Missing points

"Drew, are you busy tonight? You really should join my fantastic expedition to the seashore!"

"...What?"

"It's for my personal adventure show... I can't miss this scoop! Pleeease, pretty please?"

May insisted on dragging her rival out of his dorm and inviting him to her night walk: after an exhausting day of long registering queues for Olivine City's Contest, nothing could be more relaxing than some sightseeing in a peaceful scenario. Though he teased her about it, the coordinator girl wasn't thinking of a romantic date - she just thought that Drew (the 'self-proclaimed fan of beautiful things') would enjoy her idea while they still had the time... They were usually so busy with their usual Contest practicing regimen that they barely interacted to each other as comrades - they were usually rivals twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week.

To her surprise, not only Drew didn't turn her request down but he also brought her a fresh orange-flavored soda can as a small treat for her sweet tooth. She jumped around the PokeCenter's corridors holding the drink in her hands as if it was as precious as a rare evolution stone; her partner sighed at her silly and spontaneous display of happiness.

Most townsmen from Olivine were early birds; past 11:00 pm, only few people at the harbor, the cafe and the Glitter Lighthouse were awaken. The beach was silent and empty - the calm melody from the sea was the only sound that could be heard in the path to Route 40. The young brunette removed her shoes and put her feet underwater. Her body felt a jolt of a pleasurable surprise - the sea was fresh and cold, the perfect temperature for a heavily warm night of summer ending.

"Ahh..." She sighed out loud, stretching her arms and feeling the comforting sensation invading her body. "This is such a perfect night!"

The young teenager from Petalburg City ran across the beach, splashing water droplets with playful kicks in the air. Freedom - May felt cheerful and alive, her mind was free from her daily worries and all her attention was focused on dancing with the breeze and listening to the gentle song of the ocean's waves.

"Is it?"

Drew questioned her with a cryptic look on his face. The boy from LaRousse City crossed his arms behind his back then raised his head, letting the weak breeze flip the tip of his hair bangs. He put his jacket on his shoulder and rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt - it was a hot night but not warm enough to make him walk shoeless.

Did he just flick his hair without his hands? May gazed at Drew's stylish move with awe, blushing a little. She framed his face with her fingers, watching him though her imaginary camera. It would be so nice if that could be recorded...

"Of course it is... It's a beautiful full moon night." Her cheeks got redder at the thought that he was definitely going to notice her faintly fascinated eyes if she kept staring like that. "...Oh."

Luckily, the green-haired coordinator was too busy watching the foggy sky instead of charming her with his signature sharp yet discreet glance. He arched one eyebrow, chuckling quietly to himself.

"May, we can barely see the moon with these dark clouds... I wouldn't exactly call it perfect. Neither beautiful—"

The brunette turned her face away from her Contest partner, lowering her hands and grumbling in annoyance. She really tried to avoid pointless debates - but her desire to reply her rival back spoke louder, as usual. It was obviously a bait for discussion yet she always took it immediately and fiercely, almost like an automatic command.

"—It is pretty, Drew."

"Is your adventure show about beauty? Your ratings are going to suck if you think this is pretty..."

He chuckled quietly with a sarcastic grin plastered on his face, making her groan even louder.

"You keep talking about beauty..." She walked away from the water then kicked little sand mounds in protest, clearly affected by Drew's raw statement and smug reaction. There was something about those words that really bothered her... "Why are you so selective about it?"

"Hm?" He turned his head to May in curiosity. "...About what?"

"Well... About beauty."

The coordinator girl tilted her head slowly, walking closer to her partner. As soon as her gaze met his, she dodged her eyes to the ground. There was no reason to do so but it was a gut reaction - somehow talking about beauty and stare back at Drew was matching but just... Awkward.

"Sometimes you sound like a hater of this world."

"I've never said that," Drew defended himself with a calm yet sarcastic voice. He smirked, amused by May's reaction to his words. "I'm just saying it is not mostly beautiful."

Drawing little circles in the sand with her bare feet, she rolled her eyes out. "This is beautiful this, this is not beautiful that... You're really picky, aren't you?"

May huffed dramatically, waiting for an answer from her Contest partner.

"We have too little time on Earth to waste efforts for stuff that doesn't matter to us. That's why I only pay attention to what is beautiful."

There was definitely something else implied in that blunt comment that forced an angry Jigglypuff face from May, who cluelessly took that as an offense. Drew himself apparently didn't notice it too; even though that force, hidden deep down below his desire to annoy his rival, was the same one that drove him to tease her all the time.

"That's so no-fun..."

"Well..." Drew kept pushing her buttons, speaking in an arrogant tone on purpose: he loved watching her go mad for stupid and silly reasons. "I guess you must think why should I care about something important like training Beautifly's Appeal if we got this wonderful half-covered and imperfect moonlight, right?"

"So you think this isn't beautiful just because there are some gray clouds blocking the moon and the stars? Well, guess what!" May sunk her feet deeper in the sand, moving it faster, once again in circular motions. "The point is... I think they are beautiful in any form!"

The green-haired teenager stared at the dark scenario above them with a thoughtful face, crossing his arms over his chest in an introspective stance. "Beautiful in any form, huh?..."

He actually agreed with May: beauty could, indeed, be found with both imperfect and uncompleted pieces. It wasn't necessarily a consequence.

May's growth as a coordinator was an example of a developing beauty in form of an evolution: like a timid seed blooming into a dashing rose, she matured as a skilled performer and earned the title of Princess of Hoenn. May was no longer a rookie trainer, she really deserved her pompous honorific. Not a queen yet - but an honored princess for sure.

Still, beauty could be also found by itself, spontaneously. The intense yet welcoming glowing fire from her eyes, the random moments of daydreaming, the way she giggled and laughed in joy... He knew that May was born with them; those were her natural graces.

"Drew, do you really think these aren't beautiful and perfect things to be admired?"

Beautiful? Of course they were, but... Finishing their discussion by saying she was right would end the fun way too fast - hence after a long and silent pause, the green-haired coordinator just cleared his voice then shrugged his shoulders again.

"I'd give them a score of seven out ten tonight. They've got better days, you know?"

"Oh, you! C'mon," she moaned in complaint, shaking her head in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're only saying that to annoy me!"

Drew smirked, entertained by his rival. May... Always so sweet, so naïve. "Of course not. I'm just being more rational than you. Don't be such an airhead..."

"Gosh, sometimes you're just too... !"

The brunette removed her green bandanna, using it to clean the soda can lid inside the pocket of her dress. May couldn't find a word to express her frustration so she kept talking, without finishing her complaint. "That's unhealthy... Enjoying life is good, you should try doing that sometimes."

"What does my health has to do with an aesthetically pleasing sky?"

"You're twisting my words!"

He wasn't as much obvious and expressive as his partner, but Drew was a romantic person too. Perhaps much more than she would ever suspect... He didn't think her idealistic ideas were ridiculous, some were silly yet charming in their own special way; they were endearing and Drew loved how she spoke with so much drive and sincerity.

"Being a sincere, spontaneous and daydreamer person can be good," she retorted with an annoyed tone. "That's what makes me win some of my ribbons!..."

Drew admired May's loose chestnut bangs flutter in the air, waving in a hypnotic dance. He wished in silence to see her wearing her hair down more often in this new Contest season... But again, the truth would be postponed to another day - because that night he would definitely play the plain skeptic guy and bait May's funny reactions without embarrassing himself.

"I don't hallucinate beauty," the boy replied calmly, speaking in a teasing voice. "And I know that, sometimes, too much imagination can be dangerous and spoil my eyes..."

Why did Drew enjoyed so much being her opponent, even off-stage?

May got fired up. "I'm not hallucinating!"

"If you don't educate yourself to be more balanced... You need more rational thinking to succeed in Contests."

"Hmpf!" She clenched her fists close to her chest, rolling her eyes out. "I'm not a robot..."

"How do you expect winning against Sol this time, huh? Being happy with seven out ten? You know how nine out ten is not nearly enough to beat her..."

"Well, I...!"

The brunette lowered her head, staring at the sand covering her toes. That question made May crook her eyebrows in frustration.

"Hmm..."

The teenager girl opened the soda can and took a sip from the drink. Furrowing her eyebrows deeper in a puzzled expression, she stopped chatting for a moment.

After an entire minute in silence and half of the orange juice gone, it got clearer that playful provocation had poked her deeper than Drew imagined it would do. He didn't know what was going on inside her mind; whatever was bugging her thoughts, it was something quite serious this time.

"I'm not sure..."

Like hopeful sandcastles being destroyed by an unexpected weak but fast ripple, May's radiant cheerfulness dissipated away.

The green-haired coordinator bit his tongue in revulsion. That question had completely spoiled the serene mood in the air, making him immediately regret his pesky comment.

"H-Hey, don't be sad..."

Drew tried to act gentler, speaking in a friendlier voice.

He wanted to apologize but ended up hiding himself behind encouraging words - unlikely his rival, he had some trouble being a sincere and spontaneous person. It was kind of ironic how stupid he felt being honest and emotional - while May looked her best being silly and carefree. He felt his cheeks getting warmer, slightly more troubled than he wanted to be.

"...Being aware of your mistakes is the first step for some improvement."

"Huh?" She tilted her head to the side, slightly surprised by Drew's unusual niceness. "Ah..."

May licked her lips, looking at the drawing she had just finished; something about the result really annoyed her.

"Hmmm, still..."

The concentrated girl rubbed her temples, moving one feet up and down.

"...Still odd." She pouted a little in frustration. "Do you have any idea of what else could be missing? This really bothers me..."

The coordinator rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking carefully about that tricky question. What was missing? He wanted to help her; however, it couldn't be a straightforward answer. May always gave him the best feedback the times he only offered her the dots - she was good at connecting them in her own way.

"You find beauty very easily, so it does find you... Just don't give up, you're in the right track."

"Hm?" May scratched the back of her neck, even more confused now. Her face blushed lightly as she rested one finger on the marked sand, tracing few details with deeper lines. "What are you talking about?..."

Drew looked at their feet and finally noticed how May's circles weren't so random as he thought they were.

A funny Caterpie doodle.

The green-haired coordinator crouched by her side, shaking his head and mentally laughing at his own stupidity.

"Oh..." He sighed humbly, closing his eyes. "So you were talking about this, huh..."

Hiding a soft smile under his smug grin, he chuckled at the funny drawing in the sand, pointing at the end of its back.

"It's missing the tail... That's why it looks weird."

"Ahh! That's it, I knew something was wrong..." The girl slapped her face lightly, pouting a little. She finished the drink then used its can as a pen to carve the last detail of her pokemon artwork. "Ten out ten now?"

"That plus foggy sky... Eight out ten."

The brunette stuck her tongue out in protest, scowling at Drew. She quickly scribbled a small Weedle, a Spinarak, then a Ledyba next to the big Caterpie.

"...I won't increase your score if that's what you're trying to do."

"Meh..." May wrapped her bandanna around the empty can, tossing it back to her pocket. "Two points missing, why..."

The green-haired boy rested his chin over his right hand. "Do you have any idea of what I think you're missing?"

May noticed that Drew was still talking to her with a gentler voice.

"No... I mean, yes? I mean, maybe."

The brunette felt a warm sensation invading her body. Hard words had the power to break a part of her defense walls; soft ones were even more efficient, disarming her almost instantly.

Her rival laughed quietly, shaking his head slowly. "Maybe?"

"Drew, I think my love for dreaming and your taste for..." She slowed down, speaking big words with hesitation, "...Disillusionment? You know, being pessimist, critic and tough with everything... Well, they're kinda opposite sides of a coin but they shouldn't be opposed at all."

"Hm?" He stopped taunting with a raised eyebrow on his front. "...What else they could be?"

Taking a long breath while picking up a pokeball from her belt, May stared at his confused face.

"Our missing points?"

She gave him a timid yet honest smile.

The green-haired boy frowned in curiosity, brushing his hair bangs away from his eyes. "What?..."

"Beautifly, take the stage! Quiver Dance, now!"

The colorful butterfly pokemon flew over the two teenagers and performed a mystic dance in the sky, heading higher and higher. Its wings began to glow with an unusual light, looking like a tiny star dancing with the stars and the foggy moon.

The brunette took another long breath, trying to spot her flying partner behind the dense clouds. Beautifly charged some energy from the enigmatic dance, looking more excited and ready to fight.

It was the signal May was waiting for: raising one arm to the sky, she shouted with a vibrant voice. "...Defog!"

May's pokemon flapped its wings rhythmically in fast yet accurate blows, causing multiple waves of wind to come out and cut down the fog.

It wasn't an aggressive attack: those elegant movements actually resembled a giant paintbrush on a dark paper, painting a new and brighter scenario in the sky.

The full moon finally appeared in its best shape, glowing majestically in the sky with trails of stars. Standing up, Drew dusted the sand off his clothes and looked at the new glowing scenario.

Beautifly landed on its master's head, chirping happily. The brunette returned her loyal partner back to its pokeball, thanking it silently with a caring whisper. She giggled in a sweet way, tilting her head to the side and turning her attention back to her rival.

"So..."

Drew did hear her voice - however, he just kept staring at the full moon, speechless.

"...Never mind."

Watching her rival admiring the night made May decide to let the pestering question die in her throat.

What was the point of asking for ratings now? Even though it was a good chance to score a straight ten from Drew's intense critiques, she knew that asking for it now would only ruin the perfect moment... The silence completed their missing words.

She smiled, laughing in a delighted way.