shadow_shipper
...indeed...
Hello to you all ! this is shadow_shipper posting his first fic on serebii. It being the first one here, I’ve decided to just do a one-shot that actually came to me yesterday afternoon, and that I’ve typed as it went in two days…I don’t know if that’s good or bad ^_^’
How did this idea come to mind ? well, some might know me, and know I’m not an AdvanceShipper. Won’t explain why, but I’m just not one. And a few days ago, I find an AMV, a PokéShipping and ContestShipping AMV, with a message at the end stating : “Dedication to : DAML beating the CR*P out of Advanceshipping”
Now reading that, not being any kind of rabid shipper, I just smiled cause I’m fond of ContestShipping, and realised : hey, it’s kind of true…why ? the moment May stepped on that ferry, leaving Ash and going to Johto (incidentally, where Drew happens to be, and told her he’d be there
) so I decided to do what I curse the writers for not doing : give us a short story about how May’s doing…
That statement triggered in me again, my dislike of AdvanceShipping, and my decision to write this was purely to say to myself : “AdvanceShipping is gone…she chose someone else”…and write about it
SO ! *clasps hands together* here is my work, that stands here in front of you. Approximately 6 pages. Enjoy if you’re a ContestShipper, cause this is what it’s about and yes...small “refuting” of AdvanceShipping...
Standing on that ferry with her brother and pokémon, waving towards her friend ; a tall, brown-haired man, wearing a nearly matching brown jacket and pants and who’s name was Brock, and to another person, who she thought could have been more than a friend, who she at sometimes probably wanted to be more than a friend, who had his Pikachu on his shoulder and was wearing his red cap and usual clothes : blue shirt with a white pokeball design on the stomach, and his baggy jeans and was named Ash, those two with all of their own pokémon saluting her for her new journey she decided to take alone, after that instant, seeing them getting farther away from her ; May knew she had probably made the most important decision of her life, and she wasn’t thinking about her career as a coordinator…
No, she knew there were contests in Sinnoh. And had the events that occurred in these last months not unfold as they did, she probably would have traveled again with the raven-haired boy she had a crush on. But as she found out, and as she learned : some people will understand her inner feelings, some people will share the exact same interests as her, and some people will surely show their affection for her, starting from the affection Harley has for her, as strange as it may seem, to the sisterly affection Soledad has for her, to the other level of affection she is feeling with a chartreuse-haired boy, a boy she had chosen over Ash, a boy who she had learned to see from a different view than when they first met : a coordinator, named Drew.
As the docks were out of sight, May and Max stopped waving, but were still looking in that direction.
“…I’m sorry Ash…I know you probably don’t realise why I’m sorry, but you’ll always be my first crush…and I’ll never forget you…”
Snapped out of her thoughts by her brother, after a short small-talk, May began again to reflect on her past, and her future…on how that one emerald-haired coordinator managed to convince her to come with him to Johto.
Getting to know him better during her quest to win the Kanto Grand Festival, seeing him what seemed to be more often than back in Hoenn, and learning to put up with him, and feeling more calm around him, other more amusing moments were when she got to approach him on the beach on Yuzuhira Island…while he was stripped to the waist…and he was most of the time there to provide support for her, notably after the Grand Festival when she had beaten him, he accepted his defeat like a gentleman, he was happy for her, and she began to think more highly of him, he was there to comfort her when she was defeated by Soledad. Of course Ash and Brock had been there for her, but this was…different. A rival, a person she seldom saw, someone with who she’d often argue…a person who gave her roses…was there to take her mind off her worries. And she liked the feeling.
But until then, she still hadn’t decided, for the simple fact that se didn’t know what she was going to do, what Ash was going to do, and what Drew was going to do. But then it all came so fast…
Learning all her fellow coordinators were in Johto, May was faced with a dilemma : Stay with Ash, or go with Drew ?
Knowing she had seen the last of Drew here in Kanto, after seeing all he had done for her, with her, she decided it was now time to judge all she had felt with Ash.
On the bed in her cabin, still reflecting on the “why ?” of her decision, May was peacefully drifting to sleep, and still thinking about she had not chosen Ash. What made her choose Drew ? And she quickly figured out, that it wasn’t in fact much what Drew did : it was what Ash didn’t do. Mostly what made May say to herself that Ash wasn’t ready to feel the same for her, was during her last contest, the first one Ash entered…she was hoping for something maybe quite daring for her to except, she admitted herself that, but she was hoping for Ash to greet her before their match with something more than a handshake, or maybe congratulate her after their draw with a kind word, maybe a gesture or even a hug, or a kiss, to show he cares for everything they had done together for these years…but nothing came…nothing would have come, so she decided to play along with his competitive spirit…and tell him later tonight.
“Oh well…” she sighed, laying on her back “ I just hope I’ve made the right decision. But I’d rather know what will happen soon, than wait ages for Ash to tell me something. Good luck Ash…when you notice what Misty and I are feeling. Next step : Johto alone, and on the hunt for answers !” she said with a smile and a feeling of bliss, a feeling she never would have thought she would feel when leaving Ash : she was liberated. With that sense of joy, she was welcomed to the beautiful land of dreams…and very soon, the image of a green-haired coordinator holding a rose in front of her appeared…
Upon arriving in New Bark Town, May begins to think more and more about what the things at stake are. Not being quite sure how to handle it, decides to just focus on what she told her friends she would do : compete in the Johto contests and win the Grand Festival. It had been two months since she had left Ash and Brock. After that, Max decided to start his own journey…choosing a Torchic, which flattered her. She was thinking that Harley, Soledad and Drew must have already learned all about Johto, where the contest are and all that sort of stuff, while she had no time for preparation, she had spent all her free time, day and night training, something she reminded Drew telling her after the Hoenn Grand Festival and had just arrived in time for this year’s Grand Festival registration. Well…she had three days, but still needed to go to Cherrygrove City to the Pokémon Center and Contest Hall, which she decided to do first, then think about her other move. But when did anything ever go according to plan ? As soon as she started walking, opening the map she had bought upon coming to the new continent, she bumped into someone’s back, someone she new.
“Oh, I’m so sorry miss, I was looking at my map and…” she noticed that the woman had turned around “Soledad ?!”
“Hi May, nice to see you finally arrive here” the red-haired coordinator replied.
“Nice to see you as well, but what are you doing here ? Shouldn’t you be somewhere around Azalea Town ? Drew told me you were the first one to come here, so I thought…”
“Calm down May !” the elder coordinator cut her off and giggled “Let’s have a walk, maybe a drink, and I’ll tell you a few things about myself and our other two friends since we arrived here.” she continued.
May couldn’t refuse, she was eager to get back into the loop, so she simply nodded.
While walking through the small town, May noticed something different in Soledad, that made her look, well…more…beautiful.
“Amazing how a different coloured jacket can make you look more seductive.” May said, still looking at the superb black velvet vest Soledad was wearing, that replaced the orange one she was wearing in Kanto.
“I know…” she plainly replied “…there definitely is some difference…I can tell by the number of stares I’ve been getting here. Do you think it looks nice ? Besides, you’re the one to talk, you’ve changed your outfit for the most. You look cute by the way.” she said as the girls sat at a table, outside a café.
“Yes, it looks beautiful !” May nearly squealed “And thanks for the compliment on my outfit…” she said with a faint blush. Her clothes were similar to her old outfit, except that the blue was replaced with grayish black, and her bandana was a new green one, with a new green fanny pack.
“Ok, anyway, back to business so to speak.” Soledad started “Why am I here when I was the first to come here ?” she asked in a rhetorical fashion. May just sat there, opposite her, and waited for her to answer her own question. It was partly answered when Soledad showed her a Johto ribbon she had recently won. “As you can see,” she continued “I already have a ribbon…we have nearly a year to enter this, and I’ve don a fifth of the was already. So I’m enjoying my stay here, and I’m often flying here and there, visiting or just sightseeing, or looking for good places to train. And a while ago, I’ve learned that you decided to come to Johto, so every now and then, I come back here to see if you arrived.” she explained “Plus there’s a pokémon research lab here, so I go there as well to see if they have some info on pokémon and contests.”
“How did you know I was coming by ferry ?” May asked.
“A little birdie told me.” she told her with a wink. Well that was an unexpected answer, May thought.
“So what about Drew and Harley ?” May pursued the subject, determined to learn more about the other reason she came to Johto.
“Well, Harley had…” “oh come on !! I don’t care about Harley, tell me what Drew’s doing !” May yelled inside herself, but with an interested expression plastered on her face, still looking at Soledad. “…so he’s actually traveling with me at the time, but he stayed in Goldenrod, he’s waiting until I come back. He’s also won a ribbon…”
May was intrigued with the whole story about them traveling together, and thought it was nice in some way, but didn’t get much of it, due to her thoughts, and then asked almost as soon as Soledad had finished talking.
“And Drew ?” oh…I could have nodded and waited a bit before asking that… she mentally cursed herself, but what she deemed as stranger was the fact that Soledad was acting like nothing unusual happened, and proceeded to answering the brunette’s question.
“Wouldn’t you like to know ?” she said in a teasing tone. May was a bit embarrassed, but didn’t have to do anything, as Soledad proceeded “Well, he arrived here last, and has had the toughest time of us three…” she paused “See : Roselia fell ill as they came, and it took him weeks to heal properly, after that, he told me he was going to focus more on his team, and on his battling aspect of the contests, since it’s always that which cost him victory in his two Grand Festivals, so asked some help from the professor in the lab near here I told you about in assembling a balanced team suitable for contests and battles. That took him so much time, he was done gathering his team a week ago. Since then, he’s been training his team somewhere in Johto. Didn’t tell me where.”
Wow was all May could think of, “He’s taking this really seriously…I wonder if he’s even thinking about…” she was interrupted by Soledad segueing with the rest of her narration.
“And above all that, he seemed distracted…”
“Huh ?…interesting…”
“I can tell, cause he’s been more withdrawn, and focused every ounce of his energy on training. He’s trying to get his mind off something…and he’s not being very successful with it.” she sighed.
“Interesting indeed…” May said to herself. “What are his new pokémon ?” she asked, trying to avoid exposing her thoughts.
“Well, he traded his Butterfree for an Eevee, which he trained into an Espeon.” she said “and he caught a Houndour, which he recently evoled into an impressive Houndoom”
“So he’s come here, he wants a victory here, has spent every second on his pokémon and training because he wants to get his mind off something…I wonder if it’s me. Let’s see : we finish a grand festival, I beat him, I get beat, he come to comfort me, we battle again, he tells me he’s going to Johto…he has to be thinking about me. Plus I even told him that I was thinking of good thoughts when he came to mind…that must have triggered something in him ; he’s not Ash…” May enquired her thoughts, as she decided that she had learned enough about the situation, what was left for her was to start her own journey.
She sighed, nodded and gave Soledad a smile before getting off her chair and preparing to head towards Cherrygrove City.
“And you really have no idea where he might be ?” she asked her friend one more time before leaving.
Soledad simply shrugged while taking a sip from the drink they ordered. “Good luck May, I hope we meet again soon !” she exclaimed, as she was slightly swinging on her chair, while waving to the younger coordinator.
May waved back to her, as she turned around and got out of the café.
Waiting until the brunette was clearly out of sight and even a few minutes after that, Soledad pulled out a PokéGear from the pocket of her jacket, and slowly selecting a number to dial.
…one ring…two rings…three rings… “Yes ?” answered a male voice on the other side.
“She’s here.” was the only thing the red-haired woman said.
“…thank you…” was the answer she heard come from her friend, after also hearing a faint sigh of relief.
“You’re welcome.” she naturally replied “now, she’s heading towards the Cherrygrove Contest Hall, so she’ll probably be there in a few hours…she looked determined.” Soledad proceeded with her explanations.
“She probably is.” she heard the person on the other PokéGear reply.
“Yeah, well, from the Lake of Rage where you currently are, it’ll at least take you more than an hour to get there, so you’d better get going.” she told him.
“Yes m’am, and thanks again for doing that scouting for me, these last few weeks.” The voice thanked her.
“No problem Drew, good luck and take care. Now go !” she nearly yelled that last part, mixed with a small fit of laughter.
Shortly after, she heard him hang up and listened to the engaged tone for a few moments before eventually hanging up herself.
She put her PokéGear on the table and let out a long sigh afterwards. Resting her head in her hands with her elbows on her table and closed her eyes, she started to reflect to the situation she had lived for these last weeks at Drew’s demand. But she had to. He was nearly pleading her to do this errand he had given her, and she already wanted to help him because he was her friend, but she just couldn’t refuse after he had explained his motives. Of course, she accepted that after a little teasing on her behalf and making the chartreuse-haired boy blush a few times, but it was all playful. And almost at her own surprise, she was feeling happy for them both. She smiled as she looked up to the sky and the beautiful day upon them, as she carried on to finish her drink, feeling and knowing she had done a good deed.
Soledad was right : May was determined. So determined, that she hadn’t stopped once on route 29, except for a battle she had promptly won, with a trainer who called her “chicken” when she refused to battle the first time, and thus arrived at destination in a bit more than an hour.
“The nerve…calling me chicken…I showed him ‘chicken’…” she huffed. She actually did. Her Blaziken making quick work of her opponent’s Venomoth…
Once in front of the glass doors of the Contest Hall, May glanced to the left and right, not actually knowing why, but just feeling like Drew was nearby. With that, she shrugged and hastily entered the building, and immediately had the same reaction as outside : a quick glance to the left, a quick one to the right, but still no sign of the emerald-haired coordinator, as the doors closed behind her. But unknown to her, a few brief seconds later, a Flygon landed in front of those very same doors, with, on his back, a person wearing a purple vest under a black shirt and somewhat turquoise pants and mesmerising emerald eyes and matching hair…
Inside the building, May noticed something : there was nobody there. Amidst the emptiness of the room, a single receptionist at her desk, typing on her computer. Hearing that someone had entered, she lifted her head up to see who came in, and saw the brunette approaching her desk.
“Hello, how may I help you ?” said the receptionist with a fake smile on her face, trying to look friendly, but it all made her look more like a deranged serial killer.
“…er, I’m here to register for this year’s Grand Festival and collect my Contest Pass for Johto. Can you help me with that ?” May replied.
“Of course I can !” said the receptionist, actually sounding more excited now that she had something to do. “I’m sorry if I sound a bit bored miss, but I am…you’re the first person that walked here all day, so…” she explained.
“Oh, I understand…” May responded, actually feeling some empathy for the girl.
After a short while, it was all done : May was authorised to compete in Johto contests. After putting her new pass in her fanny pack, she asked the receptionist where the restrooms were, to which the clerk pointed towards the far left of the building, noting that you see the men’s room first, the ladies’ room being just after it, around the corner. As soon as May had her back turned and started walking towards the direction she was given, the front doors opened, and the man who earlier had arrived on his Flygon entered the building, a red rose in one had, the other one being in his pocket. But the female coordinator hadn’t noticed it, as the doors opening hadn’t made much of a noise.
May was standing in front of the mirror, and had just stood there looking at her reflection, hoping to see something. Something, anything, she didn’t know what, but she wasn’t seeing something that made her feel more and more tense whenever she thought of Drew : and she was thinking more and more about him, and wasn’t as sure as before as to what she’d do once she saw him. Splashing her face with some cold water helped on the moment, but the worry was instantly back as soon as she looked at herself again. With another sigh, she just decided to figure it out as things unfold…recognising she was not the one to think ten moves ahead.
As she opened the door to leave the bathroom and got out, she noticed the shadow of a human figure leaning on the corner of the hallway, and it was holding something in its hand. Intrigued, she ventured slowly towards that corner and stepped to see who the person was ; and she regretted it the first second she did so, because it was him : the person she was just thinking about, the person she had chosen to pursue even if he was in Johto, the man she had decided to see if he loved her, her greatest rival : Drew.
He had grown. May was standing within inches of him and could see that he was actually more or less her size…as she stepped closer, she concluded it was more…but his face, his eyes, his expression hadn’t changed a bit, if not only become more desirable to her sapphire eyes, which were now beginning to panic, as her body began to shake slowly, the emotion beginning to take over, as she was slightly bent, in contrast with Drew, who was upright leaning against the wall.
“Hello May.” He decided to brake the silence and the observation which seemed to last an eternity for her, but were in fact seconds, and held the red rose he had brought with him in front of her face, it’s petals gently caressing her cheek.
That feeling was too much, as the brunette thought she was going to explode, she decided to do something no part of her reason and mind would have ever dream of her doing : as the petals touched her, the next split second, she lunged towards him, her eyes closed, and pressed her lips against his own, desperate for that kiss she had longed for all these months. And as she did it, she simply stood in front of him, her breathing irregular, tears forming in her eyes, but she was waiting for him to now make a move.
At first, she was afraid. Afraid of that one motion that would have destroyed her emotionally : a push from him, an act of rejection. But all those fears were dissipated the next second, as she felt Drew’s finger under her chin, pushing her tearful face up towards his own, in order for him to continue the kiss he had received, this time he was the one who leaned towards her.
After breaking the passionate kiss, it was over for May, her pain, her anxiety, nervousness and worries were all gone. She felt the feeling of bliss she had experienced after she had left Ash, and reflected back on what she was thinking in that cabin : she had made the right choice…she was now completely freed, she could talk, she could express herself without any fear, and was astounded as to how a single person can alter your life completely.
“I came all the way to Johto for this.” She told him as she smiled, her face only inches from his.
“I know…” was the cocky response of what was now probably a person even more relieved than May was. “…and thank you for giving me a chance.”
“Something told me that I wouldn’t regret it if I did…I saw you cared for me, and you’ve shown it on different times and levels…I knew I’d be happy if I was with you ; and I am.” she was nearly crying while holding his shoulders, and she immediately felt relieved and calmed when she felt Drew’s arms embracing her ; a feeling of comfort she needed more than anything after her loss to Soledad, a feeling Ash could not give her, just placing his hand on her shoulder wasn’t enough : she needed to feel the warmth of the person who loved her, and she was feeling it now. Now, and with no other person in the world than the one she was holding, the one who loved her and the one she loved.
God this looks longer than on word...but it's actually quickly read, don't you agree ?
Well there it is : my baby
A short vision of why I consider AdvanceShipping to have lost to ContestShipping…hope you’ve enjoyed it ^_^ I thank you all for reading, even those who will say that my work is sh*t, thank you for taking the time and read it.
You don’t need to review if you don’t want to, I am not imposing everyone to review, but I would absolutely appreciate any comment, especially since this is my first work posted here.
In exchange, I do “demand” one thing : that you rate.
And please, this I am begging you, please be honest. I’d find it sad if anyone who’s totally opposed to ContestShipping came here, and gave it a rating it doesn’t deserve, or a die-hard ContestShipper rating it something it doesn’t deserve, cause it’s ContestShipping.
So please : take your time, judge properly and give me your honest opinion.
Thank you, and see you all very soon
How did this idea come to mind ? well, some might know me, and know I’m not an AdvanceShipper. Won’t explain why, but I’m just not one. And a few days ago, I find an AMV, a PokéShipping and ContestShipping AMV, with a message at the end stating : “Dedication to : DAML beating the CR*P out of Advanceshipping”
Now reading that, not being any kind of rabid shipper, I just smiled cause I’m fond of ContestShipping, and realised : hey, it’s kind of true…why ? the moment May stepped on that ferry, leaving Ash and going to Johto (incidentally, where Drew happens to be, and told her he’d be there
) so I decided to do what I curse the writers for not doing : give us a short story about how May’s doing…That statement triggered in me again, my dislike of AdvanceShipping, and my decision to write this was purely to say to myself : “AdvanceShipping is gone…she chose someone else”…and write about it
SO ! *clasps hands together* here is my work, that stands here in front of you. Approximately 6 pages. Enjoy if you’re a ContestShipper, cause this is what it’s about
and yes...small “refuting” of AdvanceShipping...Alone, Together
Standing on that ferry with her brother and pokémon, waving towards her friend ; a tall, brown-haired man, wearing a nearly matching brown jacket and pants and who’s name was Brock, and to another person, who she thought could have been more than a friend, who she at sometimes probably wanted to be more than a friend, who had his Pikachu on his shoulder and was wearing his red cap and usual clothes : blue shirt with a white pokeball design on the stomach, and his baggy jeans and was named Ash, those two with all of their own pokémon saluting her for her new journey she decided to take alone, after that instant, seeing them getting farther away from her ; May knew she had probably made the most important decision of her life, and she wasn’t thinking about her career as a coordinator…
No, she knew there were contests in Sinnoh. And had the events that occurred in these last months not unfold as they did, she probably would have traveled again with the raven-haired boy she had a crush on. But as she found out, and as she learned : some people will understand her inner feelings, some people will share the exact same interests as her, and some people will surely show their affection for her, starting from the affection Harley has for her, as strange as it may seem, to the sisterly affection Soledad has for her, to the other level of affection she is feeling with a chartreuse-haired boy, a boy she had chosen over Ash, a boy who she had learned to see from a different view than when they first met : a coordinator, named Drew.
As the docks were out of sight, May and Max stopped waving, but were still looking in that direction.
“…I’m sorry Ash…I know you probably don’t realise why I’m sorry, but you’ll always be my first crush…and I’ll never forget you…”
Snapped out of her thoughts by her brother, after a short small-talk, May began again to reflect on her past, and her future…on how that one emerald-haired coordinator managed to convince her to come with him to Johto.
Getting to know him better during her quest to win the Kanto Grand Festival, seeing him what seemed to be more often than back in Hoenn, and learning to put up with him, and feeling more calm around him, other more amusing moments were when she got to approach him on the beach on Yuzuhira Island…while he was stripped to the waist…and he was most of the time there to provide support for her, notably after the Grand Festival when she had beaten him, he accepted his defeat like a gentleman, he was happy for her, and she began to think more highly of him, he was there to comfort her when she was defeated by Soledad. Of course Ash and Brock had been there for her, but this was…different. A rival, a person she seldom saw, someone with who she’d often argue…a person who gave her roses…was there to take her mind off her worries. And she liked the feeling.
But until then, she still hadn’t decided, for the simple fact that se didn’t know what she was going to do, what Ash was going to do, and what Drew was going to do. But then it all came so fast…
Learning all her fellow coordinators were in Johto, May was faced with a dilemma : Stay with Ash, or go with Drew ?
Knowing she had seen the last of Drew here in Kanto, after seeing all he had done for her, with her, she decided it was now time to judge all she had felt with Ash.
On the bed in her cabin, still reflecting on the “why ?” of her decision, May was peacefully drifting to sleep, and still thinking about she had not chosen Ash. What made her choose Drew ? And she quickly figured out, that it wasn’t in fact much what Drew did : it was what Ash didn’t do. Mostly what made May say to herself that Ash wasn’t ready to feel the same for her, was during her last contest, the first one Ash entered…she was hoping for something maybe quite daring for her to except, she admitted herself that, but she was hoping for Ash to greet her before their match with something more than a handshake, or maybe congratulate her after their draw with a kind word, maybe a gesture or even a hug, or a kiss, to show he cares for everything they had done together for these years…but nothing came…nothing would have come, so she decided to play along with his competitive spirit…and tell him later tonight.
“Oh well…” she sighed, laying on her back “ I just hope I’ve made the right decision. But I’d rather know what will happen soon, than wait ages for Ash to tell me something. Good luck Ash…when you notice what Misty and I are feeling. Next step : Johto alone, and on the hunt for answers !” she said with a smile and a feeling of bliss, a feeling she never would have thought she would feel when leaving Ash : she was liberated. With that sense of joy, she was welcomed to the beautiful land of dreams…and very soon, the image of a green-haired coordinator holding a rose in front of her appeared…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Upon arriving in New Bark Town, May begins to think more and more about what the things at stake are. Not being quite sure how to handle it, decides to just focus on what she told her friends she would do : compete in the Johto contests and win the Grand Festival. It had been two months since she had left Ash and Brock. After that, Max decided to start his own journey…choosing a Torchic, which flattered her. She was thinking that Harley, Soledad and Drew must have already learned all about Johto, where the contest are and all that sort of stuff, while she had no time for preparation, she had spent all her free time, day and night training, something she reminded Drew telling her after the Hoenn Grand Festival and had just arrived in time for this year’s Grand Festival registration. Well…she had three days, but still needed to go to Cherrygrove City to the Pokémon Center and Contest Hall, which she decided to do first, then think about her other move. But when did anything ever go according to plan ? As soon as she started walking, opening the map she had bought upon coming to the new continent, she bumped into someone’s back, someone she new.
“Oh, I’m so sorry miss, I was looking at my map and…” she noticed that the woman had turned around “Soledad ?!”
“Hi May, nice to see you finally arrive here” the red-haired coordinator replied.
“Nice to see you as well, but what are you doing here ? Shouldn’t you be somewhere around Azalea Town ? Drew told me you were the first one to come here, so I thought…”
“Calm down May !” the elder coordinator cut her off and giggled “Let’s have a walk, maybe a drink, and I’ll tell you a few things about myself and our other two friends since we arrived here.” she continued.
May couldn’t refuse, she was eager to get back into the loop, so she simply nodded.
While walking through the small town, May noticed something different in Soledad, that made her look, well…more…beautiful.
“Amazing how a different coloured jacket can make you look more seductive.” May said, still looking at the superb black velvet vest Soledad was wearing, that replaced the orange one she was wearing in Kanto.
“I know…” she plainly replied “…there definitely is some difference…I can tell by the number of stares I’ve been getting here. Do you think it looks nice ? Besides, you’re the one to talk, you’ve changed your outfit for the most. You look cute by the way.” she said as the girls sat at a table, outside a café.
“Yes, it looks beautiful !” May nearly squealed “And thanks for the compliment on my outfit…” she said with a faint blush. Her clothes were similar to her old outfit, except that the blue was replaced with grayish black, and her bandana was a new green one, with a new green fanny pack.
“Ok, anyway, back to business so to speak.” Soledad started “Why am I here when I was the first to come here ?” she asked in a rhetorical fashion. May just sat there, opposite her, and waited for her to answer her own question. It was partly answered when Soledad showed her a Johto ribbon she had recently won. “As you can see,” she continued “I already have a ribbon…we have nearly a year to enter this, and I’ve don a fifth of the was already. So I’m enjoying my stay here, and I’m often flying here and there, visiting or just sightseeing, or looking for good places to train. And a while ago, I’ve learned that you decided to come to Johto, so every now and then, I come back here to see if you arrived.” she explained “Plus there’s a pokémon research lab here, so I go there as well to see if they have some info on pokémon and contests.”
“How did you know I was coming by ferry ?” May asked.
“A little birdie told me.” she told her with a wink. Well that was an unexpected answer, May thought.
“So what about Drew and Harley ?” May pursued the subject, determined to learn more about the other reason she came to Johto.
“Well, Harley had…” “oh come on !! I don’t care about Harley, tell me what Drew’s doing !” May yelled inside herself, but with an interested expression plastered on her face, still looking at Soledad. “…so he’s actually traveling with me at the time, but he stayed in Goldenrod, he’s waiting until I come back. He’s also won a ribbon…”
May was intrigued with the whole story about them traveling together, and thought it was nice in some way, but didn’t get much of it, due to her thoughts, and then asked almost as soon as Soledad had finished talking.
“And Drew ?” oh…I could have nodded and waited a bit before asking that… she mentally cursed herself, but what she deemed as stranger was the fact that Soledad was acting like nothing unusual happened, and proceeded to answering the brunette’s question.
“Wouldn’t you like to know ?” she said in a teasing tone. May was a bit embarrassed, but didn’t have to do anything, as Soledad proceeded “Well, he arrived here last, and has had the toughest time of us three…” she paused “See : Roselia fell ill as they came, and it took him weeks to heal properly, after that, he told me he was going to focus more on his team, and on his battling aspect of the contests, since it’s always that which cost him victory in his two Grand Festivals, so asked some help from the professor in the lab near here I told you about in assembling a balanced team suitable for contests and battles. That took him so much time, he was done gathering his team a week ago. Since then, he’s been training his team somewhere in Johto. Didn’t tell me where.”
Wow was all May could think of, “He’s taking this really seriously…I wonder if he’s even thinking about…” she was interrupted by Soledad segueing with the rest of her narration.
“And above all that, he seemed distracted…”
“Huh ?…interesting…”
“I can tell, cause he’s been more withdrawn, and focused every ounce of his energy on training. He’s trying to get his mind off something…and he’s not being very successful with it.” she sighed.
“Interesting indeed…” May said to herself. “What are his new pokémon ?” she asked, trying to avoid exposing her thoughts.
“Well, he traded his Butterfree for an Eevee, which he trained into an Espeon.” she said “and he caught a Houndour, which he recently evoled into an impressive Houndoom”
“So he’s come here, he wants a victory here, has spent every second on his pokémon and training because he wants to get his mind off something…I wonder if it’s me. Let’s see : we finish a grand festival, I beat him, I get beat, he come to comfort me, we battle again, he tells me he’s going to Johto…he has to be thinking about me. Plus I even told him that I was thinking of good thoughts when he came to mind…that must have triggered something in him ; he’s not Ash…” May enquired her thoughts, as she decided that she had learned enough about the situation, what was left for her was to start her own journey.
She sighed, nodded and gave Soledad a smile before getting off her chair and preparing to head towards Cherrygrove City.
“And you really have no idea where he might be ?” she asked her friend one more time before leaving.
Soledad simply shrugged while taking a sip from the drink they ordered. “Good luck May, I hope we meet again soon !” she exclaimed, as she was slightly swinging on her chair, while waving to the younger coordinator.
May waved back to her, as she turned around and got out of the café.
Waiting until the brunette was clearly out of sight and even a few minutes after that, Soledad pulled out a PokéGear from the pocket of her jacket, and slowly selecting a number to dial.
…one ring…two rings…three rings… “Yes ?” answered a male voice on the other side.
“She’s here.” was the only thing the red-haired woman said.
“…thank you…” was the answer she heard come from her friend, after also hearing a faint sigh of relief.
“You’re welcome.” she naturally replied “now, she’s heading towards the Cherrygrove Contest Hall, so she’ll probably be there in a few hours…she looked determined.” Soledad proceeded with her explanations.
“She probably is.” she heard the person on the other PokéGear reply.
“Yeah, well, from the Lake of Rage where you currently are, it’ll at least take you more than an hour to get there, so you’d better get going.” she told him.
“Yes m’am, and thanks again for doing that scouting for me, these last few weeks.” The voice thanked her.
“No problem Drew, good luck and take care. Now go !” she nearly yelled that last part, mixed with a small fit of laughter.
Shortly after, she heard him hang up and listened to the engaged tone for a few moments before eventually hanging up herself.
She put her PokéGear on the table and let out a long sigh afterwards. Resting her head in her hands with her elbows on her table and closed her eyes, she started to reflect to the situation she had lived for these last weeks at Drew’s demand. But she had to. He was nearly pleading her to do this errand he had given her, and she already wanted to help him because he was her friend, but she just couldn’t refuse after he had explained his motives. Of course, she accepted that after a little teasing on her behalf and making the chartreuse-haired boy blush a few times, but it was all playful. And almost at her own surprise, she was feeling happy for them both. She smiled as she looked up to the sky and the beautiful day upon them, as she carried on to finish her drink, feeling and knowing she had done a good deed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Soledad was right : May was determined. So determined, that she hadn’t stopped once on route 29, except for a battle she had promptly won, with a trainer who called her “chicken” when she refused to battle the first time, and thus arrived at destination in a bit more than an hour.
“The nerve…calling me chicken…I showed him ‘chicken’…” she huffed. She actually did. Her Blaziken making quick work of her opponent’s Venomoth…
Once in front of the glass doors of the Contest Hall, May glanced to the left and right, not actually knowing why, but just feeling like Drew was nearby. With that, she shrugged and hastily entered the building, and immediately had the same reaction as outside : a quick glance to the left, a quick one to the right, but still no sign of the emerald-haired coordinator, as the doors closed behind her. But unknown to her, a few brief seconds later, a Flygon landed in front of those very same doors, with, on his back, a person wearing a purple vest under a black shirt and somewhat turquoise pants and mesmerising emerald eyes and matching hair…
Inside the building, May noticed something : there was nobody there. Amidst the emptiness of the room, a single receptionist at her desk, typing on her computer. Hearing that someone had entered, she lifted her head up to see who came in, and saw the brunette approaching her desk.
“Hello, how may I help you ?” said the receptionist with a fake smile on her face, trying to look friendly, but it all made her look more like a deranged serial killer.
“…er, I’m here to register for this year’s Grand Festival and collect my Contest Pass for Johto. Can you help me with that ?” May replied.
“Of course I can !” said the receptionist, actually sounding more excited now that she had something to do. “I’m sorry if I sound a bit bored miss, but I am…you’re the first person that walked here all day, so…” she explained.
“Oh, I understand…” May responded, actually feeling some empathy for the girl.
After a short while, it was all done : May was authorised to compete in Johto contests. After putting her new pass in her fanny pack, she asked the receptionist where the restrooms were, to which the clerk pointed towards the far left of the building, noting that you see the men’s room first, the ladies’ room being just after it, around the corner. As soon as May had her back turned and started walking towards the direction she was given, the front doors opened, and the man who earlier had arrived on his Flygon entered the building, a red rose in one had, the other one being in his pocket. But the female coordinator hadn’t noticed it, as the doors opening hadn’t made much of a noise.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
May was standing in front of the mirror, and had just stood there looking at her reflection, hoping to see something. Something, anything, she didn’t know what, but she wasn’t seeing something that made her feel more and more tense whenever she thought of Drew : and she was thinking more and more about him, and wasn’t as sure as before as to what she’d do once she saw him. Splashing her face with some cold water helped on the moment, but the worry was instantly back as soon as she looked at herself again. With another sigh, she just decided to figure it out as things unfold…recognising she was not the one to think ten moves ahead.
As she opened the door to leave the bathroom and got out, she noticed the shadow of a human figure leaning on the corner of the hallway, and it was holding something in its hand. Intrigued, she ventured slowly towards that corner and stepped to see who the person was ; and she regretted it the first second she did so, because it was him : the person she was just thinking about, the person she had chosen to pursue even if he was in Johto, the man she had decided to see if he loved her, her greatest rival : Drew.
He had grown. May was standing within inches of him and could see that he was actually more or less her size…as she stepped closer, she concluded it was more…but his face, his eyes, his expression hadn’t changed a bit, if not only become more desirable to her sapphire eyes, which were now beginning to panic, as her body began to shake slowly, the emotion beginning to take over, as she was slightly bent, in contrast with Drew, who was upright leaning against the wall.
“Hello May.” He decided to brake the silence and the observation which seemed to last an eternity for her, but were in fact seconds, and held the red rose he had brought with him in front of her face, it’s petals gently caressing her cheek.
That feeling was too much, as the brunette thought she was going to explode, she decided to do something no part of her reason and mind would have ever dream of her doing : as the petals touched her, the next split second, she lunged towards him, her eyes closed, and pressed her lips against his own, desperate for that kiss she had longed for all these months. And as she did it, she simply stood in front of him, her breathing irregular, tears forming in her eyes, but she was waiting for him to now make a move.
At first, she was afraid. Afraid of that one motion that would have destroyed her emotionally : a push from him, an act of rejection. But all those fears were dissipated the next second, as she felt Drew’s finger under her chin, pushing her tearful face up towards his own, in order for him to continue the kiss he had received, this time he was the one who leaned towards her.
After breaking the passionate kiss, it was over for May, her pain, her anxiety, nervousness and worries were all gone. She felt the feeling of bliss she had experienced after she had left Ash, and reflected back on what she was thinking in that cabin : she had made the right choice…she was now completely freed, she could talk, she could express herself without any fear, and was astounded as to how a single person can alter your life completely.
“I came all the way to Johto for this.” She told him as she smiled, her face only inches from his.
“I know…” was the cocky response of what was now probably a person even more relieved than May was. “…and thank you for giving me a chance.”
“Something told me that I wouldn’t regret it if I did…I saw you cared for me, and you’ve shown it on different times and levels…I knew I’d be happy if I was with you ; and I am.” she was nearly crying while holding his shoulders, and she immediately felt relieved and calmed when she felt Drew’s arms embracing her ; a feeling of comfort she needed more than anything after her loss to Soledad, a feeling Ash could not give her, just placing his hand on her shoulder wasn’t enough : she needed to feel the warmth of the person who loved her, and she was feeling it now. Now, and with no other person in the world than the one she was holding, the one who loved her and the one she loved.
The End
God
this looks longer than on word...but it's actually quickly read, don't you agree ? Well there it is : my baby
A short vision of why I consider AdvanceShipping to have lost to ContestShipping…hope you’ve enjoyed it ^_^ I thank you all for reading, even those who will say that my work is sh*t, thank you for taking the time and read it.
You don’t need to review if you don’t want to, I am not imposing everyone to review, but I would absolutely appreciate any comment, especially since this is my first work posted here.
In exchange, I do “demand” one thing : that you rate.
And please, this I am begging you, please be honest. I’d find it sad if anyone who’s totally opposed to ContestShipping came here, and gave it a rating it doesn’t deserve, or a die-hard ContestShipper rating it something it doesn’t deserve, cause it’s ContestShipping.
So please : take your time, judge properly and give me your honest opinion.
Thank you, and see you all very soon
--ooOoo--
[img139]http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e180/MistyMix89/Shippers%20Community%20Awards/Best-CS-OS.png[/img139]
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Thank you...
[img139]http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e180/MistyMix89/Shippers%20Community%20Awards/Best-CS-OS.png[/img139]
--ooOoo--
Thank you...
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