Follow Me?

The contest arena's ballroom was dim, lit only by the golden glow of chandeliers and white string lights. It was shortly after sundown, and dozens of coordinators, their families, and close friends were dancing to the steady beat of the DJ's music. Sinnoh's Grand Festival after-party was booming with life, and a certain newly crowned Top Coordinator was receiving endless congratulatory remarks on her victory from seemingly every guest in attendance.

May Maple dropped a straw in her cherry soda pop drink before she made her way from the buffet to find an empty table nearby, careful not to let her snack slide off the ceramic plate she held in her opposite hand. She was wearing a long one-shoulder evening gown and had to be careful not to trip over it with her heels. She heard several coordinators whispering excitedly behind her as she walked past and tried, once again, to ignore her newfound heightened attention.

"Congratulations on your win, Miss Maple," yet another contestant trilled as he sailed past the new Top Coordinator. May politely flashed a smile and thanked the young boy but continued walking to the tables. She was hungry and needed a break from her constant congratulatory wishes. After her win earlier that day, she was swarmed by reporters and fans, and she hadn't had any time to eat a proper dinner. Nothing was coming between her and her bruschetta at the moment, however.

She found an empty table near the edge of the room—close to a set of ornate doors that led to a gardened patio. The night air was spilling inside through the doors, but May didn't care. In fact, she was thankful for the change in temperature, since the crowded ballroom felt warm and stuffy. May carefully arranged her silky red dress before seating herself at the table and taking a huge bite out of her snack. The sweet tomatoes and warm bread instantly enveloped her senses, and she took a moment to thank Arceus for the miracle that was food.

After eagerly finishing the rest of her snack, May sat back in her chair and sipped her soda pop, observing the crowd. Most people were dancing energetically. Others were eating or resting at the other tables, and some people were just awkwardly standing around or conversing. The coordinating community was incredible, and this sampling really showed its diversity. A few coordinators had their Pokémon out to show off to each other. May had decided to keep her Pokémon inside their pokéballs for now since they deserved a rest after being shown off to reporters all day and many weeks of intense training prior to the festival.

May's blue eyes scanned the crowd until she spotted Harley. He was dressed in a neon yellow suit and was dancing around ridiculously; currently, he was flailing his arms above his head and swaying his hips exaggeratedly from side to side. Some younger coordinators nearby gazed at him with expressions ranging from amused to mildly terrified. Bobbing next to him was his "date," Solidad, dressed in a much more subtle yet elegant black evening gown. She didn't even seem phased by Harley's extravagant reveling. May grinned to herself. Solidad had years of experience around the crazy coordinator, so by now she probably didn't even care if other people were staring at them. May took another sip from her cup and continued looking over the crowd. She knew Dawn, her friend and fellow Top Coordinator, had come to see her with some other friends but May couldn't pick the blunette out in the crowd.

After a few minutes of resting, May decided she would join Solidad and Harley in the dense crowd of partying coordinators. Right as she was about to stand from her seat, however, a firm hand gently clasped her bare shoulder. May jumped slightly and whipped her head around, ready to confront her intrusive fan, but she gasped in shock when she recognized the snarky flash of emerald in the eyes of the young man standing over her.

"Why is the 'Princess of Hoenn' sitting over here by herself on the night of her big victory?" He taunted.

"Drew!" she exclaimed, rather loudly, instantly falling back down into her seat. "Ugh, you scared me! What are you doing here?"

The green-haired Top Coordinator smirked and made a motion with his free hand to quiet her. "Shhh, May, I had to sneak in. I don't want any of my 'fans' to know I'm here! They'll never leave me alone... I'll be flooded with questions…" He pulled over one of the other upholstered chairs and seated himself to her left. "Anyways, how is that a way to greet a close friend who traveled all the way here from Hoenn to watch you win in the Grand Festival?"

"I was just surprised. It's not my fault you decided to take off from competing for a season and your fans are just dying to see you again," May huffed, crossing her arms, and permitted her eyes to dart over to observe his attire. He was dressed in a white collared shirt, purple vest, black tie, gray dress pants and white shoes. A gray newsboy hat hid most of his signature green hair from sight, but clearly in his vest pocket was one of his classic red roses. When it came to fashion, Drew always made…interesting choices. But May did have to silently admit he looked very handsome tonight. She glanced back at his mocking green eyes. "These after parties aren't really your thing. I never expected to see you here tonight," she commented, this time only just loud enough for Drew to hear over the hum of the DJ's music.

Drew leaned back and haughtily closed his eyes. "Well, I figured I'd at least make an appearance at this one, since you won the Grand Festival and everything. Plus, you're kind of my rival. This is your party, after all." He opened his eyes and glanced at May again. "Congrats on that, by the way. You and your Beautifly were great. Truly a worthy performance of a Top Coordinator."

May blinked, surprised at Drew's straightforward compliment. "Thanks, Drew..." She muttered, then added, "Yet… you still beat me! You became a Top Coordinator last season in Hoenn..."

"Whatever," Drew shrugged and waved it off. "It doesn't really matter who did it first, as long as we continue to work hard. And you know what, becoming a Top Coordinator only five years after starting out is pretty darn good, May." He paused, glanced at May's empty plate, and then added, "I'm going to the buffet. You want more food, right? I can grab some for you."

May opened her mouth a little, contemplatively, then enthusiastically nodded, "Yes, please! I'm actually still a bit hungry."

"I know," Drew hummed before getting up and heading over to the buffet table.

May used the opportunity alone to scan the crowd of dancers for familiar faces once again. Her eyes lit up when she finally spotted Dawn in a sparkly purple dress, energetically dancing with a taller boy who had purple tinted hair. The boy looked a little flustered about being made to dance, which made May giggle. She recalled his name was Paul, and that he was Ash's main rival in Sinnoh. Dawn had told May earlier that she invited him so he could better appreciate coordinators. But May could see from simply observing them that there was some kind of romantic spark brewing between them. Also near Dawn were Zoey and Kenny, Top Coordinators and Sinnoh natives, who were happily dancing together and earning some awed glances from onlookers. May sighed, silently gushing over how pretty everyone looked.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a ceramic plate topped with berries and a brownie slid in front of her. May looked at the plate and then to Drew, who had just seated himself again with his own plate of snacks. She grinned and then began devouring the food ravenously.

Drew raised an eyebrow at her, and May shot a glare back at him. "What? I didn't have dinner," she spat, with her mouth half full.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised you're not being more careful eating, since you're wearing that dress and all," he said nonchalantly, tossing a berry into his mouth.

May swallowed her mouthful of food and glared at her rival. "What about my dress?"

Drew blinked and almost seemed to falter for a second. "Well… Aren't you worried about spilling on it? It's…nice." He suddenly drew his eyes away to observe anything on the other side of the hall. May felt her cheeks warm a little and looked at Drew suspiciously, but he didn't make eye contact as he continued eating the finger foods.

After a few minutes of slightly awkward silence, they finished their snacks. May fidgeted with her dress, then abruptly blurted, "I'm going to go dance again."

Drew folded his arms and with a blank expression and looked over at her. "Alright."

May stood up and pushed her dirty plate to the center of the table. "Alright? Is that all you have to say, Mr. Rose?"

Drew waved his hand defensively. "Okay, what do you want me to say to that, then?"

May rolled her eyes. "How about… 'I'll come dance with you!' Or, 'I want to go too!'" She said, mocking his nasally voice a bit exaggeratedly.

Drew frowned. "First of all, I do not sound like that." Then he narrowed his eyes, and looked at May slyly.

"Wait… Are you actually asking me to dance?"

May inwardly panicked, blushing, when she realized what she had implied. "Wha-? No! I mean, not dance with with me, but you can follow me and stand with me and Harley and Solidad or, or-" She was silenced when Drew swiftly pulled the rose from his pocket and presented it close to her face, a satisfied smirk on his lips. He had her cornered.

"May… It's fine. You know, as your rival… it would be my honor to dance with the coordinating circuit's newest Top Coordinator tonight," He said smoothly as he stood, flicking his hair, and then gently clasped the rose between her hands with his own.

May was surprised at Drew's sudden gesture. She looked down at the rose and their clasped hands. After a moment, she nodded and pursed her lips, feeling herself blushing again. "Okay," she replied, more softly this time.

Drew noticed the drastic shift in tension and blinked, a blush faintly appearing on his cheeks as his showy mask of confidence suddenly drained away for a moment. He removed his hands from hers and shoved them in his pockets. "Alright, well…let's go over to the dance floor, then…" He turned to walk briskly to the other dancers, and May followed.

They reached the designated dancing area, and several coordinators stopped to look at them, whispering as they passed. May saw Dawn from a distance but she seemed occupied with her Sinnoan friends. They found Harley and Solidad and, after Harley gushed over May for a few minutes, they all started dancing together. May swayed happily with Solidad while Harley debuted even crazier dance moves. Drew, however, was a bit stiff, since he wasn't as experienced with dancing at parties.

May quickly noticed Drew's awkwardness. She turned to face him, grabbed his hands, and attempted to lead him in her upbeat dance. "Come on, loosen up! Follow me!" she laughed, over the music. "You can't be any worse than Harley!"

Drew blinked in response, pulling his hands away from May and a tint of red forming on his cheeks. Harley began fiercely objecting to May's comment—"WELL EXCUUUUSE ME PRINCESS-"—when the DJ suddenly switched to a slower paced song. People immediately began pairing off into couples, so Solidad grabbed Harley's shoulders and turned him away to silence the enraged coordinator.

"Hey Drew, watch out, it's your chance... This is a slow song," Solidad hummed and winked mischievously at Drew, as she pulled the flailing Harley away from the young coordinators. Drew glared back at her and stuck out his tongue in response.

Meanwhile, May was looking at Drew expectantly. Drew shifted his attention back to her and shrugged. "Well, I guess I did agree to dance with you," he mused, flicking the ends of his hair that stuck out from under his hat. May scoffed back at him and rolled her eyes.

Drew took a few steps closer to May; He allowed her to put her hands on his shoulders first, before he gently placed his on her waist. May smiled bashfully at their close contact and Drew couldn't help but let a smile slip back down at her in response. Drew had grown several inches in the past few years and had finally matched, and even surpassed, May in height. Their height difference was only apparent now that they stood so close together.

They began to sway slowly to the smooth lyrics of the ballad—"I wanna tell you what I'm feeling, but I don't know how to start…"—occasionally making short-lived, awkward eye contact. This was the closest distance the rivals had ever willingly been together, and both of them felt an awkward but strangely familiar tension building between them.

After a minute, Drew cleared his throat and dared to make eye contact with May. "So, is your family in town? Did they see you win?"

May hummed, looking away for a second. "They couldn't make it, you know, with Dad's busy schedule at the gym… and Max is in Kalos right now so he would've had to fly back here. Mom didn't want to travel alone… They promised they'd watch the festival on TV though." She smiled. "Max said he would too, even though he was probably up all night watching. You know, time differences between here and Kalos and stuff."

Drew smiled sadly and nodded. It was a shame no one in her family made it to any of her contests these days, especially the big Grand Festival where she finally became a Top Coordinator. Although, he could relate. His family was too busy with work to travel away from LaRousse to see his any of his contests. But at least he and some of her Sinnoan friends were able to see her win. Suddenly, Drew widened his eyes in realization. "Did you say Max was in Kalos?"

May nodded. "Yea, why?"

Drew glanced away for a moment with a distant look in his eyes. He couldn't tell if the music had suddenly gotten softer or if he was imagining it. Then he exhaled, and confessed, "I recently made arrangements to travel to Kalos soon…"

May blinked, surprised at this news, and was quiet for a moment. Kalos was very far from Hoenn, or even Sinnoh. "Really? I've never been there before… Max only wanted to go after talking to Ash about it, so he went there to challenge the league… He loves it there… But…" She trailed off. She hadn't seen Max in a long time because of the distance, and airfare to travel there was expensive. The only way she got to talk to her brother was through the video phones. She missed him terribly. If Drew went to Kalos, it would be the same, and they wouldn't get to see each other nearly as often anymore… May didn't like that idea.

"I've heard Lumiose City is really romantic," she added, softly, looking at her feet. Drew nodded but didn't say anything. The idea caused them both to blush.

Solidad and Harley twirled closely past the couple as they danced, but May and Drew didn't notice. When Harley started making kissy faces at them, Solidad had to drag him away by the ear, shaking her head as she did.

"Yeah. I want to go there..." Drew paused, thoughtfully, and took a few small steps so the pair rotated a bit in place. Then he continued, "I'm going to study mega evolution. It's currently against the rules to use mega evolution in contests within most regions outside of Kalos, but I heard they may be changing that soon in Hoenn… I want to go see where mega evolution originated, and talk to the experts there to learn more about how I can utilize it in my combinations." He gently shifted his hands on May's waist a little, looking away, then added, "And there are lots of Pokémon native to Kalos that can mega evolve, so I'm hoping to find the perfect addition to my team."

May furrowed her brow. "Wait…that's unfair! Then you'll definitely beat me when we compete again. Heh, maybe I should go too," she giggled, jokingly, tapping her fingers playfully on his shoulders as she did. Drew turned his attention back to her, and his eyes betrayed him, lighting up for just a split second. May noticed this and smirked.

"You want me to go with you, don't you?"

Drew huffed, his cheeks reddening. "I didn't say that! You can do whatever you like. Follow me only if you want. I know it's far away and a completely different culture…"

May frowned and looked down at Drew's vest pocket. She had placed the rose back inside of it for safe keeping, and only now she observed its petals. They looked so soft and delicate, and they were incredibly inviting in the warm light of the ballroom... She would miss his daily roses if they were apart. Still looking down, she gripped Drew's shoulders a little tighter. "I'll…I'll think about it…"

The song soon ended, and immediately the music transitioned loudly back into some popular Sinnoan rap song—"It's all about the challenges, It's a brand new game and a brand new world, New rivals…"—of which May and Drew weren't a fan. Drew gestured to May that he wanted to escape outside for a little bit. "Follow me?" he mouthed and she nodded. He led her past Dawn's group—who all were jamming out to the obnoxious song—out the rear doors and to the outside patio area.

The cool night air embraced and swirled around them as they ambled past neatly trimmed hedges and flowerbeds. They approached a circular fountain with a Buizel statue in its center that squirted water from its mouth which fell, gurgling, into the pool. The fountain's lights lining the bottom of the pool cast intricate reflections that bounced off the coordinators in a dazzling pattern. May sat on the edge of the round concrete structure, a blue glow from the pool illuminating her silhouette, and immediately removed her sparkly heels. "Ugh, these things get uncomfortable really fast," she groaned.

Removing his hat, Drew quietly sat beside her, rather closely, but May didn't seem to notice. She was more concerned about her swelling feet. "Will you need carried back to the Pokémon center?" Drew asked dryly.

May snorted. "I would never stoop so low as to let you carry me," she turned her head to face him, and for the first time noticed just how close they were sitting. Drew was giving her an odd look; there was a certain gentleness in his expression which unsettled May's stomach in a peculiar way. She suddenly swallowed nervously and snapped her head towards the night sky, looking for anything else to talk about. "Hey look, even though we're in Hearthome City…you can still see the stars."

Drew turned his attention, somewhat disappointedly, to the heavens as well. "Mmhm," he mused.

"Dawn told me there are legends about the Pokémon of space and time here in Sinnoh. I wonder what they are like…" May drifted off in thought, still staring at the twinkling stars above.

They sat there silently for several minutes, stargazing. The only sounds they heard were the gurgle of the fountain behind them and the slightly muffled music from the party. The night air was quiet and refreshing and May felt it was nice for them to finally be alone after being bombarded by adoring fans all day. But even with the soothing coolness surrounding them, May could feel the undercurrent of a peculiar tension between them that had been building throughout the evening.

"So, why did you really come to this party? I know you think these parties are a waste of time," May finally asked, deciding to break the silence.

Drew looked at her as if he was offended, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I already told you. To congratulate you, duh."

May shook her head. "Really? You probably would've seen me tomorrow before I left. You could've told me then."

"Well, you're ungrateful… I should just leave right now," Drew said sarcastically, flicking his bangs. He removed the rose from his pocket and sighed, looking at the flower. "Maybe I wanted spend this special evening with you in person, since I've watched you grow from the very beginning." He snapped the rose's stem so it was shorter. He then turned to May, who was a bit taken back by his comment, and carefully placed the rose in her hair, just above her ear. His hand lingered for just a second, his fingertips grazing her soft brunette locks. Then he snickered as he retracted his hand. "Perfect! It matches your dress! Was this planned? Were you expecting a rose from me tonight after your win?"

"W-what?! Of course not!" May hissed, but her cheeks were already flushed with embarrassment. "Solidad helped me pick out this dress when we went shopping together at a boutique a few days ago. She said it looked great on me and I thought so too, so I bought it."

"Of course. Solidad…" He mumbled, and decided he would have to ask the older coordinator about her true intentions later. Drew watched as May lightly adjusted the rose in her hair. She really did look beautiful tonight. Not that she didn't already look beautiful every other day. He didn't realize he had been staring at her until he noticed May was suddenly laughing at him. He blinked, panicking inwardly, and wondered if he had been caught. "What?"

"I just noticed… you have hat hair!" May teased between giggles. When Drew looked unimpressed, she added, "I've never seen your hair so messy before."

Drew groaned and quickly brushed a hand through his hair in attempt to fix it. The hat had helped deter his crazy fans from recognizing him from far away, since his green hair was so distinguishable in the contest circuit. But he didn't realize his hair would be affected so drastically after taking it off…

May giggled and dipped her right hand into the fountain pool, turning towards Drew. "I'll fix it, hang on." Before Drew could object, May slapped the side of his head with her wet hand, soaking cold water into his flattened hair and splashing droplets onto his face. He yelped in protest, leaning away, but May kept her hand in place. May smirked, satisfied, as she brushed her dripping fingers through his soft locks. She grinned as she rubbed his fluffy hair around. It was something she had always secretly wanted to do. She dipped her hand back into the fountain, and was about to throw another round of water onto the coordinator's head, when Drew snatched her wrist and halted her endeavor.

"Okay, whatever, its fine now," he grumbled, lowering their hands onto the edge of the fountain and firmly clasping his over hers it to immobilize it. With his other hand, he smoothed out his wet locks.

May stuck her tongue out at him. "I was just trying to help, meanie." She silently gazed into the open doors of the ballroom for a minute, watching Dawn and Paul dance distantly in the crowd inside. Then all of a sudden she blushed and looked back down at her hand.

Drew's hand still hadn't left hers.

"Um, Drew... Your hand… Are you okay?" May asked, feeling a few Beautiflies suddenly forming in her stomach.

Drew exhaled, shaking his head and looking the other way. "Gosh, May, come on, I can't even be subtle about this anymore."

May pursed her lips. She was pretty sure she knew what he meant, but didn't want to embarrass herself in case she was wrong. There was a Phanpy in the room that had been growing all evening and it needed addressed. She sighed, closing her eyes, and decided it was time to lay everything out on the table. "Drew… Tell me…Is there something you want to talk about?"

Drew was silent for a moment, still looking away. He looked tense. Then, his fingers cautiously curled over her hand, nudging her, and May realized he was indicating that he wanted to interlock his fingers with her own. May felt the Beautiflies in her stomach growing but gingerly accepted Drew's gesture. Following his lead, she guided her hand to clasp with his, and their hands fit comfortably together. Upon this new acceptance, Drew turned his head back to May.

The blue glow of the fountain reflected on his face, and May could tell he was flustered. Carefully, he began. "May… I think you and I already know what we need to talk about…" He looked back towards the party, then continued. "I didn't really want to bring it up before we both became Top Coordinators. I didn't want to have any… distractions from training our Pokémon, but… it's been getting harder for me to live suppressed like this… So…" He trailed off, looking down, and lightly gripped her hand tighter in an attempt to communicate what he failed to find the words to say.

May blinked, her head starting to spin. Her suspicions were being confirmed. "Drew…I…"

Drew suddenly snorted, cynically. "Why am I here tonight, you ask? Isn't it obvious? I came all the way to Sinnoh for you, gave you all those roses over the years… danced with you tonight… You call me almost every day now. I know you wanted me here tonight… I mean, I'm holding your freaking hand right now. I'll just say it. We both know that our little rivalry has evolved into something else entirely over the past few years."

May swallowed, and the tiny Beautiflies in her stomach felt like they were unleashing little silver wind combinations. "Yea…I think so too," she said, softly.

Drew's face perked up a little. "So you agree, then?"

May raised an eyebrow. "Well, you still haven't said exactly what you're talking about so… I'm not sure if we're actually on the same page…"

Drew sighed, defeated. "Fine. Let's find out, once and for all," he turned his torso towards her and took a deep breath. "I…I really like you. No..." He closed his eyes and flicked his hair nervously. "I… think I might be in love with you." May's eyes widened upon this confession as Drew cautiously continued. "I've felt this way for years now, and… I've tried to suppress my urge to tell you because I didn't want to start any drama between us or cause distractions from training…But…" He shook his head. "I couldn't wait any longer after seeing you win today. You and your Pokémon were great. You're just… really amazing." He looked down at their hands, a blush evident on his face, and May felt her breath catch.

"There, I finally said it. Are we on the same page?"

It took May a moment to remember she needed to breathe. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and it was all she could do to nod and give Drew a nervous, "Yes… we are. I think I am too… I really like you too. Maybe love…"

She smiled shyly at Drew as he chuckled and, with his confidence restored, scooted closer to her on the fountain. He bravely caressed her cheek with his free hand. "Good. That's a major relief," His other hand slid up to rest on her upper arm. His eyes darted quickly to her mouth, and then he looked at her hopefully. "So… Can I…?" She smiled and gave him an affirmative before he happily closed the gap between them.

Her lips collided softly with his, and May instantly felt as if she was spinning on a cloud of Swablu. She didn't realize the extent of how much she had wanted this until now. May deepened the kiss by pulling Drew closer by his necktie, and Drew's grip on her arm tightened. Years of suppressed emotions were expressed all at once. She smiled and knew he was smiling back. After a few seconds, they broke apart. May leaned her forehead against Drew's and closed her eyes, dizzy, letting herself breathe.

Everything felt incredible and overwhelming at once. Tears began to well up in her eyes. When she sniffled after a moment, Drew realized she was crying. "May! What… What's wrong?! Did I do something? Oh Crawdaunt…" Drew panicked, and cupped her cheek with his hand again.

May shook her head and gave him a tearful smile. "No, no… I'm just… so happy. Because of you, because of my Pokémon and all their hard work… finally becoming Top Coordinator… I guess I'm overwhelmed with all the emotions right now." She leaned into Drew's shoulder, hugging his midsection. "I'm okay...But… I think we're idiots for waiting so long to tell each other how we felt."

Drew smirked and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "That is true. We are idiots, but you will always be the bigger one." May flicked his cheek and Drew lightly chuckled. "By the way, I think you're beautiful, and not just because you're wearing a pretty dress tonight. I just had to tell you."

This earned Drew another quick kiss, this time from May. When they parted, she replied, "Thank you… You're not bad looking yourself, but I think your drooling fangirls probably already tell you that enough." Drew rolled his eyes at this comment.

After a few minutes of peacefully sitting, May spoke again. "You know… I think I might follow you to Kalos..."

Drew was surprised. "Really?"

May smiled. "Well… I'll get to see Max, and maybe watch him compete in the league! And you know I can't let you get ahead of me with this new mega evolution stuff." She giggled. "I've always wanted to go there. Plus, Kalosian cafés are said to be the best in the world…"

Drew smirked. "Of course you would be interested in their food…" He hugged her tighter. "But that's more than okay with me!" He glanced back at the party through the doors. "You know, this party seems to be winding down. Speaking of food, do you want to go eat somewhere? That snack earlier didn't fill me up enough…"

May beamed at the prospect of food. "I think the Poffin House is open all night, and I heard from Dawn that they make really good desserts and breakfast any time. Maybe she and her friends will want to come with us!"

Drew grinned. "Sounds perfect to me! Let's go." He slowly stood up, extending his hand to her. May took his hand and followed suit, after putting on her heels. They took a few steps forward together.

"Drew?"

Drew turned to May, and she quickly gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks for coming tonight, even though you hate parties... It means the world to me that you've supported me so much over the years." she whispered. Drew nodded, smiling genuinely, and they walked hand in hand through the open doors.