May's POV

I shivered with excitement. It was finally here; the Grand Festival. I'd been waiting for this for ages. I said goodbye to my mum on the phone, not really remembering what we had even talked about and hung up. We turned around. An Aipom was running around, taking people's hats.

"Hey give me back my hat!" Several people were saying. The Aipom walked towards us, looking extremely pleased with itself as it balanced the hats on head in a huge pile.

"Hey, you're the same Aipom that stole my hat before aren't you?" Ash exclaimed, recognising it. It chattered happily.

"Hey is that your Aipom?" someone asked angrily.

"Give us back our hats!" someone else yelled.

"Hey Aipom," Ash said, bending down to the Pokémon's eye level, "You gotta give them back their hats." It turned, quickly and defiantly, but in the process lost the balance it had. The hats tumbled down and Ash fell over in shock, the hats landing all around him. He groaned. The Aipom cheekily came up to Ash. In one smooth movement, Aipom stole Ash's cap, placed it on his head and ran away.

"Give that back!" Ash shouted. I laughed at the sight of Ash. It wasn't very often you saw him without his hat, but the sight was always hilarious. His hair was messy, frizzy and stuck out at odd angles. Once you saw him like this, you understood why he never took the cap off. Pikachu chased after Aipom.

"What's going on out here?" Nurse Joy asked, coming out. Aipom jumped over her, snatching her hat in the process. She squealed and ducked, covering her head with her hands.

"My lovely Nurse Joy," Brock cried, running up to her quickly, "Are you alright?"

"I guess," she said quietly. Brock nodded slightly as he ran after Aipom.

"Stop!" he yelled, "Give me back that hat!" I covered my mouth with my hand. I just found this all amusing. Aipom jumped onto a tree and Pikachu ran straight into the base of it. I giggled again as Aipom jumped over Brock, knocking him down and placing Nurse Joy's hat on his head. He continued to run around, ignoring all the frantic cries that followed him.

"Roselia, use petal dance!" My heart fluttered at the sound of his voice. The pretty pink petals caught Aipom and lifted him into the air, spinning him around like he was in a mini cyclone. That cyclone made of pink petals. I giggled again. That was a funny thought. A cyclone made of pink petals!

"Slowbro, use psychic now!" another female voice I didn't recognise yelled. Aipom stopped, trapped in a blue glow. Ash ran forwards and took Aipom into his arms.

"Aipom, just chill out," Ash said, "you gotta stop doing this stuff." He took his hat off Aipom and the purple Pokémon ran away quickly.

"Crazy Pokémon," Ash muttered. Drew walked to us. I quickly stopped laughing. Drew would think I was ditzy and girly and stupid. I did not want that.

"Thanks for doing that Drew," Ash said.

"What's going on?" he asked, "you're all way over the top. You need to chill out more than that Aipom." I saw Ash getting annoyed so I stepped forwards.

"C'mon," I said, "I bet you're just as nervous as I am."

"Sorry May," he said, flicking his hair, "but I don't do that." I winced slightly. Great. I always say the wrong things and make myself look weak.

"But you used to," said the voice from before, "back in your younger days." I turned. Standing in front of us was a beautiful young woman. She had dark pinkish/red hair and bright blue eyes. She was tall and looked maybe 4 years older than me.

"Wow!" Brock exclaimed, jumping forwards, "do me eyes deceive me or are you Solidad?"

"Of course," she said, a slight smile on her face, "you're the gym leader back from the Pewter gym am I right?"

"Yes that's me! I'm Brock!" He yelled, "You remembered and you found me right in the middle of my journey to become the great Pokémon breeder in the whole world."

"Wow, she's knows him," Max said.

"There's a new one," I commented.

"I haven't seen you since Pewter city," she said, "I sure saw you a lot back then."

"What a surprise," Ash moaned.

"Now perhaps destiny has brought us back together to pick up the pieces of our broken hearts right where they left off," Brock continued all in one breath.

"I'm sorry," she declined, "at the moment I really need to talk to Drew." Wow, she was smooth.

"It's been a while," she said, coming over to Drew, "How are you?"

"Fine, good to see you," he replied, smiling a real smile. Why didn't I get to see that more often? Why didn't he give those to me?

"Your Roselia's awesome," she said, "A great petal dance."

"Your Slowbro's psychic was right on the money too Solidad," he complimented. Why didn't he compliment me?

"Really beautiful as well," he added, his lips starting to curl up in a dreamy smile. Ok what was going on here?

"Thank you Drew," she said, "nice to see you haven't changed a bit."

"You know, I can't wait to see all your Pokémon," he said, "I'm sure they're all awesome. Later." He turned and started walking away. I stared after him sadly.

"Hey May," he called over his shoulder, "she's a tough cookie." I tilted my head in confusion. What did he mean?

"You must be May," Solidad said, coming up behind me, "I've heard so much about you from Drew."

"Oh you have?" I questioned in shock.

Drew's POV

I kicked a pebble along the road as I walked along with Roselia.

'What's wrong?' she asked.

"Nothing," I mumbled, kicking the stone as hard as I could.

'Drew, I've known you since I was a Budew, I know when you're upset about something' she complained, crossed her rose shaped hands.

"Ah, it's just…Solidad's appearance really shocked me."

'That's not it Drew and you know it.'

"Ok, it's May," I admitted.

'Again?'

"I can't help it!" I exclaimed in defence.

'Oh I know you can't,' she said smirking.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," I scowled, "I know Pokémon are meant to reflect their train, but really?"

'Your fault Drew,' she teased.

"Do you want me to talk to you or not, because at the rate you're going, you'll find yourself back in your Pokéball soon," I warned.

'Whatever,' she said, rolling her eyes, 'tell me all about what May did this time to get you so worked up.'

"She is so agitating!" I exclaimed, "I mean, how does she do this to me? I hate it! I hate how when I see her I feel sick down to my stomach. I hate it how my temperature rises like I have a fever. I hate it how my heart races when I look at her eyes like I've just run a marathon. I hate it how she makes me feel so jealous, simply because she travels with a group of other boys. And now Solidad's here she'll get suspicious of me and then she'll play match maker. I do not want that. It would be terribly embarrassing, because I probably won't be able to hide it from her. Roselia, I've dug myself a deep whole with May and I'm never going to be able to climb back out. I want to hold her. I want to let her hair loose and run my fingers through it. I want her to travel with me instead of those boys. I want to-"

'Ok shut up Drew,' Roselia cut me off, 'you're rambling again about how much you love her.' I blushed severely.

"What am I going to do?" I groaned. I was glad that she couldn't see me like this.

'You could always tell her,' she suggested.

"Are you mad!" I exclaimed, "I'll only be setting myself up for rejection that way and I couldn't handle being rejected."

'Or she could like you back and you could end up as a happy couple,' Roselia annoyingly pointed out.

"No way!" I exclaimed, "There is no way that May actually likes me back!" Roselia rolled her eyes and frowned at me.

"Besides," I continued quietly, "say for a minute if May does like me back. It would never work. We have to compete against each other all the time and if she can't stand up strong enough to beat me and she loses because of that, I'd feel so guilty." Roselia sighed, but didn't say anything else. As we continued walking, I was glad of the silence to let me ponder over my problem. I just hoped Solidad didn't say anything too much…

May's POV

"It's so weird," I pondered aloud, "Drew's never mentioned you." I was confused at why he would tell her about me, but not me about her.

"Really?" she questioned, sounding surprised, "Knowing Drew I'm sure he's got plenty of other things to talk about."

"I guess…" I trailed off quietly. What did we talk about, Drew and I? Contests? Pokémon? Performances? What else? I couldn't think of anything else at that moment. Drew kept to himself most of the time. I snapped out of my thoughts as I watched my brother pull Brock away by his ear. Ash followed, calling for Max to wait up.

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

"He made it all the way to the final round at his first contest!" I exclaimed. Solidad nodded.

"You have to understand May," she started, seeing my dismayed look, "Drew had been given his first Pokémon when he was seven, a Budew that is now his faithful Roselia. He'd been practising by himself for two years. He was nine when he started his journey."

"Wow, that young," I exclaimed, "why on earth was he so young?"

"It's a touchy subject for him," she sighed, "so you can't tell him you know this. His parents simply didn't care about what he did. He was given his Pokémon to keep him out of the way. They were only too happy to let him leave." I felt bad for him.

"Oh don't worry about him," Solidad laughed, seeming to read my mind, "he's probably better off without them anyway, but he simply cannot open up to anyone except Roselia. Occasionally he will let me glimpse a little, but he's closed off."

"So which one of you two won?" I asked, changing the topic.

"I managed to win after the time ran out," she answered, stirring her drink with her straw, "I've never fought a more gruelling battle. You know Drew and his Roselia are just the most amazing team. I think it's because of their early bond." I hummed thoughtfully.

"After he lost," She continued, "I could see tears of sadness in his eyes, Roselia's too."

"What!" I exclaimed.

"It was his first loss," she said quietly, "they aren't easy to take, but for Drew, it was more than a loss. He had wanted so badly to prove he was worth something. And now, because of that, he just keeps working harder. He's been getting steadily stronger ever since. We see each other so often that we've been able to keep in close touch, but he's still so closed off. I'm hoping you might be able to change that."

"Me?" I questioned, "What do I do?"

"Don't worry about it too much," she smiled, "Just keep doing what you do best and you might just break through to him."

"So what do you end up talking about?" I asked brightly, trying to change the mood, "With Drew."

"Not about our performances ever," she replied, "he's the type to never listen to anyone's advice. So we end up talking about other coordinators we might have seen in performance and at some point, he started in on you. You and only you."

"Huh?"

"See I think since he's been watching you grow stronger in your performances, he's gotten feelings for you," she explained, "I think…" I zoned out, her words ringing in my head. He's gotten feelings for you. He's gotten feelings for you. My heart skipped a beat. What type of feelings did she mean?

"Are you ok May?" she asked, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Um…What did you say?" I asked, slightly embarrassed.

"I said, I think it's because of your abilities that he's gotten more competitive," she repeated.

"Towards me?" I questioned, my vice raising an octave.

"Makes sense to me," Ash said, coming up behind me and startling me, "when you find that one person you refuse to lose to, it'll make you really strong."

"Maybe you're right…" I sighed, looking down into my glass, "but I still know that I'm not anywhere near as good as Drew is yet." I wanted so much to prove to him that I could handle myself, that I wasn't some weak, clumsy girl.

"Now stop it," Solidad reprimanded, "you need to have more confidence in yourself May. You see, if you're going to be one of my rivals, I expect no less of you than that, just as you'd expect no less of me right? You need to know just how good you really are." I pondered her words. I jumped back in shock as a rose was shoved in my face. Only Drew did that to me…but this rose was black. Drew used red roses. I followed the hand that held onto it and saw that Max was staring at me strangely.

"Max!" I exclaimed.

"Some weird guy in a cape wanted me to give this to you," he shrugged.

"Some weird guy?" I questioned, taking it from him. It burst open in front of my face.

"How unusual," Solidad commented, a funny look in her eyes. I threw it to the ground, disgusted at the fake flower all of a sudden. If it wasn't from Drew, I didn't want it, no matter the colour.

Drew's POV

I listened as Lilian did the introductions. I was next to Solidad, with May on the other side. I stole a quick glance at her, wondering what was going through her mind. She seemed really deep in thought ever since last night and I had to wonder what Solidad had said to her to make her like this. I eyed Solidad and she smiled at me, not giving me any hints as to what she'd told her. I shook my head and turned back to the screen, watching some boy release his Pokémon. A moment later, I felt someone's gaze on me. I turned my head slowly. Both Solidad and May were still watching the screen, but May had a slight blush on her face. Her hair swayed gently as if she had just moved. Had she been staring at me? The thought filled me with a strange happiness. I watched as the preliminaries continued to fly by. May walked up to the backstage door and I watched her go.

"From Petalburg City," Lillian called, "Please welcome our next contestant May!" She ran out on stage.

"Combusken, take the stage," she yelled, throwing his Pokéball out. She threw out a frisbee.

"Use sky uppercut!" She commanded. He did as he was told, smashing the frisbee into tint shards. Cheers erupted from the crowd when he landed again.

"A sky uppercut!" Lillian yelled, "Just when we thought we might see a fire-type move, May shows us a fighting type! The mark of a true champion." She grinned cutely and waved at the crowd.

"May and Combusken are both looking pretty sharp," Solidad commented, "I can understand why you're so worried." I didn't say anything. At the moment, that was not what was on my mind.

"Is there something else bothering you about this girl though?" She asked. I shrugged, again not giving a straight answer.

"Oh, well looks like I'm up," she said, "and Drew? Don't let it bother you. It'll all work out in the end." I blinked as she walked away, wondering what she meant and how much she knew.

"Drew!" May called. I turned and saw her pushing her way through the crowd.

"Did you see me?" she asked, "wasn't Combusken just amazing?"

"Yeah," I shrugged, "Combusken was good, but I'm not sure about the trainer."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "I trained him to do that! Don't I deserve some credit?" I chuckled and shook my head. I loved when she got fired up. I loved her fiery attitude. She huffed and stared back at the TV screen. Solidad called for Lapras.

"Lapras," I said, "What do you know?"

"Huh?"

"Those two have been partners for a long, long time," I explained, "I'm sure her Lapras is super high powered at this point." She sighed, looking almost disappointed. I looked at her in confusion as she bowed her head slightly. What was going on? What did Solidad say to her that had gotten her so down? I turned back to see Solidad finish her performance.

"Wow!" May breathed.

"Solidad," I chuckled, shaking my head slightly, "What a pro."

"Hey, you're not saying she's better than you," she teased.

"I'm just giving credit where credit is due," I replied, flicking my hair, "and that's true."

"Yeah. I wonder…" she trailed off.

"Hmm," I mumbled, turning slightly. She leaned around a bit.

"I heard you cried after Solidad beat you, that true?" she asked teasingly. I scowled. The one person I didn't want to find out. Great, May would think I was weak.

"Well if that's psychological warfare you're trying on me, it won't do a thing," I said.

"Don't be silly," she said, leaning around in front of me, "it just didn't sound like something the Drew I know would do. That's all."

"To tell the truth, I was just a bundle of nerves back then," I admitted. I felt her gaze still on me and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. I had never told her anything like that, it would make me sound weak, but she was so innocent and cute. How could I resist? I was glad when my name was finally called. I called Masquerain out, throwing his Pokéball in a high arch.

"Silver wind!" I commanded. The crowd erupted into cheers as Masquerain created a shining silver wind cyclone. I bowed and then quickly headed back stage.

"Awesome," I overheard May say.

"A little bland don't you think?" Solidad said, coming up to her. I crept forwards a bit.

"You think so?" May questioned.

"On a sunny stage like this, anyone would want to put on a flashy outfit, but Drew wants to win based on his Pokémon's moves alone," she explained, "typical stubborn minded move." She hummed thoughtfully as the next coordinator, Harley, in a big black cape came on stage. I came up next to them, making my presence known. Harley threw off the cape and appeared in an outfit identical to May's, bandana and bag included. He started throwing out kisses to the crowd as May put her hands over her face in embarrassment.

"I could just die!" she cried. I slowly moved my arm behind her back.

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

"You're saying Harley is your buddy," May gasped.

"Yep, he's one of a kind, I really like him," she answered. I took note to remember what she had said as I put my arm over May's shoulder. She jumped and turned to me in shock.

"You looked like you needed some support," I shrugged, "you're shaking." I shot a warning glance over her shoulder at Solidad as May nodded and leaned into me.

"You're just the cutest thing!" Harley cried. I disagreed. May was definitely much cuter.

"Cute?" May questioned, "the word is gross."

"Hush now," I whispered, "no use getting worked up over it." The screen turned dark as we waited for the results to show. May raised her hands to her chest hopefully. I saw Solidad's picture, no surprise there and then mine and eventually Harley's too. I could fell May's anxiousness. Her picture flashed up. Yes! She made it!

"I'm in!" she exclaimed, breaking out of my grip and jumping around. I smiled slightly as I watched her childish, but cute actions. Who wouldn't think of her as completely adorable? I'm sure I was just one of many boys who had it bad for the oblivious girl…One of many…

May's POV

"Eat up," I called cheerfully as I placed a bowl of food on the ground for Combusken, "and thanks to you, we get to compete tomorrow too."

"You did great May," Ash encouraged.

"Yeah, you're on a roll," Max agreed.

"And you just gotta keep on rolling," Brock added.

"Thanks, I plan too," I said, smiling happily.

"Tomorrow's going to be a great day," Solidad said, taking her gaze away from the sunset, "I hope I get to go up against you."

"I hope so too," I said honestly, "your Lapras is just so beautiful."

"Yoo-hoo, May!" came a voice, "my cute little gingerbread cookie." He ran towards us, waving and still in my outfit.

"It's Harley!" I exclaimed in terror.

"Call me Mayley honey," he exclaimed.

"Why are you dressed up like me?" I asked.

"Oh c'mon hon, couldn't you be flattered," he said, "it would make Harley-poo so happy."

"Not right now," I groaned, taking my head in my hands, "I have a headache."

"You think you've got a headache now!" he yelled, throwing his fist in the air, "girl, just wait until I win!" He turned and pointed a finger at another figure that had started towards us.

"You, oh Drew, that means you're gonna lose too," he claimed. Drew? I looked up to see the coordinator who always made my day. He tilted his head in confusion and I thought he looked totally adorable like that. I wanted to run and hug him. Harley blew a kiss to him. His expression changed and he scowled instead.

"Oh Drew," I sighed dreamily, hoping no-one could hear me. What was I supposed to do? My soft spot for him had grown and I had finally stopped denying the crush I had on him, but now what? There was a small problem of our rivalry.

Drew's POV

It was late at night and I should've been asleep, but I just couldn't find any rest. I tossed over in my bed one more time before finally giving up. I pulled a hoodie over my PJ top and took Roselia's Pokéball from the bedside table. I released her.

"C'mon," I said quietly, "let's go for a walk."

'this late as night?'

"Yeah, why?"

'You should be asleep, you have a big day tomorrow.'

"I know, I just can't ok? Now are you coming or not?"

'I guess I have no choice'

"That's right you don't." I headed out, Roselia grumpily following me. I climbed up to the roof of the stadium and sat down on a bench.

'You know Drew; I'm getting sick of this. Just tell May how you feel.'

"Shut up Roselia," I hissed upon hearing footsteps. I listened as they approached and then stopped.

"Drew?" my heart sped up. Of all the people why did it have to be her?

"Hey," I replied shortly, raising my hand in acknowledgement that I had heard her.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. I felt her sit down on the opposite side of the bench.

"Same reason as you I guess," I shrugged, "I couldn't sleep." She sighed and curled her knees to her chest.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, eventually breaking the silence.

"You mean who?"

"What?"

"You asked what I was thinking about when you should've asked who," I explained, "I'm thinking of someone."

"Oh…Who then?"

"Never mind," I sighed, "it doesn't matter."

"Aww c'mon Drew," she cooed, "you know you can tell me."

"I'd rather not," I said firmly indicating I was done. Why had I even brought it up?

"It's Solidad isn't it?" she questioned, "I bet you're thinking of her." I looked at her. She had disappointment written all over her face. I frowned. I didn't understand it.

"No it's not Solidad," I sighed again, "but don't worry about it. I'll work it out." She nodded and we went back to sitting in silence. She shivered slightly. I slipped my hoodie over my head. It was about time I got out of here. I didn't want to do something I would regret later.

"Hey, I'm going back to bed," I told her, dropping my jumper in her lap, "try not to stay out here too long ok?" She looked at me in confusion as she picked up the jumper.

"So you don't catch a cold," I explained, "Just give it back to me tomorrow."

"Thanks," she smiled, tugging it on, "I'll see you tomorrow then." I raised my hand in acknowledgement again as I walked away, Roselia giving me looks as she followed me.

"Shut up Roselia," I hissed when I came back into my room.

'I didn't say anything.'

"Yeah, but I know what you're thinking and no, I'm still not going to say it."

'Whatever Drew.'

May's POV

I hugged the jacket close as I walked towards the stadium. I had left before the others, wanting to see Drew alone to thank him. Max and Ash had been wondering why I had his jacket and so I told them that I'd found it on the roof while going up for some fresh air. They didn't need to know the real reason. I felt like Drew wouldn't appreciate if people knew about it. I breathed in, holding the material close to my nose. It smelt like roses with a touch of fresh mint and somehow it was dangerously intoxicating. I had caught a whiff of it yesterday briefly when he had hugged me and I could faintly smell it on his jacket. I loved his smell. Now I was trying to get enough of it now so I wouldn't embarrass myself by throwing myself at him. I straightened myself up when I came to the door, holding the jacket away from me and then entered. I immediately spotted Drew, talking to Solidad. She was giving him a strange look and he was blushing lightly, though it was hardly noticeable. I felt my heart sink. Solidad really was a special person to him and that crushed me. I shook my head and forced a bright smile onto my face.

"Hi guys!" I called.

"Oh hi May," Solidad said, "This is a nice surprise seeing as we were just talking about you."

"You were?" I questioned, sneaking a glance at Drew.

"Please don't flatter the girl," Drew mumbled, not looking at either of us. His hair covered his face so I couldn't see his expression. When he turned back, he had a blank look.

"Here Drew," I said, holding his jacket out to him, "I found this last night when I was walking."

"Uh…thanks…" he said, looking at me confused. I smiled again. We stayed quiet, none of us really knowing what to say as the stadium slowly filled up. Lillian started the announcements and Drew walked away.

"Where's he going?" I asked.

"Stage door," Solidad answered, "he's up first." I eagerly looked up at the screen as I saw his walk out. He threw out a Pokéball. An Absol popped out.

"That's Drew's new Pokémon," I gasped. It looked so powerful. Solidad nodded.

"Absol, use flash!" He commanded. I watched as he let out a bright light, making his coat sparkle.

"Wow," I breathed.

"That moves harder than it seems," Solidad commented, "Just look at that pure white fur. Drew's doing a fantastic job, as always." I nodded as I watched the rest of his appeal in awe. How could I ever match up to that? Drew bowed to the crowd.

"Drew's sure something else," Solidad said, "Don't you think?"

"Yeah," I sighed dreamily. He sure was. Solidad laughed as she looked at me.

"What?"

"Oh nothing," she shrugged. I tilted my head in confusion, but she didn't say any more.

Drew's POV

I walked down the halls. I can't believe it! I let my feelings run away with me and then Absol didn't perform as well as he should have.

"And here's Drew!" Jessadia called, "How did it go, inquiring minds want to know." I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, no comment," I said and continued walking. I really wanted to see how May did and then I would go train. I peeked at the screen. May's Munchlax shot out a solar beam and then hit it with a focus punch. My eyes widened as I saw and heard the results. Wow. She was good. At least she wasn't distracted by any stupid feelings. I turned around and quickly walked away. I shoved my hands in my pockets, feeling the Pokéball there. Absol's Pokéball. I needed to train; find a way to get him not become immune to the feelings I felt. Roselia could do it. Masquerain could do it. Butterfree could do it; even Flygon could do it now. I knew I shouldn't have used Absol. He just wasn't strong enough to be able to ignore my confusing thoughts yet. I looked around. I had come far enough to a secluded area. I released Absol and he looked at me in confusion.

"Absol!" I yelled, letting my annoyance get the better of me, "you have to be stronger. You have to ignore what I'm feeling and just do as I say." He cowered.

"You have to because these confusing thoughts aren't going to go away anytime soon," I continued, "and I need you to be able to battle properly or I won't be able to use you to win." He bowed his head. Good. Maybe I could do it better now. I heard the bushes nearby rustle and footsteps pound away. Who was that? Why were they spying on me?

May's POV

I shook as I waited with friends backstage. We weren't going to find out the results until tomorrow, but I was so nervous. 16 people weren't that many and I really wanted to go through. I wanted to try to win. I wanted more than anything to show Drew that I was a strong coordinator.

"16 people is an awfully small amount to get through to the next round, you know," I spoke up.

"C'mon May, you did awesome," my brother encouraged.

"Yeah, remember all the hard work and hours you put into training for this," Brock agreed.

"You worked hard for it and you deserve it," Ash added, "I'm sure you'll get in."

"You're right Ash," I said, "after all; I made it this far right?"

"Hi May," Solidad called.

"Oh hi Solidad," I said, looking up as she came towards us.

"That performance you put on was one of the best ever," she encouraged.

"You think so?" I questioned, "Thanks so much Solidad."

"I wish I had thought of that move," she commented.

"May darling! It's awful, awful," Harley called, "something's wrong with Drew." My eyes widened.

"Where, show me!" I cried, "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"

"Follow me," he said and ran back out. I ran after him, hearing the comforting sounds of footsteps after me. Where was he? What was wrong? Please don't let him be hurt.

"He's over there!" Harley called, pointing. He was yelling at his Absol after it hadn't hit him with razor wind.

"Drew!" I cried, coming up to him, "What's wrong with you Drew?"

"Nothing," he answered, turning away, "Absol wasn't doing it right that's all and this is serious stuff." He brushed his hair out of his face, but it wasn't his usual arrogant flick.

"Things were going great at first," Solidad jumped in, "the audience was completely mesmerised by your flash and water pulse attacks, but you used razor wind for your finish and you felt like you failed. It's true isn't it Drew?"

"I just…didn't have any passion," he said.

"Oh Drew," I sighed, my heart reaching for him.

"Absol, we'll deal with this later. Return," he said. There was a flash of red and the Pokémon went back into his Pokéball, but not before I saw his look of shame and hurt. I felt sorry for the Pokémon.

"I'm outa here," he said, sounding defeated.

"Drew!" I called, "hey your Absol tried its absolute hardest and looked really beautiful too and all you can say is Absol failed? Don't you think Absol deserves a bit more than that?" I don't know why, but I felt like I had to stick up for his Pokémon. Drew just wasn't acting like himself.

"Roselia, Masquerain and Flygon," he started, sounding upset and really emotional, "they can all do exactly what I tell them, no matter what. Simple trying your best isn't gonna get praise from me." He turned suddenly and I saw annoyance and hurt flash in his eyes. I was taken aback at just how upset he looked.

"I'm not a wimp like you!" he yelled. I gasped, tears stinging my eyes. He walked away and I bowed my head.

"How could he say that?" I asked no-one in particular, "I'm not soft just because I love and support my Pokémon. What's wrong with him?"

I turned, seeing the sky start to turn pink.

"We should head back," I said, not looking at anyone. Solidad put her arm around me and led me to a bench. I sat down. Max took my hand and gently patted it.

"I've never seen that side of Drew before," Max said, "It's kind of scary."

"You know he didn't mean anything he just said," Solidad assured me, "he's just upset."

"What's wrong with him? He can't have just said that because he was unhappy," I said.

"You and I both know that there's more to him than just that," she said, giving Max a look. He got the picture and jumped off the bench.

"I'll just meet you guys back at the Pokécentre ok?" he said. I nodded and he started to walk away.

"The roots of his annoyance go deeper than you think May," she sighed, "I told you before, it's not just about winning or losing, to him it's about proving he's worth something. He can't stand to have everyone see his Pokémon like that."

"I know, but…" I trailed off, "why did he blow up at me and not you? Am I not on the same level as you are?"

"Of course you're not," she laughed, "you're on a completely different level completely."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Drew looks up to me as a role model and a big sister," she explained, "He can open up to me just enough to let me figure out what he's feeling with his Pokémon. That way I can help him, but you're different May. You've awakened something inside him and now he doesn't know what to do about it. He's annoyed that Absol can sense this when all his other Pokémon have become immune to it. It's because of you that he can't handle it and I knew eventually it would all come out."

"Me?" I questioned.

"Yes May, you," she confirmed, "You've been able to touch something deep within him that you don't even know about and he's scared of it."

"What do I do?" I asked.

"You just need to hang in there and keep being yourself," she suggested, "I think he'll break down eventually and open up to you more than he's ever done to me. May, you're almost there so just hang in there." I sniffed slightly. It was going to be hard.

Drew's POV

I sat on a hill. I really felt terrible about yelling at May. I had seen the tears in her eyes. I couldn't help it. I couldn't handle everything that she was making me feel.

"Hey!" a voice cried out. I turned around, knowing the voice as Ash's. I was hoping to see May so I could apologise to her, but I only saw Ash and Brock.

"Oh it's you guys," I said disappointed. Ash was looking at me and I knew what he was thinking. I shouldn't have hurt May.

"Look I said what was on my mind ok?" I said in defence, "I just couldn't handle it."

"I know that Drew," he said, sitting down.

"Solidad's having a little talk with May right now," Brock said, "I think it'd be a good time to do the same thing." I stayed quiet, not looking at either of them. The only one I could ever talk to about this kind of thing was Solidad, but she was talking to May. I hoped she didn't give too much away. She had quickly figured out that May was something different to me, but I don't know if she had gotten anything else out of it either.

"You know," Ask spoke up, breaking the silence, "watching you out there earlier made me think about all the rivals I've faced in battle over the years. I never talk to them about how they train or anything. We deal with that on the battle field." If he was trying to make me feel better he wasn't doing a very good job.

"I hear you," I sighed, "we're rivals…May and I…" He just didn't know how much I wished for something more than that. He didn't know how that was not an option. He didn't know how much it was killing me inside.

"I've never had feelings for any of my rivals either," he chuckled. I looked at him, narrowing my eyes. May had told me he was really dense. Apparently he couldn't figure out that his crush had been crushing on him for ages.

"I don't know what you mean by these feelings," I said.

"Don't be silly Drew," Brock laughed, "anyone can see you value May as more than just a rival."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged, not answering them, "then how do you suppose I feel?"

"It's so obvious Drew," Ash sighed, "you want to be May's friend, but you're scared." So he thought that I wanted to be friends. Well, I could go with that.

"I'm not scared of being May's friend," I corrected.

"No you're not," Brock agreed, "you have mixed feelings about it don't you? You want to be her friend, but you don't want that to get in the way of your rivalry."

"Yeah…" I trailed off. Replaced the word friend with boyfriend and that was exactly how I felt.

"Well don't worry about it," Ash assured, "being friends with May won't kill your rivalry, and it just might make it more pleasant for both of you."

"Whatever you do Drew," Brock added, "just remember that you'll have to talk to her about it sometime or those feelings will just overwhelm you and you'll sink." I hummed thoughtfully, looking out at the sun again.

May's POV

I had avoided Drew last night when I had seen him on the roof again. I didn't want to cause another outburst like that afternoon. I saw him now and I stopped. He still looked really agitated and deep in thought. He was by himself. He looked up and his eyes locked with mine. I froze completely, not daring to move as he stood up and slowly started to walk over to me.

"May, I'm sorry," he apologised, bowing his head. I blinked in shock. Was Drew really saying what I thought he had? His arms slowly and timidly wrapped around me and pulled me into him. I breathed in deeply, taking the chance to smell his scent of roses and mint. I curled my hand around his body, resting my head gently against his chest.

"I'm so sorry May," he repeated, his voice cracking slightly, "I didn't mean it. My emotions were just too overwhelming. I just couldn't handle them. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." Solidad was right about something then. It was because he had too many emotions to manage.

"It's ok," I said softly, "I understand."

"You do?" he questioned, stepping back. I shivered, missing the warmth and comfort he had provided.

"Solidad told me that you didn't mean it and that it was because you had too many emotions that you said it," I explained, "don't worry. I forgive you."

"She did?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing, "What else did she tell you?"

"Nothing much," I shrugged, hoping he couldn't see through my lie. I cringed slightly under his gaze. I bit my lip and twirled my hair with one of my fingers.

"You're lying May," he said.

"W-what? N-no I'm not!" I exclaimed, my voice raising an octave.

"May, you're fidgeting, stuttering and your voice just raised higher, you're lying," he sighed, "I know you're lying so don't try to deny it. You're such a bad liar; now tell me what Solidad said to you."

"Um…She said you see her as an older sister and a role model?" I tried. It wasn't lying; it just wasn't all of it.

"What else?" he asked, "that's not all she said." I squeezed my eyes closed. Why did I decide it was a good idea to come back here without Brock or Ash or even my brother?

"All coordinators come on stage please!" Lillian yelled above the racket. Saved by the bell. I quickly hurried away, quickly finding Solidad.

"Solidad," I hissed, "Drew's suspicious of what you told me last night, what do I tell him?"

"Don't worry about him," she laughed, "I'll deal with that when I see him."

"And he said sorry to me," I continued, "I think he's sick."

"Drew said sorry?" she laughed again, "I told you that you had an effect on him didn't I?"

"The results are in for our first round of performances so let's take a look," Lillian exclaimed once everyone was on stage, "We had 64 coordinators compete and out of that impressive field, only the top 16 will be moving on to the Grand Festival second round battles. And here they are!" I crossed my fingers hopefully as the pictures flashed up on screen. Girl, boy, Solidad, girl, boy, Harley, girl, boy, Drew, Me! I was there! I made it! I squealed in excitement, hugging Solidad.

"And now it's time to shuffle the deck and see who's facing who in the second round," Lillian exclaimed. I searched quickly for my picture when the pictures stopped flashing. I gasped. I was paired with Harley.

"Oh no!" I wailed, "Not me and Harley!"

"It's kismet honey," he said, "When it comes to fate you smile sweetly and keep your powder dry."

"Right," I said, "I'm sure you've learned to do that."

"Hmm," he mumbled, "you seem awfully chipper after that drag out with Drew."

"I'm fine," I exclaimed, "He didn't mean it and we're all good again."

"Such a big girl," Harley said in a patronizing tone, "well if Drew can't make you weep, then I'll have to do the honours."

"We'll see about that," I challenged.

Drew's POV

I watched the screen intently next to Solidad. She had told me that all she and May had talked about last night were some of their favourite memories of their coordinating experience. When I asked why May was so embarrassed that she had to lie, Solidad shrugged and told me it might have been because many of the moments she had mentioned also had me in them. I frowned in confusion. May and I had had a couple of good moments together, like our rare time together on Mirage Island, but I didn't think that May would consider them her favourite memories. She was just so confusing and I couldn't work it out. May's Eevee and Munchlax were up against Harley's Cacturne and Wigglytuff.

"Being able to expand Wigglytuff's body like that can mean big points," Solidad commented, "but Harley had better be very careful." I sighed in relief as Harley's Cacturne was knocked out. That would make one less threat, but if May didn't know the right way to deal with a Wigglytuff, she still wouldn't stand a chance.

"Wow, Harley's cutting it close," Solidad exclaimed.

"Maybe…" I trailed off. I watched in horror as May's Pokémon were beaten up in mid-air and roughly slammed to the ground. May lost a lot of points. Oh c'mon May, I cheered in my head, you can do it. May continued to fire the same attacks at Wigglytuff. I cringed as May's points dropped dangerously low. May's face suddenly lit up. She commanded an attack that exploded behind Wigglytuff, thrusting it forwards and out of control towards the ground. I sighed in relief again as I saw May's Munchlax knock Wigglytuff out with a double focus punch. She won. May ran and hugged her Pokémon close while Harley furiously clenched his teeth and his fists. I made quick work of my opponent's Medicham and Loudred. Solidad finished her opponent just as quickly. I looked up at the screen. My picture flashed up next to May's. Great, I get to battle her after all.

"Combusken, Squirtle, take the stage," she yelled.

"Flygon, Absol, let's go," I shouted. We released our Pokémon. The battle began with May asking for Rapid spin and me commanding sand storm. I waited for May's next move after Absol knocked Combusken back with iron tail.

"Combusken, sky uppercut!" she yelled, "Squirtle, bubble go." I countered the attacks quickly.

"Flygon, Absol, dragon formation," I commanded, throwing May a smug look as she tilted her head in confusion. I commanded the attack I had been working on. It swept across the entire stage and took both May's Pokémon with it. I had practised that for ages, and luckily Absol had finally become immune to the confusion in my brain like the rest of my Pokémon. I would be able to battle properly now.

"Combusken, fire spin!" she yelled after I commanded my next attack, "Squirtle, bubble!" My eyes widened as I watched the attacks combine, giving off strange blue electric sparks. My Pokémon were thrown back as they hit and my points dropped. Wow, I admit that was a really impressive move. The next attack sequence had Flygon knocked out. One more attack from me and I had evened it out again by knocking Squirtle out. Both of us recalled our unconscious Pokémon. The battle continued, our points both dropping evenly. Combusken started to glow red and give off vast amounts of steam. I commanded my next move, anxious about what would happen if Combusken continued like that.

"Ok Combusken, time to use overheat," May shouted. My eyes widened again as Combusken released the powerful fire attack. She never failed to surprise me. The battle continued and our points dropped seriously low.

"C'mon I know your game," I taunted, seeing her scowl as my Pokémon extinguished her move, "your overheat's getting a lot weaker and now, you're just trying to get close." I took a moment to glance at the clock. There was less than a minute left now. Time to wrap this up soon.

"Water pulse, go!" I commanded, knowing that May's Combusken couldn't possible last much longer.

"Overheat!" she yelled. I shook my head as the attack didn't do anything to stop it. The giant wave hit Combusken. Surely he'd be finished now. I gasped in shock as I saw that Combusken was still standing. I quickly shook it off.

"It's over May," I said, "Absol use iron tail."

"Sky uppercut!" May yelled.

"Huh?" I watched stupidly as Absol was knocked back. My points dropped severely. The clock beeped.

"Time's up!" Lillian called, "The winner is May by a fraction of points!" May squealed in happiness. I walked over to Absol who was looking shameful and disappointed.

"You're the best Absol," I told him, rubbing his head gently. I guess it hadn't been fair on me to take my anger out on him. I felt May watching me. I turned to her, my gaze locking with hers. She looked hopeful. I smiled and nodded at her. She grinned and happily hugged her Pokémon.

I watched May while she fed her Pokémon. She looked so happy. I wasn't even as upset about losing as I thought I would be. Sure, proving to her that I was strong was one thing, but seeing her so happy made me happy too.

"Hi May," I said softly. She turned.

"Drew!" she exclaimed happily, standing up. I flicked my hair and held out my hand to her.

"Those were really nice combinations," I complimented.

"Hey thanks," she said, taking my hand in hers, "but they weren't nearly as nice as yours were." She still didn't think she was as good as me? I smiled slightly.

"But you won and that's all that really counts," I told her.

"I guess you'll be going up against her now," I commented, seeing Solidad as the winner.

"Yeah," she sighed.

"I'm warning you, you can't defeat Solidad with power alone," I warned her. I really wanted to see her win. I wanted to see just how happy it would make her to hold the ribbon cup in her hands. She nodded. She jumped forwards and hugged me. I was shocked, but I still put my arms around her. I felt her breathing, her breath gently tickling the skin at my neck. She lifted her head and locked her gaze with mine. A light blush dusted her checks. Emotions flickered in her eyes and I froze, astonished as I recognised them. My chest tightened and I'm sure my heart stopped for a moment. She liked me. I jumped back suddenly. She looked at me, hurt flashing across her face.

"What's wrong Drew?" she asked, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-I-I I've g-got to g-go May," I stuttered, backing away, "Y-you n-n-need t-to get on s-stage n-now anyway." She sighed deeply and walked away. I held my head in my hands. What was I going to do now? It was one thing to let myself get heart broken, but May too?

"Hey Drew, what's wrong?" Solidad asked as she walked passed me.

"I-It's fine," I stammered, "I-I just…" I bit my lip trailing off. I swallowed. She nodded as if she understood and walked away. I sat down on the closet bench. She liked me, but she had still managed to beat me in that fierce competition. Maybe I wouldn't be distracting to her after all. I snapped out of my thoughts as I saw Solidad's win being announced. Had I really been thinking for that long that I had missed that entire battle? May walked dejectedly to her Pokémon, her face downcast and saddened. I stared at the screen. I hated to see her upset.

Solidad collected her ribbon cup and after waving to the crowd one more time headed backstage. I was still thinking about May.

"You know," Solidad said, putting a hand on my shoulder, "May's been trying her hardest to impress you."

"What?" I spluttered.

"She wanted to win so badly because she's been trying to impress you," She sighed, "She likes you a lot Drew."

"I know," I said quietly, "I figured it out just before you guys went up to battle."

"Why didn't you say anything to her then?" Solidad questioned, "I know you have strong feelings for her."

"I didn't want her to be distracted about me," I said, "It's hard enough to try to beat you without any distractions and I really wanted her to win."

"You've got to find her now," Solidad urged, "she thinks you don't like her at all." I nodded and ran out of the room. I frantically looked around. I heard the voices of her friends and I peeked around the corner. His friends and her brother were congratulating her on how well she did. She sniffed and then burst into tears. They all surrounded her, putting their hands gently on her shoulder. I knew what I needed to do. I knew what I could do to make her feel a little bit better. I stepped out and started towards her.

"Drew!" Max exclaimed. She looked up and quickly rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands. I smiled at her as I reached up and gently brushed my thumb across her face, wiping away a stray tear. She blushed. I waved the others away from behind me back. I heard their footsteps echo down the hall.

"I'm sorry Drew," she cried, "you warned me about her and I still lost."

"May, it doesn't matter," I comforted, "I still haven't beaten her either."

"But I wanted so bad to show you that I'm not so girly and weak and that I was every bit as good as you were," she cried, "but I didn't and now I'm crying like a baby."

"I don't think you're weak," I said, "I think you're the strongest girl I know, and you know why?"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you were able to resist the feeling you had for me and beat me in battle," I explained.

"What!" she squeaked, "I don't k-know what y-you mean."

"Not everyone can battle a person they care about deeply and come out on top," I sighed, "I for one, can't handle it very well. That's why my Pokémon have to become immune to my thoughts before I can battle with them. In that aspect, you're already better than me."

"What do you mean Drew?" she asked.

"May, I love you," I said. Her eyes widened.

"So that's what Solidad meant," she muttered.

"Huh?"

"Solidad told me you'd developed feeling for me, but I didn't know what she meant."

"Solidad," I chuckled, shaking my head, "I swear. You can't keep her out of match making."

"Mm," she mumbled, "Drew?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." I grinned and leaned a little closer to her.

"You have no idea how long I've held back," I muttered.

"Why?"

"I didn't want it to get in the way of our rivalry."

"Drew, I just beat you," she giggled, "I don't think it has that much effect so prepared to get used to the taste of defeat."

"I'd rather get used to the taste of your lips," I whispered. I swooped in and quickly kissed her.

"Mm," she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open again, "just like I thought. Mint and roses."

"What?"

"You smell like mint and roses," she giggled, "I figured you'd taste the same and I was right."

"Well, you smell like vanilla," I teased, putting my nose at her neck and breathing in, "but you most certainly do not taste like it."

"W-what d-do I taste like t-then?" she stuttered as she asked.

"My new favourite flavour," I murmured, bringing my lips up to meet hers again.

A/N: Ah the ending is so cheesy! This is probably the longest oneshot I've ever done. but I didn't feel like splitting it in half. Just a reminder, if you have any other ideas you would like me to do a twist on, please leave the name of the episode and the likely shipping. Please note though, that I only do shippings I support. If you are unsure, check out my profile of PM me and I'll tell you if I support it or not. Thanks :)