringing strongly through the air. It was faint, distant and almost comforting. It was safe and warm and reassuring.

It made him think of May.

The thought stung worse.

"Alright, Absol, do it again!"

The sound vibrated through the whole stadium. Most people could feel it bouncing in their chests.

May's combination of solar beam and focus punch reacted in a way no one had ever seen – or heard – before. The beautiful noise rang like a bell throughout the entire arena and beyond.

It went better than she could have ever imagined. It went off more perfectly than it had in any of their practice sessions. Munchlax really pulled it off, and May felt like she could burst with how happy she felt in that moment. She'd enamored the whole audience with her creative display.

Then and there, nothing mattered but how amazing her Pokémon was.

In those moments, her troubles were forgotten, and the only thing that mattered again was the Grand Festival.

May had been one of the final performances of the round. When she skipped back to the waiting room, her brother and friends appeared shortly after.

They wanted to keep her company while the final 16 was announced.

Initially she was nervous, the fact that only 16 coordinators were going through to the battles, but with her friends praise and Solidad's encouragement, she realized that she'd worked hard for it, and she felt like nothing could stop her from going to the top 16.

Just when she'd felt relaxed again, Harley came rushing into view, clearly frantic about something.

"May, darling, it's awful, AWFUL!" Harley combust.

Solidad faced him with surprise and curiosity as well, and the group waiting for an explanation. May watched him with a bit of skepticism. She felt like she'd been through this before, and braced herself to deny or refute anything Harley was about to say.

Part of her didn't want to care, but what he said shook her to her core.

"Something's wrong with Drew!"

May stepped forward as her friends gasped behind her.

"What's going on, Harley?!" May demanded.

Solidad stepped forward, strong worry in her eyes. May glanced up and could see how much Solidad cared for her rival as well.

"There's no time!" Harley flailed dramatically. "You just have to come see for yourself!"

"Take us to him, now," Solidad ordered.

The group followed Harley out the doors and through the streets, onto a winding path through the woods.

Absol shot off another razor wind. To most people, the attack probably would have looked as perfect as it could be.

But Drew Hayden wasn't most people, and he knew that somehow, some way, the attack could be improved. More polished. Better than what his Absol had given in the appeal.

Drew clenched his teeth; this was getting him nowhere. And he started to feel himself crack.

Was Absol even dedicated to this? It certainly didn't feel that way to Drew. And if he wasn't going to see the best of the best, what even was the point of all this? Because the being the best was the only thing that mattered at this point. It was the only way to win.

An idea struck him; an idea that on any of other day, would have seemed insane to him. But he had to do it, because he had to know. He had to know his Pokémon was actually trying.

"Absol, make this next one hit me."

Absol's mouth fell open, and he shrieked back a little. Had…had his trained actually just asked him to strike him with an attack?

"You heard me," Drew deadpanned. "Razor wind, at me."

Absol hesitated again. He was scared of what Drew was asking him to do. Razor wind was no weak attack, and hitting Drew with it head on could seriously hurt him. Absol looked into Drew's eyes and Drew stared right back with a hard glare. Absol flinched at the pain he could see.

"DO IT, NOW!" Drew yelled.

There was no other option. Absol charged up a weak attack and hurled it towards Drew. The smaller blades whisked by Drew, whipping his hair around his face and missing him. Drew scowled in response.

"Absol, what are you doing?" Drew questioned aggressively. "You know razor wind is always a head-on attack! Do it like you want to knock me out or forget it! Razor wind is an attack move!"

Drew's Pokémon just stared at him in stunned silence, but Drew didn't relent.

"Now put some power behind it this time!" Drew screamed. "DO IT!"

Absol lowered his head, unable to comply. He knew Drew was disappointed in him, but he couldn't hurt him. Not intentionally. Drew had always proven to be a level-headed trainer and friend. If Drew was going to hurt more, it wouldn't be because of him. Absol stood down.

Before Drew could react, her voice broke through the forest behind him.

"Drew!" she called out to him.

Drew tensed, and turned to face her. May was surrounded by her friends and Solidad, though Drew felt as though he could only focus on her.

Drew looked even more rough than when she had seen him that morning. May noticed the dark circles under his had seemingly grown, and his hair that he usually swept out of his face was hanging there freely; he made no attempts to move it. She'd never seen him frown so deeply nor had she ever seen his eyes so angry. What could have happened to him? What could have caused him to spiral into this terrible state?

It hurt her to see him like this.

Drew looked back at her, feeling even worse now that she was there. She was extremely worked up over his state of being, he could tell. But did that mean anything, really? Why did she care at all?

"What's wrong with you, Drew?" May asked him, clearly worried.

"Nothing…" Drew responded, turning away from the worry and safety of her eyes. "Absol wasn't doing it right, that's all. And this is serious stuff."

"Things were going great at first," Solidad chimed in.

Drew turned back to his best friend and saw the way she crossed her arms. Her face held an understanding that seemed so inccorect. She thought she had it all figured out. She thought this was solely about his performance. And while that was a huge source of his anger, why couldn't she see this was about something else?

Solidad had always been so understanding, and now she thought she was making it better by lecturing him?

"The audience was completely mesmerized by your flash and water pulse attacks, but you used razor wind for your finish, and you felt like you failed. It's true, isn't it Drew?"

Yes. One thousand times yes. One million times yes. He absolutely felt like he failed. He had failed in front of her. She could see what a complete failure he was.

May stared at Drew with sorrow in her eyes, and he translated that as pity. He didn't want her to pity him; not now, or ever. Her pity, Solidad's words, they just pissed him off more.

"I just didn't have any passion," Drew tried lamely.

May saw how Drew reacted to Solidad and wanted to try to reach him with her own words.

"Oh, Drew…" he heard May breathe.

It was getting harder to be there. It was getting harder to feel like Solidad was scrutinizing him, and the hardest to see May worry over him for the wrong reasons. If anything, she probably saw him as lesser now.

He needed to leave. He needed to get away from them.

He needed to get away from May.

"Absol, we'll deal with this later…return," he said, bringing Absol back into his Pokéball.

With a flash, Absol was gone, and Drew turned to take his leave.

"I'm out of here," he said with finality.

As he walked away, May found her voice.

"Drew!" she stopped him, stepping forward.

He refused to turn and look at her, because he knew what was coming. He refused to see the judgment in her eyes.

"Hey, your Absol tried its absolute hardest, and it was really beautiful as well, and all you can say is Absol failed?" she criticized him. "Don't you think Absol deserves a bit more than that?"

Her words hit him deep inside. He could feel the anger – the hurt – boiling over, and he couldn't stop it any more.

She thought this was all about the contest. Of course his Absol did a great job. Of course he didn't fail! That was obvious. But for her to think she knew what he was feeling, it burned him horrible. It made his blood boil to know she thought she could tell him how to act.

Harley was right.

"Roselia, Masquerain, Flygon…they've always given me a lot more than what I just saw," he bit back. "Simply trying your best isn't gonna get praise from me."

And he turned back to her, with all his hate and all his anger bursting out of him.

"I'M NOT A WHIMP LIKE YOU," he exploded.

He'd never yelled at anyone in his life. He'd never raised his voice harshly at a soul in the world.

He hoped getting it out would ease some of his pain.

May recoiled away from him, as if she was afraid. Drew stood still as he watched her eyes begin to sparkle. Even from the short distance, he could tell she was close to tears.

His face was expressionless, but his chest collapsed in on itself. Her face showed the anguish she felt from his words, and now he finally knew what he felt.

Heartbroken.

Drew turned and walked away without another word.

He wandered aimlessly for a few minutes before he found the lake area used by trainers for practicing with their water types. Solidad had told him she'd been working with Lapras there, and that he had to check out what a pretty place it was.

When he found it, he just sat on the ground and watched the water.

Hours flew by, but time barely registered.

Suddenly, the sun was setting. Drew looked up to the sky and watched the beautiful scene with disinterest. The silence around him made the thoughts in his head play louder.

What had he done?

He'd gone too far; he knew he had. And if he'd only had a way to channel what he'd been feeling better…

He had no right to take it all out on May. He'd realized that the second he'd even screamed at her. If she really only cared about his performances, and not him as person, it still boiled down to the fact that she was just trying to help him.

And that in response, he hurt her. He'd made her cry.

If she ever forgave him, if she ever returned his feelings, that fact would always remain.

"Hey!" Someone called out.

Drew turned slowly to see Ash and Brock approaching him. May, her brother, or Solidad were nowhere to be seen. It brought little relief.

"Oh, it's you guys," was all he could muster up.

They looked down at him softly; he couldn't sense any form of malice towards him. And while it was nice to know not everyone hated him, it still didn't make sense for them to be there other than to make him feel worse about the mistakes he'd made.

"Look, I said what was on my mind, okay?" Drew stated plainly.

Despite his words, Ash took a seat next to him on the grass.

"I know that, Drew," Ash reassured him.

"Solidad's having a little talk with May right now," Brock informed, and Drew tensed at the new information. "I think it would be a good time to do the same thing."

"Hmm," Drew sighed to himself.

There was no getting out of this. Drew realized it was like penance. He'd just have to endure it, because at that point, he did deserve it.

"You know, watching you out there earlier made me think about all the rivals I've faced in battles over the years," Ash offered.

Drew turned towards him slightly, watching him pet his Pikachu's head.

"I never talk to them about how they train or anything…we deal with that on the battlefield."

A few moments passed, and Drew chewed on Ash's words.

There was some kind of reluctant acceptance that washed over Drew.

"I hear ya," Drew chuckled to himself. "We're rivals, May and I."

If only it was that simple.

Hearing those words come out of his own mouth was the first time Drew had a revelation: it didn't feel like enough. Simply thinking of May as just a rival?

He wanted more. His heart felt like he needed more.

In the beginning, he loved thinking of May as his rival. Someone he constantly wanted to impress and outdo felt like enough, but it wasn't. There was always more. He had always wanted to be more than just a rival to her.

"But sometimes, the rivals we have become more than just rivals," Ash continued.

Drew looked over at Ash, slightly surprised. Did someone finally understand?

Brock sat down beside his young friend.

"Some of my rivals from over the last few years have become some of my best friends," Ash explained. "We have separate lives: we compete, and we're also friends. I always want to be better than they are, but at the same time, I always want to see them succeed as well. It weird, ya know?"

There was a pause. The words made all too much sense.

"Yeah, I know," Drew agreed.

Ash smiled again, and turned down to his Pikachu.

"I'm guessing May is your first real rival," Brock inserted. "Am I right?"

"I guess you could say that," Drew sighed. "I mean I've known Solidad for years and we're friends, but…I've never felt as competitive with Sol. May just…May is different. I can't explain why."

"I think I know why," Brock said.

When Drew leaned over and looked at him, Brock shrugged with a smile and didn't explain further. Ash seemed a bit confused by his friend's statement, so Drew was thankful when Brock didn't elaborate.

"Look, we know this is the biggest contest of the season and everyone is fighting to win and things get heated in situations like this," Ash continued. "Just remember that in times like these, having a rival is what makes it all the better. Someone you know will always be there to push you to be your best…nothing beats that."

Again, there was no immediate response, and Pikachu suddenly leapt into his lap. Drew recoiled, but instantly relaxed and rubbed Pikachu's ears a bit. Pikachu purred his approval.

"You really got a way with Pokémon," Ash noted. "And I'm sure your Absol will forgive you, too. I think you two probably need some alone time."

"Yeah," Drew nodded. "You're right. I should talk to him."

Brock and Ash stood, and Pikachu leapt back into Ash's arms. The older boy looked back down at Drew one last time.

"You should tell her, you know," Brock spoke candidly. "Maybe not today, or during this festival, or maybe even not soon...but I think you're coming to terms with something, and I think she'd understand."

The bluntness of his words surprised him; Brock's wisdom weighed heavy on Drew, and he gulped a bit.

"Huh?" Ash interjected, looking confused again. "Are you talking about May? I think she already knows Drew is a rival, so what does she need to come to terms with?"

"Nothing, Ash," Brock laughed a little. "Let's go get dinner."

With one final nod, the boys turned to walk away, and Drew rose to his feet. A few seconds went by when he called out to them.

"Hey, wait a sec."

Both boys turned back to look at Drew, who seemed relatively more calm than when they'd arrived.

"…Thank you guys. I'll make this right."

Somehow.

After a long extensive talk with Absol, Drew made it back to his dorm building. Though the sun had set, it was still relatively early, and the coordinators didn't have to be back in the arena until 9 a.m. Plenty of time for someone who was an early bird.

Drew approached his room when he noticed something hanging on the door. A little folded note was taped to the outside, the word "Drew" written on the front of the paper in an all-too-familiar handwriting.

He'd known this was coming. He tore the note off the door and read the message.

I'm up on the roof patio. Meet me when you get back.

Sticking the note into his pocket, he quickly slipped into his room and set his Pokémon up for bed. When he made for the door, Roselia inquired where he was going.

"Just going to meet Sol for a little chat," Drew explained. "It's private. I'll tell you guys later. Get some rest, because when we make it through to the battles tomorrow – thanks to Absol's brilliant performance – we're gonna need to give it our all."

Absol looked up to his trainer and nodded his appreciation. They'd previously had a long talk in which Drew apologized over and over for how he'd treated Absol, and told him how proud he was of the performance Absol had put on.

Drew seemed more like himself than he had all day, and Absol was pleased.

Roselia was confused by the new developments, but settled back down into the large bed and rolled over to go to sleep.

With all his partners getting cozy, Drew dimmed the lights on his way out and made his way towards the elevator.

And he hoped Solidad would go easy on him.

A cool breeze hit slipped through the crack of the doorframe. He was careful to open the door gently.

He peaked through the narrow opening, observing the surroundings. The patio was empty, all the outdoor tables and chairs were empty. The space was desolate, which made sense. Everyone would be sleeping and getting ready for tomorrow, like they probably should have been.

But she was there, as she said she would be, seated at the table on the far corner of the outdoor space. Her Butterfree was hovering over her in the soft light as she tossed him a few treats up into the air.

Drew slipped out through the door and let it close gently behind him, exposing himself from his hiding place, though he went unnoticed. And his eyes drifted.

The space was decorated. Potted plants were strewn in the corners. The tables each had been paired with their own umbrellas, and Christmas lights strung up along the patio giving it a hipster-vibe. It seemed like a good place to do some reading, though it was probably very crowded on a normal night. But this wasn't a normal night; this was the night before the Grand Festival's finale.

The stillness of the air was refreshing, and Drew didn't want to break it. But his cover was blown when Butterfree saw him standing by the door, and quickly flew over to him. His cover was blown, as Butterfree chirped happily while coming to rest on him.

The world felt frozen when he finally saw her turn to fully face him. She didn't get up from her chair, merely shifted and turned around, nodding. An indication for him to move.

With a sigh, and a Butterfree atop his head, Drew made it across the small space and took a seat, fully facing Solidad. The chair squeaked a little from his weight, and it was so loud, he jumped a little.

She just looked at him. There wasn't any distinct emotion he could see. There was no anger, no judgment, no relief, but there did seem to be some confusion. Like she was trying to put together a puzzle, or studying a picture trying to find the deeper meaning. The silence was heavy, and Drew felt small.

What was going to happen?

"I, uh, am here…" he tried, lamely.

With the words, her face did morph a little. Her soft, sweet smile appeared.

"Did you see her appeal?" Solidad asked.

Drew tilted his head, perplexed to the random inquiry. Of all the things he was expecting her to say, that wasn't even close.

"What?"

"Did you see May's appeal performance?" Solidad repeated, annunciating her words a bit more.

Part of him was waiting to be yelled at. Part of him had expected to be lectured on why he shouldn't have acted the horrible way he had. And a small, dreadful part of him anticipated Solidad, his best friend in the world, to tell him she didn't want to be friends with him anymore.

If the conversation was going to go in that direction, she gave no indication of it. He was fully convinced he deserved it, though. Solidad had always been a forgiving and kind person, but maybe he had pushed it too far. All he could do was wait, and go along with whatever she had to say.

"…No," Drew said cautiously. "No, I didn't see it."

"I thought so," Solidad rolled her eyes a bit, reaching for her PokéNav and propping it up on the table beside them.

The screen displayed a video stream of the day's contest, paused, loaded and ready to hit play. May was right there, staring him down, frozen. The play button icon on the video player was big, actually blocking out most of her face. But Solidad waited.

"She did great today, Drew," Solidad turned back to face him. "Probably the best I've ever seen her. You should see it."

Drew bit his lip; he wasn't sure if watching her appeal would really help his situation. Just seeing May on the screen gave him a sense of loss. He doubted she'd forgive him for how he acted towards her, despite her friends' encouraging words earlier. He was sure Solidad was angry, too.

When he failed to respond, Solidad spoke up.

"I'm not angry at you, Drew," she clarified, drawing Drew's gaze. "I'm a little disappointed, but I'm definitely not mad. And I think that you think that I called you up here to chastise you about what happened today, but I'm not going to do that. I do think we should talk about it, but it's because more than anything, I just want to make sure you're okay. You don't seem like you are, and I understand that what's bothering you is probably the reason for all of this. So, as friend to both of you, I'm just here to help. Is that fair?"

"Mhm," Drew sighed, sliding back in his chair a bit. "That's fair, Sol."

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page," Solidad smiled. "Now, check this out."

She turned back towards her device, her chair squeaking like his had. She hit the play button and made sure the volume was adequately adjusted.

The video instantly began with May, releasing her Munchlax out onto the stage. He quirked an eyebrow; using Munchlax for a Grand Festival appeal? Where could this possibly go?

The plucky Pokémon bounced onto the stage, and his appearance alone signified that he and May had worked hard together. This looked like redemption, as though he Munchlax needed to rebound from his devastating loss in a prior contest. This was his chance to prove himself on a bigger that – the biggest stage.

May waited for the right moment, letting Munchlax finish his entrance. She stood tall and confident. Her small smirk fit her face well, and Arceus damn it, she looked beautiful like she always did. But there in the spotlight, somehow even more so. Carefree, radiant, ready and poised.

Drew took a deep breath, and exhaled it out. Solidad was sure to watch his reactions from the corner of her eye.

"Solar beam!" May boomed.

On as sunny of a stage as there was, solar beam should have charged almost instantly, but May's Munchlax took his time. Normally a beam attack, Muchlax modified his charge into a sphere. The energy ball grew bigger and bigger until finally it was shot off into the air. But instead of letting the magnificent display of power run itself out, May ordered her Munchlax to follow up with a focus punch.

Munchlax leapt impossible high into the air, rising above his previous attack, and slammed his glowing fist into the solar beam. The resulting chime sounded extremely familiar to him. The ringing bell he heard earlier? That's what this was; it came from May's performance.

On top of the tremendous noise her combination produced, shattered light fragments fell as well, filling the stadium with gorgeous visuals and sounds. She'd used the entire arena for a multi sense experience.

Munchlax landed powerfully in front of his coordinator. The camera then focused on May's reaction.

"Way to go, Munchlax!" she cheered.

The pair waved their appreciation to the crowd and judges, and moved to take their exit afterwards. Solidad chose that moment to stop the stream. Drew stayed still after she'd shut the video off, waiting for the Goosebumps to fade.

Solidad had been right. It was absolutely May's best performance. Just watching the performance on screen was quite an experience; he was incredibly regretful that he'd missed being there in person. He could only imagine how truly moving the performance she'd given had been to those who got to see it firsthand.

"What did I tell you?" Solidad relaxed back into her seat. "I've never seen a coordinator use a combination like that, let alone even knew it was possible! She had all the coordinators in the waiting room's attention. Totally amazing. I can see why you're so nervous about competing against her; I'm even more nervous now, too."

"Yeah, May's grown a lot and she'd gotten a lot better," Drew agreed, leaning forward.

He propped his elbows on his knees and rubbed his fingers threw his hair a few times. Solidad let him absorb it a bit more before going on.

"Drew, look," Solidad started. "We were really worried about you today. I've only ever seen you like this one other time, and that was months ago when you said some bad things happened to you, and that you needed some time to process them."

That was right; he realized he'd never told her about what had happened on Mirage Island…

"I'm not saying you have to talk about whatever that was, or whatever is wrong right now, but I need you to know that if something is hurting you in some way, you can't keep that a secret," she almost pleaded.

He looked up to meet her eyes, and he'd never seen such compassion and worry in them. She almost looked sad.

"Is something hurting you?" she questioned.

"No, no, it's nothing like what you're thinking," Drew was quick to reassure her. "Nothing or no one is hurting me…"

"But that's not entirely true," Solidad corrected him swiftly. "I mean, okay, good; I'm glad nothing's physically hurting you. It was a possibility that crossed my mind with how you've been behaving, not that I could figure out whom or what would want to do that to you, but I was sure that wasn't it.

"I can tell something's happened; something that's eating you up, and I know it's big because there's nothing that could shake your focus on a contest – or this contest – like it has. That's what has me – and everyone – so worried."

"You don't need to worry," Drew weakly tried to convince her. "It's my…issue, not yours. I can figure it out."

Solidad shook her head again. Drew knitted his hands together and put his gaze down on his twiddling thumbs.

"You like to do things on your own for sure, I know that. But there's nothing wrong with getting help from the people who love you."

Drew shifted when she used that word. Solidad tilted her head, and had an idea. She was finally starting to put the puzzle together, though she was still missing a lot of pieces. She decided to change tactics a bit.

"I talked to May about you after we left," she said. "She was pretty upset…"

Drew's thumbs paused, then moved again.

"We talked a little about what it means to care for your Pokémon, and things like that, but you know, she looked up to me at one point and said she figured that something else was wrong with you. That for as long as she's known you, she'd never doubted that you loved and supported your team more than any other coordinator she's ever seen. She even she's learned a bit from you on how to be a better coordinators for her Pokémon. Even though you had an outburst on her, she still had nothing but kind words to say about you, because she cares about you a lot, Drew."

"She's a good person, so that's not surprising," Drew acknowledged sadly.

"Hm," Solidad hummed in response, drawing Drew's attention back to her. "What's wrong, Drew, really?"

"I– I don't know how to explain it," Drew confessed.

He felt so heavy. Drew felt crushed under the weight of guilt and failure and dread. He'd never known a sorrow like this. Of course he'd felt rejection and failure on the past when he'd lost contests, but nothing he'd ever known compared to how lousy he felt now.

The pressure of this festival and competing against the best of the absolute best coupled with the fact that he was against two of the most important people in his life was daunting. May was demonstrating just how good she had gotten in every challenge thrown at her, and Solidad was showing nothing but perfection in every round. He'd beaten May before, but now he had doubts…and even if he could overcome his rival, there was his best friend, who he'd never beaten. For years, all he'd worked for and wanted was to win a Grand Festival, but how could he now?

There was also the more-than-it-had-ever-been-annoying fact that Harley was there, trying to (and succeeding) mess with his head in ways he didn't expect to affect him as much as it had. In truth, his feelings for May had only ever become stronger since he'd first acknowledged them, but he'd thought it was a private matter. He abruptly found out it wasn't when a young girl on Chrysanhemum Island decoded it on her own, but at least she was kind about it. And then Harley came into the picture, throwing it all in his face and accusing him of being in love with her, which couldn't have been the case. But when Harley said there was nothing between them and wouldn't ever be anything between them… it twisted Drew up in ways he didn't know were possible. And it gave him such powerful pain that he thought he would never stop hurting.

When the horrific combination of those two things added up inside of him, he lost it. His usual composure abandoned him and he let those crushing feelings win him over. At first, he tried to place the blame for that hurt on his Pokémon, who more or less put on the best performance he's ever seen from a newcomer in a contest. He told himself it was because his Absol "didn't do it right," and that it was going to cost him another ribbon cup, and that was completely unacceptable.

But May intervened. She came into the situation, recognizing that something was amiss, but not correctly identifying what was actually going on. And it burned him that she couldn't understand, which was unfair. How could he expect her to know? Or understand those feelings when she clearly didn't return them?

It had swamped him in feelings of rage, distress and even hate. Hate that things had turned out the way they had.

Those spiteful words escaped, towards the target he never anticipated would be in the way.

He had hurt her, for no good reason.

But even then, she still cared.

Somehow, it made him feel worse off.

He began shaking. His eyes were stinging. Steady breathing was becoming more difficult.

Solidad could see the conflict in his tired eyes, and she steadily reached out and rested a comforting hand a top of one of his hands and gave it a little squeeze.

"You don't have to carry this around," Solidad whispered. "Whatever is hurting you inside, it needs to be let out. No one should feel the way you're feeling right now, but especially when they have a Grand Festival to compete in. But I think this isn't about the festival. I think this actually about May."

Drew looked up to see her encouraging smile.

And like he had earlier that day, he broke. His face cracked and morphed to showcase all the tired and hurt he'd been feeling. His eyes fell to the ground. He ground his teeth and even his fists clenched.

Sensing the emotional shift, she looked up to her now worried Butterfree still pearched on Drew's head. Her Butterfree really had an attachment to him, and in some cases, this Pokémon might have been a comforting presence. Pokémon therapy was pretty popular.

But Butterfree didn't need to be there.

"Butterfree, its late and we have a big day tomorrow," she spoke softly. "Let's get you in your Pokéball for some rest, okay?"

Butterfree clearly wanted to protest, but picking up on the somberness of her trainer's tone, she reluctantly let the red beam take her into her comfortable space.

"It is about her, isn't it?" Solidad tried again.

Finally, Drew responded.

"You're right," he said in a shaky voice. "You're always right, Sol. How are you always right?"

"Not always," she laughed a little. "But what's changed? Is it really how well she's doing that's making you nervous?"

"She is doing well, better than ever, the best she's ever been," Drew choked out. "But it's not that. I'm definitely proud of her and all she's accomplished and I want to continue to see her grow more as a coordinator, because that just pushes me to do better as well. She makes me better and I'm glad I know her. But, I guess knowing her just feels…more complicated than all those months ago."

Solidad seemed to relax a bit, like those words were something she had been waiting to hear. Another piece of her puzzle fit in.

"All those months ago was when you realized you felt something for her, right?" Solidad asked.

The boy tensed again, and she gave the top of his hand another squeeze.

Could he do this? He'd never admitted this out loud. He'd always hoped that somehow, he'd never have to. But Solidad's solace made him believe that maybe actually saying these things would relieve some of this stress.

"Something happened all those months ago," he tried. "Something bad. You brought it up earlier, and you're right; I never told you about it. I really never felt the need to tell you, because for the most part, I'm past most of what happened, save for one thing. Maybe it's the biggest thing that came from that day, but none of it was easy."

She nodded thoughtfully, watching him gradually and finally open up. This was a long time coming, and she knew it wouldn't be simple. Just that it absolutely needed to happen.

Now was the moment.

And Drew spoke. At long last, he told Solidad everything about the day.

He told her about that seemingly harmless practice battle on the beach, and the complex story of how they ended up on Mirage Island together, separated from her friends. How she was initially scare, but impressed him when she rose above all that fear and started their harsh journey in search of her group.

He admitted how his head was totally set on finding rare Lychee berries, and how it put him in even more danger. And then she was there, fighting to save him. How she put herself at just as much risk to die to hold him up above the rapids in the river when he was unconscious, and kept a constant vigil by his side until he finally woke up.

He left out all the thoughts he remembered so vividly about waking up to the most beautiful girl he'd ever see, but he continued on about how she was then taken, and about how he owed her his life and wouldn't even let himself think about the possibility of him not saving her. How angry it made him to see hew tied up and defenseless, but still fighting with everything she had against Team Rocket stealing the Lychee berries. The action would have hurt the Pokémon she'd grown to care about, and even though she was putting herself in danger, she still gave it her all.

He explained the sense of pure elation when he got her back, unharmed, and the total admiration she had when she was ready to fight immediately. And he spoke unafraid about how right it felt for the two of them to work together. How their silver wind combination was and would probably always be, the best combination he'd ever seen, ever. How it shook him to his core and how he'd never known true beauty until he met her.

He spoke about how when it was all over, he didn't know exactly he was supposed to walk away from her after all of those things happened. And how bad he felt about not knowing how to thank her for saving his life. He told her about the horrible nightmares he'd experienced following the incident, and how he gave up his time to prepare for the Hoenn Grand Festival and followed her to Pacifidlog Town just to make sure he was okay. He couldn't find a way to express the sheer happiness to see that she was fine.

He finally spoke candidly of the false revelation he'd had watching her in that contest. How he began to see her as the rival he'd always needed, and that was the role she was destined to fill in his existence. A rival.

And he expressed how he had come to know that there was more. From that horrible day and beyond, there was more. Perhaps there always had been more.

The only thing he couldn't put into words, and he let her know he couldn't, was that he didn't know how to summarize just what the "more" meant, because it felt like more than he could handle. It still did. Whatever the "more" was, it felt like more than he'd ever known.

Solidad was crying. She was utterly bawling and grabbed for him without hesitation. Her arms squeezed him tightly and in that moment, he realized he was crying, too. He wrapped his arms around her frame and they stayed like that for a while.

"I'm so sorry all of that happened to you, Drew," Solidad choked out. "Oh, thank Arceus you both came out okay, but I'm so sorry."

Drew nodded against her shoulder, and they stayed together for a few more moments. When they finally pulled apart, both wiping at their eyes, Drew let out a long breath he'd been holding, and it felt like something had been taken from him. Something he'd been holding for entirely too long.

He didn't feel 100 percent recovered, but he knew he felt better. Much, much better.

"I'm glad you finally told me all of those things," Solidad sniffled. "Because it helps me understand things way more clearly. I mean, I kind of already knew some of what you were implying, but I had no idea what had happened. It makes sense that you'd been so down for a while all those months ago."

Not fully understanding what she meant about him "implying" things, Drew shrugged.

"The only thing I still don't get is what brought all of this back up today?" Solidad continued. "What triggered you're feelings today?"

"I don't know if we should go there, Sol," Drew sighed. "I know he's your friend and all, but I don't like the guy, and all he does in my opinion is cause trouble."

Solidad stewed for a brief moment before she sighed herself.

"What did Harley do?" she asked.

"Sol…" Drew tried.

"What did he say to you?"

Drew paused for a moment, but seeing the sureness in her eyes, he told her.

"He tried to mess with my head, probably to impact my performances," Drew started. "I was training with Absol last night, when he found me and started saying a lot of things. Things like how I was going to lose like I did last time. Like how no one would respect me when I lost because 'I'm not as good as I think I am or whatever.' That May will never…care about me."

Solidad nodded as he spoke, a thoughtful expression on his face as she listened.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to confront him or anything, Sol," Drew inserted. "What's between me and him is between me and him. He's done some awful stuff in the past that I can't overlook and when he confronted me last night out of nowhere, it was too much. That's really why I freaked out."

"Is that really what he said?" Solidad seemed a little dubious. "That May wouldn't ever care about you?"

"What do you mean?" Drew looked confused.

"I'm not saying you're lying, just your word choice seemed odd," Solidad clarified. "I feel like you had a strong reaction for him to say she wouldn't 'care' about you."

"That's…basically what he said, yeah," Drew defended.

"Hm, okay," Solidad thought for a moment. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, really."

Drew looked skeptical. Solidad's smile finally returned.

"Drew, the concept of May not 'caring' for you is totally crazy; she really, really does," Solidad said. "I actually think it's so obvious just how much she 'cares' for you. She's definitely not as good at hiding it as you are.

"Just look at how she reacted this afternoon to what you did. She felt bad for a while, but she moved past that quickly and started talking to me about how we could help you past whatever you were going through. She didn't want you to feel the way you were feeling. She didn't understand why, but she was relentless in telling me how much she wanted you to be okay.

"I'm glad you seem to be on the mend now. And again, I'm sorry you were feeling the way you were for the reasons you were. I won't tell May anything you told me tonight. I just hope you know it's only gonna get better from now on. And it better, because I want all of us to at our best tomorrow when we make it into the battle rounds."

"Don't worry, I'm still planning on beating you tomorrow," Drew joked.

With that, Drew fell back into his chair and actually gave her a smile, genuine smile. He undeniably felt a lot better than he had, in a very long time. He always thought speaking on the matter of he and May's relationship would never benefit him in any way, but it had done so much for him in those moments.

Solidad was the absolute best. She always had been the most kind, selfless and amazing person he'd ever known. Despite them being rivals in the competition, they were still the best of friends, and Drew couldn't think of anyone with more grace than her. And he wouldn't want anyone else than her to be a friend…maybe even a sister.

The situation wasn't over by any means, but he knew she was right. It could only go up from there.

Solidad's face suddenly turned serious again.

"Drew, I think there's only one thing that's holding you back at this point," she cautioned him.

"What's that?" he inquired.

"It's very obvious you have feelings for May…deep feelings," Solidad explained.

Drew's face fell, and he gulped.

"They're so deep, it's clear that you don't even understand them," she continued.

He stayed quiet.

"Which is fine, because a lot of people go through this kind of thing. Most people figure it out over time."

Drew waited.

"But I think I should just tell you what I think."

"What do you think about what?" he asked uneasily.

Solidad looked him straight in the eyes.

"I think you love her, Drew."

Kanto's Grand Festival was different than Hoenn's.

The coordinators weren't told the previous day who'd made the top 16 list. They were instructed to come back the following day, when the skilled coordinators who'd advance would be revealed.

Drew arrived early like normal, having actually (somehow) slept the night before (or at least, he'd at least slept more than the previous night). He assumed it was probably due to the exhaustion of yesterday's events. Whatever it was, he felt like as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out, and he did manage to sleep for a few peaceful hours.

Solidad was in the locker room already. A few other random coordinators were there claiming their spots for the day, all hoping to make it to the next round.

Drew took the locker next to Solidad this time, and she smiled warmly upon seeing him as she was organizing her belongings in the space.

"Good morning," she said, chipper. "You look well rested. What's your secret?"

Drew smirked for good measure, and held up a coffee cup from the local café; truly a part of his identity was coffee.

"It's black, but I threw in two sugar packets to honor you," he joked. "Though it could do without them."

"Funny you should say that…" Solidad smirked, pulling one arm out her locker to reveal a similar looking cup. "Mine was black at one point, but then you have to add in the creamer and the milk and the sugar…AND, I even tossed in a pump of hazelnut, to jazz it up."

"You're ridiculous," Drew rolled his eyes, pulling his cup to his lips and taking a measured sip.

"You just need better taste," she winked at him.

The two laughed like old times for a minute, and it felt good.

The locker door was a little difficult to open, but Drew worked his way into the container with a little more forceful pull and placed his personal items in. He didn't need his PokéNav, wallet or dorm card key; they might weigh him down during the battles or something.

"So, uh, have you seen –"

"Haven't seen either of them yet," Solidad stopped him. "Harley is probably grooming himself for today and May…well, who knows? She seems like a late riser."

"Yeah, she can be," Drew blushed a little.

It was odd to talk about her so casually outside of competing with Solidad. When she told him that she understood he had feelings for her, but mentioned the damn L-word that everyone kept using lately, he was swift to deny it was like that. Solidad could have pushed it further, but she picked up on how uncomfortable he was discussing it, and just mentally agreed to disagree. She knew she didn't need to push anymore of his buttons. He, just as much as she did, deserved a clear head for the Grand Festival.

"You ready for today?" Drew asked, feeling more himself.

"We're ready," Solidad confirmed with a tone that drew his gaze to her. "We're so ready. Remember all those months ago, before the season started and we talked about our goals?"

Drew nodded.

"I just feel like I'm gonna do it," Solidad smiled. "I feel like today, I'm going to make Arthur proud of me and Butterfree. We both worked so hard all season, had so much fun, and I like to think that if he were still here, he would have loved to see his Pokémon shine the way she has all season.

"I'm not saying I'll win– I might not, after all. But I feel really good about today. I feel like this is our moment – my Pokémon and I."

"Right, I actually feel the same way," Drew smiled to himself.

He knew the day was going to be full of hardships and trials. And there were going to be only 15 coordinators who stood between him and his ribbon cup. One, his fiercely powerful best friend; the other, his surprisingly adaptive and beautiful rival. What a Grand Festival final round they were all in for.

"And how about you? Are you ready?"

Drew took a moment to ponder the weight of that question, because in some ways, he could sense it meant more than just battling. With everything that had happened during this Grand Festival, it should have been hard to know, but the answer seemed so clear.

"Absolutely."

The coordinators were all ushered to the main stage. Somehow it seemed almost cruel to bring them all out there, seeing as some of them would not step foot on that stage again when the top 16 was revealed.

Solidad stayed close to Drew as they walked out, front of the crowd. May, having spotted Solidad's pink hair, whisked her way through the coordinators and took place by her side. Solidad of course greeted her warmly. Upon the stir, Drew's eyes shifted over to see May looking at him from a short distance. They both instantly looked away from each other, Drew blushing madly and May feeling somewhat sad.

One good sign; May didn't stay on the far side of Solidad. She was actually closer to him. Not next to each other, but close. Drew knew at some point that day, he was going to have to apologize for it all, but that fact that she didn't seem above being in close proximity was a good thing.

"Excuse me, hun, pardon, scoot your boot, move," someone was loudly wiggling their way forward as well. Drew turned and groaned when Harley broke through, making sure to place himself right in the center. Harley's eyes looked back and forth between a solemn-looking May, and a very angry Drew.

All he did was raise his hands innocently and stick his tongue out at Drew.

Arceus did Drew hope if Harley made it through, he'd get to battle him.

The stadium filled and the huge countdown clock on the overhead display screens hit 0:00:00. Instantly, fireworks shot off into the sky and the crowd's dull roar evolved into full on frenzy.

Lillian appeared in front of the coordinators, and the judges took their seats at the panel. There beside them sat the ribbon cup, sparkling in the sunlight.

"Alright!" the bouncy MC began. "The results are in from our first round performances, so let's take a look! We had 64 coordinators compete, and out of that impressive field, only the top 16 will be moving on to the Grand Festival second round battles! And here they are!"

Lillian pointed up to the screens, and all eyes in the stadium shot upwards as 16 coordinator profile pictures graced the board one by one.

Solidad and Harley jumped on the top row, while Drew saw his and May's own pictures together on the bottom row. Another good omen, he hoped.

The three of them were there, four if you counted Harley, which Drew did not. He looked over to May holding a hand over her heart and looking up to Solidad beaming. Solidad was giving her a relaxed smiled, wordlessly showing her she never doubted that May would get into the top 16 with her.

"And now, we'll shuffle the deck and take a look at who's facing who in the big round two!" Lillian continued.

The photos all began to rapidly shift and switch on the screen. When the motion stopped, Drew saw himself in he third battle with someone he didn't recognize. Solidad, he noticed, would also be facing a stranger in the final battle of the first matchups.

What struck him, and probably her as well, was that May had the first battle against Harley.

There had to be some irony there, but Drew didn't appreciate the universe's joke in the moment. The only thing he knew was that May would beat him. She had to.

The coordinators who'd not made it through began to exit stage left. The remaining coordinators were allowed to remain on stage while they were read the battle round rules.

Drew peered over to Harley and May, both standing next to each other, exchanging some mildly heated banter before their battle. Harley and May both had determined expressions; neither of them will back down.

Despite everything, May seemed like her regular self, and Drew was glad to see it.

Every coordinator but Harley and May exited towards the waiting rooms.

Drew even saw the girl he'd face near the doorway, and he exchanged a pleasant greeting and good luck to her before taking his place back by Solidad's side to watch the battle.

The camera showed May and Harley, opposite ends, just waiting for Lillian to wrap up her introduction so they could get started. There was a lot of tension between them in regular terms, but here they were again, facing off against each other once again in a Grand Festival. This time it felt like there would be blood.

May and Harley's point bars appeared on the screen, along with the five minute timer, and Lillian backed away from center stage to take a spot by the judges.

"So then let's get busy!"

The 5:00 turned into 4:59, and the game was on.

May seemed to have a strange strategy in mind, because she called out a pair that surprised both Solidad and Drew: Munchlax and Eevee.

"Maybe she'd going for brute strength with Munchlax and cuteness appeal with Eevee?" Solidad thought aloud.

"I guess, but I'm honestly still surprised she still has an Eevee," Drew added. "She must not know who she wants to evolve her into, or maybe she hasn't even thought of it."

Harley drew out his faithful Cacturne and a new (or new to them) Pokémon, Wigglytuff. Cacturne had always been a darker Pokémon, but this Wigglytuff looked daunting. It's creepy smirk sent chills down May's spine. Leave it to Harley to own Pokémon that really matched his personality.

Wigglytuff was a Pokémon that couldn't be underestimated in the slightest. The ability to expand its body and absorb attacks would prove to be a challenge for sure.

The Contest Committee wanted to spice things up a little bit: both coordinators were mic'd up for the battle rounds. Now their attack commands could be heard throughout the audience, and if there was any playful banter, it'd be fun to share, too.

Drew watched as the two exchanged taunts, eager for their battle to start.

"Hold on, tutz," Harley teased. "Before you know it, you'll be crying like a baby."

"Oh, I'm sure somebody's going to be crying, but it's not gonna be me!" May challenged.

"Oh, I'm so not scared," Harley retored.

May was through playing around. Drew could see it in her eyes.

"Munchlax, use focus punch, and Eevee use tackle now!" she cried out.

Both her Pokémon jolted forward with as much ferocity and passion as she had. Harley was ready.

"Time for rough stuff, Wigglytuff!"

Harley's pink balloon Pokémon jumped head of its partner and inhaled a large gulp of air. Her body quickly expanded to shield Cacturne behind her. With as much velocity and power both May's Pokémon had built up, they bounced off of Wigglytuff's body, neither one taking damage, but effectively foiled in their attack attempt.

"That Wigglytuff, what a physique!" Lillian commentated from the sideline. "Perfect for warding off the strongest attacks."

May's points dipped a little and time ticked away.

"Being able to expand Wigglytuff's body like that can mean big points," Solidad mused. "But Harley had better be careful."

Drew stayed silent, trying to think of how he himself would combat a defense like that. Harley really thought this one through, and this battle wasn't going to be easy.

"Jump wonderful Wigglytuff!" Harley ordered.

May's Pokémon were still trying to shake off being thrown back so far, but Wigglytuff was already charging madly towards them, her body no doubt still expanded to cover as much surface area as possible.

"Look out!" May warned her Pokémon.

Harley muttered something his microphone couldn't exactly pick up, and then surprised May further by calling a poison sting from his hidden Cacturne.

Wigglytuff jumped away just in time for the glowing needles to hit May's unprepared Eevee and Munchlax. Her Pokémon slid back a little from the direct hit, and May's points fell more while Harley's remained untouched.

Harley didn't skip a beat. He called for his Cacturne to follow up with needle arm, and the glowing blades shot out of his arms as he once again charged at May's down team.

May countered with Eevee's shadow ball, and the little Pokémon produced a large dark pulse of energy combined with Munchlax's focus punch. A similar concept to her second appeal, Munchlax slammed it's glowing fist into the shadow ball to shoot it forwards. The ball collided in midair with Cacturne, producing a small explosion.

Cacturne hit the ground with a hard thud, and the whole stadium was shocked to see that with just one hit, Cacturne, Harley's prized Pokémon, was down and out. The judges panels all simultaneously lit up with X's.

A knockout as early in the battle as this one had cost Harley a huge chunk of his points, as they sank down to almost half. May remained around three quarters.

"Great work, you two!" May praised.

"Great work is right!" Solidad exclaimed, leaning towards the screen with excitement. "She took a concept that won her big points in the battle rounds, and put a powerful twist on it. Amazing!"

The camera panned to Harley's darkening expression, with a graphic showing his lowering point bar.

"Wow, Harley's cutting it close," Solidad spoke again.

"Maybe," Drew said dryly.

He knew Harley's Wigglytuff wouldn't go down as easily.

Caught up in the moment, May completely forgot about Harley's waiting Pokémon. Wigglytuff had floated above for a while, and was now coming down like a comet towards her team. She seemed to noticed at the last second.

"Body slam," Harley grinned.

Wigglytuff had to be milliseconds away from her target when May hastily ordered her two Pokémon to dodge, and miraculously, both her Munchlax and Eevee removed themselves.

Wigglytuff hit the ground so hard, a huge cloud of dust grew up. May breathed a sigh of relief that she'd managed to avoid such a hard hit. Harley's points, once again, dropped.

"Reel them in!" Harley shouted.

Without warning, Wigglytuff stretched her ears to grab both of May's Pokémon, and slammed them into each other forcefully. But that wasn't all; it took both of them and tossed them up into the air, seemingly effortlessly.

"No!" May watched in horror, knowing neither of her Pokémon could dodge in the air.

"Wicked, Wigglytuff!" Harley snickered. "Double slap, go."

Wigglytuff ascended back high and caught up with May's Pokémon, and unleashed an assault of powerful smacks. Eevee and Munchlax, still stunned from the head-butt, were defenseless.

"What a move!" Lillian praised. "With those long ears, Wigglytuff has made for the perfect double slap."

With each hit, May's points fell more and more, and just as quickly as she'd gained the lead, she was back in second. Her only advantage was that she still had both Pokémon battling. If only she could think around fighting a floating Pokémon with two ground-based ones.

After what felt like too long, May's team finally fell back onto the ground, both struggling to move.

"No, are you okay?" May shrieked.

Wigglytuff landed calmly in front of Harley, who was relaxing with one hand on his hip watching the pathetic scene before him.

"So, dollface, seems like a great time to cry," Harley pointed out.

But May wasn't having it.

"No way," May combatted. "Not for you. Munchlax, use solar beam! Eevee, use shadow ball!"

Her team found their way back up, and fired the separate attacks off quickly, knowing time was winding down.

Harley didn't seem worried, and Wigglytuff easily dodges. Another blow to May's points.

Getting riled up, May ordered her Pokémon to keep firing until they hit Wigglytuff. A poor strategy, and Drew watched with clenched teeth as May was bleeding out her own points in pure desperation rather than thinking the strategy through. Unless…she was just going for the knockout? Not really minding the points she lost?

May did have an aggressive strategy for contest battles. It felt like most of her wins in the time he'd watched her were the results of TKO's instead of points remaining…

Her points plummeted down to near zero, and Drew and Solidad both watched intensely. The camera was focused on May's angered face, when suddenly, her expression morphed to one of realization.

"Looks like she's thought of something," Solidad crossed her arms.

"Okay, combine your attacks together in mid air!" May shouted confidently.

Her Pokémon complied, firing off the exact same attacks, but modifying their paths. The amount of training it must have taken to perfect those curves astonished Drew. What a combination…

Both opposing energies wove around their target, and slammed into each other behind Wigglytuff. The force from the blast shocked Harley's partner, and Wigglytuff flailed as it went down, losing her composure and ability to stay afloat. The camera revealed Harley was just as shocked and panicked. Having such a sure control over the battle ripped away from him so instantly caught him off guard. If May was going to strike, it had to be then.

"Now, both of you: a focus punch combination!" May ordered.

Drew quirked an eyebrow; he knew May's Eevee didn't know focus punch, so what on earth could her order have meant?

He watched on in wonder as May's Eevee ran in front of Munchlax, and the latter jumping onto Eevee like a springboard. Munchlax soared high and met Wigglytuff with a direct, devastating hit.

Wigglytuff landed onto the ground out cold, having sustained too much damage from the midair explosion and the perfectly executed focus punch. The point difference ceased to matter;

May won and Harley lost. Again.

"Alright!" May squealed, rushing to meet her Pokémon on the battlefield.

The camera showcased their celebration as May hugged her two Pokémon and told them how amazing they were. When it panned over to Harley, he looked less than thrilled.

"Wow," Solidad jumped. "Just wow! She really turned it around!"

"She always does," Drew said quietly, but smiling. "That's what worries me."

"She'll be a great opponent," Solidad agreed. "Mew, I hope I get to battle her."

May took a few more moments to be recognized on stage for her great performance, and Harley, being the sore loser that he was, walked away without even congratulating her.

Drew hoped that would be the last they would see of him for a while.

The second battle wasn't nearly as exciting, and Drew's battle came up quickly.

He never saw May in the waiting room before he was called out on deck. She had no doubt been held up for a post battle interview by some press, as he knew he would be after his battle was done. The thought wasn't exciting. Arceus, he hated the press.

He made his way down the long tunnel and entered stage left to the pleased crowd, screaming his name.

It felt like home.

He was happy to step back out onto the stage and he felt ready for battle. Though he'd been in the exact same place less then 24 hours ago, it had definitely felt like a lifetime to him. Being back there, possibly the worst behind him (pending he and May's inevitable meetup) was like regrowing a limb or finding something lost, he stepped out and felt natural. He was born to be in contests, as it was truly his passion, and he finally felt like the last 24 hours were so far away.

Lillian called for the battle to start, and Drew's heart beat with excitement.

His opponent released her Medicham and Loudred, who seemed to be well trained and polished. Drew opted for Roselia and Masquerain; a long trusted duo for him. They'd trained together a lot for the previous month.

Throughout the battle, his opponent relied on using high pitched attacks and physic to try to keep Roselia and Masquerain off balance. There was one point when his Masquerain was hit hard with a well-thought-out combination of confusion and zen headbutt from Medicham, and Roselia suffered through an up close uproar and pound.

The battle felt more physical from her side, and Drew was bringing out the dazzling attacks he was so known for. Hidden powers and silver winds, stun spores and petal dances were maintaining his score, while successful dodges and beautiful combinations were killing hers.

Finally, he went for a specific combination he'd been polishing for a while to end the battle.

"Roselia, time for one last petal dance! Masquerain, give 'em your best silver wind!"

Their signature attacks combined. He thought of May back stage and wondered if she'd registered what he was aiming for. Probably not; it was a long shot and she had no reason to think anything of the combination other than another flashy finish from the flashy Drew Hayden.

But seeing those attacks combine so easily and brilliantly, it was like they belonged together.

It was like the belonged together.

Drew didn't know if there would ever be a good time to approach her.

When he successfully dodged the questions thrown at him after his victory, he slipped back into the waiting room to follow the rest of the first round battles. Solidad had told him she was going to another private room after his battle was done to prepare herself and her team for their upcoming battle.

Entering the room, he immediately spotted May on a bench feeding her Munchlax while Eevee rested in her lap, all three intently watching the screen. He froze in the doorway for a moment and thought maybe he should go try to talk it out with her.

The possibilities of there not being enough time for whatever he had to say, the fact that he had no idea what he wanted to say, or throwing her and him off for their next round battles all seemed like a poor choice. He decided instantly that it wasn't the right time. So he quietly slipped into the room without her noticing and sat on the far side, hiding behind some other coordinators.

Later, he told himself. Definitely later.

Drew turned his full attention to the screen, and failed to notice May looking over to him.

She had hoped he would have joined her on the bench, but maybe he was still angry. Solidad had assured her he wasn't, but with the way he kept his distance, maybe she was wrong.

Disappointed, but not wanting to push it, May went back to rubbing her Eevee's head and watching the screen.

Solidad's battle finally came.

…And it was frightening to watch, to every coordinator in the back room.

When Drew noticed the stage remained normal, and didn't shift to the water stage, he resolved Solidad wasn't going to use Lapras. So when she did release her Lapras, onto a normal battlefield, not only did he gasp, but so did May. Keeping one Pokémon stationary for a whole battle, and a battle as important as this one seemed like insanity.

It seemed like she'd absolutely set herself up for failure when her second choice was Slowbro, who was, well…velocity challenged. Drew couldn't wrap his mind around having a slow Pokémon to defend a stationary Pokémon through a battle. She didn't call for the water stage. Solidad was smarter than this. Something was going to happen.

The male coordinator she faced off sent out his Girafarig and Zangoose. Both seemed healthy and strong, and the fact that they had more speed seemingly gave them every advantage.

Solidad showed every person in that stadium who doubted her that she didn't get to where she was by not having a plan.

What her two Pokémon lacked in speed and mobility, they made up for in a horrifying display of power. Her battle was unlike anything Drew had ever seen before. He'd always known Solidad was extremely talented, but this was a new level. This was her seeking to make good on her promise to make her late friend proud.

Nowhere on the stage was safe. Solidad countered every attack, and fired back twice as hard. Only a few lucky dodges from her opponent cost her minor points, but she had stolen his away without effort.

Girafarig and Zangoose did everything they could to get out of the way, but Solidad sealed their fate when she called for a chilling ice beam from Lapras.

Her huge Pokémon shot it off with such accuracy and force, it encased the two Pokémon in a huge sheet of ice. Frozen and unable to move, Solidad called for that fatal hyper beam from her Slowbro.

The bright orange beam shot out, shattering the newly formed ice and sending the two flying back. They both landed on the ground in a doubt knockout.

Solidad won.

Drew gulped, and he looked over to see May staring at the screen wide-eyed and mouth agape.

Same, May. Same.

Solidad was on cloud nine. How could she not be?

She felt like she was unstoppable.

Her first round battle had gone off without a hitch, and she couldn't be more proud of her Pokémon if she'd tried to.

Solidad didn't return to the locker room right away; she slipped into an empty hall and leaned against the wall. After a moment, she reached down into her pocket and pulled out her small, orange wallet.

The wallet fell open, and a folding line of card slots fell out, though she didn't have cards. Each of the seven slots was filled with a picture of her and a friend, or a group of friends. The first was a picture of her and Drew from his first day in Kanto. He smirked at the camera, while she had a big cheesy grin plastered on her face, so pleased that not only had she managed to get him to finally take a picture with her after years of friendship, but that he didn't scowl.

That first day, it seemed so long ago.

Her eyes went down to the second to last picture, or her and Arthur together. Seeing his frail, gentle smile gave her another wave of happiness. He had been so kind to her when he was alive, sharing his stories and supporting her in her travels. He had always let her know when he saw her contests and he always let her know how impressed he was by her. He'd once told her he knew he'd made the right decision passing over his Butterfree to her, and it warmed her heart to think about him.

She clutched the picture and held it close to her heart, letting out an exhale.

"We're gonna go all the way, Arthur," she spoke to herself. "Butterfree and I are gonna go all the way."

The locker room lifted when Solidad finally came back.

But it was also awkward.

Having both sat apart, and obviously having noticed each other by taking turns catching each other looking at the other, May and Drew sat apart and in silence when under normal circumstances, they would have sat together.

So when Solidad, their common bond for the moment, came in, both rushed to her side.

Solidad smiled a little when both looked surprised to see the other so close, and May backed up ever so slightly. Neither of them made to move away, and the trio was reunited.

"We all made it," Solidad said, easing the awkward tension.

"I barely made it!" May amended. "You – both of you, did way better than I did."

May looked sheepish and clasped her hands together, not daring to look at Drew's reaction.

"Nah, you did fine, May," Solidad reassured her. "Any one of us would have struggled against Harley's strategy; you found the solution in time, and your Pokémon took you to the win. Don't' doubt yourself; you earned this."

"Sol, you were terrifying," Drew said. "Your Lapras and Slowbro… just wow."

"Well thank you," Solidad gave him a smile. "We worked hard for that battle."

"So what now?" May asked.

"Well, they should be announcing the next pairings soon," Solidad answered. Let's go see who's facing who."

Following Solidad's lead the three moved to the couch. May sat down first, and Solidad, realizing they hadn't had an opportunity to hash it out, took the middle spot to keep them separated. Drew shot her a thankful look, and lowered himself down as well.

A few minutes of conversation passed, with May and Drew never actually talking to or answering each other; Solidad was 100 percent the mediator, having what felt like two different conversations. She knew it wouldn't last; that they just needed to talk, but with them all going forward in the battle rounds, the best thing for all of them was to stay focused on the competition.

Lillian's face finally appeared on screen, revealing the top eight, and the battle match ups.

Solidad processed both reactions simultaneously. She felt Drew tense up, and she heard a small gasp escape from May. They were paired up, in the first battle of the second round. Solidad was once again last and once again against someone none of them knew.

When neither of them said anything, Solidad clapped her hands together and stood up.

"Man, oh man, you guys are going to have one heck of a battle!" Solidad tried to cheer them up.

May just looked depressed and Drew looked white as a sheet.

Arceus, they really needed to talk this out.

"No stress," Solidad tried. "You guys are going onto that field as rivals, and no matter what, you'll come back off as friends. I knew a guys who once told me battling is the best way to get close to someone."

Still, neither of them reacted.

The PA system boomed into life, calling both of them.

"May Maple, on deck in tunnel one. Drew Hayden, on deck in tunnel four."

With their summons, both coordinators shot up. May left room quickly, and Drew stood in place for a few moments.

"Arceus damn it," he whispered, shaking his head.

"It'll be okay," Solidad soothed.

"Sol, we haven't talked yet," Drew whined.

"I know," Solidad replied.

"And now, imagine if I win this battle…do you think that's going to help at all?" Drew groaned.

"You know, Drew, I think that you worrying about that is pointless," Solidad said. "You both know only one of you can win this, and do you think it would make her feel any better if she knew that you gave it anything short of 100 percent? Arceus, I bet she'd be more upset with you giving it 99 percent of your best effort to make her odds of winning better.

"This is what rivals do; they compete. You know it, and she knows it. A moment like this is what it's all about, and if there's anything I've learned from watching you two over the last two seasons, it that you communicate best when you battle. I don't think you should see this as a bad thing; you have always loved battling her, and she loved battling you. I see this helping you.

"So get out there and give it your all, for yourself and your Pokémon, and for her."

Solidad led him in taking a deep breath, and then slowly exhaling. She was right. She was always right.

He nodded, and his courage returning, he made for the door.

"Drew," Solidad stopped him before he could leave.

From the threshold, he turned back to look at her.

"If you use Masquerain and Roselia again, try to make it less obvious," Solidad winked.

Drew scowled and left.

May stood at the entrance of the tunnel, waiting for the commercial break to end so the next round could start.

And she was so close to hyperventilating.

She'd never felt so much anxiety going into a battle, and she never thought she'd feel it going into a battle with Drew.

He was her favorite person to compete against. He had been since the beginning of her coordinating career. But with all that had happened, and him not approaching her to talk about it yet, she felt more apprehension.

It didn't seem fair that the universe chose that moment to pit them against each other. Having one of them beat the other with all the stress and tension between them didn't seem like a solution. It felt cruel.

Still, that's where fate brought them, and maybe there was a reason for it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're back, and we're ready to keep the action going!" Lillian announced, signaling the end of the media time out.

Thankfully, Drew was called out before she was. His introduction narrated by Lillian as he walked out onto the stage, waving to the crowd. May watched him intently.

He seemed okay. He seemed happy to be there. He seemed excited for the battle.

He seemed like Drew.

May blinked a few times in surprised, observing his much improved state. And a smile made its way onto her face.

Whatever had been bothering him seemed like it was either long gone, or deeply buried. But for the moment, he seemed fine, and it gave her a sense of relief she'd been longing for.

Drew finally arrived to his designated spot on the battlefield, and he looked over to her tunnel. She didn't know if he could see her so far away and while she was in the shadows, but he suddenly smirked and nodded.

Bring it on, May, was written all over his face, clear as day.

And she knew it was time.

Lillian began May's secondary introduction as May once again entered the arena. She came to a halt just as Drew had, and the two were finally put into a position where they couldn't ignore each other.

Drew looked briefly towards the ribbon cup, then back to her. He desperately wanted his shot at that glorious trophy and his first title, and he was going to going to have to take her down. It wasn't going to be easy; not by a long shot.

His eyes focused back on her, and he felt more pressure riding on this battle than ever before. It was so much more than a battle.

The issues they had were going to come out, right then and there.

And it was probably going to get ugly.

5:00. 4:59. 4:58.

"Combusken, Squirtle, take the stage!"

"Flygon and Absol, let's go!"

The field was filled with Pokémon, and the battle began.

"Squirtle, use rapid spin!" May was the first to make a move.

She caught Drew by only sending off one of her pair to attack. Combusken hung back, awaiting his orders, and Drew was surprised she didn't go for a combination. But that just meant she had something planned; she always did.

He watched and waited until Squirtle spun close enough to properly defend. The turtle Pokémon had to be in just the right spot for his counter.

When Squirtle was within range, Drew struck back.

"Flygon, sandstorm!" Drew shouted.

Flygon proved its reputation of being "the desert spirit," and whipped up a sand tornado with his huge wings. May's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"I knew he was gonna do that," May smiled to herself. "Do a combination mega kick, Combusken!"

She took her strategy of using one move to play off another and modified it yet again. Just as she'd sent Munchlax's focus punch after his own solar beam in the appeals, and again with Eevee's shadow ball in her first battle, her Combusken jumped on top of Squirtle and stole utilized his built momentum, successfully dodging the sandstorm and targeting Drew's team, glowing with power.

He knew her Combusken's strength, having seen it so many times before. Of the two Pokémon she had chosen, he identified Combusken as the biggest threat right away. Squirtle probably couldn't hit as hard, but could pull off some pretty combinations with his move set. Combusken on the other hand could hit hard and look gorgeous doing it.

But Drew was ready.

"Absol, use flash!" Drew quickly threw out.

Absol dove fearlessly into the sandstorm, releasing a more blinding flash than in his appeal, which burst through the sand.

One beam of light effectively blinded Combusken, and stopped him in his tracks. Combusken let go of his charge while shielding himself. Perfect.

"Absol, use iron tail!" Drew continued.

Drew's concealed Pokémon exploded out of the still-going vortex, and executed a perfect strike on his opponent. The direst hit on Combusken left an impression. Combusken was thrown violently to the ground in front of a scared Squirtle.

"I think this is a ballet as much as a battle!" Lillian resolved after Drew's combination.

Oh, how right she was.

Drew had a good start; his points were untouched and May had lost a small chunk. The rhythm of the battle, though very early, felt familiar to him. Solidad was right; he loved battling her more than anyone else.

With both sides stopping for a moment, Drew looked over to May across the field. Her eyes were on her Pokémon as Combusken was slow to stand back up. Her Pokémon assured her he was ready to keep going, and May's eyes finally met Drew. Watching her unwavering courage from across the field reminded him that though he'd never lost to her before, he couldn't let his guard down.

"I'm not done yet!" she informed him, jumping right back in. "Combusken, sky uppercut, Squirtle, bubble, go!"

Combusken and Squirtle, both as driven as she was, leapt back into the fray. Squirtle launched a barrage of bubbles, all glistening in the sunlight whilst Combusken flew forward with sharpened claws.

"Beautiful!" Lillian remarked. "Surrounded by bubbles, Combusken performs a powerful sky uppercut!"

Drew noticed his points dropping from the mere appearance of her combination. He had to stop it quick.

"Flygon, dodge it! Absol, razor wind!"

With a well timed flap of his mighty wings, Flygon took himself out of harm's way and allowed Absol to send Combusken crashing into Squirtle via the best razor wind he'd seen. May's teammates took the hit hard, back on the ground and trying to steady themselves.

It worried Drew when he saw the shock on May's face, not because he felt bad – he knew both of them were giving it their all or nothing here – but because he knew with 100 percent certainty that May performed at her best when she was backed into a corner with just a few moments to think.

He couldn't give her the chance. His finger extended outwards and Flygon shot forward towards her Pokémon.

"Flygon, flamethrower!"

May didn't give Drew's attack the chance to hit. She called for Combusken's fire spin to combat Flygon's own flaming vortex. The attacks met mid are with such ferocity, the explosion they produced shook the ground. Both Pokémon were struck, sent flying backwards.

The coordinators frantically looked up at the scoreboard to see their points even out. Lillian compared them to a seesaw and she was absolutely correct.

The fact that May had not only caught up to him in her coordinating, but was effectively able to hold her own against him, when just a short time ago, she struggled so much, gave Drew a shiver.

There was a moment of stillness in the battle while Flygon and Combusken recovered from their momentary daze. Drew's eyes scanned his Pokémon to make sure he was alright, and when he realized he was, the coordinator exhaled.

His heart was thundering in his chest. Never before had he felt so challenged in a battle. His last Grand Festival loss to Robert, and way back when Solidad defeated him for the first time, they felt like slaps on the wrist compared to this.

His focus fell from Flygon down to May.

Her teeth were gritted and her fists were balled at her sides. She stared down Drew with an iron resolve and a clear battle going on in her head.

Drew's so fast. He's even faster than he was at the last Grand Festival. But I'm not here to praise him; I'm here to beat him.

The moment he recognized she was strategizing, he knew he needed to move. This battle was incredibly fast-paced and exciting for sure. He already know no matter what happened from that point on until the time ran out, he would always remember this battle. The way she looked at him from across the field, more fired up than he had ever seen any other coordinator before. And how it made May the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

But he wasn't there to praise her; he was there to beat her.

She foolishly thought he'd been giving his all before, so when she saw his lips turn up with a smirk, her blood went cold. Knowing Drew, whatever he had coming, she was in for some pain.

"Flygon, Absol, dragon formation!"

Dragon formation?

May watched as his two Pokémon joined together, and didn't know what she was going to have to counter.

"Abosl, razor wind!" Drew commanded. "Flygon, dragon breath, now!"

Flygon waited for Absol to fire off his energy blade once more, and then used his own attack to not only enhance the power of the move, but also send it forward at a break neck speed. May gaped as it was the strategy she'd more or less been using throughout the Festival, but with his own twist on it.

She didn't have time to think beyond that.

"Dodge it, quick!" was all she could come up with.

Squirtle and Combusken both rushed off in opposite directions, but the attack was too wide spread. It caught them both and raised them into the air, mercilessly throwing them back to the ground. They crash, and May's points took a huge hit.

As her Pokémon once again laid before her, battered and bruised from Drew's brilliant strategy, May's chest tightened. It was clear Drew had spent a lot of time working on that formation, and she was paying for it.

The whole audience quieted down to a dull mumbling roar. May looked around her, seeing how stunned and impressed they all were.

It was never going to be easy winning this battle, and a part of her had been looking forward to this. She knew how skilled Drew was, but she'd become skilled too.

She lost points, but she wouldn't lose her faith in herself and her Pokémon.

The air had been still for too many seconds. Again, Drew knew that he had a great open shot here, as her Pokémon were still down, but he couldn't afford to give May any opportunites.

"Let's finish this up with steal wing, Flygon, and iron tail, Absol!" he said with false finality. "GO!"

Maintaining their "dragon formation," Drew's Pokémon once again raced towards her side of the field.

I know Drew's attacks look super polished, but we've got some pretty good combinations up our sleeves, too.

Ever since she'd seen the a similar move watching Ash's fight at the battle dome, she knew – she just knew she had to find a way to perform with it. She'd never known to totally opposite forces could not only go together, but work so well together. So since that day, she had been trying it out, until she'd found the perfect balance with these two.

And a part of her had always known that she'd use this combination against her biggest rival.

"Alright Combusken, fire spin, now! Squirtle, bubble, let's go!"

In what many assumed was going to be a desperate last stand, May's Pokémon combined their opposing attacks. No one expected the fire and water moves to pair successfully.

But they did.

And the shocking sight nearly knocked Drew over.

May's fire spin effortlessly absorbed the bubbles, producing crackling blue sparks as the now joined energies struck Flygon and Absol. The two came crashing near Drew's feet, twitching and almost looking paralyzed.

Drew's horrified eyes looked over to her, and she smirked as his points took the hardest hit of the battle so far. The crowd which had been shocked to near silence exploded with cheers for her. They were well deserved.

What an amazing display. Drew couldn't process what he'd just experienced.

All four Pokémon on the battle field were panting. Both teams had expelled so much energy and both had taken nasty, direct hits. Drew thought it was amazing that none of them had fallen yet, and he was undeniably proud of his Flygon and Absol for their incredible effort thus far. May stood across the way, sharing similar feelings for her partners.

The points were still extremely high on both sides, probably because of the excitement and near-textbook perfection of the battle for far.

Drew had to take the lead back; he needed to throw her Pokémon off balance again.

"Absol, flash attack!" he tried.

May had seen this already, and the perfect counter popped into her mind not a moment later.

"Rapid spin, Squirtle!"

As Absol let off his bright attack once again, Combusken and May shielded their eyes. Most of the arena did. Even Drew had to protect his eyes by raising his arm. Meanwhile, Squirtle had tucked himself inside his shell just in time, and hidden in plain sight, he drove himself towards his opponent.

Drew could just make out the swiftly spinning turtle, and panicked. May's idea was ingenious. Squirtle was totally protected and had no problem charging towards his Pokémon.

"QUICK, FLYGON, USE STEEL WING!"

Flygon's wing did collide with its target, but Squirtle angled himself and used the momentum to propel upwards even higher in the air. The tiny Pokémon popped out of his shell, Flygon's huge wingspan below him protecting him from the flash attack.

"Of all the –" Drew started in disbelief.

"Alright!" May cut him off, watching in elation as Squirtle readied himself to follow through. "Use bubble!"

Flygon was in too close of a range, so Drew knew Absol was the only one that could save his teammate.

"Absol, use razor wind!" he tried.

"Combusken, use fire spin!" she countered.

Combusken and Absol's attacks chased each other through the air, each trying to offset one another. Three Pokémon's attacks collided in mid air, and a smoky explosion spread above a shocked Flygon. Squirtle finally charged up enough power and let out a steady stream of bubbles. The water attack flew effortlessly through the black haze to an unsuspecting Flygon.

Drew's dragon took heavy damage from such a close range attack.

But that wasn't enough. May called for the killshot.

With gravity doing its job, and Squirtle plummeting toward's Flygon, May shouted out for an ice beam attack.

There was no time to even think of a good defense to that. Drew knew that was going to be the end for his Flygon. A super effective attack from mere feet away proved to be too much.

With a hard thus, Flygon fell to the ground, unable to battle. Drew's lead felt so far away, it was painful. His only saving grace was that May's Pokémon were just as tired as his Absol was and his Flygon had been.

If he didn't want to lose, he only had one shot.

He took it.

Just as May began to celebrate, Absol unleashed his iron tail on Squirtle at Drew's hasty command.

May's Pokémon hadn't even landed before Absol struck. With a ton of force, Squirtle was sent colliding with the cement wall behind May. She watched in disbelief as her tiny Pokémon who had just turned the course of this battle around fell to the ground, fainted.

There was a momentary pause as both coordinators returned their finished Pokémon.

May held her Pokéball close.

"Squirtle, you were so great, she sad with a sad smile."

She saw Drew beaming down at his Pokéball as well, nothing but pride in his smile. She blinked a few times, knowing that Drew could have written Flygon's finish as a failure like he had the previous day, but there was nothing like that displayed in his expression. She could see the love he had for his Pokémon pouring out again, like it always had.

She could see Drew again.

Her heart twitched, but this was no time for that. The battle was far from over with two remaining Pokémon, more determined than ever to come out on top.

The points for both coordinators remained almost the same. May had a hair of an advantage. Drew knew he could turn it around again in those final two minutes, because his Absol knew one super effective attack that would surely finish off May's fire type.

"Combusken, mega kick!" May called first.

"Iron tail!" Drew responded.

Combusken and Absol struck each other simultaneously. Combusken skidded back on the ground while Absol rolled and recovered.

"Razor wind!" Drew called quickly.

Absol whipped his head around and sent another powerful slash towards Combusken, who'd not yet regained his footing. The attack exploded on impact, and May lost even more points, falling back under Drew's score again.

"C'mon, Combusken, use fire spin!" May attempted.

That was the moment.

"Water pulse, go!"

Not only did Absol's newly summond tidal wave completely evaporate Combusken's attack, but the water swamped Combusken in a devastating blow. A water attack with a direct hit on a fire type. There was almost no chance of recovery.

The wave dissipated away, and Combusken was miraculously still standing – well, kneeling. This wasn't over, but it was about to be. Drew prepared to order a final blow.

But something curious happened.

Steam began coming off of May's Pokémon as he panted and used all his strength to say up. And he began to flash red. A fiery, molten red.

Drew was mesmerized by the sight. He could decipher what was going on, and a glance up at his rival told him she was just as lost as he was.

And then he felt it. The heat. A blazing heat Combusken's body was giving off, like it was overheating.

Overheating…

Shit.

May apparently caught on the second he did as well.

"Absol, stop Combusken from concentrating like that and use razor wind!"

It was a rushed decision, and he could have kicked himself for it. Razor wind was just the first thing that came to his mind, and he knew it could be a major error on his part.

May's expression shifted from loss to understanding, and a new, confident smile took over her features. Just as Absol sent off the next attack, she responded, and she responded fiercely.

"Okay, time to use overheat!"

Combusken jumped up and produced an amazingly huge and horrifically hot burst of flames towards his Pokémon. Drew didn't know much about May's new attack, but he knew overheat was a extremely powerful move in general. Still, the incredible power Combusken had put behind it blew him away. It obliterated Absol's razor wind with no problems as over took the dark type.

"We're witnessing a white-hot attack, and we call it overheat!" Lillian excitedly spoke.

Luckily, Absol managed to shake off the flames and landed on his feet in front of Drew, ready to continue.

"Way to hang tough, Absol," Drew praised.

May watched with her eyes blazing.

"He sure knows how to raise Pokémon," May admitted.

Both Pokémon faced each other down, taking a few seconds to catch their breath. May and Drew both recognized this, and let them have it. Drew had the lead, barely. That new attack knocked him down a few notches, but not enough.

This battle, and everything about it, was as hot as that overheat. May and Drew fearlessly stared each other down. Both of them wanted – needed – to win this match. There was so much riding on this moment, and the air was thick. This battle was unlike any they'd shared before. Both were battling from the depths of their very souls. It was incredible.

Drew…

May's glare told him she was not holding back, and her eyes told him to get ready.

Man, that girl never failed to surprise me.

There was so much admiration and hesitation in Drew's head. Seeing her there, like that…his heart in his chest felt like it had flipped and was beating more rapidly than it had been all battle. His back foot slid back a little bit, like something had rushed through his body and pushed him. His eyes were wide and he inhaled sharply

What in the–

"Combusken, jump up then overheat!" May cried.

The loud words pulled Drew back down to earth. He shook his head and threw himself right back in.

Combusken charged up another flaming sphere and launched it down towards his target. Once again, the immense heat Combusken's attack gave off hit him. He wiped his brow of a light layer of sweat. Embers broke off of the new fiery ball and rained down all around Absol. Drew couldn't pinpoint it, but something looked different about this overheat vs. the first one.

"Dodge, then use water pulse!" Drew combatted.

Absol swiftly summoned a protective watery vortex around himself. The defense earned a scowl and a gasp from May. Drew's Absol had absolutely mastered water pulse, and she had to be extremely careful this late in the battle. Any slip up and that water pulse would surely take Combusken out.

Out of danger from the squashed overheat, Drew tried using flash again now that she didn't had a rapid spin defense.

"Combusken, go!"

Through the burst of white, Combusken tucked himself into a ball and launched himself towards Absol. Drew didn't see it until it was too late, as one of Combusken's feet slammed down on Absol's head, quelling the flash.

May called for an overheat again when Combusken was in close proximity. The ball crashed into Absol and engulfed him in flames once again. Drew watched in compete shock when something clicked in his brain.

That overheat was definitely smaller. It wasn't nearly as hot as the previous ones.

Repeatedly using it was causing the attack's power to fall, drastically.

Conbusken landed back on his side of the stage, and faltered slightly. Drew didn't miss the stumble, and the way Combusken was panting more than he had been all battle. The power it took to summon overheat was getting to be too much.

Though Drew lost a ton of points, he felt himself ease up a bit. That weakening attack could be the thing that saved him.

With a loud cry, Absol broke free of the flames once again, slashing them away and sending remaining embers away in a swirl of sparkles. Drew smirked.

Absol was one hell of a Pokémon.

"Come on, I know your game!" Drew spoke aloud, confidently poking at her. "Your overheat's getting a lot weaker. And now? You're just trying to get close. Absol, use razor wind!"

May jumped back a bit. He had figured it out. Of course he had. He was amazing.

Combusken tried weakly to dodge Absol's attack, but with his exhaustion becoming more prevalent, he couldn't get away. The attack beat him down, as well as May's points. She was only hanging on by a mere fraction of what she'd had, and Combusken's amazing recovery.

He was slow to rise, but Combusken did stand back up. May looked him over and new whatever attack hit him at full force next would be the one that would end the battle.

Drew noticed Combusken's weakened state, and knew he only needed one last attack. With under a minute remaining and their scores too close, he had to finish this.

"Water pulse, GO!"

Absol sent another tsunami-force wave at May's weakened Pokémon. There was no possibility Combusken could dodge.

"OVERHEAT!" May forced out.

Combusken sent off a feeble-looking fireball at the wave, and it evaporated on contact. Drew let out a breath when he saw May's Pokémon get overtaken by that wave.

It was over. He waited to hear his name announced as the winner of the incredible battle.

But his name was never said.

He looked back over to May's Pokémon, still standing.

WHAT?

The whole stadium was just as shocked as he was. But Combusken seemed incapable of moving, so his surprise fell down to his confidence.

"It's over, May," he spoke to himself, and then called for a final attack.

He chose iron tail, because he had a still target. Combusken looked pathetic, hunched over and totally spent. Absol bounded and leapt in the air towards his opponent for the final time, tail glowing and ready.

May simply smiled.

"SKY UPPERCUT!"

Drew's face fell. His eyes grew wide and he watched utterly terrified.

With a burst of energy out of nowhere, Combusken charged up his claws, dragging them into the ground and racing towards Absol with his last bit of strength.

Absol fell onto Combusken's attack, his face getting impacted by unbelievable strength, and Combusken completely dodged Absol's tail.

Both Pokémon fell back by their coordinators, stumbling as they landed. There was no more either of them could do. And it didn't matter.

The buzzer sounded. The battle was out of time.

"Time's up!" Lillian boomed over the frenzied crowd. "Now the judges will decide who put on a more beautiful and effective battle! Will it be Drew, or is it going to be May?"

Something washed over Drew. Something that told him he was done.

That something was replaying the battle in his head. How every move on both sides bounced off of the other, again and again. The battle had been a power struggle throughout, and in the thick of it, it hadn't been clear who'd overcome. But thinking through it now, with everything Drew threw at May, she'd either found a way to strike back, or to power through.

It was without a doubt the best battle he'd ever had. He wondered if she felt the same.

He looked away from the screen, his chest feeling hallow as he waited to hear what he knew he was going to hear. He didn't need to see it on the screen; he only needed to see her.

May's eyes were completely locked upwards. Her concentration on her face didn't break right away when Lillian confirmed it.

She'd won.

May Maple had beaten Drew Hayden.

She stood there absolutely still, looking totally perplexed at first, not moving or not understanding or both. It was obvious she didn't process the news right away. Drew continued to watch her, when Absol approached him, looking glum.

Drew took the moment to tend to his Pokémon. He reached out and rubbed Absol's head soothingly. When Absol looked up to his soft gaze, he smiled.

"You're the best, Absol."

Combusken danced over to May, chirping happily and trying to get her far-off attention. She slowly looked down to her starter, still dumbfounded.

"Combusken?" she spoke slowly, her voice cracking.

Her Pokémon danced around, celebrating but she couldn't just yet. While her brain's cogs finally started turning again, and the fact that she'd won finally began to sink in, she couldn't help but look over to Drew.

He met her blank gaze with a curious one of his own.

To her, it actually felt like no one else was there but her rival and their Pokémon. That boy – that amazing boy who'd given her not only the greatest competition she'd ever face, but also the greatest push she could of asked for in her coordinating journey…she finally understood.

Her mind flashed back to the time she'd first met him, and he drove her crazy with how cocky he'd seemed to be. And then she recalled the first time he'd given her a rose, or at least, her Beautifly. And then she remembered the weird feelings she'd experience every time she'd run into him at a contest: anger, frustration, relief, drive, inspiration and admiration. The horrible day on Mirage Island and all of its events played next: him protecting her from the sub explosion, holding onto him as they plummeted out of the sky, watching in horror as he fell over the cliff and fighting to save his life, the elation she'd felt when he finally woke up, the relief when he'd come to save her from Team Rocket, the sheer thrill of not battling against him, but along side him, and of course the ground breaking moment when he'd kissed her on the cheek.

Drew had given her a lot of things like the strong, overwhelming and confusing feelings and a ton of memories, which weren't all pleasant, but still significant.

That moment when she finally overcame her greatest challenge: defeating her biggest rival revealed something to her.

She understood in that moment just how much he'd impacted her life and brought her to her greatest victory to date.

How Drew meant to so much more to her than she'd originally thought.

The last two years of her life felt like they wouldn't have mattered much if he hadn't been there to help lift her to where she was. In the blazing sun, a chill went down her spine.

Drew continued to stare at this amazing girl who'd finally bested him. In the arena full of thousands upon thousands of people, she was the only one there before him.

The bewilderment didn't move or phase at all; she had no idea what to feel or how he was feeling.

He'd already accepted the loss, because the simple truth was, she'd deserved it. And it didn't matter. While it sucked to come this far and fall, he'd known loss before, and he knew he could move forward from there.

The Grand Festival was over for him, and it didn't matter anymore. Only one thing mattered.

Staring at her from across the stage, his heart was beating in ways it never had: erratic and out of control. He swore he could feel the blood pulsing through his veins, the movement of every cell. Like he could feel the earth moving under his feet.

It was like he was on fire and frozen and drowning and floating all at the same time.

It felt like May and her innocent stare was the only thing keeping him tethered to the ground.

And suddenly, it all made sense. It all made more sense then ever before. All those things people had told him about her and how he connected to her. That sweet young girl Brianna, Harley's harsh wording and Solidad's answer to his question.

Drew could see it clearly now, and he could feel it with ever fiber of his being.

It was the truth.

He was in love with her.

Drew Hayden was in love with May Maple.

She stood there locked in a gaze with him, and with the revelation inside of him washing over, he smiled. He smiled the most heartfelt and genuine smile he'd ever had on his face.

He nodded to her, letting her know she deserved to win and he was so damn proud of and thankful for her.

And he nodded to himself, accepting the truth that had been hidden inside of him for so damn long.

When she saw his walls fall, she cracked. She latched onto her Combusken with a tight grip and sank to her knees, crying. Drew laughed softly at the sight; seeing the two celebrated their glorious triumph was so comforting. It felt like with the battle behind them, all of their previous hang-ups from earlier were forgotten for the moment.

She deserved this moment to be perfect, and not wanting to let what had happened taint it, Drew took a bow and headed off stage with Absol at his side, letting the judges shower May with the praise she'd earned.

This was her moment and he left with that.

Though in some ways, it felt like his moment, too.

Drew didn't return to the main waiting room right away. He retreated to a private area so he could comfort his own Pokémon for a while. Solidad's battle was set to begin, and after he finally convinced Flygon and Absol that the loss was fine, they turned to focus on Solidad's match.

Her Butterfree finally made its Grand Festival debut along side Lapras, and judges even made a few comments about how well raised the sweet Pokémon appeared to be.

Then the match started, and Solidad unleashed the fury. Her two made easy work of her opponent's Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan duo. Lapras froze the field early on to offset her opponent's balance, and Butterfree struck constantly and consistently from above.

With over three minutes left, it was clear Solidad was going to win, and Drew felt comfortable walking away. He had important things to attend to.

There were two things Drew knew with absolute certainty.

One: he needed to talk to May.

Two: she still had the competition to focus on.

He wasn't quite ready to open his soul to her, because how does one exactly do that? But still, he needed to at least clear the air with her.

He took the long way around getting back to the waiting room being cautious to avoid any press who dared attempt to question him about his defeat. Throughout the winding hallways, Drew tried to write some kind of script in his brain about just what he was going to say to her. Obviously he was going to congratulate her about her incredible performance against him. Then he should definitely apologize about how he let things get out of hand. Maybe it was fair to try to explain why they had, too, but that might have been going too far. Again, she had to stay focused on the next round.

When he finally did make it back, Solidad's match was still going on, and the opposing coordinator was desperately pulling out any combinations he could. May was there had already settled in there, rending to her Pokémon.

The sight of her put a smile on his face and a contentedness in him. After how insane their battle had been, He took a deep breath to steady himself and approached her.

"Hi, May," he greeted from behind.

She turned and looked up at him. A smile exploded on her face, and he had to fight not to blush as well. She was happy to see him, it was evident and a good sign.

"Drew!" she said excitedly, probably still feeling the adrenaline from the battle.

He couldn't blame her, as he was pumped as well, but for different reasons. She didn't seem angry with him, and it was as much as he could have ever hoped for.

May rose to her feet quickly and bounced over to him. He flicked his hair out of habit, and nodded.

"Those were really nice combinations," he told her, extending his hand out.

"Hey, thanks!" she chirped, clasping his hand and shaking it firmly. "But they weren't nearly as nice as yours were!"

A showing of good sportsmanship was standard in all competitions, and handshaking was a common sign of congratulations. But she kept her hand in his after she'd stopped shaking, and neither of them moved to let go.

It felt…natural? Was that the way he would describe it?

"But you won, and that's all that really counts," Drew shrugged, telling her that she didn't need to comfort him; he was okay with the outcome.

The two continued to smile at each other, hand in hand. May's eyes fell down to their hands and her eyes went wide, unsure of how to work her fingers and release the grip. She looked back up at Drew when she realized he wasn't trying to let go, either. His soft smile gave her some kind of a knowing look, and he just shrugged.

Her face began to glow a little bit.

Drew opened his mouth to say more, but he was abruptly cut off.

"TIMES UP!" Lillian's voice rang from the broadcast.

May jumped, having been caught off guard by the sudden interruption of…whatever that had been. Her hand pulled out od his quickly, and she wrapped her own hand around behind her back, her thumb caressing over the palm that Drew had just been holding.

Both coordinators looked up and moved towards the screen just in time to see Solidad named the winner of the match.

"I guess you'll be going up against her, now," Drew remarked.

"Yeah," May said quietly.

Right, contest first. She needed to focus.

"I'm warning you, you can't defeat Solidad with power alone," Drew warned, knowing her offensive battle strategy could do more hurt that help in her next match.

May looked to him and nodded.

"Do you have any other advice?" May asked. "I've never battled her before and just watching the way she completely destroys her opponents is–"

"Hey, no, don't think like that," Drew stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Solidad is great, but so are you. You can't over think it. You can't go into the match thinking you've already lost.

"I–I can't tell you how to beat her, because I've never done it, either. But Solidad's best play is to make her opponents uncomfortable, whether it's limiting their mobility, cutting their attacks or whatever. I've watched you compete for two years now, May, and the best thing you can do is what you always do: adapt. Don't let her get you worked up and figure out your best counter options."

May took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

Roselia sat beside him on the bench, watching as intently as he was.

He had called it: Solidad and May were paired up for the next battle. He supposed no matter what the outcome would be, he could be happy for either girl winning. Still, he didn't think he could stomach it alone, so he called out Roselia and told her what was going down.

Roselia seemed surprised by the match up, and just as conflicted on who to cheer for.

Both girls met center stage before the match and exchanged a few words with smiles, May's was a little more apprehensive. She was still nervous, and that wasn't good. He leaned his back against the wall and waited.

May called out her Combusken and Munclax. Of her Pokémon, Drew rationalized it might have been her most powerful team she could have used. Solidad called out one of her oldest working pairs: Slowbro and Pidgeot.

And the battle began.

It was hard to watch– near impossible.

Despite his warnings, he could see May slip back into her old habits. At first, May tried to do a few things that were clearly out of her comfort zone. But Solidad's powerful hurricane attacks from her Pidgeot blew everything back, and Slowbro's psychic became the perfect reflective shield. May got scared as her points fell more and more, and Solidad's remained untouched. She started trying to take Solidad down with brute force combinations, which Solidad easily dismantled every move set.

May did manage to lower Solidad's score slightly, but only because her Combusken's agility got her a few lucky dodges. Munchlax was hit every single time.

Drew had moved forward to put his hands on his face. He rustled his hair around out of stress. Every time the camera panned to May, his heart took a blow, because her face while still determined, held a hopelessness to it.

Solidad was too good.

"Oh May," Drew breathed, debating on whether or not he could continue to watch this.

Roselia hummed to herself as well; she seemed to be sharing similar feelings.

Seeing May's face so depressed, after just minutes ago when she was the happiest he'd ever seen. It hurt him; he could feel her pain, and all her wanted to do was to ease it.

The camera flipped back to Solidad, who's face shifted into a new look. One Drew instantly decoded. She was going to end it.

Drew gulped and somehow managed to watch.

Pidgeot stuck Munchlax with a perfect aerial ace, and Slowbro finished it all with a hyper beam. Both May's Pokémon were knocked out. With 32 seconds still remaining, and almost all of her points, she completely clew May out of the water.

May looked like the soul had left her body. She looked completely shell shocked, and like she was about to fall over. She sucked it up just enough to walk over to her Pokémon, and bent down to their level. Giving them each a reassuring pat, she stood back to her feet.

Drew stood as well; the only thing he could do was go out and meet her. She needed someone. He wanted to be there for her.

Solidad watched curiously as May respectfully bowed to her, signaling acceptance to the defat, and she turned to walk away.

Before Drew could turn to leave the room, Roselia tapped his had with one of her buds. He looked down to her.

Roselia simply held up a rose.

He leaned against the walls of the hallway that May was sure to arrive in any minute. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he figured he might not have to say anything at all.

He thought about maybe hugging her. Solidad seemed to like hugs and told him often that they made her feel better when she was down. As bubbly as May was, she might have been the same way.

The rose in his hand felt extremely heavy, but he hoped with everything he had she would see it as comforting.

The rose and himself was all he could offer her. He hoped it would be enough.

"C'mon, guys, hurry up!" Drew heard Max's worried voice from around a corner. "This is hallway F. The guy told us she'd be here. Mew, I hope she's okay."

"Don't worry, Max, we're all here for her, now," Brock said gently.

Drew's eyes went wide, and he didn't want to deal with May's group, because they might question why he was there. They might tell him he didn't need to be there. They might tell him to leave.

He pushed himself off the wall and rushed to the door opposite from where he'd been waiting. His hand twisted the knob and he ripped it open, thanking Arceus it had been unlocked. Drew dove into the small, dark janitorial closet and cracked the door, so he could see and hear outside. The immense smells of cleaning fluid were nauseating, but he had no other option and held his breath.

The trio stopped right in front of the door, and just when he'd thought he'd been caught, he picked up on the faint sound of foot steps shuffling forward from the opposite direction. The small steps stopped, and he listened.

He couldn't see her, but it was like he could feel her presence. His hand raised and rested flat against the wood as if he was trying to reach out to her.

"Hello," she said weakly, her voice cracking.

Drew's heart thumped painfully in his chest.

"May, you were awesome out there," Ash told her.

"Hey, remember, you made it all the way to the top four," Brock agreed.

"You know what I was thinkin' sitting out there today?" Max asked. "You're the best sister ever."

He heard her sharp intake of breath through the door. It rattled him to his core. He knew it was coming.

"I…am?" May tried to speak, but it was useless.

Sobs pierced the air. May cried so hard, she gasped for air painfully each breath. Her sadness could have broken the sound barrier to him. Each cry she let out stabbed Drew as he listened. He felt trapped in that tiny space, like he couldn't breathe, either. Hearing May so broken hurt him so, so much.

Ash, Max and Brock all moved forwards out of his small line of sight. Drew assumed they had approached her. The four of them stayed with her for the few minutes she cried it all out. It felt like it was never going to end. May was taking this loss hard.

Drew's hand tightened around the rose. His head softly came to rest against the door, and he closed his eyes just wishing there was something, anything he could do for her.

But he couldn't. Not then.

May didn't need Drew in those moments. She needed her friends and her younger brother.

The three of them gave her reassuring words throughout the minutes they were there. They didn't rush her, they didn't tell her to stop. They encouraged her to do what she needed to do, and relentlessly told her how amazing she had been.

How utterly amazing she was.

All words Drew desperately wanted to tell her.

But it wasn't the right time. And the sadness of the moment broke though to him.

Finally, her sobs started to die down. She didn't say much, but when she calmed down enough to wipe the stray tears from her eyes, her friends escorted her away, probably taking her to gather her things.

And the hallway fell silent. He was free and clear to leave without being spotted. But he didn't move. He stayed there, eyes closed in the dark, nothing but a rose for him to hold.

She was gone.

She didn't need him then.

He wondered if she ever would.

Solidad wandered into the near-empty waiting room one last time.

There was a 15-minute grace period before the final match. She needed it. Her last battle had been a whirlwind. Butterfree and Lapras worked surprisingly brilliant together against the Rhydon and Typhlosion they faced. With severe type disadvantages, Solidad played it safe the whole battle. One moment got pretty tricky when Butterfree took a particularly hard hit from a flamethrower. Lapras took a hard earthquake as well. She'd lost more points in that match than she had all day. Butterfree held tough after a few more hits, but suffered a nasty burn that hindered her throughout the rest of the battle. Thankfully Solidad's Lapras knew surf, and they were able to make it through the match almost entirely on that move alone. Not her most creative strategy, but it still worked. Butterfree and Lapras had taken her to the final.

The 15 minutes helped her rethink her final team. Originally, she wanted Slowbro and Butterfree; having a Pokémon in the air always gave her a better sense of security. But with Butterfree taking so much damage in the previous match, she decided it would be best not to use her in the final, as much as she'd watched to.

If she won, Butterfree still would have very much been a part of it.

She took a moment to pause when she'd entered the room. She was closer to her ribbon cup than she ever had been. She was close to achieving her dream, and making good on her vow to Arthur.

Solidad had a moment of silence to thank him; she would have never made it this far without that wonderful Pokémon her friend had gifted her with.

Still, she knew Butterfree was going to be upset when she'd worked so hard for the finale. Solidad had to talk to her.

She released her Pokémon from its Pokéball, and sat on one of the benches to the side. All other coordinators had cleared out. It was nice and private.

Butterfree burst forward, stretching her wings a bit and jolting ever so slightly. She was still scuffed up from the battle.

"Come here, Butterfree," Solidad patted her lap. "Let's get that nasty burn taken care of."

Solidad sprayed a large amount of burn heal on her partner and massaged it into Butterfree's skin gently. She squirmed a bit at first, but very quickly felt soothed and rested against Solidad's chest.

"We've come a long way, you and I," Solidad told her. "And we wouldn't have made it without you, but you're a little banged up, and I don't want to put you at risk to be hurt."

Butterfree looked up at Solidad's eyes a little confused. Solidad gave her a small smile.

"I think Pidgeot and Slowbro should fight next," she explained. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but I think it's for the best."

Butterfree whined and protested, but after seeing Solidad's mind was made up, she sadly relented and let Solidad rub her head.

"It'll be okay," Solidad promised. "Thank you for all that you've done."

Drew slowly walked into the room, surprising Solidad and Butterfree. Upon seeing him, Butterfree immediately squirmed in Solidad's arms, and Solidad quickly released her with a knowing smile.

Drew had just noticed them when Butterfree landed on his head.

"Hey, guys," Drew reached up to pat Butterfree.

"Ah, perfect timing, Drew," Solidad stood.

"Perfect timing for what?" he asked, walking over to meet her.

"Can you stay here with Butterfree for the match?" Solidad replied. "She seems like she'd enjoy being with her bestie right now."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine. I'll do it." Drew answered.

He fell down onto the seat with a huff, Butterfree jumping down to his lap and snuggling up to him easily.

"You okay?" Solidad asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hm?" Drew looked up to her. "I'm good. Just…long day, you know? Sixteen battles in one day is a lot."

"Yeah, no kidding," Solidad nodded.

Solidad then noticed the rose he placed at his side and looked back and forth between Drew's face and the perfect little red flower. His eyes were on the ground as he mindlessly stroked Butterfree's head.

"How's May?" Solidad questioned. "Did you get to talk to her? I haven't seen her yet and she didn't seem all that great when she left. I hope she's alright; she really gave me a great battle."

Drew bit the inside of his cheek, having just gotten out of the closet and trying to get past listening to her cry.

"I haven't talked to her," he said honestly, but not divulging any detailed beyond that. "I'm sure she's with her friends right now. We'll see her at your award ceremony."

"Ha, my award ceremony?" Solidad laughed. "I still have a battle to win."

"Please," Drew rolled his eyes. "You've got this. We both know it; you're unstoppable."

"I sure hope I can be this one last time," Solidad mused. "This hasn't been easy."

The PA system came to life with an announcement.

"Will the two coordinators please move to their respective entrance tunnels. The stage call is set for five minutes."

Drew gave her a small smile. Solidad shook her shoulders a few times to loosen them up.

"Look, if anyone deserves this, it's you, Sol," Drew told her. "I can't think of anyone else better suited for this ribbon cup."

"Thank you, Drew."

Butterfree chirped and cheered excitedly for Solidad as she gave her one last affectionate pat and took her leave.

The walk down the tunnel seemed longer for some reason, and the light at the end of it blinding.

Solidad took a deep breath and walked on towards her destiny.

After parties were standard with these things, but Drew never felt the need to attend them.

He'd already celebrated.

After Solidad had won, they had to reset the stage for the awarding of the ribbon cup, so they were all given 20 minutes before the coordinators had to be back on stage.

Solidad ran into the waiting room, squealing and jumping up and down as she released her whole team, who started dancing right along with her. Butterfree quickly broke out of Drew's arms and joined in. Drew watched with a huge smile, and didn't even protest when she pulled him up and spun him around with her.

Solidad had won the Grand Festival. She was the newest Top Coordinator.

She laughed and cried and sang and all around let the feelings of happiness take her over. She enjoyed ever microsecond of the moment to the fullest extent.

He wondered if this would be how he felt if he'd won the ultimate contest. Or rather, when.

Solidad finally grabbed him and gave him the biggest hug he'd ever received. It took his breath away, but he squeezed her right back.

He was so happy for her. He was so proud of her.

"Sol," he spoke.

She pulled back and looked at him.

"Arthur is definitely proud of you," he said.

Solidad pulled him back in and squeezed him impossible harder, her body shaking with sobs.

Drew tensed, having had his fill of crying probably for a life time, but these sobs were different. They weren't pained; they were happy.

And so Drew just smiled, and rubbed her back as he let her cry.

After she'd been given her ribbon cup, he went back to his room for a few hours. The entire time was spent lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

The Grand Festival was done. It felt like it had taken years, but it was over. And he could barely believe how much had happened, to everyone. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd went and looked in the mirror and saw gray hairs appearing.

Drew felt better. He felt at peace. He still needed to talk to May, but seeing how she didn't hold a grudge against him was comforting. He felt like he could put it off for longer.

But he felt like he needed to get away.

He'd congratulated Solidad to the best of his human abilities and it felt like that being fulfilled, he was free to leave. Of course, he couldn't go without telling her goodbye. She'd be furious with just a text.

The issue was, Solidad was stuck doing press interviews until the party later that evening, so he'd just had to wait until then.

And then there was the other issue…

He rolled his head over and saw the rose, still waiting on his nightstand. Should he try to see May before he left? Or was she still upset about the loss?

He'd seen her at the award ceremony, clapping and screaming for Solidad as she was handed the Ribbon Cup, but she left soon after as Solidad was pulled off to the side for the first of many interviews.

Knowing her, she'd probably go to the after party; May seemed like the type who would enjoy those gatherings.

And taking her away to talk to her about the bad things that had happened seemed like it would only serve to dampen the mood.

…It wasn't a good excuse, he knew. But truthfully, Drew just wasn't ready to talk to her. He didn't have the right words yet, and he knew he couldn't screw it up. Not again.

Maybe he could prepare something? He had a few hours to go. And he did his best.

But as the hours ticked by, he stared at that rose, not coming any closer to an answer.

"Hey, Sol," he waved to her.

She looked over to him from a group of people congratulating her. They were outside the ball room space that been reserved for the closing party.

Solidad walked over to Drew, eyeing the fact that he had all his stuff gathered with him, and that rose from earlier in his hand.

She already knew what it all meant.

"I really wish you'd stay," Solidad shook her head.

"Nah, I gotta go," Drew shrugged. "We celebrated enough earlier, remember?"

"Right," she smiled, pulling him in for one last quick hug.

"Listen, Sol, congrats again," he said. "Really, you were incredible. I promise I'll see you soon, but before I go, I need one small favor."

He held out the rose and she took it, looking down at it for a moment before looking up to him.

"Please give this to May for me."

"Do I need to tell her anything with it?" Solidad smirked and elbowed him a playfully.

"No, I think she'll know what it means," he responded, rubbing his arm.

"You can count on me," she assured him.

"Thanks."

With that, Drew turned to take his leave, throwing Solidad one more wave as he made his way to the exit. As he left the room, May entered, darting for Solidad to congratulate her. Solidad smiled and held out the rose.

Solidad held up the rose for May, who's eyes locked onto it instantly.

"What's this for?" May questioned, cautiously taking the flower into her own hands.

"Drew just left," Solidad replied. "If you go now, you'll catch him."

May took off, bolting towards the exit Drew had just left through. She threw a, "I'll be right back!" over her shoulder as she left.

He'd only made it a few yards outside when he heard his name being called.

May was chasing after him, running as fast as she could in his direction. He stopped and looked at her as she finally caught up, bending over to catch her breath.

She had the rose with her; the one he'd wanted to give her hours ago when she was at her lowest. Now, as she held it close to her heart, he determined it looked more beautiful with her smiling. He took that as a sign that she liked it.

Drew looked at her for a few moments. He processed the feelings as they hit him. There was no more anxiety, no more fear, no more pain. Just a pleasant feeling that gave him peace and begged him to stay with her in those moments. He wanted to stay there with her, desperately.

But he couldn't; he wasn't ready to tell her all the things he needed to say. The things she deserved to hear from him.

She deserved the world, and he wanted to give it to her. But it had to be perfect.

"See you at a contest or something?" she huffed.

"Yeah," he smiled. "No doubt, May."

She laughed a bubbly laugh and gave him the biggest smile she could muster. All was well. He stood there for just a few seconds longer, reveling in her wonderful state. She was so amazing that it pained him to turn and leave.

"Okay, bye," he bid.

"Bye Drew, take care!" she called after him.

Drew walked through the darkness of the night, with only the full moon to guide him down the path. He could have easily ridden Flygon to his destination, but he just wanted to be alone.

He tried not to think much while he walked. Just concentrated on putting on foot in front of the other.

It was a nice night; the air was still and cool, even sweet from the recent blooming of an array of flowers.

In the distance, he could see the soft light from the Fennel Valley resort, an incredible area just beyond the Indigo Plateau.

Drew could have waited to go there until the next day like he originally planned (he'd booked a days stay there), but he felt like he just needed to get away from everything.

A few days rest was exactly what he needed, and he planned on taking advantage of it here at the Fennel Valley.

Nothing could catch up with him there, right?

Stay healthy, everyone. Much love.