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"Don't you think the weather is just great!?" May happily chirped to herself as she watched a flock of Ledian soar overhead, their wings glistening brightly under the casting of the sun's rays. "And to think that it was pouring like a Kyogre using chilling water yesterday!" she couldn't help but stifle a giggle as she made a joyful hop forward, the dirtpath screeching under her feet.
"The sun is shining, the pokemon are bright, and happy.. I don't think nothing can ruin my mood!" The brunette sang in an upbeat tone, her voice echoing through the forest as she continued her relaxing stroll. May nearly choked on her breath as a Spinarak scurried by her feet, almost causing her to trip. "A bit too happy and bright, in my opinion," she added, shakily, standing still to cool her heart off from the scare.
She was too busy to notice the dark clouds crashing the party overhead.
"What? Hey, why'd it get so dark all of a sudde—" May froze as rain came pouring down from the sky, soaking her in. In a split second, she bolted like a cartoon character, one arm clamped over her bandana like it was the last dry thing on earth, the other flailing as she squinted up at the sky. "Why is the only storm cloud in the entire universe parked over me?!" she shouted, absolutely outraged by the sudden change of the weather.
She continued running, and as if it couldn't get worse, she felt herself stumble over a stray root of a tree, sending her flying straight into the dirt path that had long turned into mud. "My mood's officially destroyed, thank you very much!" she screeched, struggling to peel herself off the muddy ground like a soggy pancake—only to freeze as the bushes beside her rustled. Out leapt a giant, bulky Swampert, eyes wide and curious like it had just walked in on something way too dramatic. "A..—Swampert...?" May muttered, snapping out of her outburst to scramble back up on her knees, looking the pokemon straight in the eye. It didn't seem threatening—instead, it hesitantly made its way foreward towards her, the fins on its head twitching ever so slightly, as if trying to figure out what was going on.
"Hey.. but you look familiar..." May commented, squinting at the mud fish pokemon, who was lightly tugging on her bandana with its mouth, letting out a content growl. "Hey, I know you!" she gasped after a moment, once she'd realized whose Swampert it was. "But where.."
"May!"
A familiar voice boomed from behind the bushes, and before she knew it her old, trusted friend Brendan made his way through the towering bushes, his beanie slightly askew as the branches of the bush pushed against his forehead. His eyes went wide the moment he spotted her—soaked to the bone, covered in mud, her knees scratched. "May, what in the name of Arceus are you doing? Starting a mud spa business?" he asked, voice laced with mockery, though the concern in his eyes gave him away.
"Brendan!" May yelped as she saw her friend stumble through the bushes, heat rising up to her cheeks. "I'm not! I was just having a lovely stroll until it started pouring out of nowhere! And if it couldn't be worse, I tripped over a root and landed straight into the mud!" the brunette moaned in frustration, a look of disgust twisting her face as she wiped at the mud clinging to her legs.
The boy froze at her comment, guilt flickering in his eyes like a kid caught red-handed.
"I'm so sorry, May! That rain—yeah, that was my Swampert's Rain Dance. We were just practicing! We didn't think you'd be walking around here!" He shot his hand out toward her like a lifeline, and May took it with a chuckle, letting him help her back to her feet. "It's fine!" May chirped back. "I'm glad it's not a sign of the universe being against me, or something," she reached over to dust off a bit more grime from her arms, with Brendan observing the whole thing like it was mildly entertaining television. "Well, no need to worry about that! My camping spot is nearby, you can clean yourself up and change there, if you'd like?" May's face lit up at once, and she gave her friend an eager nod. "Yes, yes! That'd be great!"
"Bet! Come along, then!" He swatted his hand to where he previously emerged from the bushes, signaling the direction his camp was located. May nodded eagerly again, following her friend through the bushes as Swampert followed close behind, growling along.
May and Brendan settled in at his camp, where May promptly changed into a clean set of clothes, feeling much more comfortable after being soaked in mud from head to toe. Now, the two of them were relaxing by the campsite, catching up with each other.
"So, how have your gym challenges been going?" May turned to Brendan—who was busy grooming his Shiftry, while Swampert laid a short distance ahead, happily soaking up the sunlight that had finally broken through after the downpour. "It's been going great!" Brendan replied enthusiastically as Shiftry gently nudged him in the leg, "It's been busy, that's for sure, but we're doing great! We've been training, a lot, and I think we're definitely ready for our next challenge. Don't you think so, Shiftry?" The boy inquired, laughing lightly as Shiftry's fur brushed against his feet. Shiftry happily growled back—the determination in its eyes unwavering. "And how about you, May? How have contests been going for you?"
May grinned stupidly, moving her arm almost instantly to scratch her neck. "We've been doing fine! With ups and downs, of course, but we're doing good! It's been a very rough challenge, especially with my rivals; they're stronger than ever—sometimes I'm worried I won't ever catch up to them," she admitted, her smile wavering just a little, revealing the occasional doubt she struggled with; Brendan's expression shifted, his eyes filled with concern. "Don't think like that, May! You've been working really hard, you've caught up to them in no time!"
The brunette seemed to let the words sink in—pondering about how hard they'd worked—before her expression brightened, her eyebrows lifting back up as a smile graced her lips again. "Yeah, you're right! Thank you, Brendan," May hummed gratefully before she reached over to give him a side hug, her shins brushing past Shiftry's fur—she almost had to stifle a giggle. "Not a problem, May; I know you've got this!"
The forest was hushed beneath the bright sky, shadows weaving strange patterns between the overgrowing greenery. Amidst the flurry of nature, a fellow trainer was making his way through the woods, aside him a hail-white pokemon, following his steps ever so gracefully, its eyes shimmering like beautiful rubies. "Those rainclouds looked really nasty; I'm glad we didn't have to deal with that," the boy commented, his head lifted upward to look at the sky, his gaze quietly observing as the previously dark grey cloud travelled into the distance, now rained out of every single last drop of water it had. His partner growled beside him in agreement, its claws dusted with mud.
"It is very muddy here, though," he muttered, stepping quickly and carefully over a puddle of brown water, his nose wrinkling in discomfort, "We'll clean off your fur once we get to the pokemon center, Absol. I know you're not exactly fond of getting dirty." Absol shook its head and purred beside him, seemingly not minding too much as it hopped along over the puddle, its claws rustling upon the path. The boy couldn't help but stifle a laugh as Absol desperately avoided another rain-filled puddle, the fur on its back upright. "Hang in there just a little longer, Absol."
The pair kept moving through the forest, Absol barely batting an eye as a group of sentret hopped over the road, their tails bristeling in anticipation as the two neared them, before scurrying off, chirping lightly. The two exchanged no words as they kept on walking, the silence once or twice interrupted by the screech of murkrows.
Suddenly, Absol halted, its head lifted high and horn angled skyward, alert; its were eyes wide, fixed on something he couldn't see. The green-haired Coordinator stopped short, nearly tripping over the sudden pause, confusion flashing across his face. "What's wrong, Absol?" he inquired, calmly, observing as Absol made a hesitant, deliberate turn towards the bushes, its posture sharp and focused, yet curious. He found himself drifting toward the bush, drawn by curiosity over whatever had caught his parnters attention. But before he could get closer, Absol let out a low growl and shot him a sideways glance—a clear signal to keep quiet.
Slowly, he got to his knees before he looked over the flurry of bushes, his eyes widening, and his heart almost stopping—even if he desperately tried to pretend it hadn't happened—as he saw May ahead, sitting in the clearing, her orange clothing a stark contrast to the greenery of the forest—he'd dwell on that later, he told himself—he felt as if his legs had gone completely numb, the nervousness in his chest overbearing. "..Is that May?" he whispered, a little surprised about seeing her so soon; it'd been a few weeks since he last saw her—back in Kanto, when they'd watched the sunset together—he'd talked himself into believing that she wouldn't come to Johto after all, probably persuing to continue the journey with her friends.
So why was she here, alone?
A low growl from Absol pulled him abruptly from his thoughts. Leaning in closer, eyes narrowed past the prickly green brush, he spotted a boy sitting beside her—a fuzzy, indistinct shape nestled near his legs. They were talking, that much was clear, though the words were lost to distance. He was so absorbed in the sight that he didn't felt his chest tightening, nor Absol glancing back at him, sensing the inner turmoil that was raging in his head. "But who's that.. a new companion of hers?" he murmured, edged with a sharp tone, as Absol cluelessly blinked at him, trying to figure him out. "Drew, focus. It's not as if it matters."
The disaster pokemon stood quietly, observing its trainer frozen by the bushes, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles nearly turned white. Though it couldn't understand the storm of thoughts swirling in Drew's mind, it sensed one thing clearly; restless unease, tinged with an inexplicable sea of frustration in his eyes. It turned back to peer over the bushes, its ruby-red eyes inspecting as the familiar rival of his trainer conversated with a human it'd never seen before. It couldn't be May that was making him angry—he was too invested on her and her antics that he could ever muster any sort of anger towards her again—so it must've been the other brunette trainer she was exchanging words with; it wasn't any of her old companions, that much it figured.
Drew was so fixated on the scene before him that he didn't notice Absol quietly observing him, reading the tension in his posture, slowly piecing together the source of his unrest. When the boy reached over to pull May into a casual side hug, something in Drew sank. His stomach twisted—but he snapped out of it, telling himself he wasn't supposed to feel that way—before shaking his head sharply, realizing he had no right to be standing there, being an audience. "Let's get moving, Absol," the chartreuse-haired Coordinator growled, a little too hard than he'd intended—before he pushed himself up from his knees. With a sharp pivot, he stepped back onto the path, Absol immediately alert at his command before following suit.
The rest of the road to the pokemon center was silent—awfully silent. Drew hadn't said a word, his fringe shadowing his face, only leaving a darkened frown to be seen, his hands strictly shoved into his pockets. Absol watched its trainer with curious eyes the entire way, clearly picking up he was feeling some intense feelings, even if he'd brushed it aside with a nonchalant flick of his hair, and a "I couldn't care less, I have a contest to work for". Absol had been with Drew long enough to recognize that he harbored special care for the brunette girl, as much as he tried to mask it past his cocky and careless exterior; the way he looked through his eyes when May was around was... different. Different from how he usually was. His eyes were guarded—as if a single moment of looking away would make her slip from his grasp—while the corners of his mouth were subtly crooked into a smile, as if he was desperately trying to keep it from showing.
So why after seeing her during their way to the pokemon center, was his face so scrunched up in frustration, as if he was doing his best not to burst through the bushes to tease her and to make himself bathe in that spotlight he'd always set up for himself when she was around? Was it that boy that was with her? Absol was almost sure.
They'd arrived at the pokemon center at last, and Drew seemed so deep in thought that he appeared almost startled to realize night had fallen—the bright, warm lights of the center pulling him abruptly back to the present. Absol had remained beside him the entire time, observing his every move, even noticing the way his eyes were a sea of exhaustion—as if he'd been trying to resolve a war inside his head—as he lazily stumbled over to the desk. "Could I get a room, please?"
Drew wasn't even aware enough to realize that Nurse Joy shot him a worried look, grabbing a pair of keys a little faster than Absol had normally witnessed during their travels.
He hadn't said a word as they moved to their room.
Night had fallen, the only light illuminating his room being the soft glow of the moon, feathering slightly through the padded curtains. Drew was positioned in his bed, his arm propped behind his head, while Absol slept soundly on the soft carpet beside him, its fur shimmering like diamonds in the soft casting of that night's moonlight. Its chest was slowly going up and down, signaling how peaceful it was sleeping.
But Drew hadn't slept—not a wink.
He could've sworn he'd already felt himself shifting and rolling around at least a thousand a times, the soft rustling of his blanket not lulling him to sleep despite how calming it was, along with Absol's soft snoring that almost sounded like purring. Drew stifled a groan as he shifted to his side, lightly scratching his back as he did so. He was infuriated with how restless he was—he knew May had her ways of keeping him on his toes—but this was going too far for his liking. He was sacrificing valuable hours of sleep that he could have put to good use for training and getting ready for the upcoming contest next week. Why was this damn girl sending his thoughts to overload now out of all moments?
He almost launched himself off the bed when the annoying little voice in his head smugly informed him that it wasn't May keeping him up.
"It's not a big deal," Drew told himself, ignoring how his head was racing, slowly driving him to insanity, "It's not a big deal. She's had male friends before," he repeated, stuffing his pillow over his head to stifle his hissing, unaware that Absol had slowly cracked one eye open upon his grumbling, as it stirred slightly, instinctively sensing the unease radiating from its trainer. "..But then.. why is it only bothering me now out of all times?" Absol shifted slowly to pull itself up to its paws, before moving over to the side of his bed, gently nudging him in the back with its nose, prompting Drew to turn around, groaning lightly as he shoved the blankets off of his head. "..Absol?" he murmured, his eyes half-open and his eyebrows furrowed tightly as if he was desperately trying to keep his eyelids from falling any further, "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry." he sighed, pulling himself upright to sit on the mattress, Absol still worriedly peering up at him.
Drew outstretched his hand to lazily scratch Absol over his head, a soft smile sneaking its way onto his lips as Absol purred in return, happily leaning into his touch. "I'm sorry for being such a mess right now," he sighed, lifting his head to peer through the narrow gap between the curtains, eyes settling on the stars as they shimmered gently against the backdrop of the dark night sky. Absol chirped back, gently rubbing the gem-like shape on its head against Drew's leg, seemingly not being too bothered by his inner-turmoil. "Hey," Drew whispered, pushing his shoulders backward to stretch himself, "since I can't sleep, we might as well go outside and get some training in; what do you think?"
Absol stepped back, its eyes shining with a spark of determination as it gave an eager nod, clearly in favor of the idea. It let out a cheerful chirp, tail flicking with enthusiasm as it watched Drew climb out of bed. He made a quick stop by his closet, grabbing a spare shirt—figuring it was best not to head out into the night shirtless. "Good, because we've got a certain someone to show that she should be keeping her guard up," he commented, haughtily, pulling the shirt over his head. As Drew was sliding on his shirt Absol made a move over to the door, pressing its nose into the wood, as if trying to budge it so it'd open. "That's not gonna work, Absol, you've got to pull it," Drew advised the disaster pokemon as he slantered over to the door to open it, a laugh escaping his lips. Absol took a shy step backward, seemingly embarrassed at its futile effort of trying to push a pull door.
With a simple grab by the handle and a soft shove the door opened, and Absol was quick to slip through the crack of the door, opening the door further, the carpeting beneath the foot of the door rustling against the wooden floor. Drew followed without an ounce of hesitation, making sure to not step on Absols claws. The soft light of the pokemon center still carried through the halls, despite most trainers and visitors long asleep.
Right at the end of the hall leading to the lobby, though, Absol came to a pause again, and it looked like its position shifted ever so slightly—the distance between its paws wider, and its shoulders tensed, as if it was about to pounce at the blurry figures in the hall head on.
Drew then realized why Absol stopped.
Just like his pokemon, the trainer froze in place, overcome by the same reaction—as if all the life had been drained from his body the moment he recognized the two figures seated on the lobby couches; May.
—And that other guy.
Who even was that guy?
It felt as if all his muscles had gone numb, and, suddenly, he felt anything but determined to train. Instead—as much as he was mentally kicking himself—he felt jealous. He felt absolutely, incredibly, frustratingly jealous. Absol, who was positioned in front of him, looked back at him with a criticizing look, as if asking if they should even procceed to the outside to train to begin with, noticing the way Drew's hands became clampy, as if he was trying to keep himself from bawling them into fists. He might have remained absorbed in his thoughts had Absol not turned and gently nudged him in the shins, drawing him back to the present; his eyes widened, startled, like a Deerling frozen in approaching light. "Oh—uh—I'm sorry, Absol," he stammered, quickly turning on his heel, doing his best to tear his gaze away from the two chatting on the couches. "Let's...just leave this for now."
Absol tilted its head to the side, watching as its trainer awkwardly stumbled back into the hallway, his unsteady movements far too clumsy for someone like him. Before it could react, Drew had already vanished into the shadows of the halls, not once checking to see if Absol was following behind him. Something was undeniably wrong—there was no question about it. Absol started to follow him into the depths of the hallway, but not before casting one last glance over its shoulder, eyes scanning the two trainers still deep in conversation. He wanted to be the one to spend time with May—without that other guy—wasn't that it?
Absols eyes narrowed to slits as it figured it all out, before it pivoted around to walk back to Drew's suite, following precisely in his footsteps.
—————————————————
That morning Drew had departed from the pokemon center as soon as he could.
Not as if he'd slept great at all, anyway, but if there was one view he couldn't muster to look at now, it'd be May—as utterly absurd that was for him. He now was outside, propped against the tall, overbearing trunk of a tree, lazily twirling his famous bright red roses inbetween his fingers. "I don't even can come to understand why I'm feeling this way," he grumbled to himself.
Absol, curled up at his feet near the edge of the trunk, nestled among dewdrop-covered leaves, let out a low whine—as if trying to voice its own thoughts; he was jealous, as much as he was indignant about it, trying to cover it up—Drew only proving Absol's point further as he let out a groan, the deepest scowl it'd ever seen from him sneaking onto his lips. "I'm not jealous," he denied, giving his partner a criticizing look, despite knowing there was a truth to it, "I can't be—I'm the cool, calm and rational Drew Hayden! I don't have the time to be jealous over a girl—and May being the girl in question at that!" The Disaster Pokémon let out a low growl of resignation as it kept watching Drew, noting how his eyebrows were drawn closer to his eyes than usual; a tension it wasn't used to seeing from him. "...I can't like her," he ended in a whisper.
But Absol heard loud and clear.
It immediately jumped up to its paws and nudged Drew again—this time with more force—letting out a frustrated growl, urging him to take action rather than sit brooding beneath the somber shade of the tree. The green-haired coordinator looked surprised for a second, more accustomed to Absol's usual calm and obedient demeanor rather than the boldness it was showing now. Its eyes were sharp and intent, legs firmly planted in a wide stance, clearly refusing to let Drew stay sulking. "—What? I can't go see her when she's busy with that guy," he protested fiercely, his breath staggering in frustration, "It's not like we're that close at all; it'd be rude. I don't own her. She.. can do whatever she wants."
The hail white pokemon ignored his protests—nudging him in the shins again before lifting its nose up to the rose curled inbetween his fingers—yowling out loudly. Drew's eyes remained wide, but this time, a flicker of realization sparked within them, as if an idea had just taken shape. Slowly, he knelt down, reaching out toward Absol. "I can't go see her," he began, gently pulling the rose from his fingers to outstretch it to Absol, "...but you can."
May was sure she hadn't laughed so much in ages since she departured from Ash, Brock, and Max.
Brendan offered to walk with her to the pokemon center, since his path to the next gym challenge happened to follow the same route. He even offered to stay and watch her contest performance, but May shyly declined, encouraging him to focus on earning his next badge instead. Still, despite her gentle refusal, Brendan insisted on at least seeing her off to the contest before heading on his way. That May couldn't refuse—the last few days before the contest were always packed with last-minute training, and having a friend to cheer you on and talk with was something she greatly benefited from; mentally.
"I see, so your adventures are packed with chaos," Brendan snorted along with a giggling May, stifling his laughter by pressing his hand to his lips, curled into a bold fist, "honestly, I'm not surprised at all. It always seems like you attract trouble wherever you go, huh?"
As if the universe had impeccable comedic timing, just as May was about to respond—barely holding it together through a fit of giggles—an Absol came rocketing through the center's sliding doors like a four-legged missile, sending all eyes to the disaster pokemon that was proudly standing by the glass doors, a rose neatly tucked inbetween its fangs. "..Attracting trouble—literally," Brendan managed to choke out, still half-laughing, half-stunned, as the sudden entrance of the pokemon yanked him out of his laughter. "So much for a dramatic entrance," May nodded with a quiet laugh, adjusting her startled stance into something more relaxed, doing her best not to dwell on the sudden appearance of the Absol—despite the green-haired coordinator who instantly came to mind. "..I wonder why it burst through the doors like that."
Brendan was about to speak again when the disaster pokemon approached the pair with effortless grace, its movements smooth and deliberate, betraying not a hint of hesitation. The boy in the beanie tensed, while May, in contrast, appeared almost awestruck—watching the cat-like pokemon approach with a cautious sense of recognition and a flicker of hope in her eyes. "It's approaching us," Brendan commented, "..do you think something's wrong?"
May had no reply however, as the Absol came to a pause right by her hips, its gaze sharply drawn towards hers. "...Absol?" she murmured, lowering herself to her knees to meet the pokemon eye to eye, her hand extending cautiously toward the corner of its mouth. "—Is this for me? Is.. Drew here?" she spoke in a soft, hushed tone, while Brendan watched intently from her side, eyes wide with a mix of surprise and curiosity, wondering if she knew the Absol—and who the boy was she was talking about—as May tenderly grabbed the rose from Absol's fangs, curling it neatly between her fingers. Absol cried out lowly before pressing its nose into her leg, nuzzling her against her skin as May stifled a giggle.
"..Drew? Who's Drew?" Brendan's voice sounded from beside May as she remained crouched, gently stroking Absol, who responded with a contented chirp. The orange-clad coordinator stiffened slightly, a sheepish smile gracing her lips as she made a shaky attempt to look back at her friend. "Drew's a rival of mine—and.. a friend, I suppose," She confessed softly, her tone tinged with hesitation, as her gaze shifted from Brendan back to the pokemon. Absol remained contentedly beside her feet, its low, steady purr a clear sign of comfort in her presence. "..And this is his Absol; I'm sure. Which means he should be here, somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if he's also participating in this contest."
Brendan' s gaze flicked from Absol to the rose nestled in May's hand, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "So, he sends his Absol to deliver you a rose? Are you really sure he's just a friend?" he teased, leaning in with a grin. May immediately froze, her cheeks turning bright red like she'd just been caught red-handed, before she shakily made an attempt to lift herself up—almost slipping in the process as she did so—dismissively waving her hands. "N—No, no!" May fired back, a bit too fast, betraying her nerves, "He's just a friend! Besides, those roses are only for my pokemon! R—Right, Absol?" she asked, giving the pokemon the most intense and hopeful glance she could muster, though the pokemon, unfortunately for her, didn't seem so convinced.
Brendan only laughed.
"Only for your pokemon, huh? Absol's face says something a little different," he chuckled, covering his mouth to hide a laugh while May just stood there, trembling like she was about to explode from pure embarrassment. "Whaaat—!? N—No, they're for my pokemon! You wouldn't get it!" She spat, angrily, fumbling around, as Absol remained cluelessly beside her feet, staring up at the two bickering friends.
"I don't feel like you're being honest," Brendan replied with a sly grin, clearly entertained by May's frantic flailing and obvious attempts to deny her oh-so-totally-obvious crush. "Come on, May, your arms are waving around like you're trying to swat away a horde of combee—and it's completely futile, because it's obvious that you're in denial." he finally added as May spun around in frustration, her face burning up as fiercely as a Camerupt ready to use Eruption.
"..And so what if I do like him a little, huh!?" She snapped, her ears practically steaming, completely oblivious to the fact that the boy in question's pokemon was standing right at her feet, soaking up every word of the conversation. Brendan gave her a prideful smirk, simply content that he'd figured her out to the extent that she'd blow up and admit it—and even more so that Absol was listening in, too—as he moved his hands to his hips. "As if it wasn't obvious enough—come on, May, I've known you for long enough; I know how you react when you've got crushes on boys.. you're terrible at hiding it." May looked like she was about to explode from pure embarrassment, totally unaware that Drew's Absol—his Absol—was right there, hearing every word that left May's mouth. "S—Shut up! I'm not that obvious about it—!"
May then froze completely, all the color draining from her face.
She slowly turned around to face Absol—like a Slowpoke looking back wether its tail was bitten or not—with her entire face pale as a ghost, and her eyes wide like her entire life was bound to be over, "You.. didn't hear all of that.. did you—?" she stammered, her head about to blow a fuse again—only for Absol to shake its head and let out a weary growl that practically sounded like a resigned sigh.
May dramatically sunk to her knees, and it looked as if she was contemplating to bang her head against the centers floor. "This can't be happening! This is so embarrassing! If he find out he'll—he'll tease me for the rest of my life!" she cried, not budging as Brendan got to his knees and gave her a supporting pat on the shoulder. "Absol, you won't tell him, will you!?" She leaned in towards the disaster pokemon, eyes wide and voice trembling, hands wringing nervously as she asked again, "You won't, will you?!" she bawled, grabbing the sides of Absol's face in a panic, who looked like it'd get murdered if it said a word to Drew. The disaster pokemon cried out slowly and hesitantly, accepting—as if a single wrong word would get it killed—as May sunk further into the floor, emitting a loud, exasperated gasp. "Thank you, Absol, thank you!"
Absol slowly retracted itself from May's hand before taking a turn to burst through the doors of the pokemon center—but not before giving Brendan a slight push with its head—into the greenery up ahead. "..What was that about?" Brendan murmured, bewildered at how Absol suddenly pushed him. "Anyhow.. you can sure put up a dramatic act, can't you, May? You haven't changed a bit." Brendan commented, breaking the silence that fell over the pokemon center's lobby. "...I'm being serious, though," May sniffed, looking down at her knees, her face overshadowed by her curls. "Drew's.. he's.. kind, but he's got a knack for teasing and riling me up—and if he finds out I'm in love with him, and doesn't feel the same way.. then Arceus know what he'll do! I just—I can't.. I can't risk it."
A flash of guilt panged through Brendan's body as he lowered down to her level more closely, giving her a comforting ruffle on the head. "I don't think you have to be worried; besides, he gives you roses—and he might be in denial that they're for you—but Absol wasn't, was it? I think from its reaction alone it's safe to say he cares about you, too." He offered her a reassuring hand to assist her to her feet, while May quietly swooped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Yeah.. I guess," she mumbled, "maybe he does care for me, after all." she smiled at her friend, softly and kindly, his words strengthening her faith in Drew again. "I'm sure he does, May. Show him how you feel, even if it's just something small."
The brunette nodded, getting back up to her feet.
"You're right, I should."
The contest flew by in a blur—coordinators showcased their appeals in the preliminary rounds, then faced off in battles during the second, just as any other contest out there in the johto region went. Drew had breezed through the entirety of the contest with ease, him and his team were as sharp and as poised as ever; he just couldn't stop praising his Absol for the excellent execution of the blizzard and flash combination they'd worked on for weeks.
Admist of what was the chaos and intensity of the contest, his mind was on a constant race, too; he'd stumbled upon May in the locker rooms on multiple occations. At first, she cheerfully thanked him for the rose Absol had delivered. He nearly forgot how to breathe when May walked into the locker room just then, the rose carefully tucked behind her ear. She looked beautiful, his thoughts screamed—but all he managed was a casual nod, masking everything behind a smug smirk and a flick of his hair. Then he turned on his heel and strolled off without a backward glance—not that he could've handled looking at her any longer, anyway.
One interaction led to another; Drew'd noticed over the moments they made eyecontact May seemed to stiffen in a flush as if she'd been caught staring red-handed. Was it the rose that sent her into squeaking in embarrassment whenever he'd brush past her? He almost was unsure.
...But despite her nerves, May powered through the battle rounds, defeating every opponent with ease, her newly evolved Blaziken was stronger than ever. Drew had no doubt Absol would enjoy facing it again—and that chance came soon enough. In the final round, it was May versus Drew; her Blaziken blazing with radiance and confidence, while his Absol stood poised and elegant, not firing a single messy attack. The battle was a neck-to-neck race—Absol and Blaziken had both taken good amounts of damage while also inflicting plenty themselves, but at the end of the battle Drew was the one that emerged victorious, his absol roaring out proudly as May reassured her Blaziken that it fought well.
And that's where it ended.
He hadn't seen her since—after claiming his ribbon, he immediately left the contest hall without a word, in his usual fashion, Absol already resting in its pokeball, ready for a visit to Nurse Joy. The sun had fallen, and the sky was darkening, a few shades of orange and yellow streaked across the sky, giving it the warm glow of sunset that were all too signature to the end of a pokemon contest, a couple of murkrow gathering sparkly items near the root of a tree closeby.
"Drew!"
Her voice—gentle as ever—rung through his ears before he came to a pause, sending a sly look behind his shoulder. As anticipated, May was approaching at a quick pace, the rose still securely tucked behind her ear, resting perfectly beneath her bangs. "Hi, May," Drew replied calmly, ignoring how his heartbeat rocketed as soon as he heard her voice, "you need anything?" He turned fully to face her, pivoting on his heel, immediately noticing she was slightly out of breath—her expression suggesting she'd searched the entire contest hall just to find him. May let out a few gasps of air, trying to regain her breath before straightening herself, her hand immediately softly brushing at the rose that was tucked by her ear, "I just.. I wanted to thank you for the rose again. A—And.. to see you off."
Drew felt himself almost awestruck as he looked at her, eyes wide with mere disbelief. "Thank me? For the rose? You already thanked me, though," he replied, as nonchalantly and collected as he could muster, not noticing how May had come to stand closer by him.
"Y—yeah," May stammered shyly, quickly tucking her hands behind her back, as if trying to hide herself from nervously fidgeting with her fingers, "..but I wanted to thank you again, alone."
Drew couldn't help the drop of sweat running past his neck—nor how his hands suddenly felt all warm and sweaty, like he was on the verge of melting away—as he flexed the realest smile he was able to show, suddenly regretting not having Absol out by his side. "Alone?" he replied calmly, a subtle smirk playing up on his lips, despite the fact he felt himself tremble on the inside, "Gee, May, if you want to have some private time, you might as well just say so to my face." he challenged, boldly—daring to take a stepforward after convincing himself it wouldn't hurt. May visibly froze, the shade of her face suddenly matching the rose above her ear, before her eyebrows tightened. "..Don't.. don't get cocky," the brunette grumbled, pulling her arms from behind her back, "I just wanted to thank you; that's all."
The chartreuse haired coordinator couldn't stop a huff from slipping past his lips as he hesitated to turn around, his gaze not breaking away from hers. "Well, if that was it, I'll see you at the next contest."
May shook her head with the speed of a startled Sandshrew, her cheeks glowing a vivid red. Without another word, she reached out and gently took Drew's hand. The gesture made him freeze—just like he had what felt like a thousand times that week. His entire body tensed, but his eyes never left hers, locked in place as he fought to focus on the moment at hand rather than the overwhelming feeling that he might just explode from the inside out. "There's... one more thing," May murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers curled around his palm, just as clammy as his own. Drew swallowed, trying to keep his cool. "What is it?" he asked, though his voice betrayed the flicker of nervous anticipation stirring in his chest, which only got more intense as May closed the distance, boldly stepping towards him. "This."
Drew nearly flinched when May leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek—soft and delicate, he couldn't help but notice in that fleeting moment—before she let go again, her arms immediately sneaking back around her hips. "For... the rose. And for that amazing battle, earlier," she whispered, unaware that Drew at that moment was fighting a war in his head, trying not to let the heat get even higher up to his face. "N—not a problem," he shot back, instinctively digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "I look forward to the next time we battle." he pivoted on his heel to throw a salute behind his shoulder, aware that May was still standing there, just as red in the face as he was.
Why had she kissed him? This moment—exchanging a rose—wasn't all that different from countless others they'd shared. So why now, of all times, did she choose to kiss him? And worse, why did he suddenly feel the overwhelming urge to turn back and kiss her in return? He'd been nearly certain that the friend she'd been spending time with was more than just that—maybe even her boyfriend. The thought made his stomach twist. He'd hate himself for falling for someone who was already taken. But...
"Me, too, Drew! Until next time!"
It seemed, that, after all, he didn't need to worry.
Because despite all the eyes that were on her, she was looking at him.
..And that meant enough.