I don't know what to say… This is the last time I update before school starts. *sniffles* Well, guys I really don't know how much time's going to be available for me, so see you next summer?

Chapter 18

Ripping a page from a floral calendar, May groaned. February.

February was always the month May dreaded more than anything. She always felt like such a loner on that day. It didn't make things better by how lovey-dovey couples were on that day. She would usually get straight back from school to enjoy a day of eating store bought chocolates and watch girly movies to pass by the day.

That was the usual standard, but this time she just didn't feel like doing that. Apparently there was going to be some kind of festival and whether or not May had a date, she kind of wanted to go. Something about festivals had a sort of attracting appeal and it was to be hosted by her own school, the school for the extremely skilled, Poke Tech. It was sure to be a spectacle of sorts.

It was said that no one outside of planning it could know what happened. Some said it was going to be an exciting crazy day, while others said it was going to be a day filled with sweet and relaxing things. It seemed like no one could tell who was planning it out and since this time no one dared to sign May into another unwilling planning group, she was about as aware as the rest of the school. Some even said that they didn't allow any of the students to plan it, and it was all the teachers and staff.

Not to mention that while all this occurred, Principal Brown had set up a contest. The contest would go on until anyone would figure it out, which probably wasn't going to take long with so many geniuses in the school. May just somehow hoped they would all be unaware of the contest long enough for her to figure out. There was a lovely prize which consisted of a few homework passes, ditch passes, top quality supplies, a hefty sum of prize money, and a full scholarship to next year with expenses and more completely paid.

This wasn't a light joke for most people, even some of the rich brats that attended Poke Tech. That was the thing, it'd been a week and no one's solved it. The only hint was posted all over the halls, ME! It could've been an anagram, a code, abbreviation, or the actual word. No one knew, and for anyone who had any clues would get bombarded with people who were desperate. Principal Brown sure had a way with testing the skills of his students.

The competition had been set up so that the only one who knew the answer was the principal. The teachers were even competing. Their prize would be a raise in pay and a personal favor from everyone else participating in the staff. Harley had seen a revenge plan flash before his eyes with mascara and eye shadow expertly applied on that day. He could even have a relaxing R&R Day with messages, hand fed meals, paparazzi, and the works. The teachers were about as fond of Harley as the students were. His eccentric way of doing things really made it hard to hang around him for a long period of time.

Saying this February was going to be a pain was an understatement. To May, it had become trying to cross minefield with invisible Legos while carrying hot coals on her back.

It was relieving knowing that the Hanabi Festival was the second last major event before school ended. May had no clue to why the festival was named so, there was a theory going on around that it had to do with some kind of food, though. She would've gone to a search engine online, but it wasn't worth the effort. I also ruined the surprise in the celebration.

Getting ready to join Misty in the car, May debated on whether needing her blazer or not. The month had started off awfully warm and the Bidoof had apparently not seen its shadow. Following her instincts, May left the navy blue blazer behind and went for her bag.

"Guys, I think I figured it out!" Leaf announced suddenly during first period.

"Figured what out?" Dawn replied immediately putting on her apron for cooking. Leaf sagged her shoulders in an annoyed manner and gave an incredulous look.

"The contest that Mr. Brown started, he gave a second hint today. He said something about having too many guesses that were completely off mark," Leaf held up piece of lined paper with many wild theories on the matter. Many of them were scribbled out, some were circled, some had both, and one had a lone circle etched in deeply with other circles around it.

"Masterbat-" ion expert. Marina flushed ten shades of red as she didn't dare to finish it out loud.

"Our teacher's not one to follow the rules, so I decided to think like a middle aged man." Leaf grinned cheekily.

"So, the hint was supposed to be that abbreviated? You sure, I would say there's no need to worry, but I'm sure our Principal wouldn't forgive you for calling him a pervert…" Dawn trailed off knowing that what she was saying was a bit embarrassing to say in the open.

"Right, that might be a problem. So, it's back to theories." Leaf sighed and took a pencil that she had previously held on her ear. Biting her lip, she took out a fresh sheet. Furiously writing away, the rest didn't bother making conversation with the girl deeply focused on configuring the hint. Once Leaf was engrossed in something she didn't know, she made sure the end result would lead to letting her know. She was simply put, not one who could be left out of a secret.

As the bell rang, people arrived at a leisurely pace. Their teacher, Brock hardly ever entered the classroom on time. He was usually at the nearby hospital or police station to flirt up the women on the force, or in worse cases. He was sent there by some early flirting he had tried to inflict on other women he had seen that day. It was a mystery on how he always seemed to make his way back to the classroom without handcuffs.

Today was an exception. He grumbled about trying to win the prize, so he could get Solidad to go on a date with him while running his hand through his scalp. He and Harley were at it, Brock hadn't even assigned a thing to do during the entire period. By the time the bell rang, he was muttering things about what kind of meal he was going to prepare for his date that is if he could focus on actually solving the puzzle.

That period was spent on some good napping, other mystery solvers, and the ones just enjoying themselves. Drew had pulled May away from her group in a not-so-stealthy way. He had just been lucky a Dawn and Marina were needed for some polls by some students. They had made it clear that they had nothing to do with the festival planning.

May had stayed awkwardly silent during the conversation at first. She even considered the thought of running away, but then it'd be more obvious she was running away from him. To her relief, Drew had angered her with some arrogant remark and their relationship was set back to the norm. They discussed what they were trying to accomplish in coordinating and with the occasional quip from Drew, the period had flown by.

Marina and Dawn had exited out of the classroom groaning. The small questionnaire had turned out to be more than just a few seconds of their time. They were happy to do it, but they had a lovely free period in front of them and now it was wasted. The rest of her classes were taken seriously enough, but it was apparent that every once in a while, that a teacher would mutter something about the contest as if they had figured it out.

English was another thing. There was a web chart, action plan, and it was like pre-battle strategy meeting. Her teacher, Tucker had made every type of planning there was.

"Whoever figures out the puzzle gets an instant A in my class. Although, that is if one of you tell me first and then you go report it to the principal, so let's get this start-ted," he said in a singsong voice.

"As my most random student stated today, writing is like going to the bathroom to rid of excrements. Sometimes you have a regular flow and finish superbly. Sometimes you're constipated and have to force it out. Then, there are times when it's a horribly rushed diarrhea and everything comes out too fast." The classroom became silent. Their teacher was often dramatic in teaching, but this was going a bit far. It was by far the strangest simile May had ever heard.

A class clown asked, "Who said that?"

"Lisa Patel, I believe she and her friend were telling us about strange sayings they made up. They should make a list for me one day. They're quite entertaining. I believe they also know numerous random tidbits of information," Tucker informed. Leaving the students to do their solving, he started whistling the song, Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper.

Wally came to May the moment Tucker announced they were allowed to work together. Simon joined them not long after, which was a tad awkward because she and Simon spoke as much as she talked to Paul or Gary. The only one of her friends' significant others she talked to was Jimmy, but even that was pretty limited.

"This school's gone insane with this contest," Simon said. It was true. You couldn't even go near the principal's office without trying to get past a horde of people with their guesses. Principal Brown seemed to enjoy all the attention, though. He still had a relaxed face wherever he went and he seemed like the most careless person in the world. When in reality, he had to deal with a lot of incoming scholarships a year, forms, paper, fees, damages, and just thinking about it made May's head pound.

"Seriously, that's what happens when you throw a challenge against a school of the talented," May joked.

"No kidding. I was kind of hoping this year wouldn't be this chaotic. Last year, the challenge was to see who could figure out how many Pokémon there were in the entire school. I've never met so many strangers in a day," Simon said recalling all the random questions he'd received that day.

"I remember that event. Those were the most exciting days I had while being an office aid. People were charging into the office trying to see the information on the Pokémon everyone had," Wally told.

"You were an office aid. That must've sucked." Simon sympathized. May looked at the two strangely. Had they always been so familiar with each other? After Wally noticed May looking at the two in puzzlement, he stopped along with Simon.

"Is there a reason for that face or is that how you look when you see a bromance going on?" Simon asked bluntly.

"What?"

"Never mind, it's not important," Simon grumbled clearly annoyed his tease had gone without reaction. Wally gave a reassuring pat to his messy-styled hair.

After class, Simon pulled Wally aside and May was left to go to her next class by itself. She was mildly surprised when her teacher hadn't set out a day for the contest. It was just an average day and that was all there was to it. May dragged on through the rest of the day until she got to coordinating, the only class she really looked forward to during the day.

She was slightly annoyed when Solidad announced a day for the contest. Out of all her teachers, she'd expected more from Solidad. She didn't seem like the type to succumb to a contest, but she was also the laidback type to enjoy a strange contest like the one they were participating in.

"Just kidding. We're actually having an appeal day. I want to see what sort of appeals you've made through the year. You're only allowed to choose three, so make it special." Solidad was quite the kidder. She could already sense the annoyed glances she was getting from the ones that were sick of days for the riddle.

May looked through the six Pokémon she carried with her carefully. She could use Munchlax for one, but was she willing to take the fall if he wanted food instead? In the end, she chose Skitty, Beautifly, and Blaziken for the three appeals. Given only the five minutes to choose the appeals, a few people were already lined up to show it to the Festival Cup winner.

She watched as a Gyrados made use of the multi-type attacks and jumped out of the water constantly. There was a Jigglypuff that rolled around in the ground to make a flawless portrait of it, and the constant performances kept coming and coming. It was overwhelming, they all looked so honed and beautiful, May was sure they'd spent hours practicing.

When Felicity stood onto the stage, she released three starter Pokémon. Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise. Charizard was sent flying immediately. It set its wings ablaze and zipped through the sky. The brunette commanded a Flamethrower. The scorching fire was set to light its path ablaze. Landing to mark its completion, it made a Fire Spin down. Skydiving against the ground terrain stadium, the flames burst into a display like fireworks.

Venusaur's performance was rather simple, but still effective. A Petal Dance was spiraled into a hurricane. A Synthesis was commanded to cause the seed Pokémon's large flower glowed brightly in the middle of the petal disaster. A final Solarbeam was sent from the middle to the top and the hurricane dissipated causing the disarray of a gentle rainstorm of sakura-colored petals.

Blastoise's performance was just as superb as the others. A water battlefield was sent to chaos as a Surf was commanded. Felicity tossed out the order of an Attract, though, it was usually made of small pink hearts. This one was purely one large one. A Blizzard froze it in place as it drifted to the middle. Once the display was complete, a frozen heart was set in the middle of a frozen wave.

Marina's performance was next. Dragonair, Misdreavous, and a Feraligatr were sent out. A Dragon Tail and Agility was sent at the same time. As the dragon Pokémon slid through the ground at an almost unnoticeable pace, a Thunder Wave was sent against itself making it appear as a graceful electric line danced through the air and ground.

The screech Pokémon was directed to make a Will-o-Wisp. The blue flames surrounding Misdreavous replaced the graceful feel with an eerie one. A Calm Mind made the small Pokémon's eyes glow purple. The last one shocked the most, a Perish Song. Although, this one was different, most Perish Songs were ones that caused the audience to cover their ears in pain. This one was sad, lonely, and as it finished it fell to the floor at a slow pace for it causes the user to faint.

Feraligatr swam to the top of the pool as it was released. Marina charged in with a Rain Dance. A tower of water was summoned with a Waterfall. A Scald and Blizzard hit simultaneously. Geysers of water shot from the water in the stadium and a steaming fog covered everything when the Blizzard covered the entire stadium. When it all cleared, a few snowflakes fell from the sky and a shimmering rainbow declared the end of Marina's show.

Lisa was next. She summoned out a Salamence, Mudkip, and an Altaria. The dragon Pokémon was sent to use a Draco Meteor. Meters, comets, and asteroids crashed through the atmosphere. An Outrage sent them flying in a straight line while surrounding them in the dark, purple flames. The Dragon Tail that came next juggled the dozens of space debris in a perfect ring.

The mud fish Pokémon flipped onto the stage sending the audience to bask in the cuteness. An Ice Ball was formed in mere seconds. Then, in its final form it was chipped away and sculpted by a speedy Strength. Hopping to the tip of its creation on hind legs, it faced upward with a Hydro Pump completing the fountain of an ice fountain in the shape of an ocean wave.

The humming Pokémon was commanded to use Attract. This time, it sent out small golden hearts and they drifted aimlessly onto the stage. A Heal Bell made the Altaria glow along with the hearts in a comforting warmth. The end of Lisa's routine was announced when the Sunny Day caused the entire field to let out unbelievable warmth.

Dawn was the last performance May got to watch attentively. Her chosen three were Mamoswine, Quilava, and Pachirisu. The twin tusk Pokémon used Rock Slide to a mountainous terrain and sent the entire room shaking. The Dig that happened next sent gigantic holes into the earth as the mammoth Pokémon was truly large, even for its kind. The earthquake gave no one time to hold on caused the entire battlefield to become a display. The ending piece was left with ancient looking homes and a Mamoswine in the middle making a victorious pose.

Quilava's performance was short, but showed the absolute raw power. It didn't get the title of a volcano Pokémon for nothing. An Eruption, Fire Blast, and Overheat happened simultaneously and in the end the forest stage had been wiped out to pure oblivion. It was a scary and powerful performance usually not too welcomed in the coordinating world, but it did give a twisted beauty.

A Sweet Kiss was decided when Pachirisu blew small hearts across the stadium. An Attract that came after showered it in the shapes and even caused a few Pokémon to the side to be affected, the hearts fell at a lazy pace. Dawn's electric mouse gave an innocent Charm with its paw placed below the mouth in a feign façade. Girls were gushing and trying to take all the adorability of it all.

May had been ushered into the prep room right as Drew's turn began. She pouted as some random intern of Solidad's shoved her into line. Leaning her back against a chair, she nervously awaited her turn. Everyone's performance had been spectacular. It was no doubt that they all deserved to be here, maybe a few more than others. Others meaning May. She did practice just as much as the others, but she wasn't quite sure if her appeals were good enough.

The worry ate at her for long enough that she realized she was next. Pulling out her poke balls, she ran on stage. Not only did she fall once, she also dropped Skitty's poke ball. Shakily, she released out all three yelling, "Take the stage!"

Skitty nipped at May's hand and ran onto the stage. You're the best, May thought silently as her confidence grew. "Double Team." A myriad of fake Skitty littered the stage.

"Assist." The old strategy had often gotten her in trouble, but she still gave into the chance of getting a useful move. A white orb appeared on her pink cat and fired a String Shot belonging to her Beautifly. Perfect!

"Twirl and use Captivate," May assisted. Releasing sparkles from its body, the kitten Pokémon twirled around the string like a ribbon in a playful tone. In fact, it was enough for it to lose focus and chase it. On the outside she looked fine, but on the inside May panicked. Skitty was now laced in the white thread.

"Okay…um" –an idea hit – "use Facade," May ordered. An electric glow broke the white thread and flew everywhere with a lonesome piece landing on Skitty's head. May let out a sigh of relief, if not for her quick thinking, she may've been ultimately embarrassed. Messing up in front of a crowd of pros wasn't her idea of a good thing.

The rest of her performances had gone smoothly. Her Beautifly had made an entrancing Quiver Dance that caused the entire room to go silent with nothing but concentration. The Energy Ball it had danced along with was hit into the air in the end by a swirled String shot. Beautifly had always been an appeal's master.

Blaziken hadn't been one to disappoint either. The Hidden Power that started it off was special. Since the move was made especially for the type of the Pokémon, it caused a haven of flames to go off in numerous directions. A Flamethrower had been next. The scorching flames caused beads of sweat to roll down May's face as she retorted with a Sky Uppercut. In the end, May had been left with a good feeling on the inside knowing she did well enough.

Sorry! I know I'm late, but my mom had surprised me with a nighttime clean session and let's just say there was mold involved. Anyway, I also had lots of "writer's constipation" as mentioned above… xD

Okay, and one last thing. For the competition, I set it up so that YOU guys can play. Whoever gets it right before I announce the answer gets a prize you name, just as long as it's something I can do, not illegal, and not gross. REVIEW!

~TDF~