Heyya, what's up? It's your boy GreJolteon back with Chapter 4. Truly sorry for the late update, but its the most dreaded time of the year for my kind: finals week (dun dun dunnn). Anyways, some characters make their debuts in this chapter.

Enjoy!

Ages:

Harley - 24 (he makes a bunch of appearances, but he never sticks around long enough to be consider "major")

AdvancedLover: Lol, that was a brainfart moment for me. That section was actually one of the last parts of the chapter I wrote, and I guess I got a bit lazy and decided to skip a battle scene at the time because it was very late and I was getting tired. It's kinda ironic too, because just moments before, Korrina had mentioned that Lucario needed to hold the mega stone DURING BATTLE to mega evolve. That's my 3 AM mind for ya, I guess. :P

Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon.

Alamos Town Pokemon Contest, Sinnoh

"Flygon, use Dragonbreath."

The green insect-looking dragon released a purple beam straight towards its opponent.

"Quick, Blaziken, deflect with Flamethrower!"

The red chicken-like Pokemon then released a wave of fire at the oncoming Dragonbreath, neutralizing each other in a beautiful explosion.

"Now Blaziken, close in on Flygon with Blaze Kick, then use Sky Uppercut!", its energetic brunette trainer ordered.

Wasting no time, Blaziken's right foot lit orange as it jumped in the air and charged straight at the dragon. As it closed in, it curled its claws as it turned blue.

"Wait for it to get close, Flygon.", its green-haired trainer simply stated.

Flygon just calmly watched as Blaziken started to close the distance rapidly.

"Now, Sandstorm like we practiced to send it back. ", Flygon's trainer finally commanded.

At that, the green dragon conjured up a strong twister of sand, hurling it at Blaziken as the chicken's charge was stopped dead in its track, now being battered by the Sandstorm enveloping it like a tornado.

"Blaziken, no! Use Sky Uppercut to jump out of there!", the brunette frantically spat out as she saw her points drop by a fifth.

"Not so fast. Use Dragonbreath to surround that sandstorm.", Flygon's trainer commanded.

As Blaziken tried to jump above the sandstorm, it struggled as it was pelted by the sand. Blaziken was then hit by various Dragonbreaths being deflected all throughout the sandstorm by the ferocious winds within it.

"Amazing! Flygon's combination of Sandstorm and Dragonbreath is putting Blaziken in a world of hurt, not to mention looking flashy while doing it!", exclaimed Marian, the M.C. of the contest.

From the outside, it looked like a beautiful purple storm as the Dragonbreath completely enveloped Blaziken and the sandstorm. The crowd cheered wildly at this marvelous display.

Blaziken eventually dropped back to the ground, and its trainer could only watch in horror as its Pokemon was now fully trapped. She had also noticed that her points had almost fallen below half at this point, while her opponent's points were still almost at full. The sandstorm had finally subsided moments later.

"Blaziken, can you continue?", its trainer asked.

"Blaze, Blaziken!", Blaziken assured its trainer.

"That's the spirit! Now use Flamethrower into Sky Uppercut!"

At that, Blaziken shot a red wave of flames straight at Flygon, then began charging at the dragon with its glowing claws.

"Flygon, counter with Dragonbreath.", its trainer stated. At that, Flygon once again fired a purple beam at the oncoming flames, stopping it dead in its tracks. "Now, at Blaziken!", at that, Flygon switched targets, with Blaziken in its sights.

"Dodge it, Blaziken!", and at those words, Blaziken barely dodged the incoming Dragonbreath by spinning, and connected with the Sky Uppercut.

"Great job, Blaziken!", its trainer praised.

Flygon's trainer noticed his points drop a third, but just shrugged it off.

"Flygon, shake it off, and use Steel Wing to close in on Blaziken."

Flygon's wings then glowed white and closed in at the red chicken at high speed.

'Why is he using a steel type attack on a fire type like Blaziken?', the brunette trainer pondered. She knew the odds were in her favor if she went head on with the Steel Wing.

"Counter with Blaze Kick, Blaziken!"

Blaziken's foot glowed orange, and proceeded to intercept Flygon.

"Lead with Dragonbreath, Flygon! There's no turning back now.", and with that, Flygon got off another purple beam at Blaziken. Blaziken and its trainer had realized too late that the Steel Wing was just a diversion to lure Blaziken into getting airborne, as the Dragonbreath hit the chicken dead-on, stopping Blaziken dead in its tracks as the Steel Wing also made direct contact.

As the smoke cleared, both trainers surveyed the battlefield. A very tired and damaged Blaziken was on the ground, while Flygon barely showed any signs of damage.

The brunette looked down at Blaziken in defeat. 'I guess its over', she thought dejectedly.

"Blaziken is unable to-",

However, something peculiar happened. Blaziken had all of a sudden started to glow an orange color, and got up to its feet looking rejuvenated.

"Hey, that's Blaze! Now the real battle starts!", the brunette excitedly proclaimed. "Are you ready for this, Drew?", she continued.

"Heh, I wouldn't have it any other way, May.", the green-haired trainer simply said.

Blaziken got to its feet, looking ready to go and full of fight.

"Okay Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!", May commanded.

Blaziken then sped towards Flygon with glowing claws clenched, ready to dish out pain to the green dragon.

"Hmm, she never learns, does she?', the green-haired coordinator smirked.

"Use Sandstorm to send it back.", Drew calmly ordered.

"Quick, use Flamethrower on Flygon!", May quickly told Blaziken.

Blaziken stopped its charge momentarily and threw yet another wave of flames straight at the dragon.

"What?! Flygon, Dragonbreath, now!", Drew then quickly changed his command just as Flygon began to conjure up a Sandstorm attack, with a hint of panic in his voice.

The Dragonbreath and Flamethrower met in an all-too-familiar collision, neither attack giving way to each other.

"Blaziken, switch it up to an Overheat! You can pull through!", the brunette encouraged her faithful fire-type.

As the flames emerging from Blaziken grew much larger, slowly starting to envelop the Dragonbreath, Drew could only watch as the flames slowly but surely closed in on the dragon.

However, before they made contact with Flygon, they heard an all too familiar sound.

DING!

Both coordinators looked up at the scoreboard, seeing that time had run out. One coordinator, who still had a little over half of his points, sighed in relief as the other, who had barely over a quarter of her points remaining, slumped down onto the ground.

'I was so close...', she thought sadly.

"Amazing, folks! This thriller and latest episode of the ongoing rivalry between May Maple and Drew Hayden came down to the last move, with the match still being in anyone's hands. However, as the timer ran out on us before Blaziken's Overheat could land on its target, the winner of the Alamos Town Contest is Drew Hayden from LaRousse City! " Marian exclaimed, with cheers from the crowd following afterwards.

Drew and May both returned their Pokemon, thanking them for their efforts in the match.

After that, Drew went up to the brunette coordinator, who was staring at the ground in defeat.

"Great battle, May. Your Blaziken is just as powerful as ever. I guess luck was on my side today.", Drew said, stretching out his hand. May nodded and shook his hand.

Drew then came up to Mr. Contesta to receive his ribbon.

"That was a fantastic display you exhibited in the match, Drew. That use of Dragonbreath and Sandstorm was a sight to see. Congratulations.", Mr. Contesta praised him.

"Yes, remarkable indeed!", Mr. Sukizo added.

"I realize that this is your fifth Sinnoh ribbon, and so I would like to congratulate you and wish you good luck in the Sinnoh Grand Festival being held in Lake Valor next month.", Nurse Joy finally finished.

"A quick reminder to all coordinators, the final Pokemon contest of the season is being held at Veilstone City in a week's time. If you are stuck at four ribbons, this is your last chance to punch your ticket into the Grand Festival. I wish you all good luck, and once again, congratulations to Drew for his win here in Alamos Town!", Marian finally rounded out.

As the cheers rang out in the arena when Drew accepted his ribbon, May quickly made her exit towards the coordinator's prep room. She then went over to desk and buried her face in her arms, fighting back tears.

'What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I win against Drew? I've lost every single contest so far in Sinnoh whenever I had to face Drew in a battle round. Is he just that much better than me? Am I regressing that much as a coordinator?', the brunette sulked in her thoughts. She then reached into her shirt, pulling out an item that she had turned into a necklace. To any other person, the item at the end of it would seem peculiar, but to her it was her life. It was the one link she had to the person whom she unconsciously wished was here with her more than anyone, her best friend. She examined the pink, slightly worn half-ribbon in front of her. 'No, he wouldn't think that. I can't make him think I've grown weak, even if I think I am. It'll crush him.', she thought.

Just then, a purple-haired man in a green Cacturne outfit made his way into the room, approaching a girl who was staring at an item very intently, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, darling. You feeling okay? Losing to your boyfriend can be really tough, but don't let it get to ya! Besides, you have to save all that emotion for when I humiliate you in the Grand Festival!", the man cackled.

May acknowledged him, but did not turn around, "Not now, Harley. And how many times have I told you, Drew's not my boyfriend.", the girl responded, rather annoyed.

Harley was slightly taken aback at her tone, but it was in his nature to taunt and embarass May, and that he did, especially when it came to losing contests. He then noticed what the girl was staring at, and wondered why something as plain and simple as half a contest ribbon could possibly mean anything to her.

"May, out of anything you could've used as a necklace, why would you choose something as crummy as a half ribbon?", Harley asked.

At hearing the word "crummy", the girl had no idea what overcame her, but she immediately turned around with a serious tone in her voice, staring right at Harley.

"This ribbon is not 'crummy'. In fact, this happens to be one of my most treasured possessions. I split this ribbon back in Terracotta Town with my best friend four years ago, and ever since then its been my main source of motivation. So why don't you think before you go saying things like that?", May hissed at the purple-haired man.

Harley was surprised at May's sudden outburst. 'Damn, she's crazy', he thought, however his thoughts also drifted to when she referred to her "best friend". 'Best friend huh? Four years ago?', he pondered before putting the pieces together. 'No way! Is it really...'

"Hey hun, this best friend you're referring to, it wouldn't happen to be that Ash Ketchup boy that you travelled with in Hoenn and Kanto, would it?", Harley questioned.

"Ket-CHUM. Ash Ketchum. And what's it to you?", May shot back.

Harley then quickly thought of another way to embarass her.

"Aha! So it is him! Don't tell me HE'S your boyfriend! What would sweet, little Drewy think?", Harley exclaimed, attracting the attention of a few coordinators in the room, who didn't care too mmuch.

Upon hearing that, May's face grew a deep shade of red out of embarassment. She was about ready to murder the Cacturne-loving man in front of her.

"Ash is not my b-boyfriend!", she defended herself. "I haven't even seen him in about a year and a half! I don't even know w-where he is right now.", she thought sadly. The last time they had even spoken to each other was before she went to Sinnoh with Drew. "And besides, why does it matter what Drew would think? We're just friends.", she finished.

Harley then spoke up, "I guess either you're extremely clueless to how Drew looks at you, or you really are interested in someone else, more specifically that Ash guy. Anyways, I'm out of here. I'll see you in the Grand Festival, where I'll be sure to wipe the floor with your sorry ass.", and with that, Harley walked out of the room, leaving an embarassed May to her thoughts.

'The way Drew looks at me? What's that supposed to mean?', the brunette thought. She was again abruptly snapped out of her thoughts, this time by a green-haired boy standing in front of her.

"Hey, how you holdin' up?", he asked coolly.

May didn't know how to answer at first, as she had a million emotions running inside of her, the prominent ones being sadness at her loss, and anger, embarassment, and confusion at what Harley had said. In the end, she only said, "I've had better days, but I'll be alright, I guess.".

Drew then replaced his look with a serious one, and the tone in his voice portrayed a similar emotion.

"May, you did it again in that battle. Even though its been two regions removed, you still hang on to Ketchum's battle style and tactics to some extent. I thought the reason you left him back in Kanto was to find a style you could call your own! Even now, I don't see too much of a difference between then and now. I've already told you multiple times that while his style might work for his pathetic leagues, contests are more about beauty than raw power, and you have to battle more passively than go all-out. Hell, the only reason you even had a slight chance was because you waited until Blaze was activated, and in the end it bit you in the ass because the timer ran out on you. I'm surprised you even have four ribbons to your name using that pathetic style that obviously does not work for contests.", he said quite harshly.

Now it was May's turn to lash out at him. "Hold on there. First off, do not call Ash pathetic. He's one of the best trainers I've ever seen, and I'm grateful for him teaching me how to battle. If you recall, I kicked your ass in Kanto four years ago using 'his' battle style."

"Pure luck.", Drew interjected, which earned him a glare from the brunette.

"Secondly", she continued with her raised voice, "I understand what you're saying when you say how I need to incorporate more beauty into my style, but mixing beauty and power is MY style. Its worked in four contests so far, hasn't it? I could go without all the insults and harsh criticisms. I thought that after Johto, you had moved on from that. But once we got to Sinnoh, you were at it again. Its not like you've won any Grand Festivals either, Drew. So what gives you the right to bash my battle style? I thought friends support each other, not put each other down like that.", she finished before getting up quickly and leaving the room, clearly annoyed at the boy. As she left the room, the green-haired boy had attracted death stares from some of the female coordinators. He could've sworn he heard a few whispers which sounded like 'Womanizer!' or 'That pig!'.

Drew just stood there, thinking ot himself. 'What's so special about Ketchum anyways? Why is he always on your mind? You worship that ribbon on your neck like a god or something. If he was really a "true friend" he would be here supporting you, which is all I've done for you. Why can't you see that?', Drew's thoughts raged inside of him.

'The nerve of him! Insulting my best friend and by extension, me? What was that about? Usually he criticizes just me, but now Ash? What's gotten into him?', May pondered inside her head as she made her way to one of the videophones in the lobby. 'If I had known he'd go back to his old ways I might've reconsidered travelling with him.'. She had to get all of today's events off her chest and share thoughts with someone. She sat down and began to dial the number of one of her closest friends.

The phone rang for about ten seconds, and after that time elapsed, a woman with short, blue hair came on the screen.

"May! How have you been?", exclaimed the person on the other line.

"Never been better, Mrs. Berlitz!", May lied through her teeth. She figured that the older woman didn't need to know about her dilemma, and it looks like the blunette bought it anyways.

"Please, call me Johanna, dear. You already know how I feel about you calling me that.", the woman said.

"Oh, no problem Johanna!", May said a little embarassingly.

Johanna just let out a small chuckle. "So I assume you want to speak to Dawn, am I right? You're in luck, as she just got back from Goldenrod City about a week ago. Let me get her for you!", said Johanna as she disappeared from the screen. A few moments later, a long-haired blunette with a white beanie came on the screen.

"Hey May! How's it going?", said Dawn.

"Hey Dawn. I've been getting by, I guess.", May answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. "How was Johto?"

"I lost in the finals of the Grand Festival, again. This time I lost against a coordinator named Nando. He's a coordinator as well as a league trainer.", Dawn sighed.

"Wow, top 2 in your first two Grand Festivals? You can't be disappointed in that. That's better than how I did in my first two.", May said, still sounding a little dejected. Dawn picked up on this and decided to ask her about it.

"Yeah, I guess.", Dawn acknowledged. She then noticed May just staring into space from her screen. "Something wrong, May? You don't sound as upbeat as you usually are.", the blunette wondered.

May needed a minute to compose her thoughts, but eventually answered Dawn.

"No, not really.", May sighed. "I lost a Pokemon contest to Drew earlier today.".

"Yeah, I saw you on TV earlier. He got lucky, if the time hadn't ran out on you, you could've knocked out his Flygon with that Overheat!", Dawn exclaimed.

"I know, he even acknowledged that himself.", May stated. "I'm still stuck at four ribbons. And there's only one contest left for me to get my last ribbon!,", she informed the blunette. "But the contest itself is not the biggest reason why I'm feeling down. It's because of what he said after.", the brunette continued.

Dawn had a confused look on her face, "Okay, what did he say? Did the bush head insult you again?", she asked.

May had to hold back a giggle at the way Dawn had just described the green-haired coordinator. "Yes, he did. I swear after every loss to him it's like I expect it now. Which is kind of odd because he didn't really criticize me back in Johto, at least not to the extent he is now. It kind of reminds me of my Hoenn and Kanto days, which you know way too much about."

It was true. May had spilled her guts out one night during the Sinnoh Wallace Cup, when May had first met Dawn. The brunette went into detail about how Drew had taunted her and put her down in her early days. If it were not for her friends, specifically a certain boy with a Pikachu, she didn't know how she would have made it out of those regions and become the coordinator she is now.

"Yes, please don't remind me.", the blunette rolled her eyes, which cause the brunette to chuckle. "Maybe he didn't insult you in Johto because of how well you did in it?", Dawn proposed.

May thought about it for a second. 'Maybe Dawn has a point. I mean, it was the first Grand Festival where I had made it to the finals, and also the second year in a row where I lost to Solidad. Damn, how do I solve her?', May mused.

"Hmm, maybe. But that's not all. At first, I thought all of his criticisms were mainly tough love. But... something was different today. When he confronted me about my battle style, he mentioned... Ash. And he told me how much I still battle like him, and that I would never win with his 'pathetic style'. Can you believe him?", May said with distaste.

Dawn also reacted to this similarly to May. "What's his problem? While he is true that some elements in your style do look similar to Ash's, Ash is like ten times the trainer Drew is!", Dawn said a little too loudly, attracting the attention of her mother. "Yes mom, I'm fine! No need to worry, I'm just having a screaming contest with May!... No, that's a regular teenage thing nowadays, you wouldn't know!", Dawn screamed to a doorway.

May seemed a bit confused at this, but decided to shrug it off. "You see why I don't feel so 'upbeat' now? You know, sometimes I don't know why I even travelled to Sinnoh alongside Drew. If I had known he was gonna be like this from the start I probably wouldn't have, to be honest.", May told the blunette.

"Yeah, I didn't fully understand your decision behind that. Ash told me that you accepted Drew's offer to travel seemingly without any second doubts. Now obviously I can't judge you for that, but from what you've told me, I just didn't see it happening. What's up with that? Why did you travel with Drew?", the blunette questioned.

All that May got out of her question was the fact that Ash had actually spoken to Dawn sometime between then and now. "Wait a second, back up a bit. You've talked to Ash? When? Where? Is he travelling again? Where is he?", May frantically interrogated her friend.

Dawn was genuinely surprised at this, "Uhmm... it was about four months ago. He called me right before I won my fourth contest in Azalea Town. You called me around that time too, right?". After May nodded, Dawn then had her own questions, "Wait a minute, you don't even know where he is? To be honest, I thought you would've been the first to know. Well anyways, he's in a region called Kalos, about a 4 hour plane ride west of Johto. Why do you seem so shocked at all this?", Dawn asked the brunette.

While Dawn didn't pay too much attention to the details concerning Ash, this was all news to May. "Well, I haven't spoken to Ash since...", May paused, still slightly surprised that Ash had actually called Dawn, or probably all of his other friends, but hadn't bothered to call her. "...since I left for Sinnoh.", she said with a flat tone in her voice.

Dawn gasped at this. "Wait, t-then that means you and Ash haven't talked in-"

"A year and a half.", May finished the statement for the blunette. "Sometimes, I wonder if I did something to upset Ash. Obviously I hope I didn't, as he's my best friend and I don't wanna lose him, but I don't know what else to think when he doesn't even seem to... try anymore.", she said sadly looking down at the ground.

Now it was May's turn to be surprised, as Dawn began to speak. "Uhmm May, I hardly believe that's the case at all. I don't think you have to worry about him being upset with you.".

May immediately looked up at the smiling blunette, with uncertainty her face. "You really think so? How do you know? Did he tell you?", the brunette started peppering questions.

Dawn only let out a small laugh. "May, when Ash called me, which ironically was only a day after you rung me up, he actually asked me if I knew where you were as well. He mentioned that he had been trying to reach you a few times, but you had left the Pokemon centers just before he could call you. I told him at the time that you were in Snowpoint City. But I'm assuming since we're having this conversation that he missed out on you again!", Dawn started laughing, but then had a soft expression on her face afterwards. " He said he really missed you, and wanted to talk to you again.".

May couldn't help but have a huge smile on her face. Suddenly, she forgot about what had just happened mere minutes ago with Drew, as the thought of Ash, and furthermore him sharing her emotions at the moment as well, clouded up all the negativity in her mind.

"I really miss him, too. You have no idea how much I want to hear his voice again.", May said with a longing expression on her face. "Dawn, I'm gonna tell you something I've never told anyone, not Drew, not you, not even my family.".

After she got a nod from the blunette, she started. "You might not know this, but I've lost to Drew every single time I've faced him in a contest.". After seeing Dawn's shocked expression, the brunette continued. "And in those contests, just like today, he would always criticize the flaws in my style, sometimes even harsher than when he had done so in Hoenn. Those are the only times where I felt truly alone, with no one to lean on to and talk to. Of course, I'd just play it off like everything was cool whenever I was around Drew, because I didn't want him to know that he was the reason why I was feeling so blue. I always believed that while he could have been a little nicer with his critiques, he did make valid points, evidenced by his record against me. Still, there were times when I even felt like just dropping everything and giving up on my Sinnoh journey because of my frustrations. Call me weird, but during those times, I found myself talking to the half-ribbon that I won with Ash, as if he were with me. I would remember his words of encouragement, and how they could always snap me out of my funk, giving me the strength I needed to continue. Besides, if Ash were here, he would do everything in his power to convince me not to quit on my journey.", she chuckled. "This ribbon has become my most treasured possession, and I keep it close to my heart at all times, literally.", she finally finished, removing the necklace revealing the half ribbon, and flashed it on the screen for Dawn to see.

Dawn, in turn, had a very curious expression on her face.

"Wow. I didn't know you thought about Ash that much like that. ", the blunette simply stated. At first, May was nervous at how Dawn would react to her most intimate thoughts, but she got her answer as her face lit up with excitement. " Aww, that's so cute, May!", she exclaimed.

May let out a nervous laugh, "Hehe, I don't know about cute, but yes, Ash has a special place in my heart. After all, he's my best friend, and I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost him. That's why I felt so relieved when you told me it was all a big misunderstanding when I thought Ash hadn't even tried to contact me!", May sighed contently.

Dawn was processing what May had just told her. 'Wow, Ash holds a special place in her heart, huh? And after that whole spiel about Ash? Oh and how she turned the ribbon into a necklace, how cute! I think I know what's really going on here, but I'm gonna hold off for now, until I find out more about May's feelings, and until I figure out how Ash feels as well', Dawn thought, with a devilish smirk on her face. May noticed this look on her face and started to grow uncomfortable.

"Uhmm, Dawn? Everything okay?", May questioned the smiling blunette.

"Huh? Oh, everything's peachy, no need to worry! But you haven't answered my original question. Why did you go to Sinnoh with Drew?", Dawn asked.

May had to think about her answer for a minute, but finally recollected her thoughts. "Believe me, Drew was not my first choice as a travel companion. I wanted to travel with Ash more than anything in the world! But I couldn't bring myself to ask him after he came back from Unova. For the same reason I left Ash to go to Johto alone. I told him that I wanted to go to Johto to find my own battle style, and not have to rely on his all the time. But really? There was always a part of me that told me that by travelling with him, I was just holding him back from fully achieving his dreams. I mean, we always had to stop for my contests, hampering his progress with the Hoenn league and the Battle Frontier, and he always cared so much at how I was doing in the contest circuit. He cheered me on at my wins, and took all of my losses as his own, even taking time out of his own training to help me prepare for contests. He was my number one fan. I feel like by being away from him, he can now focus solely on his league battles, without feeling the need to look out for me all the time.", the brunette said.

She continued "When I found out how Ash did in the Sinnoh league, that just confirmed my thoughts that he would be better off without me. I mean, he's never been in the top 4 of any league at the time, so I just let him be. After he finished the Unova league, he came back with such a positive outlook, even if he did worse than Sinnoh. He didn't show any signs of slowing down. And when Drew asked me to go to Sinnoh, he virtually gave me an easy way out. By agreeing to go to Sinnoh, I wouldn't have the urge to ask Ash to travel with me again. Besides, I didn't think he would want to go on a journey with me again anyways, seeing as he didn't react too much the first time we had split up for good back in Kanto. Trust me, it's better this way, so I wouldn't constantly get in his way.", she finished with a melancholy tone in her voice.

Dawn then went back to her thoughts. 'Hmm, May putting Ash's interests above her own? We're getting closer!'. She then noticed the tone in her best friend's voice, and she had symphatized with her. 'She's way too hard on herself. She can't possibly be blaming herself for holding back Ash's progress!'.

"May,", Dawn started with a serious tone in her voice, "you know Ash would never think of it like that. He holds his friends very dear to him, and I highly doubt he would tell you that you were holding him back in any way."

The brunette had to think about this for a minute. 'It's true, he's saved my ass a few times in our journeys, and he seems to care more about his friends than himself at times. Plus, he never complained about my company in any way, nor did he tell me I was ever holding him back. Maybe I was just overreacting inside my head. He's so selfless.', she smiled. However, she realized the current situation and circumstances, and just sighed. "That may be so, but what's done is done. I'm here with Drew in Sinnoh, and Ash is probably having a blast in Kalos right now.", the brunette sighed. "Anyways, I'm starting to get a little tired, so I'm heading back to the Pokemon Center. I'll talk to you soon, Dawn.", she said as she began to end the call.

Dawn waved at May and was about to hang up as well, until an idea popped to her head. "Wait, May!", Dawn exclaimed before May could hang up.

"Yes, what is it, Dawn?"

"Where are you headed after today? I know you said there's only one contest left for the season. And I've still been itching for an adventure ever since I came back to Sinnoh. So I wanna travel with you guys until the end of the Grand Festival!", Dawn stated excitedly.

May immediately perked up at this idea. While she considers Drew a friend (albeit not being a very good one at the moment), it's been a while since she's travelled with a close friend who will no doubt "support" her like how a friend should, at least in her eyes. Plus, being able to travel with someone she can relate to and talk about anything with was always a welcome addition in her books.

"Sure, Dawn! I'd love to travel with you! I'm in Alamos Town right now, but the last contest is being held in Veilstone City in a week. If you want, we could stay here until you meet up with us.", the brunette suggested.

"That's fine with me, May. I should be able to reach Alamos before sundown tomorrow if I head out first thing tomorrow morning. I'll just have to ask my Togekiss to fly me every now and then. Well then, I'll let you get on your way. I'll see you tomorrow!", and with that, the screen went dark for May.

'Now I finally have someone I can unconditionally share anything with. I can't wait!', May squealed inside her head as she got up and made her way towards the Pokemon Center.

Along the way, May could only think about one thing, the fact that Ash wasn't intentionally giving her the cold shoulder. It had haunted her since her early days in Sinnoh. She did not know what to think, as her mentor and best friend had all of a sudden seemingly stopped giving her the time of day. However, when she found out that it was only a matter of miscommunication and bad luck, and that Ash had actually tried to contact her multiple times, it was like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She found herself skipping on the way to the Pokemon Center, with a huge smile on her face.

When she entered the lobby of the Pokemon Center, she saw a green-haired boy sitting in the lobby, waiting impatiently. When the boy saw her walk in, he got up from his chair and approached her.

"Hey, May. I see you're definitely in a better mood than when you walked out on me earlier.", the boy acknowledged.

At seeing him again, however, May's face again turned into a neutral expression, obviously still annoyed at the boy for his comments earlier. However, she was definitely in higher spirits than before her call with Dawn. "I called a friend, Drew, and we talked about some things. She's a Coordinator from right here in Sinnoh, and she's going to be travelling with us through the Grand Festival. She'll be here by sundown tomorrow, so if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay another day here.", she simply stated.

"Of course that's fine, May. I've noticed that you've haven't been too cheery lately, and having another friend who's a girl could definitely help.", Drew responded. He then pulled out a red rose from his back pocket, and continued. "And another thing, I would like to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I honestly don't know what came over me. I really care about you, and how well you do in contests, and seeing you lose, even to me, pains me, as you are one of the best coordinators I know. After all, they don't call you the Princess of Hoenn for no reason.", he said with a chuckle.

May rolled her eyes jokingly, and accepted the rose with a small blush on her face. "Drew, I know you care about me, and I truly appreciate all the support you've given me. I would also like to say sorry for how I reacted earlier. You're just trying to do what's best for me, and help me snap out my losing streak.", she said. At that, though, she began speaking with a serious tone again. "However, it is not okay for you to insult my friends as well. I've accepted your ways of helping me better my skills as a coordinator, but please don't bring my friends into it, especially Ash.", she finished.

Drew felt a ting of jealousy at hearing the raven-haired trainer's name, but he did not want to endure the wrath of the brunette again. "I promise I won't, I'm sorry for bringing him up in the first place. Will you forgive me?", he asked with a sincere smile.

May couldn't help but feel for the boy, who sounded wholeheartedly sincere. "Of course I forgive you, Drew. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?", she said with a smile on her face. "Anyways, I think I'm done for today. I'm gonna head to bed early. Goodnight, Drew."

"Wait, May.", the green-haired trainer quickly said as May began walking out of the room. "How would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow? I still feel really bad for earlier, and thought I'd make it up to you. What do you say?", he asked.

"Uhm, sure!", May said. Just then, Drew came up to her, pecking her cheek.

"Sounds great. We'll go at around 6 pm tomorrow. Sweet dreams, May.", Drew finished before heading to his room.

May just stood there dumbfounded, touching her cheek with a blush on her face. 'What the hell just happened? What was that all about? What does that mean?' These thoughts would ring in her head all night.

32 000 feet above Kanto

"I'm sorry to inform you, Master, but heavy winds and storms in the Viridian area have forced us to divert to Cerulean International Airport. We're sorry if this causes you any inconvenience in any way.", the stewardess attended to the black-haired boy.

"How much of a delay before we can fly into Viridian?", the boy asked.

"Weather forecasters are expecting the storm to rage throughout the overnight and early morning hours, so Viridian Airport's air corridor will most likely stay closed until later tomorrow.", the young lady, around age 22, informed.

The raven-haired boy sighed. "Okay, thank you very much for telling me.", he said with a smile.

"Anything for you, Master Ash. The pilots have already adjusted course, so we should be landing in Cerulean City within the next half hour. Let me know if you need anything else.", the stewardess said before heading towards the back of the small jet.

The boy then turned to the yellow rodent sitting in the window seat beside him. "She said Cerulean right? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?", Ash asked.

"Pikachu, Pikapi Pika!", Pikachu responded with a thumbs up, as he understood what he meant.

'I guess it's time to pay our favorite redhead a little visit.'

That's Chapter 4 for yous. Obviously May-centric (didn't think I forgot about her, did you?). I most likely will not be able to update until early next week due to exams.

Please review!